MY SECRET CHRISTMAS WISH
The calendar hung inside our kitchen
pantry door. The days seemed to crawl by now that December
was finally here. Christmas was surely coming but when
you’re seven and you know you’ve been ‘specially
good for several days, time all but stands still. Using my
best red crayon, I marked off the eighteenth day before closing
the door and returning to the dining table to do my homework.
“Momma, how does Santa Claus know
what I want for Christmas?” I asked with childish curiosity.
“Well, if you finish your homework
you can write him a letter” she said from over her shoulder
as she busily cooked supper.
Her words were music to my ears! Now
that I was in second grade I took great pride in my writing
skills. The math problems seemed hard to do but knowing
that I had a chance to write Santa Claus pushed me on. My
hand griped the pencil tightly as the answers slowly came to me.
My mind was not on numbers. I kept thinking about exactly
what I wanted to tell Santa.
“Dear Santa” the words of the
letter began over and over in my mind. Now, what did I
really want for Christmas? I didn’t want him to think
me selfish so I knew I had to ask for something that could be
enjoyed by everyone. What could that possibly be? I
knew I wanted a new doll that could walk along beside me. She
was standing in a shop window downtown. She was almost as
tall as I was! That was not something everyone could enjoy
though.
“Momma, what do you want for
Christmas?” I sang out.
“I want everyone to be happy”,
she replied.
That answer didn’t help me. I
wanted everyone to be happy too but that was not something you
asked Santa for. It had to be something specific, something
wonderful.
The back door opened and Daddy came
inside from his farming chores with a gust of cold wind following
him. My homework papers fluttered on the table. Jumping
down from the chair I had been kneeling in, I ran over to give
him a welcoming hug.
“Daddy, what do you want for
Christmas?” I asked as I swung from his neck.
“Well, Kitten, I want you to be
happy”, he said.
“No Daddy! What do YOU want
for Christmas?” I asked again, hoping for a more specific
answer this time.
“Everyone get washed up for
supper!” Momma’s call from the kitchen was
Daddy’s chance of escape to the bathroom to get cleaned up.
Again, I was left with no answer. The radio was playing
Christmas music so I was unable to think of anything but the
holiday. Folding my finished homework carefully inside my
book and clearing the table, I was now free to let my mind enjoy
the questions that tumbled about in my head.
The three of us gathered around the table
where a fragrant supper waited. Tonight Momma had fried
chicken with homemade mashed potatoes and wonderful biscuits.
The green beans were not my favorite but I knew I wouldn’t
have to eat but just a spoon full. After a proper blessing,
they began talking about the day on the farm.
“The days are getting shorter,”
Daddy said between big bites of food. That puzzled me.
Did that mean that Santa would be coming sooner? I had been
told many times that if I listened to adults when they talked I
could learn many things. Sometimes, it seemed the more I
learned the more questions I had. Finally, I could be quiet
no more and blurted out my question.
“Daddy, why are the days getting
shorter?”
“Kitten, winter is here. The
days are shorter and the nights are longer. It gives us a
chance to rest more from the long hard working days of
summer.”
His explanation seemed to satisfy him but
I had other thoughts. Santa needed a longer night to make
all his stops around the world before Christmas Eve was over.
Now, that made perfect sense to me.
“You know it’s getting colder
out there”, Daddy observed. “We could get a
surprise and have a white Christmas this year. I
haven’t had one since I was about your age Kitten,” he
said, as he reached over and pulled on my braid.
That was it! The answer I had been
waiting for had just been handed to me. As soon as I could
gulp my supper down, I asked Momma if I could be excused so I
could begin my letter. She gave her permission as she asked
me what I had decided to ask Santa for. I told her that
since it was something for everyone that I couldn’t tell
her.
Since I was only seven, my letter was brief.
“Dear Santa,
Please bring us a white Christmas and if
you have room I would love to have a walking doll. I love
you.
Your friend, Katy”
Stuffing the letter into an envelope addressed
simply to “Santa Claus – North Pole”, I gave it to
Momma to mail for me. Now, all I had to do was wait for
Christmas Day.
Visions of snowflakes falling in our little
southern town filled my waking hours as well as my dreams. It was
one week before Christmas and in my mind it may as well have been
a year. But, time does pass even for little girls
waiting for Christmas and so it was that on December 24th
my eyes were constantly on the sky. The sun was shining
bright with not one cloud to be seen. How was Santa going
to bring a white Christmas?
The day was finally coming to a close and as
the sun set it began to get cold. Maybe it would snow!
Santa was coming tonight! Sleep finally claimed my
last night of waiting.
“Kitten, wake up! Come see what we
have for Christmas!” I heard Daddy calling me.
Was it morning already? Rubbing my eyes,
I jumped from bed and ran barefoot to the Christmas tree. There
were packages with beautiful ribbons and my “wished
for” walking doll stood tall, waiting for me to play with
her. Carefully picking her up, my nostrils were filled with
the fragrance that only a new doll has. Satisfied that I
had gotten what I wanted, I remembered my letter. Clutching
the doll tightly, I ran to the door and flung it wide.
“Daddy! Momma! Come
look!” I squealed in delight. There in front of me was
the most beautiful sight I had ever seen. No, it
hadn’t snowed, for it doesn’t usually snow in the
south. Jack Frost had been one of Santa’s elves for
the night. The ground was covered in a deep white frost
that sparkled like diamond dust had been blown over it.
Running to the door, they cautioned me that I
would catch pneumonia standing there barefoot. Daddy picked
me up into his warm arms and Momma draped a blanket around me.
We stood in our open doorway admiring the magnificent Christmas
morning. Sharing secrets with Santa was wonderful!
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