The Best Christmas Present
Mrs. Dudek’s Torrington TAG
Students
Information Please
I used to have a job as a telephone operator. All you had to do is dial 411 and you got me. 411 provides telephone number;
however many people think, “Gee! Information, they know everything about everything!” I would get calls for, “Ya know dat girl?
She live in a brown house on dat one roa? She my frien in ma class. She got brown hair.” I would also calls like, “Can you tell me how
to make egg salad?”
Well, one day I got a call and it was around Christmastime. I said, “Directory assistance, may I help you?” There was a man
on the phone and in a very lonely voice he said, “Ma’am, I need … my cat needs some food.” He sounded so helpless but I had to
disconnect him. It was against the rules to give out anything other than phone numbers, so I disconnected him. He called back and
by some miracle I got him again. And again, in his frail voice, he said, “Ma’am, please don’t hang up on me. My poor cat…she’s so
hungry. All I want for Christmas is for her to have some food. Please, miss…please help me.” What could I do? The poor man
sounded so sincere. I had to do something! I quickly asked him for his address and took it down on a piece of paper. I told him I
would see what I could do. I just knew that I had to do something for this poor old man and his cat. I went to my supervisor and
asked if I could take the rest of the evening off. It was getting dark out and it was starting to snow.
I left the building and went to the store. I bought a big bag of cat food, tied a big red ribbon on it and attached a card form
Santa. I got the old man’s address out of my pocket and went in search of his house. It was in a bad section of the city and when I
got there it was dark and snowing. I walked up on the porch and crept up the musty, creaky stairs. I set down the bag of cat food,
rang the doorbell and ran to my car and hid. I watched from m y car as a wrinkly old man opened the door. The smile on his face
when he saw the food and read the card was the best Christmas present I ever received.
By Molly Melville-from a Chicken Soup for The Soul
Copyright 1196 by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen & Barry Spilchuk
The Best Present I’ve Ever Received
On Christmas Day a long time ago, my
mom’s ankle had been sprained. It
bothered her a lot so I didn’t want her
running around the house, especially on
Christmas Day. I slowly crept up into her
bed next to her with her present in my hand
and waited for her to wake up. About 10
minutes later her eyes slowly opened and at
that second I whispered, “Merry
Christmas.” She smiled and was about to
get up but before she did I gave her the 1st
Christmas present to be opened. I will
never forget the tears welling up in her eyes
from the happiness on Christmas Day.
By: Elena Escobar
A Gift of Smiles
The best Christmas present that I have and will ever
receive is a “smile”. I’m most happy when I can
spread joy and laughter in my family. On Christmas
and all of the other 364 days of the year, I enjoy
making people laugh and in return I get the gift of
“smiles”. Christmas is not about who got the most
presents or who opens their gifts the fastest…it’s
about being together. Those times are the best
Christmas presents I have ever received.
The Best Present
By Jake Reynolds
The best Christmas present I ever received was seeing how my 3 year old
cousin reacted when she saw the Little People airplane I gave her as a
gift. I knew by the expression on her face that she wanted to rip it right
out of the box and play with it. That’s exactly what she did do! My
cousin and her family live in Florida and were visiting us for only one
week and during that time she played with my gift more than any other.
Seeing her smiling face each time she played with the gift that I gave her
was the best Christmas present I have ever received.
The Gift
The best present I ever received was on the day we went on a picnic in Martha’s
Vineyard. My family and I were walking near the beach in Oak Bluffs trying to
find the perfect place to have our lunch. I looked ahead and saw a poor man in
shredded clothes who appeared to be sleeping. I noticed that his rib cage was
showing and he had a look in his eye that said, “I shouldn’t be here.” He was
shivering and alone while many people walked past him pretending not to
notice. I took my bag lunch and walked over to him. I was feeling a bit nervous
but was compelled to keep walking because I knew it was the right thing to do. I
handed him my food with a smile. While he said thank you, his eyes expressed
relief and happiness. Relief, because he wasn’t going to go hungry today and
happiness at the generosity of a young girl. Seeing his expression was the best
present I have ever received.
The Best Gift Is One That’s Given
Annalise
Erwin
The best gift I could ever receive is
just spending time with my family.
Every Christmas, my dad’s side of
the family gets together for the
holidays. We eat a special meal
then spend time together in the
living room. It’s so nice to spend
time with everyone especially, my
Grandma Dewy. My Great
Grandma is 81 years old and lives
in a nursing home. Grandma
always sits in her wheelchair with
a smile on her face when we’re all
together. I’m sure there’s no
where else she’d rather be than
with our family. Seeing my great
grandma so happy will always be
the best present I have ever
received.
By
Bailee
Nardi
By
Scott
Dixon
A Gift of Love
By
Morgan
Audia
The Best Present
The best present I have ever and will ever
receive is my mom and dad. There is not a
day that goes by that I don’t feel loved. I am
so grateful to have them as parents. They are
my best present, EVER!
The Best Present
By
Olivia
Mattiello
The best gift I’ve ever received was at a Mother-Daughter
retreat. The speaker introduced us to World Vision, a nonprofit organization that sponsors children. For just $30 each
month, a child’s life would be improved. This included
providing clean water, food, medication, and an education.
When my mom and I picked a child whose name sounded like,
“Sam-Kelly-See-way”, I was filled with joy. Just knowing this
child was going to get the help she needed was a wonderful
feeling. This was the best gift that I have ever received.
By
Emily
Whaley
The Best Christmas Present
Ever
The best Christmas present I ever
received was when I gave my mom red
earrings that said I Love You on them.
She almost started to cry. Her smile
was so big and she looked so happy that
she almost made me cry. Making my mom
happy was the best Christmas present I
ever received!
The Best Present
The best present I ever received was when I made my Grandpa
card when he was badly injured. It was a funny card and I knew
he would love it. My Grandfather lives for being funny and I knew
he would appreciate my creative work. Grandpa hung my card on
his wall. I didn’t get to see his smile when he read my card but I
know it was big and bright. Just knowing I put a smile on my
grandpa’s face when he wasn’t feeling well, was the best present I
have ever received.
Tatum
Marino
The Best Present I Ever Received
The best present I ever received was when I gave my mom a serious card when I normally
give her a funny card. When she began to read it, she had to stop because she was so teary
eyed! I could tell she was going to cry because her eyes were glistening so much. I knew my
card had touched her heart for it’s words were filled with the love I have
for her. Once she was finally able to finish reading the words, she hugged me with so much
love, I felt so touched, I too began to have teary eyes. This was the best present I have ever
gotten.
Paige
Cianciolo
On Thanksgiving, I was playing with
my younger cousin, Jacob. Soon
after, my other cousin, Ashlyn,
arrived. I was so thrilled to see her
that I forgot all about Jacob. While
everyone was eating, I noticed that
he looked really sad and he didn’t talk
to anyone very much. I didn’t really
talk to him either because I was
giving all of my attention to Ashlyn.
Later, he walked up to us and with a
sad expression asked if he could play
with us. When I told him he could, he
was so happy. He had a huge smile
on his face….it seemed to stretch
from ear to ear. Seeing him smile
that way was one of the best presents
I have ever received.
A few years ago my family made my mom
cry. My dad and I went shopping in search
of the perfect gift for my mom. I found it in
the jewelry department. It was a beautiful
necklace that was over our price range. We
asked the sales clerk to put it on hold and
went home empty handed. When we got
home, we all decided to chip in for the gift.
My 3 year old brother who is Autistic, went
to his piggy bank and took out all of the
change and gave it to us for the present. He
felt so proud of himself and I too, felt proud
of him. On Christmas morning, Mom cried
when she opened her special gift. Seeing
my mom sop happy was the best present
that I have ever received.
Tiffany
Berry
My family and I were headed to my Grandparent’s
house. The bitter air outside chilled my bones.
We walked into the warm house and the friendly
setting became familiar one again as I saw my
Grandma Piwie and Papa. We all cuddled up ion
the couch together to watch a movie. I caught a
glimpse of my grandparent’s faces which touched
my heart. Their smiles were wide and their eyes
were not on the television set but on us…their
family. Those smiles truly touched me and they
were the best present I will ever receive.
Olivia LeMieux
The Best Present
Caitlyn
Malenfant
Jacob
Honig
The night before school started, my
mother began having severe stomach
pains. My father took her to the
hospital. They determined that she
had kidney stones. I was unaware of
mom’s visit to the emergency room
because was sleeping at the time.
The following day, after my first day
of school, my father told me that my
mom was in the hospital. I was so
worried that I searched for the phone
book right away so I could get the
number to Charlotte Hungerford
Hospital. Once the operator
connected me to mom’s room, I
heard her weak voice answer the
phone. I said, “Hi Mom” and when
she heard my voice she started to cry.
She was so happy that I called her she
was crying tears of joy. Knowing how
happy I made my mom when she was
feeling ill was the best present I have
ever received.
The Gift
The best present I ever received was when we had a field trip to Talcott
Mountain and I missed the bus. My dad drove me all the way to Avon so
that I wouldn’t miss out on this awesome field trip. On the way, Dad got
lost many times, but didn’t get angry because he was determined to get
me there. Once I arrived at the top of Talcott Mountain, it turned out
that I was only 15 minutes late. Though I did not realize it at the time,
Dad did everything he could to make sure I was able to participate in the
science activities that were planned for me and my classmates. What my
father did for me was the best gift I have ever received.
Tom
Morrison
A Gift of Surprise
The best Christmas present I
ever received was when my
mom opened the ruby
earrings I gave her. The look
on her face was almost
indescribable. She gasped and
looked at me like she couldn’t
believe what I had just given
her. She gave me such a big
hug. That had to be the best
Christmas present ever. It’s
not every day that you can
give your mother a gift of
surprise.
Eric
Baccei