Gift of the Magi, Bruns style

by Chuck Bruns

Chuck, Judy, Dixie and Charles Sr. with eight year old David on his bicycle a couple months after the Christmas of 1980. 

This Christmas will mark the fourth Christmas without my mother, born Dixie Merideth, who knew poverty most of her life and yet always yearned for the luxuries of affluence. She surrendered to death March 2nd, 2020 just before the lockdown of the Pandemic and is buried up in Auburn, California, in a county where I spent my formative years before living in Davis, California as a college student. Mom’s Grandfather, Dr. Meredith delivered my mother as a newborn in his gabled mansion in San Gabriel, California where she lived in the early 1930’s from her birth. 

Dr. Meredith practiced a form of “giveaway” medicine while delivering babies, diagnosing tuberculosis and pneumonia to the destitute and pennilesses masses to whom he desired to prescribe hope. Dixie’s mom, my Grandmother Janice, found herself often short of cash in this Depression era while raising two daughters as a divorcee. For employment, she assembled the B-17 “Flying Fortress'' bombers: a valuable gift to the war effort. Her oldest daughter, my mother Dixie, filled her shoes with cut cardboard to cover the exposed holes on the soles, and ate creative bland meals to stave off the pangs of hunger.  FDR announced over the radio “a day that would live in infamy” when Dixie was eight years old and a former chicken coop would be a short term residence to endure such poverty. 

Long before the throws of the Depression, Dr. Meredith had lived and practiced medicine in Oklahoma and was revered there too for his generous medical pro bono gifts: he cared for all, and even made friends with Geronimo the famous Apache  Dr. Meredith became popular with tribal people living on reservations and of the plains.  

Dr. Merideth with baby Dixie Merideth in 1933 (her birth year)

Native American Quanah Parker, a leader of the Comanche warriors invited Genevieve, Dr.Merideth’s wife to share a meal at his renowned Star House and a lovely cut crystal water pitcher long admired by the physician’s wife became a lasting and parting gift to Mrs. Meredith.  A family heirloom, the glass pitcher was never sold despite its value.  

……….

Just over 60 years later from such generosity, I channeled O.Henry’s famous Christmas tale for inspiring my unique Noel season gift ideas for presents to give in 1980. I was only eighteen years old and had just returned to my foothill home that December from my first quarter studies as a physiology major: pre-med to be exact. I struggled barely passing calculus and chemistry with D’s and my overall plan to become a white coat wearing physician seemed very bleak. Somewhere, my mother had planted the idea that I was to follow in Dr. Meredith’s footsteps but I was on break, back at home and all I wanted was for my mother who grew up with the Depression and World War II harsh experiences to find holiday joy! Although I vowed to make academic amends the next quarter, I would soon derail from my intended tracks and eventually earn an English degree. . 

A few days later, I loaded my fourteen year old sister Judy into our clunky blue Toyota Corolla and we drove 37 miles to the Best department store at the Sunrise Mall to start my plan on a heavy foggy afternoon, typical of Sacramento in December. Spending a small chunk of my college savings - intended for my pathway into medicine - Judy and I purchased a surprise for David, our eight year old “baby” brother. It was a train set, the ultimate Christmas gift according to David although Dixie had informed him that tight finances at Christmas time prevented Santa from delivering both a bicycle and model train. 

Model train set like the one Judy and I purchased at the Best department store at Sunrise Mall

After the shopping excursion and back at home Judy and I reviewed our purchase while behind a closed door from our curious kid brother David and reviewed the HO scale railroad of track, tunnel, crossing gates, multiple cars and a speed controller. We determined that wrapping up the box and placing it carefully under the tree would be too easy and we wanted it to be a part of Santa’s gifts left out in the open. So, we secretly assembled the oval track before Christmas Eve and hid it under Judy’s bed. Later, after returning home from Midnight Mass in Auburn to our small three bedroom abode, I quickly pretended to sleep until nearly 3 am. At that time, the pre-planned covert surgical sortie-like operation started from my bottom bunk and I tiptoed to Judy’s room in the dark where she and the train awaited, David slept away in his top bunk unaware of my Santa ambitions. Ever so carefully, with some giggles, we made several trips and carried the track and train cars to be set up under the tree: right next to the yellow bicycle with its bow already left by Santa an hour earlier.  

As our quest had become about surprising Dixie as much as to give my brother his dream Christmas, we still wanted to see her face as she would first see our living room, where the Christmas tree had invited such gifting. Dixie always ruled Christmas morning as she was the first to walk out, inspect and “assure” that Santa had left packages and filled stockings. For her, a chance to turn on the coffee, grab a quick smoke and let the dog out before announcing, “kids, come out and see what Santa left.” But this year, Judy and I crept out first and fast before her signal so that we could see Dixie catch her first glimpse of the train set within the small expanse of presents - especially the yellow bicycle - that she helped set out hours before the train.  

Her gawking, jaw agape expression was captured in Judy and my memories and still remains. Seconds later, young David joined in the merriment. The exhilaration in the Christmas surprise that gave us “The Gift of the Magi” moment, found us all in smiles.

Actual photo taken by Santa, aka Dixie Bruns of the main gift for David Bruns, his first pedal bicycle

Hope you find joy in this.....