Countdown to Christmas!, page 23
A Story for December 1
Mix-Up at the North Pole
Bells jingled, lights twinkled, and the feeling of Christmas was in the air. Everyone was excited for the holiday season. That is, everyone except Charlie Brown. “This is going to be a dreadful Christmas,” he sighed.
Marcie looked surprised. “Why do you say that?” she asked.
Charlie Brown pulled out a stack of envelopes from his coat pocket. He sadly looked down at the letters. They were all addressed to Santa Claus.
“I told Santa Claus about how I’ve been very good this year,” Charlie Brown explained. He made his bed every day, helped Sally with her homework, and always remembered to feed Snoopy on time!
“That sounds like you’ve been well behaved,” Marcie said.
“Well, I guess Santa Claus didn’t think so. All my letters came back unopened!” he wailed.
Marcie examined the letters. Sure enough, the envelopes were still completely sealed. Each one had a big, black stamp on the front: RETURN TO SENDER.
Marcie looked closer at the envelopes. Then her eyes widened. “Don’t worry, Charles! You still have a chance to have a wonderful Christmas,” she said. “You just sent these letters to the wrong zip code!”
“The wrong zip code?” Charlie Brown repeated.
Marcie nodded. “The zip code for the North Pole is 88888. These envelopes say 99999. You sent these letters to an address that doesn’t exist!”
A smile spread across Charlie Brown’s face. “If I hurry, the letters might make it to the North Pole before Christmas. Thanks, Marcie!” He took back the envelopes and rushed to the post office.
A few days passed. Charlie Brown checked his mailbox every day, but the letters never came back to him. They must have made it to the North Pole this time!
Charlie Brown had a feeling that it might be a great Christmas after all.
A Story for December 2
Lucy’s Long List
It was a very important day for Lucy Van Pelt. She had set aside the entire afternoon to write her letter to Santa to let him know what she’d like for Christmas. What should I ask for this year? Lucy wondered. She thought a bit, and then she got out a long sheet of paper. She started to write her list.
Dear Santa,
Thank you so much for the presents last Christmas. I hope you enjoyed giving them to me as much as I enjoyed receiving them. I am looking forward to my presents this Christmas. This year, I’d like a bicycle and a puppy and dolls. Oh, and also a camera and some candy and…
Lucy was so absorbed in her writing that she didn’t notice Franklin walking by. Franklin was on his way to Charlie Brown’s house to play a round of catch.
Franklin knocked on the front door. “Doing homework?” he asked Lucy.
“Oh, no,” said Lucy, holding up her letter for Franklin to read. “This is much more important than homework. This is my letter to Santa! It’s only the first draft, so please disregard any spelling errors.”
Franklin started reading Lucy’s letter. It was really long. He began to get worried he would be late to Charlie Brown’s house. “You sure do have a lot of stuff on there, Lucy,” he said.
“I think Santa appreciates a thorough letter,” Lucy said. “And I don’t want to leave anything out. After all, it’s been a whole year since Santa brought me anything.”
“It’s nice to get presents from Santa on Christmas morning, but Christmas is also about giving, not just getting,” Franklin reminded Lucy. “What are you planning to give people this year?”
“Well, for starters, I’ll be giving Santa this letter…,” Lucy began.
A Story for December 3
Stocking Surprise
Charlie Brown and his sister, Sally, were putting up Christmas decorations. They had ribbons, ornaments, and most important of all… Christmas stockings! They could not wait to see what tiny trinkets Santa would put in their stockings this year.
“What do you hope Santa puts in your stocking this year?” Sally asked her brother. “I hope I get candy canes!”
“Uh…,” Charlie Brown started.
Just then, he realized he didn’t know what he wanted Santa to put in his stocking.
“Good grief, if I don’t know what I want, how will Santa know?” Charlie Brown muttered to himself.
The next day at school, he asked his friends what types of stocking stuffers they were hoping Santa would bring them.
“Well, I’d really like some new markers so I can redecorate my booth,” Lucy replied.
“And I’d love some ribbons for my hair! And maybe some new paint, too!” Violet added.
Charlie Brown headed back home after school, hanging his head down low. How could he not think of any good stocking stuffers? And he had to write his letter to Santa soon!
Then he spotted Snoopy out in the yard, decorating his doghouse.
“Snoopy,” he said, putting his arm around him, “Christmas may look a lot different for me this year.”
Snoopy gave Charlie Brown a confused look.
“I can’t think of anything I want for Christmas, which means no one else will, which means I won’t have anything in my stocking!” Charlie Brown exclaimed.
Snoopy licked Charlie Brown’s face and nudged him to help decorate his doghouse.
“All right, all right,” Charlie Brown said. Soon enough, he forgot about his stocking.
A few days later, Sally popped by her brother’s room.
“You’ve got a present in your stocking already!” she exclaimed. “Santa must have filled your stocking early!”
Charlie Brown hurried over to his stocking. He peeked in to find… Snoopy!
“Oh, good grief,” Charlie Brown said.
A Story for December 4
Lucy’s Big Day
Lucy was feeling very festive and in the holiday spirit. She was going to help Schroeder pick out his Christmas tree at a local farm!
“Oh, hi, Schroeder,” Lucy cooed when he answered his front door. “Are you ready to go?”
“Why, most certainly,” Schroeder replied. “Picking out a Christmas tree is one of my favorite things about the holidays. Well, that and playing Christmas songs on the piano, of course!”
The two friends walked to the farm. Soon they arrived. The farm looked like a winter wonderland. Trees were twinkling with lights and shiny ornaments. People were singing carols around a campfire and drinking hot cocoa with marshmallows.
Lucy, who usually did not show much emotion, could not help but beam at everything around her.
Schroeder, however, was distracted by a piano player nearby playing Christmas songs.
“Oh, good grief!” Lucy yelled. “Come on, let’s go pick out a tree!”
They walked through a pathway lined with beautiful trees of all different shapes and sizes. Lucy was so excited to be spending time with Schroeder alone! Maybe he will finally tell me how much he likes me, she thought.
“Would you like a cookie?” Schroeder asked. Lucy smiled. This day was getting even better!
Just then, they heard a loud crash. It was Charlie Brown! He had flown his kite right into a very tall tree.
“Oh, hello, Charlie Brown,” Schroeder said. “Want to help us pick out a tree?”
“Uh, sure, Schroeder,” Charlie Brown muttered. He untangled himself from his kite.
“You blockhead!” Lucy shouted. Her perfect day with Schroeder was ruined!
A Story for December 5
The Sibling Squabble
Lucy and Linus were walking to school. And they were fighting.
“You blockhead!” Lucy shouted.
“Who’s a blockhead?” Linus shouted back.
“You’re the blockhead!” Lucy shouted. “You and that blanket of yours.”
“Oh yeah? Well, at least I’m not crabby all the time!” Linus said.
“Who’s crabby?” Lucy yelled back.
The arguing went on for the entire walk to school. Charlie Brown was just about to walk into school when he heard the two of them arguing. Oh no. Not again, he thought.
“I can’t believe it,” Charlie Brown said. “Must you fight at Christmastime? What do you suppose Santa Claus is thinking about when he sees the two of you arguing all the time? Have you forgotten about his naughty and nice lists?”
Lucy turned pale, and Linus let out a gasp. Actually, they had forgotten about the naughty and nice lists!
Suddenly Lucy had an idea. She pulled Linus close and whispered into his ear. “Don’t worry,” she hissed. “Trust me, we can fool Santa. Just follow my lead.”
Linus nodded. “Okay,” he whispered.
Lucy looked at Linus and winked. Linus smiled at his big sister. Then Lucy suddenly grabbed Linus and gave him a huge hug!
“Oh, dear brother!” Lucy sang out.
“Oh, dear sister!” Linus cooed.
Now Lucy and Linus looked like the most loving brother and sister in the world! They walked into school holding hands.
Charlie Brown sighed. He knew it was fake, but what could he do? He shrugged. Oh well, he thought. At least this is better than listening to them argue!
A Story for December 6
The Great Christmas Cookie Debate
Charlie Brown was so excited. His friend Franklin was coming over this afternoon to decorate Christmas cookies!
Before Franklin arrived, Charlie Brown started baking the cookies. Snoopy helped out too. They gathered flour, butter, sugar, and eggs. The ingredients went into a big bowl.
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Snoopy tried to take a bite of a cookie. “No eating yet, Snoopy! We have to bake the cookies first,” Charlie Brown said.
Franklin arrived while the cookies were baking in the oven. “Wow, those smell delicious!” he said.
After a while, the oven timer went off. But when Charlie Brown pulled the cookie sheet out, he discovered that all the cookies had crumbled apart into pieces!
“Oh no,” Charlie Brown groaned. “What are we going to do now? Feed these crumbs to the dog?”
That sounds good to me! Snoopy thought.
“It’s okay,” Franklin said. “We can still eat them!”
“But how?” Charlie Brown said. “The cookies are totally ruined!”
Franklin pulled vanilla ice cream out of the freezer and scooped it into two bowls. Then he took a spoonful of the cookie crumbs and sprinkled it on top of the ice cream. He topped everything off with the decorations that were supposed to go onto the cookies: red and green sprinkles, crushed peppermint candies, and gumdrops.
Charlie Brown took a bite. “Wow, this is yummy, Franklin!” he said.
Then Franklin had another idea. They could invite their friends over to enjoy the cookie crumble ice cream too!
Soon some of their friends were gathered at Charlie Brown’s house, decorating their own festive ice cream bowls.
“This is genius!” Lucy said. “How did you get the idea of crumbling the cookies?”
Franklin and Charlie Brown just looked at each other and laughed.
A Story for December 7
The Perfect Gift
Every year, Marcie and Peppermint Patty exchanged Christmas gifts. Every year, Marcie picked out a present for Peppermint Patty in the first week of December. Her presents were always thoughtful and perfect for Peppermint Patty. On the other hand, every year, Peppermint Patty raced around on Christmas Eve searching for something for Marcie. Two years ago she got Marcie a pair of socks. Last year she got Marcie a key chain that said HAPPY THANKSGIVING.
Well, this year, Peppermint Patty was determined not to wait until the last minute. So in the first week of December, she went to a place where she knew she’d find lots of things Marcie would like—the bookstore! Marcie loved books. All Peppermint Patty had to do was find a book on a subject that might interest Marcie.
But Peppermint Patty couldn’t remember what her friend liked to read about. Did she like stories or poetry? History or science? All of the above? Peppermint Patty knew Marcie had interests, and she knew Marcie talked to her about them, but Peppermint Patty had a habit of not listening. “Rats,” she said. “I’ll just have to take a guess at what book Marcie might like.”
So Peppermint Patty started by asking herself a question to which she would know the answer: “What kind of book would I want?” She wandered over to the sports section. There she saw the most interesting books she’d ever seen. Books filled with basketball stats! Books about the world’s greatest ice hockey players! Books on sports Peppermint Patty had never even heard of! She picked out a book that she wanted to read herself. “If it’s perfect for me, it’ll be perfect for Marcie,” she said.
She had the present wrapped at the store and raced over to Marcie’s house. “Merry Christmas!” she said when Marcie opened the door. She held out the present.
“Hello, sir,” said Marcie. “I have a present for you too.”
Marcie handed Peppermint Patty a package, and both girls ripped off the wrapping paper. Soon they were holding the same book in their hands—a how-to guide filled with insider tips on how to make a good baseball player even better.
“Oh, thank you, sir,” said Marcie. “This is the best present you’ve ever gotten me. I’ll start reading my copy right away. Maybe it’ll teach me once and for all how to score a goal.”
“That’s a home run,” Peppermint Patty corrected her.
“I know,” said Marcie. “Scoring a goal would be a real home run!”
A Story for December 8
Woodstock’s Decorating Dilemma
Woodstock loved the Christmas season. He loved flying around and seeing all the bright lights, feeling the crisp breeze through the air, and most of all… getting into the Christmas spirit. This year he planned to really go over the top with his nest decorations. He wanted to have the best nest in the neighborhood!
First, Woodstock flew around to check out the competition. Some birds had ornaments hanging off their nests, some birds had lots of twinkly lights, and some birds had ribbons tied to branches. But not one of them had a Christmas tree.
Woodstock chirped loudly. That’s it! He would decorate his nest with a Christmas tree and a bright yellow star on top. It would be the perfect addition to his Christmas nest.
Woodstock circled around the forest in search of the perfect little tree. He spotted Franklin and Linus skating in the ice rink, and just to the right was a small tree peeking over the edge. It was the right size for his nest! He pulled out his tools and cut down the tree. Then he got his snow cart and dragged the tree over to his nest. Then he took a little snack break and had some cookies and hot chocolate before carrying his tree up to his nest. Before long, he was feeling quite tired, but he knew he had to finish decorating his nest. After all, he wanted to have the most decorated nest in the neighborhood!
After he added all the ornaments and lights, Woodstock was completely wiped out. How will I get the star on top? he wondered.
Just then, his best friend Snoopy walked by. He clapped at Woodstock’s tree. Then he noticed Woodstock lying in his nest, looking exhausted. Woodstock chirped at Snoopy in desperation. Snoopy knew just what to do. He grabbed his ladder and helped Woodstock with the final touch: he added the star to the top.
Woodstock grinned. Now he really felt in the Christmas spirit!
Thanks, Snoopy! Woodstock chirped. Now my nest looks perfect, all thanks to the help from my best friend!
What are best friends for? Snoopy responded with a grin. I really hope you win the contest! Then he heard a loud noise. His stomach was rumbling.
Since you’re my best friend… and I helped you decorate your nest…, Snoopy began, do you… happen to have any dog bones?
That would make this day even more perfect, he thought. And maybe some birdseed for my best friend Woodstock, too!
A Story for December 9
A Book for Charlie Brown
Charlie Brown loved Christmas cards, even though he didn’t get many. Every day in December he eagerly checked the mailbox to see if any cards had come for him that day. Yesterday his favorite card came! It was his grandmother’s card, which arrived every year a few weeks before the big day. She always included a thoughtful note and some money so, as she wrote, “you can buy something nice for yourself.”
As Charlie Brown shoveled snow from his front walk that morning, he thought about what he should do with the money Grandma had sent him.
I could always save it for a rainy day, he thought. Or the next snowy one. Speaking of snow, maybe I should buy a new shovel. If we have this much snow before Christmas, think of how much we’ll get in January. It might be a good investment.
“Hi, big brother!” shouted Sally, interrupting Charlie Brown from his thoughts. He was startled and fell back into a pile of snow.
“Hi, Sally,” he said. “Can you help me up?”
Sally gave Charlie Brown her hand.
“What can I do for you, Sally?” Charlie Brown asked.
“Well, I was just wondering what you are going to buy with the money you got from Grandma for Christmas,” she said.
“Oh, I don’t know,” said Charlie Brown. “I was thinking I could buy a new shovel. Or maybe a book.”
Sally looked up at Charlie Brown sweetly. “You don’t really want those things, do you, big brother? Wouldn’t you rather combine our money so we could get something bigger?”
