I’m suffering brain fatigue! I’m just recovering from writing the Christmas letter so I am ‘creativity challenged’ at the moment. But then I remembered I do have a special blog already written and it is holiday appropriate.
I wrote an environmental children’s column for the magazine “Minnesota-Out-Of Doors” and for the December column in 1988 I wrote a blog (before blogs were invented) titled Off the Wall. The stars of these stories were Kathie, myself and our three children, Steve, Jill and Bonnie.
In this particular column little five year old Bonnie is having trouble getting to sleep on Christmas Eve night. (For your interest that little five year old just celebrated her 40th birthday last week! How the time has flown!)
I hope you enjoy the column and if you do, try it out on your children or grandchildren this Christmas Eve and see it brings on instant sleep. 🙂
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Consider this column from 1988 my Christmas card to all of my blog friends. 🙂
* * * *
The snowdrifts were deep. A cold wind whipped up clouds of snow while bright stars lit up the Christmas Eve sky.
Bonnie was snuggled in her bed. She peered out from beneath the thick quilt and asked “Hey, Jill are you sleeping yet?”
“I can’t get to sleep,” said Bonnie. “I keep wondering what kind of gifts Santa will bring us tonight.”
“You’re just excited,” comforted Jill. “Try to think of something besides Santa coming.”
Steve overheard the conversation from the next bedroom. “Think about your big, handsome brother,” he shouted.
“Oh, Steve!” giggled Bonnie.
“That would be like having a nightmare before going to sleep,” teased Jill.
“I will try not to think of Santa,” murmured Bonnie.
With that the little girl rolled over and began studying the animals on the wallpaper. “I wonder how many of these things I’ve met for real, ” mused Bonnie.
Yawning loudly the little girl thought, “There is a red fox. We saw one of them last winter in the pasture…”
Suddenly the little girl stared in shock. The red fox moved. It appeared to be coming toward her. “Don’t be frightened, Bonnie,” said the red fox.
“You know my name?” asked Bonnie.
“Of course I do,” said the red fox. “I am your friend. We share the same room you know.”
“Why did you decide to talk to me tonight?” asked Bonnie.
“Because tonight is a special night for gift giving,” answered the fox, “and I wanted to remind you about some very special gifts you have already received.”
“Have I unwrapped them already?” asked a puzzled Bonnie.
“They were never wrapped,” replied the fox. “Although the first gift is wrapped in clouds from time to time.
“The earth is a gift!” shouted Bonnie. “Is that the first gift?”
“You are right my child,” responded the fox. “Often, however, people don’t treat it as the wonderful gift that it is.”
“I agree,” replied Bonnie. “The earth is the only place we have to live. It is our home.”
A flash of brilliant yellow and black flew through the air and landed on the ear of the red fox.
“Hi swallowtail butterfly,” cried Bonnie.
“Hello friend,” replied the soft voice of the butterfly. “I have come to remind you of the gift of air. We need air to survive.”
“Are we going to run out of air?” asked Bonnie.
“Healthy air perhaps,” replied the butterfly. “You humans are breaking down the ozone layer and producing too much carbon dioxide.”
“Also the dirty air caused acid rains to fall,” added the fox.
“Those are big words,” replied Bonnie.
“When you get older you will understand,” said the fox.
“By then we hope your people have been able to clean up the air,” added the butterfly.
“Me too!” shouted Bonnie.
Suddenly a rainbow trout splashed to the surface of the fast moving stream and said, “Water is also a gift. You humans must control what drains into the earth’s water supply.”
“The trout is right,” said the fox. “All living things need clean water.”
Don’t forget the soil,” boomed a loud voice.
“A talking tree!” gasped Bonnie.
“I need soil to live. All green plants do,” stated the giant oak.
“And the soil provides many homes for the animals,” added the fox.
“It holds water too,” said Bonnie.
A tiny fawn trotted out from behind the huge oak tree.
“Hi little fawn,” said Bonnie. “What gift are you going to remind us of?”
“My gift is the most special of all, the gift of life,” replied the fawn.
“You are so right little fawn,” said the fox. “Everything from dandelions to elephants.”
“Evergreens to mosquitoes,” added Bonnie.
“Wildlife makes our world special,” added the fawn.
“And we humans must work to protect the wildlife,” added Bonnie. “We must share the earth.”
The fox, butterfly, fish, tree and fawn smiled in agreement.
Suddenly Bonnie’s new friends began to shrink and move back toward the wall.
“Bonnie, Bonnie!” they cried.
“Don’t go yet,” said Bonnie. “We have so much to talk about.”
“Bonnie, Bonnie,” the voice continued. “It’s time to get up. Santa came last night and left gifts.”
“Jill, it’s you!” cried Bonnie. “I must have gone to sleep after all.”
“You sure did,” replied Jill. “And now it’s morning and time to open gifts.”
Bonnie opened her gifts that morning but none of her gifts were as special as the earth, clean air, clean water, soil and wildlife.
The animal wallpaper had made it a very special Christmas indeed.
