For many of us, seeing a loved one's face light up with a gift and spending time with family are just routine for the holidays.

But for one 30-year-old single mother struggling to make enough money to support her son and herself, the holidays can be worrisome.

The one thing her 9-year-old boy said he'd like for Christmas this year — spending some time with his father, who is in a drug treatment facility — is out of her control.

"It always gets kind of scary around this time because you always want to be able to make it a good Christmas for your kid," said the woman, who didn't want to be identified. "But I tell him all the time we're a lot more fortunate than a lot of people. We're better off than we were before."

In many ways, they are in a better situation, although the family of two is still in need.

The two were living with her relatives but had to leave in part because her family disapproved of her relationship with another woman, which has since ended, she said.

Despite her income as a healthcare aide, she and her son then had few housing options. After staying at friends' homes for limited periods of time, they eventually ended up homeless.

With nowhere else to go, she lived in a tent or in her car — which was missing a window — for several months. During that time, she had her son stay with her mother.

But things started to turn around about a year ago when mother and son were able to move into temporary housing at Weinberg Village Waimanalo. She's grateful for the housing, although she understands that the rent there is unrealistically low and that she will eventually have to find more expensive permanent housing elsewhere.

But she is focused on improving things for herself and her son. She has been working full time as a healthcare aide for a quadriplegic man for several years, a job that has inspired her to become a nurse.

She said she will start classes next year to become a certified nursing assistant — enabling her to earn higher pay — and plans to enter a nursing program eventually.

She's still on good terms with her family members, whom she said have done their best to support her.

And she's trying to make healthier lifestyle choices for herself and her son, like exercising and improving their diets.

She'd appreciate any new pots and pans to help her cook healthful meals; the ones she uses now are old and tend to burn food. A Moosewood vegetarian cookbook would also help the family toward their goal of healthy living.

She'd also like for her son to have new wheels for his wave board.

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Reach Lynda Arakawa at larakawa@honoluluadvertiser.com.