[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ theme_builder_area=”post_content” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”||-30px||false|false” custom_padding=”0px||0px||false|false” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” type=”4_4″ theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” theme_builder_area=”post_content” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n
Santa Claus is sitting in his workshop, looking through the long list of each child\u2019s letter. He sits on his soft snowflake cushion with a worried expression. \u201c<\/span>I need more people on the bad list, so I don\u2019t have to make these many gifts,\u201d<\/span><\/i> he thinks. He<\/span> sits there thinking for a while\u2026\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Back in Florida, Cathy and Eliana, two best friends, are writing their very own wishlists.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s too many things!\u201d Cathy groans. They sit there for a few minutes longer, jotting something down when it comes to mind. They finally leave the library after a few more minutes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Santa sits in his chair lost in thought. He walks over to his snow globe and peers down into the real world. \u201c<\/span>Hmmm,\u201d<\/span><\/i> he thinks. Then, an idea occurs in his mind.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cPrepare the sleigh for tonight. I have a little bit of business to do!\u201d he shouts out to his workers.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u201cBe aware Cathy, I am coming. He He He!\u201d he cackles, seeing Cathy and Eliana cheerfully walking back to their houses. \u201cNone of you will be happy like that after what I do,<\/span>\u201d <\/span><\/i>he says to himself, acting as if they were right there listening to him.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The next day, Cathy and Eliana are walking to school. They had a regular day at school until\u2026 recess! They walk on the black top, when Cathy suddenly shouts out, \u201cHey penguin!\u201d Eliana gets annoyed and walks quietly over to the bench. Cathy comes over to her and says it was just for fun but Eliana just keeps quiet.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYou didn\u2019t have to humiliate me in front of everyone, did you?\u201d she finally says.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u201cI didn\u2019t me-\u201d starts Cathy but Eliana cuts her off.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYou know what you are, just an egghead. You cry on such little things, you are so sensitive, and I can\u2019t believe I was ever friends with you,\u201d Cathy says and stomps away.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Eliana stares back in shock at her friend. \u201c<\/span>What is going on with her?\u201d<\/span><\/i> she thinks to herself.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u201cI don\u2019t even want to be your friend!\u201d she yells back at her ex-best friend.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Meanwhile Santa watches and hums, joyfully thinking \u201c<\/span>Now I have a reason to put Cathy on the bad list.\u201d <\/span><\/i>\u00a0He\u2019s so proud of his work that he goes to the kitchen and congratulates himself with a cookie.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The next day at school Cathy and Eliana avoid each other. They sit at different tables during lunch and they walk home alone, feeling very lonely without a friend to accompany them. They both lay in bed all day too lonely to do anything else. Eliana writes one more thing in her list: <\/span>But most of all, Santa, I wish to have my best friend back.<\/span><\/i> Cathy writes something similar. They both finally post their letters to the North Pole gloomily.<\/span><\/p>\n Santa is in bed dreaming about Eliana coming over to his house, taking the bad list and scribbling something on it. He soon realizes that it was his name! \u201cNO!\u201d he shouts but it\u2019s too late, Eliana gives a wicked laugh and vanishes. He wakes up suddenly, wiping the sweat off his face and breathing heavily.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhat happened?\u201d A muffled voice comes from behind him.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u201cHuh? Huh? Oh nothing, I just needed a glass of water,\u201d he says, not realizing he made her wake up too. He gets up to get a glass of water and then goes to look at his bad list. He sighs with relief, seeing that his name is not on there. Santa goes back to sleep.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Cathy is not happy with her actions and really hopes for her friend back. Cathy lays in bed all night, wishing Santa would grant her wish. She finally falls asleep, too tired to do anything.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Meanwhile Santa receives these two girls’ letters and is thinking \u201c<\/span>At least I have a reason to not grant any of these wishes.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Mrs. Claus interrupts his thoughts by bringing in his breakfast. She sits down and looks at the bad list and her eyes stop on Cathy\u2019s name. \u201cIsn\u2019t she that sweet girl that would give you extra cookies on Christmas Eve? Why is her name on the bad list? What did she do?\u201d she asks.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cUm- It was probably an accident.\u201d Santa stutters, lying.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Meanwhile, both Eliana and Cathy are on their way to apologize to each other. They meet in the middle of the way and both start speaking to each other.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry for calling you short,\u201d Cathy finally says after they were both quiet.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAnd I\u2019m sorry for making a big deal out of it,\u201d Eliana replies. They hug each other.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Santa buries his face into his hands, not happy with what he had done. That night he delivers gifts all around the world, giving extra gifts to two houses.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The next morning Eliana and Cathy both wake up and run downstairs to meet each other. They don\u2019t care what or how many gifts they got. They are just glad that Santa had granted their one and only wish: <\/span>Being friends again!<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Santa Claus is sitting in his workshop, looking through the long list of each child\u2019s letter. He sits on his soft snowflake cushion with a worried expression. \u201cI need more people on the bad list, so I don\u2019t have to make these many gifts,\u201d he thinks. He sits there thinking for a while\u2026\u00a0 Back in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-194","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-edition-2"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/writingwizards.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/194","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/writingwizards.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/writingwizards.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/writingwizards.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/writingwizards.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=194"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/writingwizards.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/194\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":196,"href":"https:\/\/writingwizards.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/194\/revisions\/196"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/writingwizards.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=194"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/writingwizards.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=194"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/writingwizards.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=194"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}