As Christmas grew near, most of the holiday preparations had been finalized and all the shopping had been completed as well.
Ben had decided that it just might be a good idea to get an early start this year since the weather had turned very cold and snowier than normal. About the only thing that was left to do was to find the perfect for the living room.
Hop Sing had been baking for several weeks now to keep ‘his’ family and their friends with lots of Christmas goodies to eat. Wonderful smells of cookies, cakes, pies and other pastries drifted through out the large cozy ranch home making everyone’s mouth water with great anticipation of eating all the holiday treats.
Hop Sing had made sure that he kept out plenty of goodies for his family to eat. Many times during his baking, he had caught either Hoss or Little Joe trying to sneak a cookie or two. Hop Sing just seemed to know when a friendly ‘thief’ was near.
Wednesday morning arrived very cold and snowy as the Cartwright family sat down to their hot breakfast of cinnamon oatmeal, scrambled eggs, bacon and toast. A perfect hot breakfast on such a bitter cold day.
After Adam, Hoss and five year old Little Joe were ready to head out to the barn to do their morning chores, Adam began to get his baby brother all bundled up. “Hold still little buddy so I can button your coat” Adam suggested as he struggled to get the youngster dressed, as Ben sat there grinning at the sight of his oldest and his youngest sons. The little boy was trying very hard to run out the door without his coat on.
“But Adam we gotts ta hurry ta do all them barn chores so we can go play in the snow!” the child tried to explain to his big brother as he had a very serious look on his angelic face. That statement brought out laughter from his family.
“Sweetheart, you’ll have plenty of time to play in the snow after chores. You need to let Adam get your coat buttoned, so you need to hold still please. The faster you are ready the fast you can get your chores done,” Ben explained. “Yes Papa,” the boy softly replied as he grinned at Ben which of course melted Ben’s heart.
“All done! Times a wastin, lets go!” the boy shouted as he ran out the door. Ben, Adam and Hoss stood there shaking their heads and laughing at the antics of the youngest Cartwright. “That boy!” they all said at the same time.
Once in the barn, off went the coats, mittens and scarves so the chores could begin. Little Joe worked fast and hard, but he kept an eye on his two big brothers to see if they were working hard too. “Ya guys gotts work hard so we can go play in the snow ya know!” the boy reminded them.
“Don’t worry about us Punkin, you just work hard too,” Hoss teased as he chuckled at his little brother. Adam was laughing inside as he shook his head at what he had just heard from his little brother.
“Imma workin’ real hard!” the boy told his brothers. “I guess you are, aren’t you?” Adam agreed. Little Joe smiled at Adam and nodded. Adam and Hoss looked at each other and slowly shook their heads. “He’s too much,” Adam whispered into Hoss’s ear. “Ain’t that the truth,” Hoss replied as he continued to work.
After several minutes of working hard, Little Joe announced that he had finished his chores. “Imma done wiv my chores, so can I go play in the snow?” the boy begged as he looked up at his older brother.
“Yes you may, but please be careful and Hoss and I will join as soon as we get finished with our chores,” Adam told the little boy as he reached out to grab hold the wiggling little boy who started to run out of the barn without his coat, cap, scarf and mittens.
“Whoa there little buddy, lets get you dressed before you go play in the snow,” Adam suggested as he and Hoss began to get their little brother redressed. “Hey Punkin, you need to be dressed nice and warm and toasty to play in the snow ya know!” Hoss added.
“Hoss, I ain’t toast! Imma big boy ya know!” the boy corrected his big brother as he gave Hoss a silly little grin. With a chuckle, Hoss replied, “I know ya ain’t toast Punkin. That’s just a saying for bein’ nice and warm, you silly little thing. If you were toast, then I would eat ya! Hoss teased as he made as if he were going to eat the little boy. That brought out loud giggling from Little Joe.
“Imma glad I ain’t toast cuz I dunt wantcha ta eats me!” Little Joe replied as he was still giggling. He then raced out the door and to the snow. “Ain’t he something Adam? Imagine him thinking that I though he was toast,” Hoss laughed. “That’s our baby brother for you!” Adam told Hoss as they both were laughing as they watched the little boy making a snow angel.
Not long after that, Adam and Hoss joined their little brother in the yard for a big snowball fight. It seemed like almost every snowball the little boy threw at his brothers, the snowballs seemed to go down their backs which brought a shock to their warm bodies
“Little buddy, why do your snowballs always go down our backs? That snow is freezing cold!” Adam asked. “Yeah little brother, why do they always go down our backs like that?” Hoss also asked. “Cuz I dun told em ta and they listen ta me!” the little boy explained to his brothers with a rather serious look on his now rosy red face.
“I see, come Hoss, let’s get even with little brother!” Adam suggested as he and Hoss ran after the little boy who was giggling so hard that he fell in the snow. “Got you, you little imp!” Adam shouted as he and Hoss rolled their little brother in the snow. Cries of help could be heard all over the yard and in the house.
“What in the world is going on out there?” Ben said to Hop Sing. “Boys play in snow,” Hop Sing said as he laughed. Ben got up and decided to join his sons for some fun in the snow.
Hop Sing watched the silliness in the yard from the warmth of the house. “Family very silly in snow!” Hop Sing said to himself as he laughed.
The snowball fights continued on. I was Ben and Little Joe against Adam and Hoss. More snowballs thrown by Little Joe managed to find their way down Adam and Hoss’s backs. One snowball made it down Ben’s back as well. That was a little sneak snowball by Little Joe, who couldn’t resist throwing one at his Papa.
“Yikes, that’s a cold snowball! I thought you were on my side Joseph,” Ben cried. “I am Papa, but I couldn’t resist puttin’ one down yer back too!” the little boy told Ben.
“You just wait little brother, because I’m going to put a snowball down your back too!” Adam threatened.
“Papa, ya gotts ta save me!” Little Joe shouted as he was giggling loudly. Being the wonderful parent that he was, Ben replied, “Ill save you son!” He threw more snowballs at Adam and Hoss.
About three hours later, Hop Sing announced that lunch was ready. “Oh boy! I’m plum starvin’ to death!” Hoss announced which brought out more giggling from Little Joe.
“Boy this morning sure has gone by fast. It will be nice to get warmed up again. I can’t believe how cold it is today!” Adam said as he brushed snow off his coat. The family headed towards the house except for Little Joe who wanted to stay outside and play in the snow. He was freezing cold and wet, but he would never admit to that.
“Come on Little Joe, it’s time for lunch and you need to get out of those wet close before you freeze to death. We all need to get warm and dry. You can play in the snow again after lunch and after your nap,” Ben explained to the little boy.
“Does I gotta Papa? The little boy asked as he gave Ben one of his prize winning smiles.
“Yes you do,” Ben replied as he grabbed hold of his son’s arm and guided him to the house so he could brush all the snow off the child before heading inside the warm cozy house.
Their coats, caps, scarves and mittens were now in front of the fire drying out. “It sure feels great to be warm again and lunch sure smells wonderful! Hoss declared as he sat down at the table. The family all had rosy faces from the bitter cold outside.
The hot vegetable beef soup and roast beef sandwiches was the perfect hot lunch on that cold snowy day.
While they were eating lunch, Ben noticed that Little Joe had a very serious look on his face, which made him wonder what was the on mind of his youngest son. Ben was about to ask his son what he was thinking about when the little boy looked up at Ben with wide open eyes.
“Papa when we get our Christmas tree this year, can we gets two extra trees please? They dunt gotta be as big as the tree fer our house. They’s gonna be special trees. Please Papa can we gets two extra trees?” the boy pleaded as he continued to look up at Ben.
By now, Ben, Adam and Hoss looked at the youngest Cartwright and they wondered about the request they had just heard. What ever it was, it seemed very important to the little boy.
“Sweetheart, what are the two extra trees for? Ben asked as he had no idea what it could be. “Yeah little brother, please tell us,” Adam suggested.
Looking at his family, Little Joe took a deep breath, smiled and explained. “I wanna Christmas tree fer Mama cuz she needs a Christmas tree too. The other tree is fer the horsies in the barn. They needs one too Papa,” the boy softly said, hoping that his Papa would say ‘yes’.
That request, and the look on the little boy’s face absolutely melted their hearts. The look was priceless.
“That’s a wonderful idea sweetheart! Of course we can get two extra trees. Your Mama will love having her very own Christmas tree, and I’m sure the horses will love to have their very own tree too. We can get the trees tomorrow,” Ben suggested as he was so proud of his baby son and his wonderful idea. He had never given a thought as to have a tree for Marie. He had tears in his eyes at his son’s request.
“Tell you what little buddy, we have a lot of extra pieces of tin in the hayloft and we can make some ornaments for both trees. What kind of shapes would you like for Mama’s tree? Adam asked.
“Um, hows ‘bout trees, stars, angels, horseies cuz Mama loved horseies. Um maybe some candy canes. Gotta have an angel fer the top of the tree. Does we gotts ‘nough tin fer all them Adam?” the little boy asked as he looked up at his big brother.
“Yes we sure do little buddy. I can draw the shapes on the tin then cut them all out. Then I can punch a tiny hole in the tops of each ornament so we can attach some wire to each one so they can be hung from the tree. How does that sound?” Adam asked as he was looking forward to this special project.
“I’s wuv that Adam and Mama will wuv it too!” the boy excitedly shouted. It made them all happy to see so much excitement on the little boy’s face since the recent loss of his mother in a riding accident.
“That’s a great idea Adam. With ornaments made from tin, we can use them every year. Thank you son,” Ben very proudly told his oldest son. “And you know, this is going to be a lot of fun too,” Hoss added as he loved the idea of making tin ornaments.
Turning to look at his baby son, Ben asked the boy a question. “Little Joe, what kind of ornaments do want on the horses tree?” The boy was in very deep thought by that question from his Papa. “Um, well, can’t use candles on the tree cuz it’s in the barn. Um, we could some carrots, small cones, and maybe some apples ‘round the bottom of the tree, that way the horseies could eat the carrots and apples after Christmas. They can’t eat cones though. Them ain’t good fer horseies ya know,” the boy suggested.
“That’s a wonderful idea Punkin and maybe we can make some extra tin horses for the tree too,” Hoss suggested as he loved that look on his little brother’s face. “Horseies on the horseies tree! I just knowd they’s gonna wuv that Hoss!” Little Joe squealed as he yawned and rubbed his eyes.
“I think it’s time for someone’s nap! Ben announced as he smiled at his very sleepy little boy. “Naps is fer little boy’s Papa, not me, cuz Imma big boy!” Little Joe told Ben as he continued to yawn non-stop.
“You know little buddy even us big boys and Papa’s need naps too,” Adam told his little brother hoping the boy would go down for his nap without any trouble. As Little Joe sat there with his eyes closed, he mumbled, “Imma sleepy Papa.”
With a smile of ‘thank you’ to Adam, Ben looked at his young son, smiled and said, “Come on sweetheart and let’s get you ready for your nap.” Ben picked up the boy and carried him towards the stairs. Little Joe laid his head on Ben’s shoulder and he stuck his thumb in his mouth and let out a big sigh.
Smiling at the sight of their little brother, both Adam and Hoss wished the boy sweet dreams. Little Joe had fallen asleep on the way up the stairs. Adam and Hoss went out to the barn to get all the extra tin that was in the hayloft and they brought it in the house.
When Ben returned from putting Little Joe down for his nap, he noticed the tin on the table in front of the fireplace. “That’s a good amount of tin and we should be able to make a lot of ornaments,” Ben happily said as he smiled at his older sons.
Adam began to draw the shapes that his little brother had suggested. Ben and Hoss watched as the shapes were drawn on the tin, and they couldn’t wait to see the ornaments once they were all cut out of the tin.
“I love little brother’s idea for the special trees. I wonder how long he has been planning that.” Adam asked as he continued to draw out the shapes on the tin. “I’ve been wondering the same thing son,” Ben said as he was amazed at the art talent of his oldest son. “Those look great son!” Ben added. “Thanks Pa,” Adam replied as he continued to draw.
“For a boy so young, I am so proud of little brother and his ideas for the special trees. I never would have thought of having extra trees like that. Hey Adam, how ya gonna cut out all them shapes out of the tin?” Hoss asked as he loved watching his oldest brother draw.
With a big smile, Adam spoke up. “I already thought of that Hoss, and I plan on using my wire cutter. It should work just fine. Then when all the shapes are cut out, I’ll file down all the edges to make them smooth, that way little fingers can’t get cut. I will also twist the wire together once I put it though the tiny holes that I will punch through the tops of each ornament,” Adam explained.
After Adam had finished drawing all the shapes on the tin, he began the long process of cutting out each shape. As he cut out each shape, Ben and Hoss began to file all the edges of the ornaments. They were all thoroughly enjoying doing the ornaments and they couldn’t wait to show them to Little Joe.
When Little Joe woke up from his nap, he raced down the stairs and when he saw the ornaments on the table, he gasped with excitement. He couldn’t believe how wonderful they all looked.
“WOW, all them ornament looked great Adam! Them’s the right size too! the boy squealed in total excitement. He was jumping up and down and giggling. His family was getting a big kick out of his antics.
“Papa and Hoss helped with the ornaments too little buddy. They smoothed out all the edges of each ornament so we can’t get cut from the tin. I drew all the shapes and it was a lot of fun too!” Adam explained to the boy.
Little Joe gave each member of his family a big hug and kiss which they loved. To see the child so happy was wonderful sight indeed.
“Won’t all them ornaments look great on Mama’s tree!” the youngster suggested as he held a horse in his tiny hands, but at the same time he had tears in his eyes.
“What’s wrong son?” Ben asked as he was concerned by the sudden change in his son. “I sure wish mama was here wiv us Papa. I miss her so much,” the boy softly said as tears ran down his face. That broke his family’s hearts. “Sweetheart we all wish she was here with us, but she is with God and she is very happy. She will always be in our heart and thoughts,” Ben explained to his young son as he held him tightly. Adam and Hoss both told their little brother how much they missed her and too they wished she were here with them.
That next morning after breakfast the Cartwright family headed out to find their Christmas tree and the two extra special trees. Little Joe was so excited that he could barely sit still.
The morning very cold, but the family was warm and toasty wrapped in thick quilts as they rode in the family sleigh. They all wore their warmest coats, scarves, caps and mittens.
“Let’s stop here and have a look to see if we can the trees,” Ben suggested as he climbed down from the sleigh. “Oh goodie!” Little Joe shouted with joy and excitement as he jumped down from the sleigh and he landed in the deep snow. Loud giggling could be heard coming from the little boy. Ben, Adam and Hoss couldn’t help but laugh along with the youngest member of the family.
Just a short distance from the sleigh, Little Joe shouted. “PAPA LOOKIT!” The child was pointing at a large buck walking through the forest. “Isn’t he big and beautiful?” Ben replied as the family watched the buck disappeared deeper in the forest.
“That is one of the biggest bucks I have ever seen!” Adam declared as he put his arm around Little Joe’s shoulder. “He must be old because he is so big!” Hoss added. “Yes, I would imagine he is old son,” Ben replied.
After several minutes they found the perfect tree for their living room,
so Adam began to cut it down. Little Joe was so excited that he was jumping
up and down in the snow and falling in the snow. He also made a couple of
snow angels as he played in the deep snow.
Ben slowly shook his head at the antics of his youngest son as did Hoss.
Adam laughed at the sight of the boy as cut down the tree.
Once the tree was cut down, Adam and Hoss hauled it back to the sleigh. They tied it to the back of the sleigh since it was too big to fit in the sleigh. One they were done, they rejoined Ben and Little Joe to find Little Joe’s two special trees.
This was a good area to find trees as there so many of all different shapes and sizes.
A couple of minutes later, Little Joe found the perfect tree for his Mamas’ grave. “Oh Papa, I want this tree fer Mama! Ain’t it perfect? I just know Mama will wuv it!” the boy cried.
Ben hugged the boy and replied,” That tree is just perfect sweetheart and I know that your Mama will love it!” “Great choice little buddy!” Adam said as he started to cut down the tree. “Now all we need is a tree for the horses,” Hoss suggested. “Yup, sure do Hoss!” the youngster agreed.
Little Joe looked in every direction for the horses tree, when he got a big grin on his rosy red face as he pointed to another tree. “That one fer the horseies please!” the child shouted with excitement.
“That looks like a great horse tree son!” Ben declared. “You know little brother; you sure can find the perfect Christmas trees!” Hoss said as Adam cut that tree down too. Both trees were hauled back to the sleigh, and once they were tied to the sleigh too, the family was ready to head home and get warmed up. It had been a very good morning with finding all the perfect Christmas trees.
On their way home while snuggly covered in the thick quilts they saw several more deer in the forest. “Papa does all them deer want Christmas trees too?” the child asked. “Every tree in the forest are Christmas trees for the deer son. They don’t decorate trees like people do. They like them just the way they are,” Ben explained to his son. “Oh, guess it’s hard fer em ta decorate trees anyway,” the boy replied as he yawned. Ben, Adam and Hoss chuckled at their little boy.
Once back home, the horses tree was put in the barn as was Marie’s tree. That way they could stay dry in case it snowed again. The family tree was placed on the porch under cover for the same reason.
“Papa, when can we’s take Mama’s tree ta her?” Little Joe asked as he yawned yet again. “Well, let me think on that son. After lunch you need your nap, so how about when you wake up, we can take the tree to your Mama and decorate for her. “Sounds good ta me Papa,” the boy softly replied as he continued to yawn. He fell asleep while eating his lunch so Ben carried him up to his room. “Sweet dream precious boy,” Ben softly said as he kissed his son’s forehead.
When Ben returned to the living room he sat down in his chair as Adam handed him a cup of coffee. “I must say that your little brother certainly picked out three great looking trees didn’t he?” Ben said with a smile on his face as he remembered back to the look of excitement on his youngest sons’ face.
“He sure did Pa, and it is great to see him so happy again,” both Adam and Hoss replied as they smiled at Ben.
Hoss had safely packed up the ornaments for Marie’s tree and he had placed the tree and the ornaments in the sleigh so when Little Joe was up from his nap, they could ride up to her grave and set up her tree and decorate it. They were all looking forward to doing that, but at the same time, it would be a sad thing to do.
The tree for the horses had been set up in its place so the tree could be decorated that evening. They would do their tree the following day.
As Ben, Adam and Hoss talked in the living room they could hear a little tornado heading down the hall then down the stairs.
“Papa, Imma wake now! Can we go and take mama her tree now please?” the boy shouted as Ben reached out to grab hold of the little tornado. “Whoa there son, but first you need to get in your coat, scarf, cap and mittens before going outside. It’s very cold out there!” Ben explained.
“Oh goodie! I be back fast!” the boy shouted as he raced out to use the outhouse. “That boy!” Ben declared as he slowly shook his head. “Where does he get all that energy?” Adam asked as he laughed. “I wish I had his energy!” Ben replied as he laughed too. “Me too!” Hoss added.
As soon as Little Joe was dressed and ready to go, the family climbed in the sleigh and rode up to Marie’s grave.
“Hi Mama, we dun brung ya Christmas tree, but first we gotts ta make it look pretty fer ya. Adam drawded all them shapes on tin, then he cut em out and Papa and Hoss smoothed out all them edges so we dunt get cut from the tin. We gotts a big angel fer the top of yer tree Mama!” Little Joe told his mother. That sight and what the little boy said brought tears to Ben, Adam and Hoss’s eyes.
Once the tree was set up and anchored so it couldn’t fall over in the wind, they started to decorate the tree. Ben held Little Joe up so he could put the angel on the top of the tree. When the tree was all decorated, the family stood back and took in the beauty of the tree and its ornaments. It was a breath taking sight indeed.
“It sure is pretty ain’t it Papa? I sure wish Mama was still here,” the boy softly said as he had tears running down his little face. Ben picked him up and held him tightly. “We all wish she were still with us sweetheart. I have to say that her special tree is beautiful! I know she loves it!” Ben said as they all continued to look at the tree standing straight and tall in the snow.
Ben stood Little Joe back on the ground. The little boy looked at his family and said, “Fank ya all fer makin’ all them pretty ornament fer Mama’s tree. They sure do look perfect!” “They really do Punkin!” Hoss declared as he still looked at the tree.
“I don’t know about you three, but it is getting too cold out here, so we need to get back home for dinner,” Ben suggested as they started back to the sleigh.
“Bye bye Mama. I sure does miss ya and I wuv ya. Merry Christmas Mama!” Little Joe said as he walked away from the grave feeling sad, but happy that his Mama had her very own Christmas tree.
After dinner that night, they headed out to the barn to decorate the horses’ tree. Little Joe was so excited that he ran out the door without his coat on. “LITTLE JOE, get back here and get your coat on!” Ben shouted, but the little boy was already out the door. “That boy!” Ben declared as he grabbed the boy’s coat, scarf, cap and mittens as it was bitter cold outside, and maybe a little warmer in the barn.
Ben was able to capture his young son in the barn and he put his coat on him along with his scarf, cap and mittens. “Joseph, what am I going to do with you?” Ben asked as he smiled at his youngest son. “Hows ‘bout wuv me Papa,” the boy replied as he gave Ben one of his prize winning smiles. “I think I can do that you little imp,” Ben teased as he tickled the boy who started to giggle. Adam and Hoss shook their heads and started to laugh. They loved the antics of their little brother, plus the boy could wiggle his way out of almost any kind of mischief with that special look he gave them.
Adam had made a star for the top of the horse’s tree that Little Joe very proudly put on the top of the tree.
“Hey horseies lookit, ya dun gotts yer own Christmas tree. Ain’t it somefin’? Its gotts horse ornaments on it and ya know, Papa, Adam and Hoss dun maded all them ornament fer yer tree. When Christmas is comes, ya can eat them apples and carrots, but not till then. Ya can look at em only!” the little boy told the horses, who whinnied back at him. That made everyone laugh. “Guess little brother told them,” Hoss teased.
“I think the horses love their tree sweetheart. They are still looking at it,” Ben said with a big smile on his face. “They really do little buddy,” Adam added as he was getting a big kick at the look on his baby brother’s face.
“We sure do have lucky horses Punkin because I bet no other horses have their very own Christmas tree,” Hoss told the youngster. “I’s wuv horseies! Merry Christmas horseies!” the boy said as he started to leave the barn. The horse whinnied back at the little boy, their way of saying ‘Thank you’ for their tree.
The warmth of the house welcomed the family as it was very cold in the barn. Little Joe knew the horse were nice and warm because they each had on their blankets.
Hop Sing brought in mugs of hot chocolate and freshly baked Christmas cookies for his family. “Thank you Hop Sing, how did you know we needed hot chocolate and cookies?” Ben asked. He could never figure how Hop Sing always seemed to know what the family needed.
“Hop Sing always know what family need,” Hop Sing replied with a big smile. “This is so yummy Hop Sing!” Little Joe said exclaimed with a chocolate mustache on his face. “I totally agree!” Adam said. “Me too Hop Sing!” Hoss said with a mouth full of cookie.
As Ben got Little Joe ready for bed that night, the little boy looked at Ben and asked, “ Papa, does ya really fink Mama likes her Christmas tree and the horseies too?” “Sweetheart, I know she loves her tree. She is so proud of you for wanting her to have her very own tree. You have made her very happy. The horses really love their tree too. You certainly had a perfect idea for two special Christmas trees this year, not only for your Mama and the horses, but for all of us. Yes, this year will be a very special Christmas indeed,” Ben explained to his little son as he hugged and kissed the little boy good night.
The next night the family decorated their Christmas tree and it looked like a true masterpiece. While decorating the tree, Little Joe suddenly had another idea that he thought was great, but he wasn’t sure how to bring it up.
“Um Papa, I gotts another great idea. Wanna hear it?” the boy nervously asked. Ben looked at his son and he could see a little mischief in those big bright green eyes. He thought to himself, “Oh no, now what is he thinking?” Both Adam and Hoss had that same thought as they studied the little boy’s face.
“What is your great idea son?” Ben asked with a little concern. After all, this was Little Joe and he knew that the boy could come up with some very interesting ideas. He hoped it was something good like the two extra special Christmas trees.
“Well, I was finkin’ that, ya know how busy Santa on Christmas Eve, and I know he needs help wiv all them gifts, right? Ben nodded as he knew mischief was coming. Adam and Hoss looked at each other with that same thought that Ben had. “Yes son, please continue on,” Ben suggested.
“I could meet him in the yard and go wiv him and help him wiv all them gifts. Ain’t that a great idea Papa?” the excited little boy said. It was hard for Adam, Hoss and Ben not to start laughing out loud at the boy’s request and Ben knew he needed to come up with an answer for this idea.
“Little Joe, please come and sit on my lap while I explain something to you,” Ben suggested as he sat down in his chair. “Kay, Papa,” the boy replied as he sat down.
“Sweetheart, first of all, Santa has lots of help from his elves. Secondly, there wouldn’t be any room for you in Santa’s sleigh as it is totally filled up with gifts for everyone. And thirdly, Santa won’t come here unless you are sound to sleep,” Ben explained hoping that he boy would get this crazy idea out of his head.
“But Papa, I could ride one of the reindeer, cuz I ride real good ya know!” Little Joe said hoping to change Ben’s mind. Ben, Adam and Hoss had to cough to hide their laughter. “Uh oh, you guys getting’ colds cuz yer coughin?” the boy asked with concern.
“No sweetheart, we just have a tickle is all. You can’t ride one of the reindeer because……because it wouldn’t be able to fly, and if that happened Santa couldn’t give anyone gifts for Christmas. No son, you need to be in your bed on Christmas Eve sleeping. Santa has a schedule to keep and you don’t want to interrupt his schedule do you?” Ben asked the boy. With a big gasp, Little Joe declared,” No Papa. I be good and stay in bed and sleep. Yous right, Santa’s gotts lots of help!” the little boy replied. That statement was a big relief for his family.
“That was a cute idea little buddy and I wish it could have happened. You made the right decision to let Santa and his elves do all the gift delivering,” Adam told his baby brother.
“I did liked your idea Punkin and it would have been fun to be able to ride one of Santa’s reindeer, but Pa is right in what he said about not interrupting Santa’s schedule, and you know what, I would have come along too,” Hoss said. “Hey Hoss, ya can’t ride one of the reindeer cuz yer too big!” the boy declared as he giggled. “Your right about that little brother,” Hoss replied as they all began to tickle the little boy. Sounds loud giggling and cries for help could be heard through out the large cozy log home. Hop Sing stood in the dining room laughing along with his family.
“Merry Christmas my Cartlight family! Hop Sing love Cartlight family. Make Hop Sing feel like member of family and Hop Sing very happy,” Hop Sing softly said to himself.
The End
Merry Christmas everyone!