DECEMBER 25: Christmas Morning
“Christmas comes but once a year! Christmas comes but once a year!” shouted the children as they hurried down stairs on Christmas morning. They sat down on the floor as soon as they reached the library. And each one took a stocking which had been hanging in front of the mantelpiece. Every stocking was well filled. And each stocking stuck out queerly so that no one could guess what was in it. After the stockings had been looked at and the oranges and apples had rolled out of the toes, the presents were taken from the tree. Before long they began to feel hungry, for they hadn’t waited to have breakfast first. They ate Santa’s wonderful oranges, and the children’s mother said to their daddy:
“Dear me, I wish I could find such big juicy oranges as Santa Claus does. He’s a better shopper than I am!”
“He’s a wonder,” said Dot and Jimmie and Betty together, and then every one took his or her orange and paraded into the dining-room, singing once more,
“Christmas comes but once a year!”