It was a cold December, at the tail end of the Great Depression(大萧条), and things were tough. Mum had a hard time raising us kids on her own in our small community. My father had died five years earlier, leaving us worse off; we relied on social assistance to keep us clothed, and although our clothes were secondhand, we thought they were beautiful.
Looking back, I realized what Mum went through sending us kids to school. Every morning she would tuck(塞) a new piece of cardboard in our shoes because our soles (鞋底) were worn out. When we got home, Mum would have French toast ready for us. Our rent was $25 a month, but Mum couldn't pay it, and we knew we would move out right after Christmas on the first of January.
The holidays were fast approaching, and we were entitled to (有资格获得) $25 for Christmas from social services. It was four days before Christmas. Mum said that instead of buying food, she was going to use the money to pay our back rent. That way we'd have a roof over our heads for a little while longer.
Then she told us that there would be no Christmas gifts.
What Mom didn't know was that I had been selling Christmas trees, sweeping snow and doing part-time jobs to earn enough money to buy a new pair of boots—boots that weren't patched (缝补); boots with no cardboard in it. I knew exactly which boots I wanted. They were ten-inch, Top-Genuine, Pierre Paris boots, and they cost $23.
The big day for getting my boots came on Christmas Eve afternoon. I was very excited as I hurried up the shopping center for it. On the way, I noticed a grocery store (杂货店).
注意：
1. 所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2. 续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好。
Paragraph 1
The Christmas lights and decorations held me, and I slowed my pace.
Paragraph 2
Once home, I piled the groceries on the porch (门廊) and knocked on the door.
