8 Christmas Stories: Including A Letter to Santa

By Ray Mathews

Christmas is save by all kinds of folks: Elves, little girls, little boys, an angel in search of wings, and even a snake!
What more could we ask for a Merry Christmas?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ray Mathews
• Release date: Nov 5, 2009
• ISBN: 9781458099945

Ray Mathews

About the Author:Ray Mathews is a former IBM Senior Engineer and inventor whose curiosity led him to write mysteries, thrillers, westerns, children's books in prose and verse, non-fiction books on Bridge, Personal Finance, Painting, Model Railroading, and more.He and wife, Sally, have three children, two grandsons, and live in Raleigh, NC.Books by Ray Mathews include:The Golden CrowsA Fetus Is MissingBilly the Kid: The HoaxFinding BrucePreviously Dead8 Christmas StoriesThe Book of Rhyming StoriesBubble ShipNomadsTales for BoysGrowing Up and Other StoriesNON-FICTION BOOKSHow to Expand Your Painting WorldYour Nest Is Your Nest EggSelf-Publish Your Book for Under $100Suit Bidding with the Jacoby and Stayman ConventionsThe TilTable BookA Baker's Dozen True StoriesFly Paper for Kids

Book preview

8 Christmas Stories

Including ‘A Letter to Santa’

by Ray Mathews

Cover Art by Ray Mathews

Published by Smashwords

Copyright © 2009 by Ray Mathews

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person with whom you share it. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

This book and others by Ray Mathews are available in print at many online retailers

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8 Christmas Stories

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Table of Contents

A Letter to Santa

Elmo and His Magic Computer

Santa Clothes and the Littlest Tailor

Déjà vu Christmas

Santa’s Magic Coat

A Christmas Stocking Yarn

How the Snake Saved Christmas

The Christmas Gift

About the Author

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A Letter To Santa

Seven-year-old John Clark finished cutting cardboard to envelope size.

Done! he thought with a sigh of relief. He gathered his cardboard, envelope, and clean sheet of letter paper and slipped from the house, careful not to let Tildy or Tim hear him.

He hurried down the steps to the backyard. Except for his footfalls in the slushy snow, the only sound was a freight train whistling in the distance.

John shivered and hugged his skimpy jacket to him, careful not to wrinkle his paper. His fingers clutched a ball-point pen in his left pocket.

Free at last! thought John; free of his four-year-old sister, Tildy, with her never-ending questions about Santa Claus, and free of his twelve-year-old brother, Tim, who made it difficult for John to have any Christmas secrets.

But John would keep this secret - his letter to Santa. Tim said there was no Santa Claus, and would laugh if he found out. But John knew different – all it took was belief, and he had that.

Tomorrow was Christmas Day. The post office six blocks away was as far as seven-year-old John had ever gone on his own.

But he had made up his mind! He would get this letter to Santa. He even had cardboard to stiffen the envelope so his letter would get to Santa in good shape. He didn't care what Tim said. Even if there is no Santa Claus, this letter is going to be mailed. Sometimes a guy has to do what a guy has to do.

He thought over the words he had practiced...Dear Santa: Please send my Daddy, Matthew Clark, home for Christmas. Yours truly, John Clark. Maybe the postman would help him write it if John had trouble.

John remembered his mother's words last night.

Your daddy can't be here Christmas day, children. The Company sent him to Munson's Market in Leslie to do the books, and he can't get home till the day after Christmas. You understand, don't you?

No! John wanted to shout, I don’t understand. I want my Daddy home for Christmas — like other families.

He ran down the slushy street – and almost collided with an older girl. Her oversized sweater flapped against her knees, and she hopped from foot to foot.

Have to get to the drugstore for a prescription for my mom 'fore they close, but my foot's nearly froze from the slush, she said, lifting her wet shoe. Have a big hole in the bottom, and the drugstore's still two blocks.

John remembered how Daddy folded cardboard inside an old shoe and said they were as good as new.

He hesitated, looked at his cardboard and then at her wet shoes. He shook his head, He didn’t really need the cardboard to stiffen his letter to Santa. He handed her his cardboard. Here, he said, fold that double and put it inside over the hole. That'll keep out the cold for a while.

She looked at the small boy and smiled. Hey, thanks. She folded the cardboard and jammed it into her shoe, stomped on the makeshift sole, cried, It works! and dashed off. Thanks again, kid. That'll get me to the drugstore and back.

John watched her go, ran down the street, stopped, and squinted into the dim light. Ahead an old man raised his skeletal head from a garbage can and limped toward John. His ragged trousers dragged in the snow. An old suit coat stretched tight against his thin frame. He looked half frozen in the sharp, cold night air.

Can't find no dry paper to start my fire. Plenty of wood, but only two matches — can't take a chance on wet paper, he whispered. He peered at John. You got any dry paper, young fella?

John backed away, shook his head, and clutched his Santa Claus letter paper behind him. The old man shivered in