First Christmas

A new Beginning

A little Girl sits on a bed in a bare looking room, a single blue rug partially covers the floor boards and the grey coloured walls are empty apart from a single mirror, 2 other beds sit empty by the opposite walls.
A frosty window is allowing the winter sun to light the room up,outside the street was sparkling with parked icy cars and pavements.


The little girl sat on the bed is wearing a purple wooly hat , multi coloured striped gloves and a large brown coat that didn't really fit properly but was nice and warm and some scuffed black shoes her name is Ellie.

Next to Ellie is Cyril her loyal teddy Bear , he is Browm in colour and losing his stuffing from a tear on his back and he only had one black button eye but Eliie loved him , he had always been there for her to hold and talk to when she was scared or worried and this morning she needed him more than ever.


You see Ellie had lived in a orphanage as long as she could remember she had no idea of who her parents or why she has been left as a baby outside the Orphanage. she was eleven years old now and it was all she had ever known but that was about to change. Two weeks ago Ellie had been told she had been adopted and today was the day she was going to meet her new family.


The door slowly opened to Ellie's room and in walked Mrs Rumbo the lady who had been helping to find Ellie a Home and a loving family ,She is very tall black lady with a warm comforting smile , with her hair tide back in a ponytail and she always wore long earrings which Ellie thought were beautiful.


Mrs Rumbo walked over and bent down to Ellie's height and took hold of her hands, " Are you ready?" she asked quietly, Ellie nodded her head while biting her bottom lip "Ok, let's go then" she whispered, with that Ellie picked up Cyril and her little yellow back pack and made their way to Mrs Rumbo's car.


A New Home

It wasn't a long journey and a light flurry of snow had started to fall and blanket everything from cars to Trees making everything look clean and crisp and soon the hustle and bustle of the city was behind them and Ellie could see nothing but snow covered fields and bushes until they drove in to a small lane called Holly lane it had a row of Cottages with a old stone wall running along the front of them, opposite the cottages was a large snow covered field.


Each cottage was white and had 2 small windows at the top a large window on the ground floor with a black criss cross pattern on and a wooden front door with a porch "look how pretty" Ellie whispered to Cyril as she held him up the car window.


Mrs Rumbo turned her car in to the driveway of the second cottage and turned the engine off , "Here we are" Mrs Rumbo said softly. Ellie climbed out of the car her footsteps made a soft crunching noise in the Snow as she walked towards the front door and knocked using the large black metal handle.


The door opened and there stood a man and a lady holding hands, the lady was quite small with curly brown hair to her shoulders , blue eyes and a welcoming smile she was wearing a big red jumper and black trousers , the man was taller with black and grey hair and a bushy beard and red rosy cheeks and very gentle looking Brown eyes, he was wearing Brown trousers and a Blue shirt



" Hello Ellie my name Is Ivy and this is Noel " the lady said kneeling down and pointing to the kind looking man " Hello" said Noel in a very deep voice "Hello" Ellie answered quietly cuddling Cyril as hard as she could " Please come in" gestured Noel as he stepped to one side, the smell of something delicious wafted out the door, Ellie had never smelt anything like it, it was like the Bakery down the street she smelt from the window of the Orphanage and a restaurant she walked passed once.


Mrs Rumbo looked down to Ellie "You will be fine" she said stroking Eliies face " And Cyril" she added tickling his ear , Ellie walked in as Mrs Rumbo had a chat with Noel and Ivy then said Goodbye and got back in to her car and drove off back down the snowy lane.


The house was warm and welcoming Eliie looked around a wooden stairs case was to the left with pictures and paintings on the walls leading all the way to the top and straight down the corridor she could see a kitchen. " Can I take your coat and bag?" asked Noel, Ellie nodded and handed them to him " I'll put them in your room for you" he announced as he started to climb the stairs "My room!" Ellie shouted in a shocked voice covering her mouth l " I have my own room!? "Of course you do come with us" Ivy said as she guided Ellie up the stairs.


Once they reached the top the first thing Ellie saw was a white door with her name on it in big red letters made from wood, she stood in front of the door for a minute just staring at her name "Would you like to go in" Noel suggested , Ellie Nodded her head and turned the handle and slowly opened the door "Here we go Cyril" she said as she stepped in the room.


Ellie could not believe her eyes, a soft carpet covered the floor with a fluffy rug in the middle, pictures of her favourite animals were on the walls , the walls were pure white with swirls of colours like twisted and upside down Rainbows, a double bed with a soft duvet was against the wall behind the door and a large wardrobe was in the other corner, next to the bed was a small cabinet with 3 drawers and a picture of Ellie sitting on it and a alarm clock.


Ellie sat on the bed trying to take everything in, Ivy looked at Ellie "You might want to open the wardrobe" she said through a big smile, Ellie walked over and opened both doors together, inside were dresses of various colours, boots, shoes jumpers ,coats, hats, trouser and Jeans and other items she had never seen.


Ellie looked to Noel and Ivy " Who's are these?" she asked enquiringly, "They are all yours" answered Ivy "I hope there is something there you like "she added.

" It's all amazing" answered Ellie. " Maybe you would like to freshen up and try some on before dinner " Noel enquired. "Yes please" Ellie answered as she ran her hands through the neatly hung clothing "Ok then we will run you a nice bath!" Said Noel and Ivy as they left the room.


Ellie continued to look around her room still in slight shock it was hers, the smell of food was still floating around the house, she could hear Noel and Ivy talking in a room nearby and running water, she walked up to the window a small shed sat in a back garden and a large hill over looked it with trees in the distance, the snow had got heavier and now everything had a thick blanket covering it, it was so peaceful compared to the sounds of cars and trucks in the foster home.


A knock on the door brought Ellie out of her thoughts it was Ivy letting her know her bath was ready, Ellie walked on the landing and was guided to the bathroom by Ivy, again Ellie stood in awe the bath was large and deep and full of bubbles three gowns hung on the back of the door the smallest had her name embroidered on its back,Blue tiles covered the Bathroom walls with a white porcelain toilet and sink. Ivy stepped out of the room as Ellie slipped in to the hot bubble bath it felt amazing and she could have stayed there all day, she washed her hair with the most delightful smelling shampoo and cleaned her self with smoothest soap she had ever felt. When she was done she pulled the plug and stayed in the bath until the last of the water had gone down the drain ,she then climbed out and put her gown on, it was soft and warm, she picked up Cyril who had been carefully placed on the toilet seat and went back to her room. She opened the wardrobe and tried to decide what to wear asking Cyril's opinion to each item, they eventually agreed on thick grey jumper , black leggings and some fluffy socks. Ellie laid down on to the bed it was the softest bed she had ever felt and she cuddled Cyril and felt her eyes get heavier and fell in to deepest sleep she ever had.


Ellie woke some time later and looked at the little clock by her bed it was four thirty In the afternoon the sun had almost gone down and the last bit of daylight was fading. She picked up Cyril and slowly made her way down the stairs she could See Noel sitting in a large chair reading a news paper with his feet on a foot stool and a roaring wood fire to the left of him surrounded by stone . She knocked and entered the room Ivy was sat in the other corner and a similar chair to Noel sipping from a cup and reading a book , lamps lit up to corners of the room and a thick red rug covered the floor .


"Ah your awake" Noel said getting to his feet "Are you you hungry?" he asked, Ellie nodded her head, Ivy stood up "let go to the kitchen so we can set the table".They made their way down the hall and walked in to the largest kitchen Eliie had ever seen a large table sat in the centre of the room, she could see the door leading to the back garden in the corner, and there were beautiful cabinets all around on the walls with glass doors filled with ornaments and Jars of different jams a large oven let off a glow at the end of the kitchen full of dishes with foil over them and and a large ham.


Ivy placed knives and forks on the table and Noel pulled out a chair for Ellie to sit on, he then helped Ivy place different dishes on the table,all of it smelt wonderful, different vegetables in different pots, potatoes in a large dish, Gravy in a large Gravy boat and then the large ham was placed in the centre. Noel carved the meat and placed it on Eliie and Ivy's plate then his own," Help yourself to the sides" he said gesturing to the table of food.


Ellie had never tasted such wonderful food and cleared a very large plate and then had room for dessert after which was a very large piece of chocolate cake. Ellie helped clean up the kitchen it was the least she could do after such an amazing meal. "Go sit in the living I'm having sure there will be something on the TV you can watch while we finish up here " said Ivy guiding Ellie to the kitchen door.


Ellie made her way in to the living room and sat by the warm fire and on the soft rug and started to watch the TV, there was a show about getting ready for Christmas and what people do at the time of year. Ellie had never understood Christmas and certainly never celebrated it she knew it was In December but had little idea what people were meant to do.


Noel and Ivy walked back in to the living room Noel commented how nice the Dinner was and how he felt very sleepy, he then noticed Ellie watching the Christmas show, "Do you like Christmas" he asked Eliie "I don't know?" she replied "I have never had Christmas"


Ivy and Noel looked at each other across the room and a moment of sadness crossed their faces, how could this beautiful young girl never had felt the magic of Christmas or the love and caring it brings. Ellie stood up and and sat on the sofa by the large front window and looked outside it was dark now and the moon was shining on the snow covered hills and stars were dotted and shining brighly everywhere in the sky.


Noel stood up and walked over and sat by Ellie and took her hand " I promise starting tomorrow you will understand Christmas and what a magical time of year it is ok?" His voice was soothing and made Ellie feel safe, she looked at Noel and smiled and nodded her head. " Then it's agreed then Christmas starts tomorrow" he shouted as he went back to his chair picking up a pencil and writing pad off the side table by the fire " I must write a list" he said and sat and began to chew the end of the pencil.


Ellie laid down on the sofa and wondered what Noel could mean how was he going to show her Christmas? Why did he need to right a list? What magic was going to happen? As she laid on the soft sofa in the warm room Ellie felt her eyes getting heavy again, what wonderful food she had eaten and a lovely bath she had she cuddled Cyril into her arms and fell fast asleep. She woke briefly later with a feeling she was being carried she could hear Noel and Ivy whispering and then felt the comfort of her bed and a blanket being put over her before falling back to sleep .

Christmas Begins.

Ellie woke the next morning in her room, it was seven o'clock , she go out of bed and drew back the curtains and looked out the window. A fox was jumping around in the field behind the garden trying to find its way through the deep snow and a Robin was sat in the tree in the back garden singing and chirping like it was saying good morning.


She made her way down stairs and found Ivy in the kitchen " Morning Ellie take a seat I will make you a nice breakfast, you have a busy day with Christmas starting today "she said with a big smile. Noel then walked in to the room and sat at the table as Ivy placed Toasted jam crumpets on the table, some Honey and Cinnamon porridge and a large pot of Tea and a jug of fresh juice on it.


"Help your self we have busy day" Noel laughed as he took a big bite of a crumpet and poured him self some tea. Ellie also had a crumpet and some porridge it was just a a delicious as the dinner the night before and soon the plates and bowls were empty all three quickly tidied up and Ellie rushed to her room to get changed and then to the bathroom brush her teeth. As she went to go back down stairs in her nice warm new coat she went to pick up Cyril, More of Cyril stuffing had come out and the hole in him had got bigger, she sat him back on the bed " I don't think it's a good idea you come Cyril I'm sorry she said choking back tears.


Ivy had come up to check Ellie was ok and heard the crying coming from the room and knocked on the door and entered the room she saw Ellie holding her dearly loved Teddy and tears rolling down her cheeks. " I dont think I can take him this time" Ellie said cuddling Cyril and wiping away tears. Ivy sat on the bed next to her " I think that's a very good and brave decision she said to Ellie putting her arm around her " I mean look Cyril looks a bit poorly why don't we tuck him in to your bed until he feels better I'm sure he will understand" Ellie placed Cyril under the blanket and kissed him on the head. "He will be fine here with me dont worry" Ivy said reassuringly.


Ellie wiped away her tears and Ivy took her by the hand "Come now Christmas is about to start downstairs" Ellie didn't understand but made her way down stairs where Noel was in the living room standing next to a piano in the far corner Eliie had not even noticed. Noel pointed to a Christmas picture sitting on the piano " This is a advent calendar you open a door on it every morning up to December 25th" he said excitedly, Ellie had seen advent calendars before but never had one, she carefully opened the 1st door and was surprised to find a piece of chocolate behind it. " Go ahead eat it" Ivy encouraged, Ellie popped it into her mouth it was the sweetest chocolate she had ever tasted.


" So I get a piece of chocolate each morning leading to Christmas so this is what Christmas is then" she asked Noel and Ivy. Noel smiled the biggest Smile Ellie had seen him smile yet " No" he said almost in a whisper " it's just the beginning".


Noel put on his big black boots and large Red coat " we had better go get the tree Eliie!" Noel said picking up the keys to his car "The Tree?" Ellie Questioned, "It will all make sense don't worry" said Ivy zipping up Ellie's coat and putting her wooly hat on her head.


Noel drove carefully through the snowy country lanes and in to a small village, everywhere Ellie looked shops were putting lights and decorations in the windows and Garlands were being hung across the street.


Eventually they stopped outside what Ellie could only describe as a large Garden centre but with just Trees in it. She go out of the car and Noel guided her to come along with him they walked in to the Tree filled area and large man walked up to them he was wearing a Christmas hat with some Holly on " Hi Noel, that time of year again " he laughed he then bent down " You must Be Ellie I have heard a lot about you, my name is Nick" he explained as he held his hand out and shook Ellie's .


" What are we doing here? Ellie asked looking around , she also noticed a sweet smell filling the air that made her mouth tingle. "She has never had a Christmas" Noel explained to Nick. Nick looked Down at Ellie and smiled " Then you are in exactly the right place to have your first, come with me" he said taking Ellie by the hand.


They all walked over to a trailer and Nick handed Ellie and Noel a cup each "Hot chocolate" he explained with a wink to Ellie then walked off in to the trees. This is what Ellie could smell but it tasted even better , more Christmas magic she thought to herself.


Ellie stood with Noel and looked around at all the bushy green trees holding her cup of hot chocolate with both hands to keep them warm when another new smell filled her little cold red nose. It was a very pleasent fresh smell like cut grass but not as strong "what's that smell?" she whispered to Noel "like a freshness in the air " Noel bent down on one knee to Ellie the snow crunched as he did " "That's pine from the Trees, it's a very christmassy smell".


They then heard Nick shout from somewhere amongst the large piles of pine Trees" Ah ha found it!" He said as he emerged carrying a large tree and brushing pine needles from his hat. "One of the best trees I have" he announced holding it up right, Ellie looked at the tree it was bigger than her infact it was bigger than Noel! "Brilliant" said Noel putting the tree on his shoulder " let's go Ellie we need to get the back to the house" Noel thanked Nick and they made their way back to the car , he opened the boot put the seats in the back flat and slid the tree in, they then got in the front seats, Noel started the engine and put on the windscreen wipers to clear some fresh snow and they were off.


On the way back the smell of pine filled the car, Ellie could still taste the hot chocolate that Nick had given and she thought of all the people putting up decorations in the shops and town and how fun it looked. When they arrived back to home Eliie noticed children playing in the field opposite the house, they were throwing snow balls at each other and laughing and trying to run in the deep snow.

New Friends

Ellie got out of the car and crossed the lane over to the wall surrounding the field to get a better look the children were all dressed in hats,scarves and big coats. Two children come running over to Ellie " Hello my name is Jack and this is my sister Claire " said the young man while clapping his hands together to remove some ice and snow " I'm Ellie" Ellie replied nervously.


"We are going to build a great big Snowman, would you like to help " Claire asked Excitedly, Ellie turned and saw Noel was taking the tree from the back of the car and had been listening " You go ahead, just knock on the door when you want to come in" he said while placing the tree on his shoulder, he then walked towards the house, Ivy opened the door for him and waved to the children.


Ellie climbed the wall and joined Jack, Claire and the other children in the field , " I've never built a Snowman, what do we do?" Enquired Ellie " let's start by rolling a giant snowball" Claire explained which is exactly what they did. Claire , jack and Eliie rolled and rolled until they had a large ball of Snow nearly the same size as them then they made a slightly smaller one it took all three of them to lift it on to the larger ball. "Jack, he needs his clothes and a nose can you go to our house and get them " asked Claire , with that Jack ran off and over the wall and in to the House next to Noel and Ivy's, " Come with me " Claire said taking Ellie by the hand and running them both over to the wall l, she started to collect small stones and asked Ellie to do the same, they then ran back to the Snowman, Jack also was running back across the field towards them " I've got them" he shouted breathlessly he was carrying a red scarf and a Brown flat cap, he put the cap on the head of the Snowman and wrapped the red scarf around his neck, Claire started to use her stones to make buttons on the snowmans chest and Ellie made two eyes and a smiling face with hers. " He needs one more thing and he is finished" Jack said handing Ellie a carrot, Elie looked at Jack and felt very confused " it's his nose" Claire giggled, Ellie placed the carrot on the snowmans face and he was finished Ellie thought he was perfect and Jack and Claire agreed.


It was now time for everyone to go home, it was getting dark, the street lamps had started to come on and more snow had started to fall the three children climbed over the wall " Bye Ellie see you soon " shouted Jack and Claire as they went indoors " You too" Ellie replied as she knocked on the door.


Ivy opened the door and Ellie walked in and took off her boots, coat and gloves she had great fun but her hands and feet were very cold now, "There is a hot chocolate in the living room for you and the fire is burning nicely" Ivy said softly. Ellie walked in to the living it was being lit by the light of the fire and shadows danced around the room, Noel was in his chair fast asleep his hands were resting on his chest with the newspaper on it and he his feet were up on the foot stall.


Ellie sat quietly on the sofa and sipped her hot chocolate, she looked out the window she could see the snowman in the field by the glow of the street lamp, is this more Christmas magic she thought to her self. Ivy walked in and handed Ellie a bowl on a plate decorated with animals in silver and gold with some thick bread and butter " It's stew I hope you like it " she said brushing Eliies her out of her face.


Ellie dipped the bread in the bowl of thick soup and took a big bite it was a mix of flavours she had never tasted before and it was delicious, Ivy came back in the room and sat in the big chair next to Ellie with her own bowl " it's lovely, thank you" Ellie said while taking another mouthful " "I'm glad you like it " replied Ivy through a smile , Noel then stirred and looked over at Ivy and Ellie " Your stew is in the kitchen" Ivy explained to Noel " Ok my dear" he mumbled then promptly dozed back off , Ellie and Ivy looked at each other and quietly chuckled and continued with their stew until both their bowls were empty.


Ellie and Ivy made their way in to the kitchen to tidy up as they did Ellie heard a noise she had not heard before, it was chiming like she had heard from a church but quieter and closer " That's the Grandfather clock it's chiming it's Eight o' clock " Ivy explained pointing to a tall wooden clock in the hall way, it had a glass door in the front and a very big clock face a long piece of metal swung back and forth behind the glass door Tick ,Tock ,Tick, Tock, it was a very soothing sound thought Ellie and then made her way in to the kitchen.


While washing up Ellie noticed all sorts of ingredients on the table, flour, eggs, chocolate chips with a bowl and scales and cooking equipment "we will be using them tomorrow" Ivy said as she dried the bowl Ellie handed to her and placed it in the cupboard, "What for?" Ellie asked climbing down off the stool she had stood on to wash up, Ivy bent down to Ellie "We will make gifts for our neighbours, I have a very special cookie recipe that my mother used to make and maybe we could make our own cake recipe tomorrow aswell "she said with a smile and taking Ellie by the hands " Ellie smiled and nodded, making gifts and cake sounded great.


She made her way up stairs and in to the bathroom, brushed her teeth and put on her fluffy white pyjamas that had been put on the radiator for her. As she went to go in her room she remembered Cyril, oh no I forgot she thought as she pushed the door open and switched on her lamp, but Cyril was not in the bed where she had left him! Ellie looked around the room quickly and noticed Cyril was sitting at the end of the bed but he looked different, Ellie jumped on the bed and picked him up, he was very soft to squeeze, the hole in his back had been all stitched up and he even had his missing black button eye back, Ellie hugged him as hard as she could " Your all better "she whispered and hugged him again. Ellie placed Cyril on her pillow and climbed into bed and started to tell him all about her day but soon the warmth and comfort of her bed made her fall into a deep sleep.



The next morning Ellie was up Early and in the kitchen with Ivy getting ready to make the sweet gifts for the neighbours. Ivy handed a large bowl to Ellie and as she added more ingredients and told Ellie to mix it all together with a large wooden spoon, she watched as Ivy added all sorts of colorful dried fruits, cherries and even chocolate chips it smelled lovely. Ivy showed Ellie how to carefully pour the mixture into a large tin tray and they placed the tray in to the metal oven and Ivy placed a timer on the table " When this rings the cake will be ready" she said showing Ellie the timer.

As they began to wash the dishes and bowls they had used Ellie saw Noel in the Garden going in to his shed "Now, where did I put them" Ellie and Ivy heard Noel say In loud voice, which was soon followed by a "Ah Haa, there you are", Noel walked out of the shed carrying two large boxes and headed towards the house and then entered through the back door and placed the boxes on the table, he hung his large coat on the door and placed his boots on the door Mat.

"What are these for?" Ellie asked , Noel tapped the boxes with his hand " We will need these later tonight, you will see" he said bending down to Ellie and giving her a wink. Ivy handed a large mug of hot tea to Noel as he sat at the kitchen table "Run along to the living room and I will bring you some breakfast," Ivy said as she took a loaf of bread from the pantry " We have been so busy this morning we have completely forgot about it I'm sure there will be something on the Television you can watch" she said ushering Ellie towards the kitchen door.

Ellie did as she was asked and made her way to the living room and turned on the Television, a choir was singing Christmas carols she sat and listened and hummed along until Ivy brought in a toast with Jam on. " Do you like Carols then?" Ivy asked " I think I do, they all sound very pleasant " Ellie replied as she crunched on her toast.

After finishing her toast Eliie remembered she had not opened her Advent calendar, she walked over and picked it up , now where was door number Twelve she thought as ran her finger over the festive picture of Santa and His Reindeer until she found the door, popped it open and put the sweet chocolate in her mouth.

Ellie took her plate to the kitchen and heard a knock at the front door, Ivy answered it was Jack and Claire " Can Ellie come out "they asked together "Of course is she wants to" Ivy replied"what about the cakes " Ellie whispered to Ivy , lvy smiled and stroked Ellie's face " I will call you when their ready" she assured Ellie

Ellie quickly put her boots, hat and Gloves on and made her way out to Jack and Claire, there were more children in the field building Snowmen and running around laughing and throwing snowballs at each other. The 3 Friends all joined in and soon there were Snowmen all over the field and a large snowball fight had broken out, snow started to fall heavily when Ellie heard Ivy calling her to come back in "See you soon" shouted the children as they all started to make their way home aswell, Ellie waved and ran in to the house.

She made her way in to kitchen and helped Ivy take the cakes out of the oven they smelt delicious, steam filled the kitchen as they moved them to the table. " Now we leave them to cool" said Ivy removing her oven gloves with a reindeer pattern on them " Then we will pack and deliver them to the neighbours " she added placing small boxes on the table with little red ribbons on.

It was at that moment Noel came in to the kitchen " oohh cakes" he said as he went to take one off the table only to have his hand playfully slapped by Ivy " Your one is on the side " she said pointing to a cake on a plate, "I shall save that for later , we have work to do , come with me" he said warmly as he took Ellie by the hand and started to walk in to the living room with her with Ivy walking behind.

Christmas Decorations

As they entered the living room Ellie noticed the large box from the shed on the floor and in the corner by the fireplace was the Tree they had picked up a week or so ago, it sat proudly in a large red pot. " open the box" said Ivy as she sat in her chair by the window , Ellie excitedly opened the lid inside were beautiful Blue,Red, Green and Silver baubles of all different sizes she had seen these hanging from trees in shop windows and mixed with them was a long length of Blue and Gold Tinsel. Together they all started to hang baubles from the branches and wrap tinsel around the Tree. After a lot of swapping and changing the tree started to look amazing, baubles were spinning and the Tinsel made its way between them and all the way to the top of the tree. Noel opened a cabinet in the living room and pulled out another box "Time for the finishing touch" he said handing Ellie the box which she opened excitedly it was full of wires and tiny little light bulbs and under the wires was a large star covered in Glitter and Gold in colour.

Soon enough all the lights were on the tree Ivy handed the star to Ellie and Noel lifted her on to his shoulders so she could place it on top of the tree before placing her back on the floor " Hit the switch! " he said excitedly pointing to the plug by the tree, Eliie flicked the switch and all the lights came to life, different colours chasing each other around the tree making the Tinsel and baubles sparkle " Its Beautiful" Ellie whispered to herself.

Ivy put her arm around Ellies shoulder " you did a wonderful job, now shall we pack up the cakes?" Ellie had completely forgotten about the cakes while decorating the Christmas tree. She made her way in to the kitchen with Ivy and started placing cakes in to small white boxes with Red ribbons on, each box held 4 cakes.

Eventually all the cakes were boxed and ready " let's get these delivered, get your self ready" said Ivy stacking the boxes on top of each other. Ellie ran upstairs to her room and put on her coat and boots and rushed down the stairs where Ivy was waiting for her. They stepped outside in to the cool crisp air , the street lamps were glowing in the darkness, their boots made a soft crunching noise as they walked down the lane towards the houses, all the houses were now decorated with lights in all the windows and porches. Ellie had great fun talking with all the neighbours and her new friends she has made in the field and soon enough all the cakes had been delivered and they were working their way back home.

As they reached the house they noticed Noel had put lights up in the windows, they looked lovely and matched the other houses. They went in and hung their coats and removed their boots and made their way into the living room, the fire was burning nicely and had made the room lovely and warm, the lights twinkled like stars and 2 large bowls of hot chicken soup sat on the side waiting for them, Noel was sat in his chair sleeping.

Ellie ate her soup and watched the lights dance around the tree and window it really was magical. Ivy took the empty bowls out to the kitchen and Ellie went to her room and put on her comfy fluffy pyjamas and came back down to the living room. As she sat down Noel stirred from his sleep " Oh Your back " he said rubbing his eyes " Did you go out in your Pyjamas? There is some soup on the side for you both" Ellie and Ivy smiled at each other as Noel looked at the clock on the wall slowly realising he had been asleep a bit longer than he had realised.

The letter.

The fire place burned brighly and the lights from the Tree and windows danced all around the room,Noel got up from his chair and stretched and ruffled his hair " Ah yes, I have a small job for you Ellie before bed" he said as he searched through a draw and pulled out a Gold pen and some paper and a envelope and handed them to her ,at the top of paper was the words Dear Santa, Eliie had heard of this magical person that delivered presents at Christmas to all the girls and boys on a sleigh pulled by flying Reindeer.

Ellie stood up and looked at Noel "What do I do?" she asked , Noel bent down on to one knee " You write down what you would like for Christmas and if you have been good Santa will bring it on Christmas Eve" he explained running his finger across the paper. "Once you have written the letter, put it in the envelope and leave it on your desk , Santa will do the rest"

Ellie ran up to her room , placed the paper, pen and envelope on her desk along with Cyril and sat down, "We need to write to Santa Cyril! she said excitedly, Ellie thought and thought tapping the pen on the paper, what could she ask for when she already had such nice things, maybe some nice books to read oh and a nice coat for Cyril.

Ellie began to write as neatly as she could her tounge sticking out the side of her mouth in concentration, as she finished the letter Ellie thought about Noel and Ivy and all the amazing things that had happened since she arrived, to finish her letter she asked Santa if he could please get Noel and Ivy what they had asked for aswell and with that she placed the letter in the Envelope sealed it shut and wrote on it Santa, North pole as instructed by Ivy and placed it on her desk and climbed into bed and quickly fell asleep.

Ellie awoke the next morning the light was just beginning to peek through her curtains lighting her room up, she sat up and rubbed her eyes, she climbed out of bed and she looked at her desk and gasped, her letter had gone but there was something in its place. Ellie walked over to the desk, on it was small card which had red and green glitter embed in it and in fancy writing it said Delivered, Merry Christmas.

Ellie grabbed the card and ran down stairs Noel and Ivy were sitting in the living room drinking tea " look look , my letter has gone and this card was left on my desk" she shouted nearly bursting with excitement. " Ah it's been collected, that didn't take long at all" said Ivy sipping from her cup , "Now all we can do is wait until Christmas Eve that's the most magical night of the whole year" said Noel as he put some more wood on the fire making it crackle and pop.

Ellie walked over to her Advent calendar and counted the days until Christmas Eve, "Ten days" she whispered quietly, " So Santa comes in 10 days" she said excitedly turning to Noel and Ivy, "Indeed he does,why it does not seem that long ago that I sat Down with Santa last Christmas Eve and had a glass of milk and a Cookie with him" Noel said sitting in his chair by the fire and lighting his pipe " A decent fellow,warm and kind, obviously it was only a quick chat as he is a busy man" he added " what did you talk about" Asked Ellie sitting on the arm of Noel's chair, Noel turned to Ellie and smiled " Oh just about Gifts and his Reindeer" Noel replied Patting Ellie's hand.
Christmas Eve

The next Ten days seemed to go slow but it was finally Christmas Eve, Ellie jumped out of Bed, and walked down stairs holding Cyril by the arm, she could hear Ivy and Noel talking and a lovely smell of food floating out of the kitchen, she made her way in to the living room and opened the last day on her Calendar " It's Christmas Eve!" She said hugging Cyril tightly.

Ellie made her way in to the kitchen and was greeted by Ivy " Good morning" she said as she placed a lovely cooked breakfast on the table in front of Ellie, Ellie couldn't believe it was Christmas Eve, what would happen today? Would Santa really visit tonight? How was she going to get through the day with all this excitement Ellie felt like she could burst at any moment .

After Breakfast Ellie made her way back to her room and tidied a little " We can't have Santa seeing a mess now can we Cyril" she explained as she hung her last piece of clothing Ellie heard Noel call her, she looked down the stairs and saw Ivy and Noel all dressed to go out in their coats with Ivy holding Ellie's " Come on we have a suprise for you" Ivy said excitedly. Ellie ran down and got ready and made her way to the car. Noel carefully pulled out on to the snowy lane and headed towards town , " What's happening" asked Ellie her feet were and hands were trembling in excitement "You'll see" replied Ivy as she put the car heaters on.

Soon enough they pulled in to town, but it looked different, there were stalls lining the streets, children were running around and laughing and there was million smells in the air the next better than the last.

Noel and Ivy stood either side of Ellie and she slipped her hands into theirs as they walked in to this wonderful Christmas Market. A brass band was playing Christmas carols by a large Christmas Tree, Noel handed something from a stall to Ellie " Try that" he smiled as he paid the lady " It's a Toffee apple" Ellie bit in to the bright red lollipop it crunched and crumbled in to her mouthit was delicious. As they walked around Noel and Ivy would stop and talk to the stall owners and Ellie was offered everything from chestnuts that were being roasted over a fire to candy floss and warm cinnamon spice drinks it really was a amazing place to be.

Jack and Claire then came running over "Ellie Ellie" they shouted "Come quick or you will miss the Carols" Ellie, Ivy and Noel all followed jack and Claire to the large Christmas tree where a crowd had gathered the band had been joined by the local choir, everyone was passed a sheet of paper with the words of the Carols on, Ellie sang along with the crowd she could feel the music and magic floating through the cold crisp air it was a perfect Christmas eve.

We better start getting back, have you enjoyed yourself Ellie "asked Ivy " It's been amazing, thank you" Ellie replied hugging both Noel and Ivy. Noel lifted Ellie on to his shoulders and they made their way back to the car. Ellie waved to Jack and Claire "Merry Christmas" she shouted " Merry Christmas" Jack and Claire shouted back

Ellie watched as they made their way back to the car, people were hugging and shaking hands, exchanging gifts and laughing you could feel the love and magic in the air but Ellie knew the night was not over and felt the excitement running through her when they got to the car and started their journey home.

It was Dark when they arrived home, the moon was full all the snow glistened and the Christmas lights in the windows of the houses glowed brightly. Once inside Ellie had a lovely hot bath and put on her favourite pink pyjamas and went and sat in the living room with Noel and Ivy.

Ivy reached down the side of her chair " My goodness I nearly forgot, this is yours" and she handed Ellie a red stocking with a white fur top with Ellie's name on it " Hang it on the end your bed when you go up Santa will do the rest " Ivy said handing Ellie the stocking, it was smooth to the touch and incredibly soft.

Christmas Night.

It was now getting late and Ellie did feel she was getting tired but also incredibly excited, she yawned and stretched it was definitely bed time. Noel stood up from his chair and took Ellie's hand "Come with me before you go up" he said gently, they made their way in to the kitchen a small plate with some chocolate biscuits on it sat on the table with some carrots " Now when I spoke to Santa he said he does enjoy a glass of Milk but occasionally he does enjoy a coffee to get him through the night" Noel explained as he poured some freshly brewed coffee in to a Flask and handed it to Ellie " Put them on the small table in the living room he will find them, then make your way up to bed" Noel said as he handed the flask and plate to Ellie. Ellie did as she was told and made her way in to the living room and placed the plate and flask down on the table, she looked at Ivy and smiled, Ivy smiled back at her " Right off to bed, Merry Christmas" she said giving Ellie a hug, Noel was just coming back in to the living room Ellie ran over and gave him a hug and she felt the big man squeeze her back, she looked up at him and she could see he was very red faced and and teary eyed " Merry Christmas" he said clearing his throat " See you in the morning" .

Ellie rushed up stairs brushed her teeth, hung her stocking at the end of her bed and lept in to bed, she looked out the gap between her curtains and could see the moon was full and stars were bright , what a perfect day it had been she thought, with songs,decorations, all sorts of treats at the market and now there was magical person flying around delivering gifts all round the world with that final she laid her head on pillow and slowly drifted off to sleep.

A little later Ellie awoke, it was still dark outside and all was very quiet, she clicked on the little lamp by her bed and tucked Cyril back in to the blanket then Ellie went to turn the lamp back off when she noticed something that made her heart skip, the stocking at the end of her bed that was empty was now bulging.
She scrambled to the end of her bed in the stocking was a diary and pen, a small puzzle, sweets, and a small make up set "Santa has been" She whispered to Cyril her voice trembling with excitement "I wonder if he ate the biscuits we left" as she climbed out of bed and put her night gown on.

Ellie slowly made her way down the stairs holding Cyril tightly, through the partially open living room door Ellie could see the Christmas tree lights lighting the room and the fire place with it's embers slowly going out, she made her way down towards the door when she heard the most peculiar noise, it sounded like water being poured in to a cup, she slowly pushed the door open and and what she saw made her mouth drop open.

Standing in the living room drinking from the coffee flask cup was Santa, exactly as she had seen him in pictures and described in stories, large black boots and red suit with a black belt and gold buckle a red and white furry hat and a long red coat with white fur trim and a white beard. He slowly turned and smiled at her through his long white fluffy beard " Hello Ellie" he said quietly, he sat down on the sofa and patted the seat next to him, Ellie walked over and sat down still unable to speak " Thank you for the coffee and Biscuits" Santa continued " Thank you for the stocking" Ellie stuttered still in shock. Santa looked over his little round glasses towards the Christmas tree " Your other gifts are under the tree ready for the morning."

Ellie looked over and her eyes widened as she could see neatly wrapped gifts with Ribbons and bows on them Santa handed Ellie a chocolate biscuit which she nibbled, then she had a thought "Santa, did Ivy and Noel get what they asked for aswell?" She asked curiosly, Santa smiled and took a sip from his cup " Indeed they did , they got exactly what they wished for" he assured her, " Can you tell me what it is please " Ellie asked taking a bite from her Biscuit, Santa picked her up and placed her on his lap " It was you" he replied tapping her gently on the nose with his white gloved finger " All they wanted was a child to love and care for and to give a better life, they have so much to offer and you are more than deserving, together you are going to have great adventures" he continued, Ellie thought and smiled ,Noel and Ivy were the best gift she had ever had aswell " Maybe these presents under the tree could go to other children as I have already got what I wanted " she said gesturing towards the Christmas tree, Santa smiled and Brushed Ellie's face gently " More than deserving" he whispered.

Santa placed Ellie back on to the seat and stood up " Thank you for the biscuit and coffee ,I had best be on my way I still have a lot of deliveries to do " he said as he picked up a large sack from by the fire " Before you go can I ask how you deliver all these toys in one night" Ellie asked jumping to her feet Santa turned to her and said " A lot of Magic goes in to this one night, some makes my Reindeer and sleigh fly, some allows my Toy sack to hold enough toys for all the children of the world but the most goes into it staying Christmas eve until I finish and everyone thinks they have been asleep for a normal night when it is really a lot longer" and with a touch of his nose he was gone with only small sparkles and lights left in the air.

Ellie ran to the window just in time to see the sleigh fly off in to the night sky with colours and sparks flashing behind it. She top toed back to her room and climbed in to bed and placed Cyril next to her on the pillow " This really has been the best Christmas" she said with a yawn and with that the magic that Santa had explained sent her off to sleep until Christmas morning.

Christmas Morning

Ellie woke up a few hours later the sun was just starting to rise over the hill He's finished she thought to herself she then kicked off her blankets and went through all the gifts in her stocking again, she started to make the puzzle and eat the sweets when she heard a knock on her bedroom door it was Ivy and Noel, " It's Christmas day" Noel shouted as Ivy and himself stood at the end of Ellie's bed, she immediately stood up and hugged them both " Thank you , Thank you for Everything" Ellie's said squeezing them both tight, Ivy and Noel hugged her back " You are more than welcome" they both replied with a tear in their eyes .

They made their way down stairs, Ivy had already been in the kitchen and hot drinks were waiting in the living room the fire roared warming the whole room, Ellie started to unwrap her presents there were dolls, Colouring pencils, colouring books, puzzles, clothes more than she could have ever dreamed of.

After she opened all her gift Ellie gathered them up and started taking them to her room, when she was picking up the last gifts she turned to Noel and Ivy who were sitting side by side on the sofa enjoying drinking Their tea and enjoying watching Ellie's first Christmas " Thank you mum and Dad, for everything" she said with the biggest smile she had ever smiled, Noel felt Ivy squeeze his hand tight and he squeezed right back as he turned to Ivy " Mum and Dad" he said with a look of shock in his face which then turned to a massive smile and the two hugged this really was a amazing Christmas, and as they sat and took on the little girl they had adopted was now calling them Mum and Dad a small sound of bell ringing came from the fire place top.

Ivy and Noel looked over there was no bell near there or anywhere but what was now there was a small envelope with words written in fancy writing in glitter which simply said Mum and Dad, Ivy picked up the envelope that definitely was not there before and opened it slowly with Noel, together they read the note inside it simply said " Exactly what you asked for and deserve all my love Santa". As they placed the note on the table Ellie came back in the room " Is everything ok" she asked looking at her Mum and Dad's stunned faces, Ivy and Noel went over to Ellie and picked her up " Perfect, everything is absolutely perfect"