Something Different for Santa (Winner!)

"What is that?"

Sanjeev didn't usually care about his older brother Ishan's homework, but this thing he was drawing looked unusual. He had this huge sheet of card paper spread all over the dining table and was marking little squares on it in different colours. Also, he had been on the phone with his friends and with some of the neighbours for ages - about this homework. It all looked very exciting to Sanjeev.

"I'll explain, Sanjeev," their Mom said, calling the 6-year-old to her. "Your brother needs to concentrate now."

So, Mom sat Sanjeev down o the sofa and explained about statistics and percentages, and how companies tried to find products that consumers needed. Sanjeev was intrigued. What cool stuff his brother got to do in eighth grade! All his grade got to do was make Santa hats!

Santa hats. Santa Claus. Santa Claus, coming down the chimney to leave the gifts under the tree.

Sanjeev might have been only six years old, but he was smart. He quickly connected his brother's assignment with Christmas Eve - and got an idea for a cool thing he, Sanjeev, could do.

He could survey the neighbours for what snack they were going to leave for Santa. He wouldn't even have to go from door to door, he'd meet all of them in church.

A clever six year old needs an indulgent mother with a lot of patience, and Sanjeev was lucky to have such a Mom. While Ishan walked back home with Dad, Mom and Sanjeev stood at the gate, asking everyone as they walked out of church - "What snack are you leaving for Santa, please?" Sanjeev carefully wrote each answer down in his little notebook.

"Mom!" he said, "Mom!"

"Yes, dear?"

"I can tell without even making a chart - 99 per cent of the people are leaving milk and cookies out for Santa. Only Celia is leaving apples and oranges."

"Very good, dear, you have your own statistics! Now let's go home, there's a lot to do."

Mom forgot about the whole episode in the rush of the Christmas to-do list, but little Sanjeev remembered. Santa was getting a LOT of milk and MANY cookies. He was getting a bit of fruit. Wasn't there room in his consumption pattern for something different? There was - and he, Sanjeev, would provide it. He would be the little dot on Santa's consumption chart that marked something different from the ordinary.

But what?

Sanjeev pondered this so long and hard that he left the bath water running and flooded the bathroom. ("We didn't need this, along with all the festive stuff!" Dad grumbled as he mopped up.) But Sanjeev was not to be daunted. He had his idea. He knew his aunt was coming to stay and she was a good cook. He'd phone her before she started out and let her into his secret.

Mom, being busy, was leaving her smart phone all over the place that day and it took the child only one attempt to grab it and make the call.

"Asha Masi? It's me, Sanjeev. I can't talk loud, it's a secret. Listen can you bring some pav bhaji in a box?"

The aunt chuckled. She knew how much her nephew liked her pav bhaji. "Sure thing," she replied. "I'll bring it and sneak it to you."

The smart phone was replaced before Mom missed it, and when Asha Masi arrived later that day, the box of pav bhaji changed hands smoothly during the Christmas hug. Only Ishan noticed that his brother seemed to have an extra box, but it wasn't for a grand eighth-grader to worry about what a mere six year old carried around.

Christmas Eve, and the songs and jokes and cups of cocoa. Then, "I'll put the milk and cookies out for Santa and you boys go to bed."

Ishan, the big boy who knew Santa was only Dad dressed up, winked at his mother. Sanjeev, the small boy who knew that Santa was going to get a different snack, winked unto himself.

For once, Sanjeev didn't make a fuss about bedtime. He never did on Christmas Eve, it made the presence of the presents come faster. The box of pav bhaji was in his sock drawer. He hadn't been able to sneak a plate, but he figured he'd pile the cookies on to one side of the plate Mom used and manage to squeeze the unusual snack in.

It was 11 PM and not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.

Then ...

"Dear, did you hear something?" Mom asked Dad, poking him to wake him.

"It was my reindeer," Dad replied, turning over and pulling the blanket more snugly around himself.

"No, listen, it's coming from the landing outside the boys' room."

Dad sat up in bed. "Okay, I'll go find out. Being Christmas, I'll take a big candy cane as a weapon."

He wound up taking a golf club and creeping to the landing outside the boys' room. There was nobody there. He switched the landing light on, and Mom exclaimed immediately - "What's that?" She was pointing at the table where she'd left the milk and cookies.

The cookies were all messed up, some had fallen off the edge of the plate to the pretty tablecloth. There was something next to the cookies on the plate and a box and a note.

Both parents read the note:
Dear Santa,
You need something difrunt other than milk and cookees.
99 per cent of everyone is giving you milk and cookees.
Here is some pav bhaji.
Love from Sanjeev.

Both parents smiled. Dad winked at Mom. Together, they cleaned up the second mess of the day. Then Dad got out a red crayon and wrote:

Dear Sanjeev
That was very thoughtful of you. I love the pav bhaji you left. Please tell your aunt to make me some every Christmas. Love, Santa.