“Sleigh bells ring! Are you listenin’? In the lane, snow is glistenin’!”
If I had been singing to Andrew, he would have sung along with me. Emily just huddled in a corner of her cage.
“I guess you do not like my singing,” I said.
I finished cleaning and got Emily some fresh water. She was curled up in a ball, sleeping.
“Wake up, Emily. We have things to do,” I said.
I rang the little bell on her wheel. Emily woke up. Then I got out the list that I had started with Andrew.
“What should we do first?” I asked. “Decorate the house? Get cards and stamps? Think of presents? Make wrapping paper?”
It all sounded like so much fun. If I had read the list to Andrew, I bet he would have said he wanted to do everything! But Emily was quiet. In fact, she was sleeping again.
I could see my rat was not going to help me get ready for Christmas. Now Andrew would not help me either. He was too busy. He would probably even be too busy to enjoy the special gift I was going to get him. (I had not decided what it would be yet.)
I put the Christmas list away and found my backpack. It was time to do my homework. I did not need Andrew or Emily for that. I had to do it all by myself.
When I opened my pack, I found something that had not been there before. I found a red and a green pencil and three striped candy canes tied together with red, white, and green ribbons. I looked for a note. There was none.
Hmm. Someone had given me a mystery gift. Was it Emily? Of course not. Andrew? He was too busy. Hannie? Nancy? They could not have gotten to my bag without my seeing them.
I stopped trying to guess. Whoever it was did not want me to know. Whoever it was just wanted me to enjoy my gift.
I popped a candy cane into my mouth and went to work with my new pencil. The gifts were just what I needed.
Who Cares?
When I woke up on Tuesday I could not help wondering who had given me the gifts. I am an excellent detective. (I once uncovered a treasure chest of valuable coins right in our yard!) I was sure I could solve this mystery. I decided to start by talking to the people in my family. But I did not ask them anything straight out. I used a crafty detective trick.
“I did a good job on my homework last night,” I said at breakfast. “Thanks to my brand-new pencil.”
“I am glad you did a good job on your homework,” said Seth.
Hmm. No one else said anything. I decided the gifts had not come from anyone in the little house.
On the bus ride to school, I took out my pencil and waved it in front of Nancy.
“Be careful with that pointy pencil,” said Nancy. “This bus is bouncy. You could hurt someone.”
It was definitely not Nancy.
I decided to ask Hannie straight out when I got to school.
“Did you give me this pencil and some candy canes? I found them in my backpack yesterday,” I said.
“No. But can I have a piece of one of the candy canes?” replied Hannie.
I broke one of the canes into three pieces and shared it with my friends. (I knew it was early in the day for candy, but we had only one little piece each.)
“If your friends did not give you the presents, who did?” asked Pamela. She must have heard me talking because she was standing near us on the playground.
“I do not know,” I replied. “I am sure it was not you.”
“You are right,” said Pamela. “Maybe one of the boys gave you a present.”
I liked that idea.
“Maybe it was Ricky,” I said to my friends.
“On second thought I do not think so,” said Pamela. “If a boy gave you a gift it would mean he had a crush on you. Who would have a crush on a girl who is a boy in the play?”
“Especially a boy called Ignorance!” said Jannie.
“Especially a girl whose baby brother is the star,” said Pamela.
“Do not say anything about my brother,” I said.
“I did not say anything mean. I think Andrew is cute,” said Pamela. “It must be hard to have a brother who is the star of the play and cuter than you.”
Ooh! Pamela was being a meanie-mo. She did not seem to care that she only had a little part in the play too. But I cared. And I did not like hearing that my brother was a great big star and much cuter than me.
I did not want to let it happen, but it did. My eyes started stinging. I could feel them filling with tears.
“Come on,” said Hannie. “It is time to go inside.”
“Do not feel bad,” whispered Nancy.
I walked into school between my two friends.
“Thanks,” I said. I went to my seat.
I put the pencil and candy canes on my desk and stared at them. Who would have given them to me? I was not a star. I was not as cute as Andrew. And I was playing the part of a boy.
I decided the gifts were put in my bag by mistake. They were probably meant for somebody else.
Speaking of gifts, I had changed my mind about getting a special gift for Andrew. In fact, I was thinking about not getting him anything at all. He did not appreciate having me for his big sister. He did not need me anymore.
Now that he was the star of the show, everyone was his friend.
I picked up the pencil and candy canes and shoved them to the bottom of my backpack. I did not care where they came from or who they really belonged to. I wanted to forget all about them.
Bah! Humbug!
“We will rehearse the scene with the Ghost of Christmas Present today,” said Ms. Donovan.
We were at the community center on Wednesday afternoon. I was still not talking to Pamela and did not feel like rehearsing with her. But I had no choice.
The actor who played the ghost was Jack Hanson. (He is in Charlie’s high school class.) He was wearing a black robe that covered up everything but one hand. And he was standing on stilts. That gave Pamela and me room to stand under his robe. The robe was big, but I was still closer to Pamela than I wanted to be.
“Jack, are you okay on the stilts?” asked Ms. Donovan.
“They are as good as my own two feet,” said Jack.
“All right then. Pamela and Karen, please take your places,” said Ms. Donovan.
There was an opening at the back of the ghost’s robe. Pamela and I headed for it at the same time.
“After you,” I said.
“No, after you,” said Pamela.
“You first,” I said.
“No, you first!”
“Excuse me, girls. We have a rehearsal to get through,” said Ms. Donovan.
We each opened one side of the robe and went under together. There was not much for us to do until we crawled out from under the robe at the end of the scene. The only thing we needed to do was walk when the ghost walked and try not to bump into each other.
“Please begin,” said Ms. Donovan.
The ghost cleared his throat and started to speak.
“I am the Ghost of Christmas Present. Look upon me!” he said.
He took six steps forward. So did we.
“You have never seen the like of me before!” he said.
The ghost and Scrooge each said a few lines. Pamela and I just stood there. It was getting hot under the robe. And I was getting bored. We had rehearsed often enough that I had the memorized the lines. I decided it would be fun to say them along with the ghost.
“Touch my robe!” I whispered as the ghost did.
Pamela gave me a look. I did not care.
“There are some upon this earth of yours who claim to know us …” I whispered.
Suddenly the ghost stopped speaking. He had forgotten his lines! I wanted to call them out from under the robe. But I did not think Ms. Donovan would like that.
The ghost started over. So did I. He stumbled on his lines. I did not. I recited his lines straight through.
“Shh! You are making too much noise,” hissed Pamela.
“I am the Ghost of Christmas Present!” I whisper
ed.
“Cut it out,” Pamela whispered back.
“Touch my robe!” I said.
“I will not touch your robe, Karen Brewer!” Pamela hissed. Then she pinched me.
I burst out from beneath the ghost’s skirt.
“Karen, are you all right?” called Ms. Donovan. “You are supposed to wait for your cue.”
I was going to tell Ms. Donovan that Pamela had pinched me. But Pamela would say she did not do it. She would say I was making noise under the robe. I would get into more trouble than I was already in.
“I am sorry,” I said.
I slipped under the robe again and did not say another word.
I decided I did not like being in the Christmas play one bit. I was not even sure I liked Christmas anymore. My own little brother was not helping me get ready for the holiday. I did not want to buy him a special gift. I was not having any fun.
I started to feel like Scrooge. Bah! Humbug!
You Are Not Invited
Things did not get any better when I returned home. In fact, they got worse. I was in my room trying to do my homework when Andrew poked his head through the door.
“When is the next hersal?” he said. “I forgot.”
“The word is rehearsal. And the next one is not until Friday. That is two days away,” I said.
“Oh. I wanted it to be tomorrow. I like saying my part. Do you want to hear it?”
“No. I am trying to do my homework.”
“Can I say it when you finish?” asked Andrew.
“No. It will be time for dinner,” I replied. “And after dinner I will be busy again.”
“What will you be doing?”
I did not have a plan yet. I had to think of one fast.
“I will be busy making Christmas cards,” I said.
“Can I help?”
“No, you cannot. You do not need my help with your part. And I do not need your help with my cards.”
“Are you mad at me?” asked Andrew.
“No, I am not mad at you. But it is time for me to do my homework. Please close the door,” I said.
Andrew closed the door behind him. I felt bad for hurting his feelings. It was not his fault he was the star of the play and I was not. It was not his fault he did not need my help.
But I still did not have to let him make Christmas cards with me.
I got to work making the cards right after dinner. I took out red paper, green paper, scissors, and glue. I cut out green Christmas trees and pasted them onto red cards.
I made sure to leave my door open. I noticed Andrew peeking in when he walked by. I knew he could never make such fancy cards without me. But that was too bad. I was not going to help him.
While I was making the cards, the phone rang. It was Nancy. She wanted to make plans to go Christmas caroling.
“Great! I love caroling,” I said, loud enough for Andrew to hear. “We can practice tomorrow after school. Hold on. I will ask Mommy if we can do it here.”
I called down to Mommy. She said it was fine for us to practice at our house after school.
After I hung up with Nancy, Andrew asked, “Can I go caroling with you?”
“No,” I replied. “You are not invited.”
“I know lots of Christmas carols. My new friends taught me. And I learned some at school,” Andrew said.
“Then you can sing with your friends and classmates,” I said. “You are not invited to sing with me.”
I knew I was being a meanie-mo, but I did not care.
On Thursday when my friends came to practice, I left my door wide open while we sang. I sang extra loud.
“Here comes Santa Claus! Here comes Santa Claus! Right down Santa Claus Lane!”
And I did not invite Andrew in.
Holiday Spirit
On Friday Ms. Donovan suggested we go over the part of the Ghost of Christmas Present one more time. That was because Jack had kept forgetting his lines on Wednesday.
Pamela and I took our places under the ghost’s big robe. I stood as far away from her as I could. The rehearsal began.
“I am the Ghost of Christmas Present. Look upon me!” said Jack.
I did not say the lines with him. He was doing fine by himself. Also, I did not want to get pinched by Pamela. I did not even want to look at her. When we took our six steps forward, I looked straight ahead.
“You have never seen the like of me before!” the ghost said. Then he said, “Touch my robe!”
I was bored. I was not talking to Pamela. I was not saying any lines. Just for fun, I reached out and touched the ghost’s robe. Pamela jumped back.
“Karen Brewer! You pinched me!” she shouted.
I spun around and looked at her.
“I did not!”
The ghost’s robe flew up. Ms. Donovan was standing there looking very unhappy.
“What is going on here?” she asked.
“Karen pinched me,” said Pamela.
“I was not even on your side of the robe,” I said.
“Please go sit by yourselves until you calm down,” said Ms. Donovan. “Your rehearsal is over for the day.”
I was so mad that I thought I would burst. I had to sit through the entire rehearsal without saying one word. I had to watch Andrew be extra good in his role. He was having more and more fun every day. I was having less and less fun.
When I got home, I ran to my room. I picked up Goosie, my stuffed cat, and held him in my arms. There was a knock at my door. It was Mommy.
“May I come in?” she asked.
“I guess so,” I replied.
Mommy sat on my bed.
“Will you tell me what is wrong? Maybe I can help,” she said.
I told Mommy what Pamela had done.
“I did not pinch her. I promise,” I said.
“I believe you,” replied Mommy. “But I do not understand why Pamela would do such a thing. You will have to talk to her. Meantime, you have been very gloomy lately. Why not try a little holiday spirit?”
“How can I have holiday spirit when I feel so bad?”
“That is exactly when you need it,” Mommy replied. “Holiday spirit is about being kind to yourself and to others. Kindness is its own reward. But sometimes it turns around and comes right back.”
“Not from Pamela. She is too mean,” I said.
“Think of Scrooge. He was mean and he changed,” said Mommy. “Pamela could surprise you.”
Mommy gave me a hug. It was even better than a hug from Goosie.
“Please come downstairs soon,” said Mommy. “It is almost time for dinner.”
I knew Mommy was right about holiday spirit. But I still did not feel like showing it. Why should I? No one was showing me any.
Still, I could not sit around moping all night. It was time to get ready for dinner. I was hungry.
I got up to comb my hair. And I found another surprise! On my dresser was a Christmas ornament tied with red ribbon. It was a shiny white snowflake. I held it up and watched it twirl.
Someone was showing me holiday spirit. And you know what? It was catchy! I decided I wanted to pass it on.
Candy, Anyone?
Being in a holiday mood was hard, but I tried my best. One minute I would have the spirit. But the next minute — poof! — it was gone.
On Monday at school, I tested my new spirit. Pamela and her friends were on the playground when Nancy and I arrived. I put a big smile on my face. Then Hannie ran to us.
“Why do you have such a funny smile?” she asked.
“I am showing holiday spirit to Pamela,” I replied.
“Well, it looks pretty funny.”
I did not want to look funny, so I stopped smiling. I remembered what Mommy had said and decided to talk to Pamela.
“Watch this,” I said to my friends.
I walked across the playground to Pamela.
“I want to know why you said I pinched you when I did not,” I said.
“Well, I thought you had pinche
d me. I felt something pinch me. Maybe I got a bug bite or something,” Pamela replied.
“I hope your bite is better,” I said.
I walked back to my friends. That was enough holiday spirit for one morning.
At rehearsal that afternoon, Pamela and I were not exactly friendly. But at least we were polite. I was in a much better mood than I had been on Friday. And when I found another surprise in my coat pocket, my mood was gigundoly great!
It was a box of candy. I held the box in my hand and looked around the room. Everyone was busy talking. Hannie and Nancy were joking around with Ricky. Andrew was talking to Ms. Donovan. Pamela was with her friends.
Who could the mystery gift-giver be? I had no idea. But someone was putting me in a very big holiday spirit. I knew just the way to pass it on.
I did not open my box of candy that night. I did not open it the next day. I waited until rehearsal on Wednesday. Just before going under the ghost’s robe, I slipped the box under my sweater. When I knew we would be standing still for awhile, I opened the box and passed it to Pamela.
“For me?” whispered Pamela. “Thank you!”
We each took three candies. We smiled at each other while we ate them.
There were two layers of candy in the box. So I had plenty left to share when the rehearsal was over.
“Who would like to try some of my candy?” I called.
Suddenly almost every member of the cast was headed in my direction. Thanks to my candy, I was a star.
When I saw Andrew coming, I turned and faced the other way. I did not feel like giving any of my candy to him. I did not think he needed any. He was having enough fun being the real star without me.
But I gave candy to everyone else. Even Ms. Donovan.
“Karen, you and Pamela did an excellent job today. You came out from under the robe right on cue,” she said.
I thanked her, but I was only half listening to Ms. Donovan. That is because I was listening to Andrew. He was talking about me to one of his new friends.
“My sister has candy and she will not give me any,” he said. “She is a big Scrooge!”
So much for Christmas spirit. I had a compliment from my director. I had a box of candy. But they did not make me happy. All I really wanted was my little brother back.