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COMING SOON: and the Egg and Spoon Race

Ruth

Quayle

Julia

Christians

First published in the UK in 2020 by Nosy Crow Ltd

The Crow’s Nest, 14 Baden Place, Crosby Row, London SE1 1YW

Nosy Crow and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Nosy Crow Ltd

Text © Ruth Quayle, 2020

Illustrations © Julia Christians, 2020

The right of Ruth Quayle and Julia Christians to be identiﬁed as the author and illustrator respectively of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988

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ISBN: 978 1 78800595 1

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Magnificent Mabel and the

Christmas Elf

At Christmas time I can’t help being a sweety heart.

I am so kind and pleasant.

I love fairy lights.

I love doing carols by candlelight as long as people don’t stare at me.

I especially love decorating the tree. Every year Mum gets our box of decorations down from the

attic. That box is really dusty on the outside, but inside the Christmas decorations are shiny and new.

My favourite decoration is a naughty

elf that is green and red. That naughty

elf lights up when you press a button on its tummy.

Sometimes that naughty elf winks at me when no one else is looking.

Sometimes that naughty elf speaks to me in a teeny-tiny voice.

Whenever I press that naughty elf’s tummy I can’t help getting in the Christmas spirit.

My teacher Mr Messenger loves getting in the Christmas spirit too. He wears a red and white jumper with snowﬂakes on it and at Christmastime he isn’t even strict.

Last Monday instead of teaching us maths and

reading, he let us make paper chains all day long.

Mr Messenger says Class

One can’t have too many paper chains.

I

think this is quite a good point of Mr Messenger’s, but some

people in my class, e.g. Edward Silitoe, don’t like making paper chains.

Last Monday Edward Silitoe told Mr Messenger that decorating Class One was not as important as learning our times tables.

Mr Messenger told Edward Silitoe to get in the Christmas spirit but Edward Silitoe did

not get in the Christmas spirit. Edward Silitoe got on with his maths.

I don’t know why Edward Silitoe ﬁnds it so tricky to get in the Christmas spirit.

Getting in the Christmas spirit

is EASY.

I looked at Edward Silitoe doing his maths and I smiled kindly.

“Edward Silitoe,” I said. “Do you need help making paper chains?”

But Edward Silitoe said “No” in a grumpy voice and then Edward Silitoe scowled. I did not scowl back.

I did not even poke Edward Silitoe a teeny bit hard in the tummy.

I cut out a snowﬂake for Edward Silitoe and I gave him a kind smile.

I was as good as gold.

This is what happens to me when I am in the Christmas spirit. But this year on Christmas

Eve two things broke my Christmas spirit and those things were my sister Meg and the naughty Christmas elf.

I was in the kitchen, making snowﬂakes.

I had to use old newspaper for my snowﬂakes instead of fresh paper because SOME people in my family are mad about recycling.

But I did not mind.

I thought, at Christmas it is good to care about our planet.

I felt SO happy.

Even when Dad accidentally

pushed past me and knocked my snowﬂakes on the ﬂoor, I did not get cross with him.

I smiled politely and said, “Please may you be careful of my snowﬂakes if that is OK with you.”

When Dad laughed and said, “What’s got into Mabel?” I did not get cross. I stayed calm in a crisis.

“Dad,” I said. “I am in the Christmas spirit. That is my point.”

At that moment Meg came skipping into the kitchen. She was carrying a heavy bag. Meg put that heavy bag down on the table.

I looked carefully at that bag of Meg’s.

I said, “What’s in that bag?” Meg put her ﬁnger to her lips. She said she needed to wrap up the presents she was giving to me and Mum and Dad.

I watched Meg get the scissors and sellotape and then I followed Meg upstairs.

But Meg would not let me follow her into her bedroom.

“Mabel,” she said, all chirpety. “You’re not allowed to see what I am giving you. You will have to wait until tomorrow.”

So I went downstairs to ﬁnd Mum.

I told Mum that it was time

for me to wrap up MY presents.

‘Where are they anyway?” I said.

Mum sighed and looked at me for a long time.

“Mabel,” she said. “I took you Christmas shopping with Meg last week but you didn’t want to spend your pocket money on presents. You spent it on that toy stethoscope for

yourself instead.”

Mum gave me her ﬁrm look.

“Remember?” she said.

I gave Mum a ﬁrm look back.

I thought, somebody should remind that mother of mine that when it comes to shopping

I am not very sensible. I thought, I don’t even LIKE that stethoscope.

At that moment Meg came downstairs and put her presents under the tree.

There was one for Mum, one for Dad and one for me.

“I can’t wait until tomorrow,” said Meg. I thought, it is all right for

some. I thought, that sister of mine is so boasty.

That night we left mince pies and beer out for Father Christmas and we also left some chocolate biscuits because not everyone likes mince pies.

After that, Dad read us some Christmas stories and we all went to bed.