“I bought us a

Christmas present!” said Mom as they ate dinner. A smile lit up her face as she put the broccoli on the table.

“In October?” said Sara with all her 10-year old logic. She looked out the window at the colorful trees.

“Mm,” said Dad intent on cutting his crispy chicken.

“Where?” said James, his blue eyes lighting up like a Christmas tree.

“Out in the garage and I’ll need all your help with it,” Mom replied to James’ question.

Sara groaned.

James wiggled all his 6- year-old self and nearly spilt his milk.

“More work?” queried Dad, the spoon near his mouth full of buttered rice.

“Yes,” said Mom, “but a lot of fun, too.”

After dinner, they all trooped out to the garage to see the present.

“A sled!” yelled James.

“Sleigh” corrected Sara. “It needs a horse to pull it. You sit in it with your legs down and this one is moldy looking.” She looked at it disdainfully.

Dad said, “Well, it has potential.”

But Mom was enthusiastic. “All we need to do is scrape it down, paint it, get a colorful throw and there we are!”

“But you need a horse to pull it,” persisted Sara.

“Yes, I know,” said Mom. “That’s not a problem. Mr. Crane, you know Mr. Crane?”

Heads waggled up and down.

“He said that we could borrow his horse any time. He only lives on a farm about a mile away and he’ll be glad of the exercise for her. I can ride her back here if your father will take me out in the car.

So during the fall, they sanded the metal parts and painted them a fire engine red. The wooden handles were varnished and Mom bought the sleigh a bright red plaid blanket.

Even Sara, who moaned and groaned through the whole refurbishing, liked the end result.

“It’s cool!” she said.

They brought all their friends around to see it.

Mom’s friends thought it a wonderful idea.

Sara’s friends looked, especially Sandy and Audrey.

James’s friends ran around and around it.

Dad’s friends said, “More work for you, old boy.”

Just in time, they finished it — a week before Christmas.

“I hope we have some snow soon,” said James. “I’m dying for us to have some snow soon!”

“We cannot use it before Christmas,” warned Mom. “Besides, it has to dry first.”

So every night after dinner, Sara and James went out to the garage to see if the sleigh was dry.

Two nights before Christmas, it was!

“Whoopee!” cried James.

“Yes, I think it is dry,” said Sara, giving it the finger test.

“But no snow!” moaned James.

“We can’t take it out before Christmas. We could have snow by then,” replied Sara.

She was right. The next day, Christmas Eve, it clouded up. Then a few big flakes fell.

Then a few more flakes, smaller, fell.

Then a whole lot started to fall.

James couldn’t sit still. He ran from window to window watching it fall and willing with all his might to please, please, don’t stop.

Sara ignored him. Until he yelled at her that she didn’t even want it to snow.

“Yes, I do!” she said. But my running from window to window won’t help it one little bit!”

“Yes it does when you’re just 6!” he shot back at her.

Darkness came. The Christmas tree shone colorful lights. James bounced from floor to couch. After dinner, James said to Sara: “Let’s look at that sleigh again.”

“OK you kids,” said Dad, “but be in here by your bedtime. It’s Christmas Eve and you have to get to bed on time.”

Sara looked at him, her gray eyes raised heavenward.

They raced out to the garage. The sleigh shone with a light all of its own.

“Let’s sit in it,” whispered James.

“We can’t use it until Christmas,” said Sara.

“I know THAT,” replied James, “but it won’t hurt just to sit in it.”

“OK,” said Sara and they hopped up into it. They covered their legs with the blanket and buckled the seat belts. They looked small and cozy there.

“Wouldn’t it be nice if it could fly like Santa Claus does?” said James. “Then we could go straight up into the sky!”

NEXT WEEK: Some wishes were meant to be granted. Hang on for the ride in The Christmas Sleigh, Part 2