Christmas Grouch
It is very early on Christmas morning. Santa Claus had just finished delivering all the presents to all the good little girls and boys all over the world. There was only one person he did not deliver anything to and that person is Christmas Grouch.
Christmas Grouch has never had an ounce of goodness in him at all. He dresses in a green coloured suit. His skin is a sickly green colour.
Right after Santa Claus leaves a house, Christmas Grouch will go and ruin Christmas for the family that lives there. He knocks paintings off the walls, knocks the Christmas tree over, knocks the stockings off the mantle and throws all the Christmas gifts into the fireplace. Then, he will laugh, the evilest of laughs, while the Christmas gifts all go up in smoke. He leaves a disaster behind him, wherever he goes.
Santa Claus had heard of Christmas Grouch. He heard so many stories of all the evil things he has done. He also knows that everyone lives in fear of him. Santa Claus knew he had to put a stop to it, once and for all.
One Christmas morning, Santa Claus didn’t return to the North Pole right away. Instead, he waited in a house for Christmas Grouch to show up.
Santa Claus didn’t have to wait very long. Christmas Grouch came through the front door, busting it down, because it was locked. He knocked paintings off the walls, knocked the Christmas tree over, knocked the stockings onto the floor and then he threw each of the Christmas presents into the fireplace, laughing the most evil laugh he could.
“What are you doing?” Santa Claus asked, coming out of his hiding place. “You have ruined Christmas for this family!”
“Nobody even gives me a Christmas present,” complained Christmas Grouch.
“So you destroy innocent peoples Christmases, leave a disaster wherever you go and then expect a Christmas gift!” yelled Santa Claus. “That isn’t how Christmas works. You have to earn your Christmas gift.”
“How do I do that?” asked Christmas Grouch.
“First thing is to clean up this mess you made,” said Santa Claus.
Christmas Grouch picked up the paintings off the floor and hung them back on the walls. He straightened up the Christmas tree and hung the stockings back up on the mantle.
“What about the presents I burned?” asked Christmas Grouch.
“My sleigh is up on the roof,” said Santa. “There are some extra presents there. You go get them and bring them here.”
Christmas Grouch did as he was told. He brought the presents into the house and put them under the tree. Santa Claus took one of the presents and gave it to Christmas Grouch.
“Thank you!” cried Christmas Grouch, opening his present. “I have always wanted a train set.”
“You can have a Christmas present every Christmas,” said Santa Claus. “All you have to do is be good.”
“If I be good from now until next Christmas,” said Christmas Grouch. “Do you think I could get more track and maybe a red engine for my train set?”
“It is quite possible,” said Santa Claus. “Next Christmas is a long time from now. You are going to have to try to be really good from now until then.”
“I will try really hard,” said Christmas Grouch.
“Good,” said Santa Claus. “Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas,” said Christmas Grouch, as he watched Santa go up the chimney to his sleigh.
Christmas Grouch sat and pondered what had just happened to him. He started feeling a warm tingly feeling inside of him that he had never felt before and it actually made him not want to be grouchy anymore. Santa Claus had actually gotten through to his grouchy soul and he was happy about it.
“I don’t think I want to be a Christmas Grouch anymore,” said Christmas Grouch, picking up his train set and carrying it out the front door with him. “I need to fix this front door for this family!”
Christmas Grouch fixed the front door of the house and it was finished just in time. He heard the family inside the house, laughing and giggling at the site of the presents under the tree.
“That is a really nice sound,” said Christmas Grouch, clinging onto his train set as he walked home. “I think I like the sound of laughter and giggling.”
Moral of this Story:
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