Why Won't Santa Visit Poor Children?

A Christmas story from the Philippines by Roy Thomsitt

 

 

Di Arrives Home For Her Big Surprise

Tina stopped singing before they turned the corner for the last 20 metres of the journey. She just wanted to watch Di's face as she saw her home. Tina urged Di to get to her feet, as in the throne she had her back to the house as they approached it. Di quickly responded, as she was excited to be home. Her mouth and eyes gaped wide open at what she saw.

There were already a few children waiting around the garden; they had run around the back of the house from the road to get there before Di. The little timber house was still there, but rising through and above it was a large wide chimney stack made of bricks, with a chimney pot on the top similar to the one she had seen in the Santa Claus movie.

Di's excitement was uncontainable. She clenched her fists as if she were going to let loose with an enormous cry and was trying to stop it. Her knees bent, and she jumped off the floor of the truck as she yelled out: "A chimney!!!"

Charles, Rose and Crystal had already jumped down from the multicab and run towards Di, followed at a slower pace by Ma and Papa.

"Ma, Papa. A chimney, look!"

They laughed and were so happy to see Di's moment of total joy. Of course, they and everyone else already knew about the chimney, and this was what it had all been for; the holiday with Aunt Paula, the hard work and planning of so many people, the gifts and donations from all over. But Di did not know about any of that. She jumped down from the truck into Papa's arms, and he then helped Tina down.

"It's so big," shrieked Di, looking the chimney up and down. "It makes our house look so tiny. But I love it, I love, I love it."

She turned to Ma, and snuggled into her momentarily, saying:

"Now Santa can come at Christmas." She looked back to Papa: "Papa, Santa can come now."

Di was quivering with excitement as she hugged Ma and then Papa, but  her brother and two sisters were excited and impatient to take her inside. Charles took one hand, Crystal and Rose held her other arm, and they hurried Di inside the house.

Again, Di gasped at what she saw. There was an enormous brick fireplace like the one in the movie, its width almost half the width of the house itself. Her bright smile lit up the dark room as she looked around at Ma and Papa, Tina and Aunt Paula, who were now right behind her.

This was all so unbelievable; Di then just stared at the fireplace in disbelief for a while, before asking:

"Papa, how did you do that?"

The adults laughed, knowing how much effort and how many people had been involved.

"Oh, I'm a magician now," said Papa, laughing.

He crouched down to hug Di.

"Are you happy now?" he whispered.

"Yes," she whispered, "thank you so much," before sobbing her happy little heart out.

There was no need to console her now, so Ma just smiled and rested her hand on Di's shoulder. Everyone now in the room just exchanged knowing smiles, coupled with sighs of relief that Santa's accident was now fully eclipsed and that Di, despite the flow of tears, was back firmly in her world of happiness again.

 

 

Next: Santa Claus Story (cont)