As Good as Gold

Christmas, it is often said, is for kids. But at Murchison Street Elementary School in East Los Angeles, today belongs to the children’s parents.

Most are single moms. Many clean homes across the city or start their days long before daybreak at downtown garment factories.

Their kids, even the youngest, know the score. They see their mothers struggle from week to week. They know sometimes there is barely enough money for necessities.

But today--this very special Christmas Day--the mothers of Murchison will be treated to the luxuries of life: a spa kit, a vial of Dior perfume, Neutrogena bath gel in a pump bottle, Avon jewelry, Estee Lauder makeup.

More than 900 kids from the age of 5 to 12, from kindergarten to fifth grade, have made sure of that--and also shopped for dads and brothers and sisters.

Since early November the students have been earning Murchison money--play cash in denominations of $1, $5 and $10 for good grades, behavior, attendance, deeds done around the school: picking up trash; helping others with homework; older kids assisting the younger ones in the restroom, at lunch, on the playground.

As soon as Halloween ended, kids and staff embraced the merry Murchison Christmas spirit.

And last Thursday, the children--most of whom live at or below the poverty level, the majority of whom reside in the nearby Ramona Gardens projects--spent their hard-earned money in the kid-sized auditorium that was transformed into the Murchison Department Store, complete with individual sections for housewares, small appliances, toys, games, bathroom items, jewelry and Rich Whites as Santa Claus.

The kids affectionately dubbed their store Nordstrom East, and they spent close to $1 million.

Nine-year-old Lucrecia Eudabe spent most all of her $50, earned for helping her classmates with homework and helping keep her school clean, on a 20-piece set of microwave bowls for her mother, Blanca Eudabe.

“Oh my goodness, I can’t believe I found these,” said Lucrecia, hugging the boxed set to her chest, rocking them from side to side after browsing through the kitchen section. “My mother is going to be the happiest person in the projects.

“My mother is so nice to me and my sister and brother,” she said. “My mom does get mad at us, but she doesn’t spank us. She teaches us with her words and then she always gives us kisses. I love my mother’s kisses.

“She has taught me to be nice to other people and to respect people in order to get respect back. And to work hard for what you want. I earned the money for her, for something nice for Christmas.”

With that, Lucrecia took her bowls to the exit where Principal Robert Bilovsky, decked out in a Santa hat and a Murchison Cubs sweatshirt, thanked each child for being a “terrific and loving” Murchison student and then directed the shoppers to “Becky’s Gift Wrapping Center” across a breezeway.

When Becky Morales isn’t wearing puffy antlers on her head of curly hair, she is Murchison’s textbook and supply manager.

“I just love this--all of this--the children at Christmas, the fact that they are buying gifts for others. These children can teach us a few lessons,” Morales said as she cut red and gold foil wrapping paper, ribbon and tinsel, and gave kids wrapping tips: “Put some tissue on top of the bag, honey, and it will look all festive-like.”

The event was organized by Gordon Pfitzer, the school’s dropout prevention counselor, the majority of the items donated by the Department of Water and Power’s customer service division. The division adopted the school eight years ago and later came up with the department store idea. Since then others have joined, including Creative Artists Agency, Neutrogena, Princess Cruises and individuals who made toys and dolls and contributed money to buy merchandise for the children to select.

The stage featured bicycles and tables filled with baskets containing floral-scented soaps and bubble-bath crystals in jars wrapped with colored cellophane and tied with frilly ribbon. Every corner of the auditorium displayed other items on shelves, in glass cases and on counters staffed by volunteer adults and children from the school’s student council.

Marysol Zamora, 10, worked the jewelry and cosmetics counter like a pro.

“These kids aren’t rich,” she said. “They don’t have money to shop. Their mothers are the most important people in the world. So we want to give a pretty gift to our moms. We take the store serious.

“The kids want bubble bath for their moms, earrings, perfumes, jewelry. Those things are going fast. I think I’m gonna need some extra help,” she said returning to her spot behind the counter as a group of students entered the store after depositing their Murchison money in a box.

Many of the students had counted their money so many times the paper had worn thin. Others made sticker-covered envelopes for their earnings. And some never left the money out of their sight: At night they slept with it under their pillows; during the day, they kept it in their shoes, socks and in secret zippered compartments in their backpacks.

They walked down the aisle under red and green helium-filled balloons and posed for a photo with Santa. Then it was off to the department of their choice. Some bolted to the stage for bicycles and toys, but most of the kids browsed and browsed some more before deciding on the right gift.

Most opted for the jewelry and makeup counter, where Marysol waited on as many as three shoppers at a time, bouncing from one end of the counter to the other, reaching for earrings, necklaces and spraying perfume in the air to test bottles.

“I’m sorry. We don’t have anymore Christy Dior perfume,” Marysol told Tomas Rodriguez, 9, who asked for the scent a friend had selected earlier. “But how about a necklace for your mom? I’ve got this real pretty necklace with shiny stones.”

Marysol clasped the rhinestone-studded piece around her neck, pulling her hair into a ponytail to better show it off.

“Isn’t that pretty, don’t you think?” she said to her customer, who wasn’t sure. “Well then maybe these,” she said, holding up a pair of gold and rhinestone-studded earrings, wiggling them for a sparkle effect.

“I’ll take them,” Tomas said.

“Your mom is gonna love these. They go with everything.” Marysol put the earrings in a box and sent the shopper to Becky’s wrapping center.

Across the store, Bilovsky doled out candy and handed every child a wooden toy handmade by Paul Taylor, a friend of the school.

“A gift for your mom and a gift for you” was Bilovsky’s message. Many of the children chose to give up their gifts for someone else: Dad, a brother, a sister, Grandma, a baby cousin.

Bilovsky was most moved by those children.

“I’ve seen so many children go without a gift for themselves. They say, ‘Mr. B, this gift is for my mom and this other gift is for my baby brother.’ ”

Mr. B sent those children back into the store to pick out a gift for themselves.

Esmeralda Escobedo, 9, was one.

She used her $75 to get a bicycle for her 3-year-old brother, Anthony, and a gift basket that contained a watch, serving spoons and refrigerator magnets for her mom, Angie.

Why not a toy for herself?

“I wanted something for my brother because he shares with me. And my mom because she sews my clothes. Christmas means to share with people.”

Armando Villalpando, 10, had only one person on his mind. His mom, Sandra. So with his $76 he bought her a blanket. But not just any blanket. It had to have big, beautiful flowers and it had to be king-sized. He wrote to Santa about it. And on this day at the Murchison Department Store, he was one ecstatic shopper.

“Man, this is just what I was hoping for,” he said of the comforter he’ll give his mom today.

“I don’t want my mom to be cold anymore. She’s always cold,” he said, tears filling his brown eyes. After a few seconds, he composed himself. He talked about how he helps his mom, a single parent. How he can bake a cake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees, scramble eggs for his 4-year-old brother, Danny, and 8-year-old sister, Roxanne, and sing and dance to Selena songs for his siblings.

“Can I tell you something?” he asked. “In my letter to Santa, I said I’m not a good boy or a bad boy. I’m a medium boy. I wanted to be honest. I think that’s why I got the blanket. Christmas isn’t about getting something, it’s about giving something, especially to your mom.”