As he returned inside， the shop keeper’s wife walked out. “Who were you talking to back there and where are the roses you were fixing？”
Staring out the window， and blinking the tears from his own eyes， he replied， “A strange thing happened to me this morning. While I was setting up things to open the shop， I thought I heard a voice telling me to set aside a dozen of my best roses for a special gift. I wasn’t sure at the time whether I had lost my mind or what， but I set them aside anyway. Then just a few minutes ago， a little boy came into the shop and wanted to buy a flower for his mother with one small dime. When I looked at him， I saw myself， many years ago. I too was a poor boy with nothing to buy my mother a Christmas gift. A bearded man， whom I never knew， stopped me on the street and told me that he wanted to give me ten dollars. When I saw that little boy tonight， I knew who that voice was， and I put together a dozen of my very best roses.”
The shop owner and his wife hugged each other tightly， and as they stepped out into the bitter cold air， they somehow didn’t feel cold at all.
外面下着雪，博比站在后院，感觉越来越冷。博比不爱穿靴子，况且他也没有靴子可穿，所以只能赤脚站在雪地里。脚上的运动鞋薄薄的，已经磨出了好几个洞，不论怎样也抵挡不住冬季的严寒。
博比已经在后院待了整整一个小时。送给母亲什么礼物好呢，他绞尽脑汁，左思右想，心里一点主意都没有。他边想边摇头，“不行，即便我知道送什么，也买不起。”
3年前博比的父亲去世了，之后，这个五口之家一直在生活的最底线上挣扎。不是母亲没有尽心尽力，只是她赚来的那点儿可怜的薪水远远不够家用。母亲在医院上夜班，她赚的那点儿少得可怜的薪水能够维持到现在已经不错了。
尽管家里很穷，但大家都相亲相爱，关系和睦。博比有两个姐姐和一个妹妹，母亲外出时，她们会把家料理得井然有序。