“It’s the Christmas holidays”!, I cried as I burst into my house after the last day of school.

I was in standard six and the holidays had really begun. The following day, we would have a grand celebration in our apartment, when all children were given gifts by the Santa Claus.

I was eagerly waiting for the day. The next day dawned bright and clear. In the morning, my mother was hospitalised. She was pregnant and it was nearing her delivery date. My father told me that I could expect a little brother any moment from now. This news added to my joy and excitement.

The celebration was to be held at night and all the children were on tender-hooks.

In the evening at about 5.oo clock, my father called me from the hospital. “Hannah, he said kindly “you see, I have been so worried about mother and we had to go to the hospital every now and then and I was so busy that I did not find time to buy gifts for you and Hanok”. “Please don’t take it so hard. “I am really sorry, I couldn’t help it”.

“Oh! That’s alright, father” I said in the most cheerful voice I could command at the present situation. I was really sad, but I knew that there was no use of moping about it. So I pulled myself together and broke the sad news to my brother and advised him in the most sisterly fashion to be cheerful and not to worry father.

The celebration began and my father came home with the joyful news that my mother was admitted into the labor-room. “So I’ll have a little brother very soon, and that’s the greatest Christmas gift I could possibly want.
But a few minutes later, my father had a phone call in which he was informed that my mother had been removed back from the labour-room.
My heart sank low. The baby wouldn’t come until much later.
The celebration was in full swing. All the children were talking excitedly about what their gifts were going to be.
I felt tears come into my eyes. All the children would get gifts except me and Hanok. The baby was not coming as soon as I wanted him to come.

After all, this day for which I had waited with anticipation was not turning out right.
The misery increased as the moment for the gift distribution arrived. My eyes filled with tears, but I blinked them away angrily. I really did not want to be a cry-baby, but I could not help it. Then I thought of my father who was tensed and worried about my mother. “No I wouldn’t make him sad by crying”, I decided.

At last, that great moment when all the gifts were distributed, arrived. My heart sank lower and lower as names of children began to be called out.

The list was quite long. Suddenly, Santa Claus called out, “Hannah Alice Simon and Hanok Simon”.
Oh my God!, I got the greatest surprise of my life. “Is it really for me”!, I asked myself as I grasped a package in my arms.
Then I turned to my father. He was smiling broadly. “Father, it was your trick”! I cried, and he laughed merrily.
All the misery that I had experienced a few seconds ago vanished and I was the happiest girl in the crowd. I opened the package and found to my at most delight that It was a story book.

It was quite late when we came back to our apartment after all the celebrations. I thanked my father heartily for the gift he had given me. As I was about to retire for the night, my father’s phone rang. My father picked up the phone and was in earnest conversation with somebody. After finishing the phone call he turned to me and said, “Hannah, guess what, your mother has been admitted into the labour room and the baby is expected just a few hours from now.

I went to sleep happily. A sad and dreary day had turned out into a most glorious day. My last thoughts before I fell asleep were, “I hope that the first thing that I will hear next morning will be that little Daniel is born. And I tell you my friends that were exactly the first thing I heard in the morning.

Now when I look back on that glorious morning, I realise that my little Danny baby is the most beautiful Christmas gift that God has ever given me.