The True Meaning of Christmas
By SJaye
Trixie Belden burst into the Bob-White clubhouse, her cheeks glowing from the cold air outside and snowflakes decorating the tips of her blond curls. The other Bob-Whites looked up as the door flew open, but relaxed when they saw it was only Trixie. Trixie was always in a hurry.The End Back to GWP #7Mart Belden was the first to speak. "Where is the food you were supposed to be procuring for our pre-holiday feast?" he inquired, looking with dismay at her empty arms. "This little soiree will not be the same without some edible substances."
"Oh, Mart!" Trixie exclaimed impatiently. "I heard something just awful when I was waiting at Mr. Lytell’s store. Just wait until I tell you! Then you’ll understand why I didn’t get any food!"
"What is it, Trixie?" Jim Frayne asked. "You look upset." He pulled out one of the chairs from the clubhouse table and motioned for her to sit down. "Take a deep breath and tell us what’s going on."
Trixie sat, loosening the scarf around her neck as she did so. She looked around at her friends. It was Christmas Eve and all the Bob-Whites had gathered to exchange small gifts and celebrate the holiday together before they all had to go off to various family functions. Everyone was there – Honey Wheeler and her adopted brother, Jim Frayne, Trixie’s two older brothers Brian and Mart, and Diana Lynch. Even Dan Mangan had been able to get time off from his many duties to be with them. Their little get-together would have been perfectly perfect, but Trixie knew that when she explained what had happened, the others would be willing to forego their party if it meant they could help someone who needed it.
"You all know who the Stark family is, don’t you?" Trixie asked.
"Is that the new family that just moved here from the city?" Di asked. "The one with those adorable little boys?"
"Yes," Trixie said. "While I was at Mr. Lytell’s store, I overheard Mr. Stark talking to his wife on the pay phone. Someone broke into his truck while he was downtown and stole all the presents they had bought for their children!"
"What were the presents doing in his truck?" Di asked, puzzled. "Wouldn’t things like that be in the house?"
"Their house is awfully small, Di." Honey said. "And they must have at least five or six little kids – all boys. Maybe they were hiding them in the truck so the kids couldn’t snoop."
Trixie nodded vigorously. "That’s exactly what I thought. Anyway, I couldn’t help but overhear the conversation and Mr. Stark sounded pretty upset. I don’t think they can afford to replace those gifts."
Honey’s eyes filled with tears and she imagined how those little boys would feel if they woke up on Christmas day and Santa Claus hadn’t been there. "Oh, Trixie, there must be something we can do!" she exclaimed.
"Well, that’s the reason I didn’t buy anything at Mr. Lytell’s," Trixie admitted. "I thought that if we used that money, plus the money we have in the treasury and returned the gifts we bought for each other, well, maybe we could buy some gifts for those little Stark boys."
"’Here comes Santa Claus, here comes Santa Claus, right down Santa Claus Lane,’" Mart sang suddenly. When Trixie turned to glare at him, he held up his hands in surrender. "I wasn’t making fun of you, Trixie, honest. I think that’s a swell idea – if we can scrape up enough cash to do it. What do the rest of you think?" He glanced at Brain, Jim and Dan.
"I think it’s a good idea." Jim said, "but they may not accept it. They might see it as charity you know."
"But it’s Christmas!" Trixie insisted. "Remember how Rosita took the money we gave her for her father’s treatments? She wouldn’t have taken it if it hadn’t been Christmas. The Starks might feel that way at any other time of the year, but not now. Besides, we can leave the gifts on their porch. They won’t even know who left them."
"Trixie has a point," Dan said, smiling at her enthusiasm. "Come on gang, time’s awastin’. Let’s see how much we have to work with."
After everyone had emptied their pockets and purses and they added in the money originally intended for food and what they had left in the treasury, Brian totaled it up. "I think if we add in the money we’ll get for returning our gifts for each other, we’ll have enough to get all the children at least one present," he said, grinning.
"Oh, good!" Honey clapped her hands. "Who’s going to do what?"
It was decided that Jim, Brian, Honey and Diana would take the Bob-White station wagon into Sleepyside, return their gifts and shop for presents for the Stark boys. Dan, Mart and Trixie would go back to Mr. Lytell’s store to purchase wrapping paper, gift tags and ribbon and be ready to wrap the gifts when the others returned. They would have to hurry though, to get everything purchased, wrapped and delivered before their own Christmas plans with their families started.
It took a little longer than they expected, but finally the last of the gifts was wrapped and placed in the box to be delivered to the Stark residence. In addition to a gift for each of the boys, the box also contained little things to be used as stocking stuffers and Christmas candy. These items were donated by Mr. Lytell when he demanded to know why Trixie was back again so soon, and why she was buying wrapping paper on Christmas Eve, when he knew she had purchased it days ago.
"Let’s get this stuff into the station wagon," Jim said. "Brian, can you grab the other end of this box? We can drop this off and still be back here in plenty of time for our own plans."
The Bob-Whites piled into the car, laughing and joking with each other as the always did when they were together. "I wish I could see the looks on the children’s faces when they see this!" Honey said cheerfully. "They’ll be so excited."
After a short drive into Sleepyside, Brian pulled up in front of the Stark house. Putting the car in park, he turned to Trixie. "You and Jim go up and put the box on the porch. When you get back, I’ll honk the horn as we leave so someone will come out and see it."
Trixie and Jim carried the box up the steps, careful not to make a sound. Before they could set it down, the box slipped from Trixie’s grasp and hit the wooden boards of the porch with a loud thump. Jim set his side down and grabbed Trixie’s hand. "I guess Brian won’t have to honk now," he grinned. "Let’s go."
They turned to leave but had only taken one step when the door behind them opened. Knowing they had been caught, Trixie and Jim turned around.
"What on earth…" Mrs. Stark looked around, taking in the two teenagers standing on her porch and the box of gifts sitting by her front door, and then gazed into the street where Mart was gesturing frantically for them to hurry. "What is going on here? And who are you?" she asked.
"Jeepers, we’re sorry, Mrs. Stark. We didn’t mean to bother you, but, well, I overheard your husband talking to you on the phone at Lytell’s Store and we felt so bad when we heard your Christmas presents for the boys had been stolen…we just wanted to help." Trixie said, feeling her face turn red.
Mrs. Stark’s eyes went again to the box by the door. "You mean to tell me that you bought presents for my children?" she asked, incredulously.
"Well, yes," Jim said, also blushing furiously. "It’s not much, but every child deserves a Christmas."
"Oh my word!" Mrs. Stark whispered, tears filling her eyes. "I can’t believe you did this! The children will be so excited. How can we ever thank you?" She reached out and held Jim and Trixie’s hands in her own.
Trixie squirmed uncomfortably. "No thanks are needed, Mrs. Stark. We wanted to do it. Merry Christmas."
The tears flowed freely down Mrs. Stark’s cheeks. "Oh, bless you – all of you. It’s not the gifts. It’s the fact that you went to all this trouble when you don’t even know us. Your thoughtfulness has truly made it Christmas for me. Thank you, and all your friends too." Mrs. Stark wiped the tears from her eyes and waved to the other BobWhites still waiting in the car. "But, you still haven’t told me your names."
"Just consider us Santa’s little elves," Jim answered, laughing. "Merry Christmas!"
"Merry Christmas to you too," Mrs. Stark said happily.
She stood in the doorway and watched, smiling, as Jim and Trixie walked hand in hand back to the car.