A slip of paper recording a £5 bet between two generals over the military fate of Europe in the Second World War is expected to fetch £12,000 at auction.

General Bernard Montgomery of the British Army took a break from re-organising he Eighth Army in Italy to make a bet with his American comrade, General Dwight Eisenhower, about when the war would end.

Eisenhower, who oversaw the Allied invasion of Italy, felt confident he could march to Berlin by Christmas 1944, but Montgomery thought little of his chances.

Money was almost nonexistent in our home during the Depression.

Dad was a great provider, always the hard-working optimist, but little was left over for extras, much less presents.

He was a building contractor, not that anyone was building anything, and had acquired a large metal holding tank that he stored behind our home.

A few days before Christmas, a man passing by saw the tank, had a need for it, and offered Dad $15.

Christmas for the five Anderson children that year was magical.

Toys, dolls and games galore under our sappy dripping Florida pine tree.

My sister, Gladys Jones Dempsey, passed away Oct. 15, 2009 and she had dictated the following before she died. I hope you can use it:

It must have been about 1919 and it was Christmas Day in Vero Beach.

Uncle Gary Roberts had a big garden of beans that were ready to pick. You know, if you don’t pick them when ready, they get too old and are not worth picking.

Since it was Christmas Day, there was no one who wanted to go out to the farm to help, so Uncle Gary and Aunt Lizzie and their daughter Cora packed up their Christmas dinner and headed out to the field because it looked like they might lose the crop.

A great memory like this one of Grant and Conrad with their Silly Straws…can’t be beat! Grant was enthused and since he was pretty sure this may be all he was getting this Christmas (moms purchase from Aaron Brothers) he made the best…(read more)

Source: Red Maple Farm

After 67 years of marriage, celebrating with friends and family, we found ourselves facing Christmas alone for the first time.

Children have their own families grown and now spend Christmas at home, as we did. Our daughter had us over Christmas Eve before she left for her son’s home near Topeka, Kan.