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Show Friday, December 24, 1993 A Green Christmas by Theordora Kroeber A little boy and his sister had lived all their lives in the snowy mountains of Colorado. Now they played on the grass and ran up and over the brown hills of their new home in sun-bur- nt California. As they played, the days drew in. Sun set in the sea a little earlier each afternoon. Thanksgiving day, the rains came. Each morning when they got up the children went to the dormer window of their attic room, expecting to see a soft snow blanket covering the hills. Then, it was the day before Christmas. When the' boy and girl peered through the rain-rive- rs which streaked their window pane, they saw, not snow, but new grass and sprouting clover. Father said, "Look. We have a green Christmas. And Mother said, "Won't Santa Claus be shall surprised?" The boy and his sister shook their heads. "Santa cannot find us here," they whispered to each other. "He cannot drive his reindeer through mud and slippery grass. Besides, a barren desert lies between us and the snowy mountains. The hot sand of the desert would bum the feet of the reindeer and blister the paint on the sleigh." The afternoon wore itself away into murky night. There were no drifts of softly falling snow. No icicles hung from the eaves of house and bam. Grey rain clouds, close and low, hid the sky. "Come," said Father, "Let us decorate the Christmas tree." But all the while they hung the tree with popcorn strings and toyon berry clusters and the old tin ornaments from home, the little boy and girl were quiet, lest speaking, they should cry. "Bring the cookies you made today," said Mother to the children. "I've a pot of good hot chocolate the way Santa Gaus likes it. It will stay warm by the hearth even if he is very late coming so far to find us." The children kissed Father and Mother saying, "Good night," and "Happy dreams," and went to their beds in the attic. There, the little girl cried softly. The boy, being a boy, was brave. He told his sister stories of other star-spangl- Christmases until she laughed and yawned. They said "Good night" .for the to you. Your friend, Santa Claus. P.S. We will be earIn their dreams their beds lier next year knowing the shook with the jolt of Quick as quick the chilSanta's sleigh landing on the dren dressed forgetting to be roof by the chimney. They quiet. And hand in hand they heard the of ran outside. Sun was shining reindeer hooves skittering brightly turning the rainand skidding on the slippery drops on the leaves to silver. shingles. Faint and far, they They saw that the grass heard a voice they knew, was neatly cropped, and all saying, "Merry Christmas to up and down and across it, all. they saw the tapered hoof When they woke at dawn marks of Santa's eight reinthey told each other their deer. dreams. "The jolt," the boy They also saw, where the said, "was an earthquake, the sun shone on the roof and on was the rain the grass, faint but sure runon the roof, and the voice ner marks of a sleigh which was that of the old homed had slid down the slippery owl who lives below the shingles and landed softly on barn." the grass. From the open doorway The girl said, "Let us go quickly, softly. We will eat Father called, "Merry the cookies and drink the Christmas. Come see what chocolate so Mother and Santa brought." Mother Father will never know that called, "Merry Christmas. Santa Gaus could not find Your breakfast is ready." us. The children ran to their Quiet as kittens they parents hugging them close crept downstairs, their bare and shouting, "We're going feet making no sound. The to eat new clover with our stones of the hearth were Christmas breakfast like warm. Two red coals, like Santa's reindeer. Merry eyes, glowed, one at each Christmas, Mother and end of a blackened log in the Father." And they all ate tenfire. But the chocolate pot der clover sprouts with their and cup and the cookie plate breakfast eggs. And for dinwere empty. Beside them lay ner they ate snow lilies with a folded piece of letter paper. their plum pudding. All through that happy Unfolding it and spelling out the words the boy read Christmas day the little boy slowly aloud, "Dear children, and his sister played in the Your father wrote telling me warm sunshine and on the where to find you. He green grass cropped close by warned me of the desert so I the eight reindeer. And while flew high over the hot sand they played they sang over landing easily on your roof and over again, this song: O, by the chimney. I got down green, green, Christmas day. the chimney all right, New clover Christmas day. unpacked my pack and ate Emerald Santa Claus the Christmas breakfast you Christmas, green reindeer left for me. The chocolate Christmas. Merry, merry, and cookies were delicious." merry, merry Christmas day. The boy turned the page and way and remembering the on went reading, green grass. S.C." "Meanwhile, my reindeer grew restless. They smelled the fresh clover, and before I could wink they had slid down the roof and made a soft landing on the grass, knowing what it was they wanted, I unharnessed them to let them crop the beautiful emerald grass and the tender clover and to nibble off the heads of some of the snow lilies which I see are in bloom in time for Christmas. "I was sure you would not mind. This is the first time in all their hundreds and hundreds of years of drawing my sleigh, they ever ate new clover and fresh young grass and snow lilies for their Christmas breakfast. Thank you from all of us and a r rr i i . green and merry Christmas l.s seventh time and at last they slept. The Summit' County Bee 13C |