“It’s Christmas” the children yelled as they ran through the house the next morning. Squeals and laughter, paper rattling and shouts of joy, which woke the little mouse from his slumber. Then the room began to move and he felt dizzy, “an earthquake” he whispered in disbelief. He realized that someone or something was moving his house. The children were speaking in excited tones about their gifts and how wonderful Christmas was.
Mother wanted to take some pictures of all the gifts and the children with the gingerbread house also. The little boy saw for the first time that the house had little chew marks all around it. “I think something has been eating our gingerbread house” he said. The girl saw that the gumdrop had fallen away from the back door and said
“This is strange; we never made a back door, but look.”
She plopped the house down on the table in disbelief. “We have a mouse inside our gingerbread house!” The tiny inhabitant could feel his heart about to explode; he had been found out and would most likely be taken out and executed by the toy soldier. If only he could explain that he was not a freeloader but an honest humble mouse whose only wish was to have this royal home as his own to love and care for.
The mother looked inside at the trembling terrified occupant. Compassion filled her heart as she saw one tiny tear drop from his black beady eyes. “Christmas is a time for giving and sharing” she said. “This little creature is welcome to this gingerbread house for as long as he wishes to have it.”
Gladly the little boy and girl gently carried the house and its owner out to the barn. They made a nice corner filled with straw and sang quietly as they placed the gingerbread house down in solemn ceremony. Quietly they closed the barn door and they felt the wonder of knowing that they had done a great service for a little creature and truly kept the spirit of Christmas.
Huge snowflakes fell upon their faces as they walked silently back to their home. It had been their best Christmas and they always remembered it as the year of the Christmas Mouse and the Gingerbread House.
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