You don't know how tough you CAN be until you HAVE to be! It is 1980. Computer programming is still relatively in its infancy. It's the age of COBOL and huge decks of IBM cards. Into the thick of this is thrown Rebecca Andrews, "dumped", broke, middle-aged housewife. Refusing to remain "dumped", Rebecca joins forces with her pregnant daughter and ex-Navy son-in-law while they not only survive a merciless upstate New York winter, but struggle to complete college while each holds down several menial jobs. Their destitute circumstances make their lives an endless cycle of work, study, and survival. This Purgatory reveals to each member of this non-traditional family his/her inner strength ... a strength that each previously could not have imagined. But now they must face an impoverished Christmas. Will this be the one adversity that will ultimately be unbearable ... the suffering that will break their collective spirit? Amazingly, a quite ordinary symbol renews hope and resolve for the threesome. A story of profound courage, grueling physical endurance, never-ending hope, and yes, occasional laughter. Makeshift Christmas is an inspiration to all those who dare to reach for something higher.