A Christmas Problem for Samuel James

A small boy longs to be recognized as an "real" person or in his mind "grown up". He realizes adults purchase the gifts which they give to others at Christmas so he should purchase his presents by himself. His decision is to earn his own money for Christmas gifts and then, purchase one for everyone on his list. The difficulty in making enough money and finding presents that he can afford is the main basis of the story. Samuel James discovers a valuable lesson as he learns what true gifts really are.

"A Christmas Present for Samuel James" is the second of the author's published books, the first, "Sunshine and Forget-Me-Nots" is a compilation of advice and axioms for daily living. The author, a fifth generation Texan, began her career when in her early twenties, she wrote a bi-weekly column for the Austin American Statesmen. Afterwards, her writing was displaced by the need to concentrate on a family.

When she and her husband returned to Austin some twenty years ago, she fulfilled a lifetime dream by returning to the University of Texas and earning a BA in Psychology. She laughingly says, "The degree was some thirty years too late to help me raise my children."

She will admit that she didn't know how to say "no" during her children's school days and always seemed to be involved in their activities. Her description of chasing her son's pet squirrel from one end of a science room to another, definitely demonstrates her willingness to participate in the children's activities.

The grandmother of nineteen, most of her writing has been free-lance articles on family values for newspapers in Joliet, Illinois; Kansas City, Missouri; Columbus, Georgia; and the West Austin News. However, her primary interest has always been in children. While in Kansas City, she served as a docent for the Children's Art Museum and in addition, has served on Children's Research and Grants Committees. Working with Chemical Abuse, she was chairman of the Palmer Drug Abuse Program in Austin; as well as completing the course for Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children and was a volunteer at the Children's Advocacy Center.

In Samuel James, the firs in a series, she deals with a problems of growing up or wanting to be identified as an adult. A popular grandparent, her grandchildren always know that she will have a story for them; whether, about the squirrel family in the back yard or the possums which nightly come for dinner.

In her own words, "Children are our voices of tomorrow and we should always try to give them a sense of their own importance to not only themselves but others, as well."