The Christmas Party from the Black Lagoon (Black Lagoon Adventures series Book 9) Read online

  good to me.

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  But Penny starts whining, “I

  already spent five dollars plus

  tax and my present better cost

  at least that.”

  Somehow I think we’ve lost

  the spirit of Christmas here.

  Then I have another idea. They

  say time is money. So if I spend

  five hours—at a dollar per hour—

  making Penny’s present, we’ll be

  even.

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  When I get home, I get to

  work.

  I get papier-mâché and make

  a doll’s head. I paint on two

  blue eyes and two pink lips. I

  use yellow wool for hair and my

  other gym sock for a cap.

  I make a body out of a pop

  bottle and cover it with a piece

  of cloth, sort of like a dress—

  more like a sarong. I hope it’s not

  sa-wrong dress.

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  I lose track of time and work

  the whole weekend on it. I take

  the boots off my G.I. Joe and glue

  them on the bottle. Then I tie on

  a hair bow, and I’m nearly done.

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  Finally I wrap the doll in pink

  polka-dotted paper and make up

  a poem on a card.

  50

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  I put the present on my dresser,

  and that night I count reindeer

  instead of sheep to fall asleep.

  Then visions of sugar plums

  dance in my head. Well, they

  don’t actually dance, they sort of

  roll around.

  Then it begins to snow. But

  it doesn’t snow snow, it snows

  popcorn. And all the trees are

  decorated.

  When I wake up, it’s Monday —

  the day of our Christmas party!

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  CHAPTER 14

  TOO MANY SANTAS

  On the school bus, T. Rex is

  wearing a Santa cap, and when

  we get to school Mrs. Green is

  dressed up like Santa, too. So

  are Fester, Miss La Note, and

  Wanda Belch – except her beard

  is covered with a hairnet. They

  all go around saying, “Ho,

  ho, ho!”

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  Mrs. Beamster doesn’t dress

  like Santa, she’s dressed like an

  elf—a book elf. She looks more

  like a bookshelf.

  Mrs. Swamp is dressed like

  a reindeer. She has wire coat-

  hanger antlers and a red ball

  on her nose. She tells us that

  she’s Rudolph.

  54

  Our teachers get very silly

  around Christmas. I guess it

  reminds them of when they

  were kids. It’s a nice thing to

  remember.

  55

  CHAPTER 15

  PRESENTS OF MIND

  We put all the presents

  under our tree. Eric finally

  brought in his ornament. He

  made a Darth Vader helmet.

  I don’t know if it catches the

  spirit of Christmas.

  Doris is wearing mistletoe

  taped to her hat, and wants

  everybody to kiss her. No way!

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  Freddy has baked cupcakes for

  the whole class, and Derrick has

  brought in soda pop.

  Mrs. Green hands out the

  presents. I can’t wait for Penny

  to open hers. There’s a flurry of

  flying wrapping paper and a lot

  of oh’s and ah’s and a few boos.

  I hope Penny is an oh and not

  a boo.

  57

  I look over at her and there’s

  a tear running down her cheek.

  She’s hugging my doll. I hope

  the head doesn’t fall off.

  58

  “Do you like it?” I ask.

  “I love it,” she says. “Where

  did you buy it?”

  “I made it,” I say proudly. She

  puts the doll down.

  “You didn’t buy it!” she

  exclaims.

  “I made it,” I say, “except for

  the boots.”

  “How much did it cost?” she

  asks.

  “Nothing except time and

  effort,” I say.

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  “Well,” says Penny, coming

  over and taking back her gift,

  “I’ll make you something, when

  I have the time.”

  Boy, I’ll never understand

  girls, and I’ll never know what

  she got me. But fortunately Doris

  got a Barbie Doll and wants to

  trade Penny for the doll that I

  made. Yay! I could kiss her . . .

  almost.

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  Penny says okay and gives me

  back my present. I thank her,

  but I don’t open it. There’s a boy

  named Tim in the special ed

  class. He’s in a wheelchair and

  I’m going to give him my

  present.

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  They say that life is give and

  take. Well, from now on, I want

  my life to be more give and less

  take. And I want to celebrate

  Christmas every day of the year.

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