Inside the kitchen of the big, green house on Jolly St. lived Crispee, a box of cereals; Milky, a bottle of fresh milk, and Newsy, an old newspaper.
Sooner or later, they knew they would be sold to the junk shop for recycling. They didn’t know what recycling meant, but they had heard about it from their kitchen “friends” and were told that it was a great thing.
The couple who owned the house also talked about it a lot, especially to their kids, reminding them to “take care of the environment and love Mother Earth.”
Crispee, Milky and Newsy could feel the cold wind coming through the kitchen’s window and they were excited, because this meant Christmas was near.
Crispee and Milky had seen many special occasions celebrated in the big, green house— except Christmas!
They felt blessed to be “part” of this family and dreaded being placed inside the storage room beside the garage. They had decidedly mixed feelings about leaving the big, green house occupied by the wonderful couple and their adorable children,
Johanne and Hugh.
They wished to celebrate Christmas with them and didn’t want to move to the dark and musty storage room just yet!
“Oh, I wouldn’t want to miss seeing them on Christmas morning as they taste my yummy cereal,” whined Crispee.
“And pour me into their bowls to complete the meal,” sighed Milky.
Although they were used to the family’s daily bonding time during breakfast, they imagined Christmas morning to be extra special, with the family staying longer at the dining table, telling jokes and stories.
To allay their fears, they took turns in reminiscing their wonderful days with the two kids.
“Oh, I remember the times Hugh would sneak into the kitchen to eat cereal straight from the box without his mom knowing it,” Crispee shared.
“And how about Johanne, who giggled endlessly every time a milk moustache appeared on her dad’s upper lip!” said Milky.
Memories
Those happy memories made them even more reluctant to leave their dear “family.”
Newsy was kept by the family for years because drawings by Johanne and Hugh were featured in the paper years ago.
But Newsy feared he would join the other papers and magazines in the storage room sooner than expected, as his pages were turning yellow and wrinkled.
Oh, how they wished they could all stay forever! “Please let us stay on until Christmas day,” they chorused.
One morning, they woke up and saw the lovely poinsettia centerpiece on the dining table, and wreaths with Christmas balls strewn all over the house’s windows and doors! The tall Christmas tree, with its sparkling trimming, stood tall in the living room.
Crispee, Milky and Newsy were ecstatic as they realized that their wish was about to come true!
“We’re going to celebrate Christmas here!” they all cheered.
But, their happiness was cut short when Crispee felt like he’d been emptied into a plastic tub while Milky was being poured into an empty container.
They panicked. “What’s happening?” asked Milky as he tried his best to dispel images of them being thrown into the recycling machine at the junk shop.
“Oh no, not today—please!,” they cried. The next thing they knew, they were in a dark place.
“Is this the storage room?” whispered Milky.
“Or maybe the junk shop?” replied Crispee.
“I’m scared!”
“Me, too!”
They fell silent. Suddenly they heard a familiar voice!
“Are you both OK?” Newsy asked in a calm tone.
Although they were happy to hear Newsy, the two were still very scared: “Where are we? Are we in the storage room or the junk shop? Will it hurt?”
“Don’t be silly, you’re inside Johanne and Hugh’s room!” said Newsy.
“Really? But why is it so dark?” asked Crispee.
“Because you’re under the bed!” said Newsy.
They laughed with relief—but Milky was still puzzled, “But why are we here?” —No answer!
The next day, they heard the kids’ voices inside the room!
“C’mon Hugh, let’s start our project. Go get the stuff under the bed,” said Johanne.
Later, Crispee and Milky felt strips of papers being pasted on them, and colored pens being drawn. They were confused—and excited!
Newsy, on the other hand, was being cut up and placed inside a pretty frame the two kids had made.
When Christmas morning came, Johanne and Hugh opened their gifts and were very happy with the toys and clothes they got from their loving parents.
“We have gifts for you too, Daddy and Mommy,” Johanne announced brightly.
Hugh stood up and gave Crispee to his dad—but it was a “new” Crispee, dressed in colored papers with drawings of cars all over it! It had lettering on top that read “Letters & Bills”!
Their Dad was very pleased as he pinned Crispee on the wall beside his desk in the library.
Then Hugh gave his mother the newspaper article about their drawings neatly placed in the cardboard frame he and his sister made.
“Wow, this is perfect for our living room!” their Mom beamed.
Last but not the least, the kids revealed Milky, now adorned with red metallic paper!
Johanne explained that the bottle would be the family’s coin bank—and, when it was filled with money, they would donate it to less privileged children next Christmas!
Their parents were very proud of what Johanne and Hugh did, especially because they made use of recycled materials!
As for Crispee, Milky and Newsy, they couldn’t be happier because they didn’t only celebrate Christmas with the family, but they were staying for good to witness more Merry Christmases inside the big, green house—for years to come!