Illustrated by Dawn Griffin
Written by Suzanne Ridolfi Berlin
Lemont
The
winter holidays had finally arrived for the students at Wellington Elementary. As the kids exchanged
colorful holiday
cards , Abby reached into her backpack to pull out the ones she had spent the last week making.
“Merry Christmas, Olivia,” said Abby, as she handed her a card. “Would you like to join us for a
sing-a-long
at my house Christmas Day?”
Olivia held the card up to show the class and burst out laughing. “What is that supposed to be?” she mocked, pointing to the tree on the card. “It’s a
tree with presents ,” replied Abby.
“That’s what your Christmas looks like? Ha, ha, what a joke. My Christmas tree goes
all the way to the ceiling and my presents are stacked just as high ,” Olivia bragged.
“ Blah, humdrum,” sneered Olivia. “No, I don’t want to come to your stupid sing-a-long . I guess you will be making cookies, too, since you probably don’t have a chef to do it for you. What does singing dumb songs have to do with Christmas anyway? Boring,” she exclaimed. “My chauffeur, Winston, is here,” she ranted as she walked out to her limo.
“Hi dear,” called mother from the kitchen as Abby came home. “I need your help decorating our
gingerbread men. ”
“Why don’t we have
servants to make them?” asked Abby.
“What? And take all the fun out of the holiday?” smiled mother. “You sound a little upset dear, what’s wrong?” “Olivia is a
little Miss Scrooge ,” frowned Abby, as she
told her mother how Olivia had laughed at the cards she had made.
“Goodness, I think Olivia’s
Christmas barometer is broken!” gasped mother. “Her
BAROMETER
what is broken?”
asked Abby. “Olivia seems to have lost her Christmas
spirit .
This is the season of sharing and caring, spending time with friends, old and new. This is what fills us with holiday
joy , not presents, dear.
Maybe she just needs to be reminded of what she is missing,” said mother.
On Christmas Eve, Abby put on her new PJs and left a note for Santa with a tray of cookies. Climbing into bed, Abby asked Santa to please fix Olivia’s
Christmas barometer , and then dozed off to sleep.
“Santa, fill my room with
presents
from the floor to ceiling,” demanded Olivia before she climbed under her satin covers for the night.
In the middle of the night, Olivia woke up in a fright when she heard the sound of
heavy
boots pounding on her roof. Then she heard the jingling of
bells in the hallway.
The footsteps were getting closer, and the bells jingled louder. “Who’s there?!” she called out. Then she saw a large figure appear at the foot of her bed. “It is me, Olivia,” answered
Santa Claus .
bells I wear are to remind you of the joy that Christmas brings ,” said Santa. “The
“You have lost the joy that the true meaning of this season brings. I am here to
warn you that if you
do not change your ways, you could end up on the naughty list forever!”
“Tonight you will be
three Christmas angels. visited by
Expect the first when you hear my sleigh lift off your roof.”
And with a “HO
HO HO ,”
he disappeared.
As the ringing of the sleigh bells faded, Olivia saw a
flash across the sky.
Her curtains blew open, and something came to a
crashing halt
across the room.
“I always misjudge those walls,” Abby cringed, rubbing her head. “That one’s going to leave a bump.” “Abby, is that you?” asked Olivia.
Angel of Christmas Past ,” “I am the
she replied.
“Come with me,” said the angel. “Are you sure about
thiiiiiiiissssss!!? “ screamed Olivia, as they flew out the window. “I’m still getting the hang of it,” said the angel.
“Hey, that’s me when I was little! Why am I giving away
my money ?!” demanded Olivia. “You are giving from your
heart to those who need it most ,”
said the angel.
“Blah, humdrum!” Olivia sneered.
“That’s me again,” smiled Olivia. “Why do I feel so
warm and happy inside?
I don’t even have many presents,” she wondered.
And then with a blink she was back in her bed. Soon Olivia was awakened again by the rustling of her blankets. “Who’s there?” cried out Olivia.
Angel of Christmas Present . “It is I, the
Hold on to my robe!” she instructed. Olivia did as she was told.
The two circled above the small town’s main street.
Swirling downward, they headed right for a snow bank.
“You
are not very good at this !!!” screamed Olivia. “I am still in training for my wings,” said the angel. “I just can’t stick my
landing
yet.”
Looking in the front window of Pigglie’s Market, Olivia saw Winston and herself walking toward the checkout with their overloaded cart.
“That was
“I want the
biggest turkey in this
“Why, we had a
thirty-pound turkey, Miss Olivia, but I am sorry - a young lady just bought it,” said Mr. Clark, Pigglie’s owner. Olivia ran up to the checkout counter to find the young girl emptying the change from her pouch. “I’m sorry, miss. You are short,” said the cashier.
75 cents
yesterday ,” said Olivia. market,” demanded Olivia.
“Too bad, then it’s
mine ,” exclaimed Olivia.
“Oh, I need this turkey for the food kitchen,” cried the little girl. ”Blah,
humdrum ,”
answered Olivia.
“Miss Olivia, we have more than enough food for our feast. Perhaps we could
lend the little girl the
money,” suggested Winston. Pushing the little girl aside, Olivia demanded Winston pick up the turkey and carry it to her overflowing cart.
In a wink, the angel had whisked them away to a house that Olivia did not recognize. “Where are we
now ?” asked Olivia.
“Come look inside,” instructed the angel. The door opened and Abby answered. “Hi Ryan,” beamed Abby. “So glad you could make it for the
sing-a-long .”
“Is this the party I was invited to?” asked Olivia sadly. “Where am I?” “You didn’t want to come,” answered the angel.
After leaving the party, the next stop was a large hall filled with people merrily sharing a meager Christmas supper.
“Is that the girl from the market?” asked Olivia. “Yes,” replied the angel. “Why do they seem happy even though they have
almost nothing ?” questioned Olivia.
“They have each other and are filled with the
joy of
Christmas ,” said the Angel of Christmas Present.
Once again, Olivia found herself warmly tucked in her bed, before hearing something
crashing in her fireplace.
“Santa, is that you?” she asked the figure covered in soot. “Nope, just me, the
Angel of Christmas to Come ,“
replied a dusty Abby. “I’ve always been fascinated by the ‘Santa entry’- it’s not as easy as it looks.”
“I am here to show you what your
future will look like if you do not learn from your past ,” said the angel. Once again they visited the food kitchen, but this Christmas it was
closed .
“Where is the little girl from the market?” asked Olivia.
”Without enough
support . . .
. . .the food kitchen had to
close ,” answered the angel.
After being whisked back to her room once again, Olivia suddenly envisioned one lonely Christmas morning - all by herself. “Don’t I have any friends? Am I on the naughty list?” she wondered, and slipped back into sleep.
Morning finally broke, and Olivia jumped up and ran to her window.
“Winston what day is it?” she asked.
“Why, it’s
Christmas Day , miss,” Winston replied merrily. “I’m not too late!” she burst out. “Pack up the car - we have much to do.”
“Hi, Olivia,” said Abby. “Come on in.” “I had the
weirdest
dream last night,” said Olivia.
“Me, too,” said Abby. “I made this for you,” smiled Olivia, handing her a homemade Christmas card.
“Would you like to stay for a bit? We are about to eat the hot sticky buns my mom and I baked,” Abby said kindly. “I can’t. I‘ve got something I still have to do!” Olivia merrily exclaimed. “Winston, please call the chef and tell him to meet us at the food kitchen to help him prepare a
feast !!
Abby, will you come too? I could really use a friend’s help,” she added.
“Can I, Mother?” Abby inquired. We could have our
sing-a-long
there!”
She called out after Olivia, “We’ll be over shortly!”
“It looks like your Christmas barometer is fixed,” smiled Abby.
“Merry Christmas, everyone!”
To a wonderful man, my father, Edmond Duffy thank you for teaching me to always strive to be my personal best. Merry Christmas, Dad! -Sue
To my mom, who always made sure my Christmas barometer was maxed out and showed full support for all my artistic endeavors. Merry Christmas, Mom! -Dawn
Š 2012 by Suzanne Ridolfi Printed in the United States of America All rights reserved. This publication is protected by Copyright, and permission should be obtained from the publisher prior to any prohibited reproduction, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or likewise. Published by Eifrig Publishing, PO Box 66, 701 Berry Street, Lemont, PA 16851, USA Knobelsdorffstr. 44, 14059 Berlin, Germany. For information regarding permission, write to: Rights and Permissions Department, Eifrig Publishing, PO Box 66, 701 Berry Street, Lemont, PA 16851, USA. permissions@eifrigpublishing.com, +1-888-340-6543 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Ridolfi, Suzanne, Abby’s Adventures: Christmas Carol .... and Little Miss Scrooge by Suzanne Ridolfi, illustrated by Dawn Griffin p. cm. Paperback: ISBN 978-1-936172-42-9 Hard cover: ISBN 978-1-936172-43-6 [1. Christmas - Juvenille Fiction. 2. Self-image - Juvenille Fiction.] I. Griffin, Dawn, ill. II. Title 16 15 14 13 2012 54321 Printed in the USA on acid-free paper.
It is almost Christmas, and Abby is filled with the sounds, smells, and the joy of the season. When a snooty classmate mocks her, Abby asks Santa to help young Olivia fill her Christmas barometer and find the true meaning of the holiday. As she doses off that night, little Miss Scrooge encounters a familiar-looking angel and embarks on a journey to her Christmas past, present, and future. Will it be too late for Olivia to realize that compassion and giving are what the holidays are really all about?
A portion of all sales will be donated to food banks and shelters around the USA. You can help fill your own Christmas barometer by giving generously to your local food bank during this holiday season and throughout the year.
US $9.99
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