Snow fell soft, soft, soft. The house was warm. The lights on the tree went blink-blink, blink-blink.
Four kids sat on a big rug. Mia and Leo and Sam were almost four. Tiny Ava was two. Sam had a small chair with wheels. It went whirr-whirr on the floor.
“Christmas!” said Mia. She clapped. “Yay!”
Leo held a little bell. “Ding-ding!” he said. Ava giggled. “Hee-hee!”
On the table was a plate for Santa. One cookie. One carrot. One cup of milk.
“Snack,” said Ava.
“Yes,” said Dad. “For Santa and the reindeer.”
They made a paper chain. Mia took red. Leo took green. Sam took gold. Ava took a short blue strip.
“Loop,” said Mia. “Press, press.”
“Hop!” said Leo, and he made a ring.
Sam rolled close. “Tape,” he said. “Tap-tap.” The tape stuck. Ava patted it. “Pat-pat.”
Soon the chain was long. It draped on the tree like a soft scarf.
Then Mom brought a box. Inside were tiny stars.
“Stars!” said Leo.
Ava held one. “Shiny,” she said.
They hung the stars. One by one. The tree sparkled. Blink-blink. Twinkle, twinkle.
Outside, the wind went whoosh, but inside it was calm. The kids put on socks with little bells. “Jingle-jingle,” went their feet.
“Story time,” said Mom.
They sat close. Sam's chair was right by the rug. Mia leaned on Leo. Ava sat on Dad's lap. The book had a snowman and a warm red scarf.
Ava yawned. “Ahh.”
“Sleep soon,” said Dad, soft.
Before bed, they checked the plate. Cookie. Carrot. Milk. All set.
Mia whispered, “Good night, Santa.”
Leo whispered, “Good night, reindeer.”
Sam whispered, “Be safe.”
Ava whispered, “Night-night.”
In the morning, the kids ran in. “Tap-tap!” went their feet. Sam rolled fast. “Whirr-whirr!”
The plate was empty. Crumbs! A bite of carrot! The cup was low. And under the tree sat four small gifts.
“Ho-ho!” said Leo.
Ava hugged a gift. “Mine!”
They all hugged, too. The room felt like warm cocoa. The tree still blinked, slow and bright.
Kind hands and sharing make Christmas feel warm for everyone.
