By B.H. Bates
(You can personalize this Christmas Story by writing in your childrens’ names in the blank spaces.)
Many moons ago, the people of San Nan Ta Claws’ village were fighting amongst themselves, and were very unhappy, so, San Nan Ta, and his friend, ELF, left the comfort of the home fires and traveled to the great north country. They went in search of the Great Spirit to ask for the gift of peace and happiness.
San Nan Ta and ELF finally found the secret to peace and happiness, but San Nan Ta was too old to make the long journey home, so he sent ELF to tell the people, the secret of Christmas.
ELF finally arrived home. He dreamed of this day; he thought that the people would come running to welcome him and maybe even make him the Chief of the village.
But, sadly, too many moons had passed and no one recognized the old man that called himself, ELF. Although, some of the elders had heard the legend of San Nan Ta Claws, no one really believed that ELF was San Nan Ta’s little helper.
Time had changed ELF’s small village, ELF came to accept the changes, but there was one thing that concerned him – it was the way the people had changed.
They no longer gathered around the campfires to listen to the Elders. Families no longer picked the sweet berries together. ELF noticed that family members came and went as they pleased, without saying hello or good-bye!
ELF remembered a time when everyone was like a strand in a spider’s web. When the weather grew cold, everyone gathered firewood. When there was a shortage of food, the people shared, so that no one in the village would have to go hungry.
But in this day and age, the people didn’t rely on each other; they relied on money to get what they wanted. They could buy anything they wanted, they could buy all the food and toys they wanted. Yet, they were still sad. Something was missing in their lives.
ELF tried and tried to tell the people about San Nan Ta’s message, but, sadly, no one would listen to him. No one, that is, except for (_____________). That night, ELF whispered San Nan Ta’s secret into (_____________) ear and then he left the village forever.
The next day, on, December the twenty-fourth, the weather turned very cold. Soon the roads were covered in deep, deep snow and no one could get into town to shop for Christmas.
And on Christmas day everyone woke up to find that there were no toys under their trees and very little food in the cupboards!
Then, the telephone lines snapped under the weight of the snow, leaving them without telephone service or electricity. Scared and hungry, people started to hoard their food, then they locked their doors, and sat in the dark, and wouldn’t even let in their closest friends.
(_____________) saw the way the grownups were acting, and it made (_________) so very sad. The adults had lost the spirit of Christmas!
(______________) tried to tell the grownups about San Nan Ta’s message, but, sadly, they wouldn’t listen to (_____________). They were to busy trying to hide their possessions from the other adults. Then (_____________) came up with an idea.
(_____________) went from house to house and asked for a little bit of this and a little bit of that.
At the first house, (____________) asked for only a hand full of rice. At the next, (______________) asked for a little piece of moose meat and so on and so on.
Later that day (_____________) put all the food in a large pot and started a fire. It started to cook and it smelled so very good. Soon the people of the village smelled the wonderful aroma and they started to poke their heads out of their doors.
Before very long everyone was gathered around, eating, talking and laughing. Then one of the Elders said, “Hey, where is ELF? And what did he want to tell us, anyway?”
(_____________), started to laugh. “This, is what he wanted to tell us!”
ELF said that if we ate together, laughed together and had fun together we would find the secret to peace and happiness. ELF’s secret was; when we share and give of ourselves, will we find the true meaning Christmas!
