Lindsay felt tears sting her eyes as she closed her mother’s door. She had been sick for so long.
“How are we gonna make it?” she thought. “Christmas is only a few weeks away. How will I get what we need for dinner? At least Uncle Chris would make sure the presents were there for Tommy, her little brother.
Dinner had always been the center if Christmas for her family. She didn’t want this year to be different. But making dinner was another story.
“I know how to make everyday stuff. I’ve got to find a way to make Christmas dinner.”
One day as she was watching Tommy writing his Christmas list to Santa, she had an idea. Though she was skeptical, she did it anyway. Her heart raced as she folded her Christmas wish and tucked it into an envelope marked “North Pole”.
As Arnold Elf finished reading the letter, he wiped his eyes. The other elves in the reading circle agreed that it should go to Santa right away. Arnold found Santa in the stables. He was fitting reindeer with jingle bells. As he read the letter, his eyes became misty with tears. He instructed Arnold to take the letter to Mrs. Claus.
“Tell her to make all of the necessary arrangements.” Santa said.
Arnold found Mrs. Claus in the kitchen. She called her helpers to listen to the touching letter. It read:
Dear Santa,
The thing I want for Christmas seems really strange, but it is really what I want. I hope you can get it for me, but if you can’t, it’s
okay. I would like for you to make me, my mom and my brother Tommy
a Christmas dinner. Mom has been very sick this year. She can’t even
get out of bed. I can cook, but not a whole Christmas dinner. Dinner is the
best part of Christmas. It won’t be the same without it.
If you can’t do this, don’t worry. Thank you for reading this.
Love,
Lindsay
On Christmas Eve morning Lindsay was worried. “I guess we’ll have to have ham casserole tomorrow,” she thought. “It’s better than nothing. At least I have a place to eat.”
Finally, it was time to go to bed. Lindsay tucked her brother, then her mother into bed. She said a prayer, and then she went to bed. Sometime after midnight she was startled awake.
“Lindsay,” a soft voice called.
She rolled over, rubbing her eyes. She could not believe what she was seeing. Before her was Mrs. Claus. The Mrs. Santa Claus!
“Dear,” she said sweetly. “You must come with me now. We have lots of work to do.”
In minutes, she and Mrs. Claus had the kitchen bustling. There were three elves with her. With Mrs. Claus as her guide, Lindsay stuffed a huge turkey and glazed a ham. Together they made pies, bread, cakes, and pudding. The elves cut out cookies and iced them. While she was busy with vegetables, Mrs. Claus was mixing up a special cider.
“This is for your mother,” she told Lindsay. “Start giving her this in the morning. Have her drink it twice a day. Before you know it, she’ll be up and around.”
Lindsay threw her arms around Mrs. Claus’ neck and began to cry.
“Dear, dear don’t be sad. Everything is going to be alright.”
“I know,” Lindsay smiled. “I just can’t believe this. You’re so wonderful, and so real. I never dreamed when I wrote that letter that you’d really come. I’m happy that you let me help.”
“No, no my dear. We have only helped you to do what you already knew how to do. Your belief in us helped you to believe in yourself.”
When morning came, Lindsay woke up to the sound of her brother’s calls.
“Lind-say, come heeere!”
As she got up, a hazy memory crossed her mind. Maybe it had been a dream. When she walked into the living room, she smelled the aroma of Christmas dinner. Her heart soared with joy as she realized it was no dream.
Lindsay smiled as she watched her brother playing with his gifts. For the first time in a longtime she really felt hopeful.
