Opal's pov

We're not rich. Not even close. But we have what we need to get by and that's all we need.

Mom has a shoe box shoved in the back of her closet that she puts aside money in. Five dollars from her paycheck, any tips she gets from her part time job at a local diner, any extra money Grandma sends, it all goes I to the box.

Why does she have the box? For two reasons. The most obvious is for emergencies. That's the only time Pearl and I are allowed to take any of the money. The other reason is birthdays and Christmas. Mom gives us each fifty dollars from the box a few weeks before Christmas, we can either buy gifts or keep it for ourselves.

She has only given us twenty five dollars each, because of the two extra people she needed to fund. Amethyst ended up just buying everyone a five dollar gift card and giving her last five to Pearl. I had enough saved from work where it didn't affect me too harshly though.

I bought mom a bottle of her favorite perfume, Pearl the newest book from her favorite author, Sugi a pair of fingerless gloves, and Amethyst a box of hair dye.

Pearl and I did our shopping together, we only split up briefly to buy each other gifts. However, I did notice that she spent most of her money buying a glass ornament that looked like a snowflake.

Christmas morning came just like every year. We all rushed downstairs in our pajamas and sat on the floor around the tree.

I got a five dollar gift card to Walmart from Amethyst(Pearl did too, and was very grateful, but handed it to me). Pearl gave me a teal and yellow dress, and Sugilite gave me a necklace with shards of Amethyst and Pearl, ironically.

Like always, we talked to Grandma on video chat to thank her for the gifts-all five of us. Technically she also sent Peridot a gift, Pearl begged me to drive her over to give it to her, but Mom forbid us to leave the house on Christmas.

Maybe other families who have more money celebrate Christmas differently. During the holidays the question always passes through my mind, how do other people celebrate?

Amethyst and Sugilite were lucky to even think about Christmas, my gifts and the occasional gift from their mother was all they'd get.

And Peridot? I saw her lifestyle. Lavish dinner parties and twenty foot Christmas trees. Her mother was so busy, did she even have time to buy Peridot and Yellen presents? Could she afford to pay someone else to buy them things? Did they ever get any time together as a family?

My family is small. And broken. But still good. And I wouldn't trade them for the world.

(A/N) Woah, three chapters in three days? My Holiday gift to you! Don't mention the Lilo and Stitch reference. Don't.

Oh whale I have some chapters to edit.