A Christmas story

Jo couldn’t wait until Christmas day. Like lots of young children he had never been able to . He wanted to know what presents he would be get .

‘Do you know where they hide them?’ He asked his brother Ted.

‘I don’t want to,’ said Ted who was a bit older than Jo.

‘I want to wait until Christmas day like everybody else.’

‘You’re boring, ’said Jo.

‘You’re impatient,’ Ted retorted, wandering off.

Mum was in the kitchen baking Christmas cake. Jo licked the spoon it tasted sweet and creamy. Yum!

‘You’ll spoil your lunch young man.’ She picked him up and sat him on the work top.

‘Mummy…’

‘Yes.’

‘What am I getting for Christmas?’

‘You’ll have to wait and see.’

‘Whisper.’

No. Now and wash your hands. Lunch will be ready in a minute. He got down and went to the bathroom. All the usual the hide outs had been searched. His parents’ wardrobe, the cupboard under the stairs, even the coal scuttle. That’s where they were last year.

He sat down to lunch with the family. Christmas carols were softly playing on the radio and when he looked out of the window snow was falling.

‘Wanna make a snow man?’ He asked jumping up.

Mother laughed, ‘Sit down. No pudding for naughty boys.’

Jo pouted, ‘what is it?’

‘Apple pie.’

He punched Jo in the arm. “Want to make a snowman this afternoon?”

‘Maybe.’

By three o’clock the snow had settled like white icing all over the front lawn.

Jo and ted put on their boots and coats and went outside. Jo was still trying to think of another place his presents might be.

‘What do you want this year teddy.’

‘I’ll be pleased with whatever I am given.’He shovelled some snow into a pile.

‘You must want something,’ said Teddy patting the heap of snow to give the snow man a fat belly.

Ted made a round head for the snowman and stuck it on top.

‘Why what do you want?’

‘A train set, new bike, X box and a mobile phone.’He stopped to think.

‘You’re just greedy.’ Said Ted  throwing a snowball at him.

‘Oi.’ It was cold and wet on the back of his neck.

He threw one back. They chased eachother around the garden.

Jo had an idea. There was a hiding place he hadn’t checked. The garden shed. While Ted went inside to get changed he cautiously opened the shed door and went inside. There under his Father’s bench alongside his toolbox was a mysterious cardboard box. He lifted the lid and peered inside. To his surprise and delight there was a bright shiny new train set and a collection of DVDs. Jo carefully picked up the train and put it onto the ground. It had four carriages. The driver was dressed in blue overalls and he was waving a green flag.

Jo started pushing it around. It was just what he had always wanted. He must have been there for an hour . They would be looking for him. He put his new toy back into the box and concealed the collection of DVDs under his coat. Then he went inside.

‘Wipe your feet,’ said his Mother.

He ran upstairs and hid the DVDs under his bed. Then he came back down and had tea with his family.

It was Christmas Eve and the carol singers came round at 8pm. Mother gave them some minced pies and some money for the homeless. When they had gone, Jo went upstairs to his room and got into his pyjamas.

‘Going ot bed already.’ Asked Ted.

‘Yeah well I don’t want to miss Santa.’
Ted laughed and went to brush his teeth.

When everybody had gone to bed Jo took his DVDs out and sneaked downstairs and into the living room. He would stay up all night and watch films.There was a fireplace with a chimney so he would see Santa when he came. Jo helped himself to mums secret stash of lemonade and cookies and settled himself on the sofa.

He was half way through ‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire’ when he heard footsteps. Quick as a flash he turned off the TV and hid. Peeping out he saw Mother with Ted’s Christmas stocking. She went to the kitchen cupboard and filled it with tangerines and chocolates,then turned out the light and took it back upstairs.

Jo was stunned. Mum was Santa? and what about his stocking?

The boy cleared up his midnight feast and put the DVDs back where he had found them. But where was the train? He found it unwrapped under the Christmas tree with all the other presents which were in shiny gold paper.

Jo went up to his room and found his stocking lying deflated on the bed. Santa hadn’t been?!

He felt sick from all the cookies and lemonade. At 4pm he fell asleep.

‘Morning.’ Said Teddy bouncing on Jo’s bed. ‘Look what Santa brought.’

He showed his brother the miniature soldiers and the Cadbury’s chocolate bars.

‘What did you get.’
‘Nothing.’ Yawned Jo.

He showed Teddy the empty stocking.

‘What!’
‘Leave me alone I’m tires and I don’t feel well. I want to go back to sleep.’

‘But it’s Christmas, don’t you want to know what presents you got? We are all downstairs having breakfast.’

‘Go away.’ Jo turned over and went back to sleep.

He eventually came down stairs looking red eyes and grumpy.

‘We waited for you.’ Said his Father.

They began opening their presents. Mum had some perfume and a manicure set, Father had a golf set and some brandy snaps and a bottle of Brandy.Ted was trying to guess what his present was by prodding it and shaking it.

‘I give up.’ He said after a while and tore off the shiny gold paper.

‘Oh the Gameboy advanced i saw in the shop. Thanks!’

There was one present left under the tree. It was looking sad and forgotten.

‘That’s yours.’Said Dad

‘But why isn’t it wrapped?’ Jo felt like he was having a rotten Christmas so far and he burst into tears.

‘You already knew what it was dear.’Said Mother gently.

‘But…’ He sobbed. ‘Isn’t there anything else?’

The train set was boring now that he had already seen it. There’re the DVDs but you have already seen those. Father had found one of the boxes he had forgotten to put back in the shed.

‘Ooh!’ Cried the boy

“Cheer up Jo,” said Teddy pulling a little parcel out of his dressing gown pocket.

‘This is from me.’

Jo rubbed his eyes on his sleeve and took the parcel from his brother. He shook it and examined it.

‘Can you guess what it is?’

It was a brand new watch with a flashing light and it could tell the time in every country in the world.

‘Thanks Teddy.’

‘Worth waiting for?’ asked Teddy.

‘Oh yes!’

Jo ran upstairs to get the present for his parents which Teddy had helped him choose. It was untidily wrapped in red paper. He handed it to his parents.

‘We know what it is Jo,’ said his Father.

‘No You don’t,’ said the boy in disbelief.

‘It’s a camera.’

‘How do you know that? It took me ages to find one and it was supposed to be a surprise.’ He yelled, his feelings hurt.

‘We looked under your bed,’ said his Mother.

‘Yeah but that’s private. I hid it really well.’

This was the worst Christmas he had ever had.

‘You spoilt my surprise,’ he cried.

‘Who else had their surprise ruined?’ said His Mother looking out of the corner of her eye.

Jo couldn’t take this. He ran upstairs, banged his bedroom door and lay face down on the bed. He hadn’t meant to spoil their Christmas, or his own. He just wanted excitement and now there wasn’t any.

A year later Mother, Father and Teddy were all in the living room watching telly. Jo came in with the presents he had spent all evening wrapping. He placed them under the Christmas tree with the others.

‘ooh,’ he cried seeing a label with his name on it attached to a large parcel. ‘I wonder what I will be getting this year.’