When I was young we were so poor that ...........
My father had to have, in addition to relying on working overtime, up to 3 additional part time evening/weekend jobs (until we were old enough for my mother to also work).
One Christmas, when there was no overtime available where my father worked for some time, we faced the prospect of no tree and no Christmas dinner.
My father and I went out and dragged an dead branch out of a hedge and painted in with whatever leftover paints we had, and that was our Christmas tree.
On Christmas Eve, the 2 tickets he bought for the works raffle both won - 2 chickens for Christmas! (not a vegetarian then).
And it's what I always remember as our best Christmas, and I can't even remember if we got any presents.