Andy, I recall reading an article that was probably the one you mentoned in the beginning of this thread. Only I thought it was closer to 40 years ago in either Field and Stream, Sports Afield, or Outdoor Life. It might have been more recently in Grey's though. As I recalled it the young boy's father had died and wasn't there to shoot the traditional Christmas goose that the family had each year. Times were hard and the family didn't have much for Christmas and no bird for dinner. The boy woke up early and took his father's SxS from the closet and went hunting without permission from his mother. It was near hopeless as no birds should have still been around. It seemed a Christmas miracle when he shot a goose. His mother came out looking for him and they walked home together. Does that sound like the one you were thinking of? It was extremely well written and I've thought about it often since I read it. It reminded me of all I had to be thankful for. I'm sure I have the story wrong. I tried finding the story and came across this.
https://www.saltwire.com/newfoundlan...istmas-172030/
Scroll down to "A Goose for Christmas". It's another person's memory of the story I recall. If it's yours too we're not alone in our appreciation. I wish I knew the author's name.