by Christine Collier –
Christine slouched in the easy chair and gazed out her living room window. She was daydreaming. Dreaming she’d receive a piano on Christmas morning that is!
It was Christmas Eve and snowing like crazy with a blizzard warning for later. She knew her brother Mark was getting a Collie puppy as a gift. She worried that her aunt might get stuck in the snow as she delivered the little dog. She was due to visit any minute.
Christine and her brothers were running around in their new pajamas when she saw the lights of their aunt’s car turn into the driveway. Her mother hurriedly grabbed her coat and went outside. They heard the garage door open and her mother came back in the house quickly. Her hands were filled with candy canes.
“Mom, was that Aunt Mary in the driveway?” Mark yelled.
“Yes honey, she couldn’t stay because the roads are terrible! She wanted us to have these candy canes. Would you like to hang them on the Christmas tree branches?”
Christine knew the puppy must be in the basement at that very moment. Her mom had asked for help in keeping the surprise from her brother.
Later in the evening Mom announced it was time for bed. “You’ll be getting up very early so it’s time to rest now.” The children protested but were soon snuggled in their beds.
Christine’s bedside clock ticked slowly. It was around nine o’clock when she heard muffled voices in their living room. She thought she heard a piano key being struck, laughter and other strange noises. She felt a wonderful tingling of excitement.
She looked out her bedroom window. What was that, a large van backing out of the snowy driveway? Oh my, what could they have delivered at this hour on Christmas Eve? Do I dare dream it’s a new piano? It’d been snowing steadily all evening. Everything looked like a winter wonderland.
Christine’s little clock now read one o’clock, the house was deadly quiet. She was finally starting to drift of to sleep when she heard two loud puppy barks. Yikes, that didn’t sound like it had traveled through the floor vent from the basement. It sounded like it was outside her bedroom window! Christine jumped from bed and looked out the window. To her horror she saw the puppy jumping in deep snow. Moonlight lit up the cold dark sky. I wonder if the delivery men opened the garage for some reason.
Christine was worried, it was a family rule never to look under the Christmas tree once the family had gone to sleep for the night.
I’ll close my eyes as I run to get my coat, hat and mittens. Christine had to get to the front door to get outside and rescue the puppy from the blizzard. She left her pajamas on, put on socks and shoes and slowly opened her bedroom door. She didn’t dare glance at the tree or any part of the living room. She got her coat, snow boots, hat and mittens out of the hall closet. Slowly she opened the front door and stepped into knee high snow. Oh that snow was cold against her legs!
She walked in the front yard where she had seen the puppy from the window. There was no trace of the little dog. The stars were shining brightly but the yard was still dark and terribly cold.
Christine walked around the house several times, up and down the front steps, around the garage door but there was no sign of the little dog. She was just about to start crying when she felt a furry object rub against her flannel covered leg. Christine grabbed the puppy in her arms.
Oh you naughty puppy, if I hadn’t seen you out the window you might have frozen to death.
Christine put the dog inside her winter coat and fairly ran to the front door. Opening it quietly, she quickly took off her snowy boots, coat and mittens and ran to her bedroom clutching the dog to her chest.
“You’re spending the rest of Christmas Eve with me under my warm quilt,” she whispered. The puppy snuggled close to her as though thanking her for his rescue.
Christine was exhausted and very cold and fell quickly to sleep with the puppy in her arms.
Christine’s mom found her and the puppy sound asleep in her bed Christmas morning.
“Honey, it’s Christmas, why are you so tired? Your brothers have been asking if they can come out of their bedroom for almost an hour. How did the puppy end up in your bed? I want to tie a red ribbon and this little bell around his neck and put him under the tree. Wake up, sleepy head. Merry Christmas!”
Christine and her brothers ran into the living room to find a beautiful spinet piano, many presents, stockings bulging with candy and a barking puppy! The new puppy was named Jingle Bells and it wasn’t long before Christine had learned to play that song on her new piano.
the end.
Question Time
1. What did Christine’s brother, Mark, get for Christmas?
2. Why did Christine leave her room after everyone was asleep?
3. Did Christine get what she wanted for Christmas?
