Christmas Surprise

It was Christmas Eve, and eight year old Noah was buzzing with excitement. His Christmas tree sparkled, the stockings hung neatly by the fireplace, and he had spent the whole evening making cookies with his mom; peanut butter and chocolate chip, Santa's favorite (or so he imagined). But this year, Noah had two extra things to prepare, something he felt Santa desperately needed.

Noah placed the cookies on a big red plate, poured a tall glass of milk, sat a smaller plate with a something wrapped up, and then carefully set a small bottle of hand sanitizer next to it.

"What's that for?" Mom asked, raising an eyebrow.

Noah looked at her, his expression serious. "Santa goes to millions of houses in one night, right? That’s a lot of touching doorknobs, cookies, and gifts. He must get so many germs! If he touches my presents, I could get germs too. So… I'm helping him out."

Mom tried to hide her smile. “That’s very thoughtful, Noah. I’m sure Santa will appreciate it.”

After writing a couple of letters; satisfied, Noah went to bed, certain that he’d done his part to keep Santa and himself, healthy.

Later that night, Santa slid down the chimney with a poof of soot. He adjusted his red coat, chuckling softly as he looked around the cozy living room. "Ah, the cookies smell delicious!" he said, his voice a deep, jolly rumble. But when he reached for the plate, his eyes twinkled in surprise.

There, right next to the cookies, was a small bottle of hand sanitizer. A neatly written note in Noah's handwriting read:

"For you, Santa! Please clean your hands before touching the presents. Thanks!" -Noah

Santa let out a belly laugh so loud it almost shook the stockings. “Ho ho ho! Well, isn’t this clever!” he said, picking up the tiny bottle. “Noah is right, I do go to an awful lot of houses. I don’t want to spread Christmas germs!”

He squirted some sanitizer onto his hands, rubbed them together until they were squeaky clean, and gave a satisfied nod. "Good as new! Mrs. Claus will be so proud."

Just as Santa reached for a cookie, he noticed something even stranger sitting on another plate wrapped up...a sandwich. Not just any sandwich, but unwrapping it Santa found a pickle sandwich. Santa blinked and chuckled, his belly shaking with laughter.

“A pickle sandwich? Well, now, this is a surprise!”

A second note sat next to it:

"Santa, I thought you might be tired of cookies, so I made you my favorite snack: a pickle sandwich! Hope you like it!" –Noah

Santa raised an eyebrow, then shrugged and took a big, crunchy bite. “Ho ho ho! Crunchy, tangy, and delightfully unusual!” he declared, finishing the sandwich with a satisfied smile.

Santa left two notes before he left Noah’s house that night:

"Thank you for looking out for me, Noah! Clean hands make for healthy holidays. Merry Christmas!" –Santa

And a second, just for the pickle sandwich:

“P.S. Noah, thank you for the sanitizer… and the pickle sandwich! I’ve never had one quite like it. A delightful surprise indeed! Ho ho ho!”
-Santa

The next morning, Noah woke up to the usual excitement of Christmas: stockings full of treats, a pile of presents under the tree, and Santa’s notes resting on the empty cookie plate. He grinned as he read them aloud, his chest puffed with pride.

"See, Mom? I knew Santa needed it!"

Mom laughed and ruffled his hair. “You might have just started a new tradition. But, uh… the pickle sandwich, Noah?”

Noah nodded proudly, his face lighting up. “I thought Santa might be tired of cookies after eating millions of them. Two slices of bread, lots of pickles, and a little mustard; my favorite snack! Santa said he liked it!”

Mom shook her head, trying not to laugh. “I don’t know, Noah. That’s…pretty unusual.”

Noah held up Santa’s note with a triumphant grin. “See? Santa has great taste.”

Mom just continued to shake her head, smiling.

Meanwhile, back at the North Pole, Santa sat at his big kitchen table, recounting the night’s events to Mrs. Claus and the elves.

“And then I found this unusual snack…” Santa held up the half empty sandwich wrapper, chuckling. “A pickle sandwich! A first for me. Quite crunchy and tangy. I’ll admit, I rather liked it!”

Mrs. Claus wrinkled her nose in surprise. “A pickle sandwich? Well, that Noah boy sure knows how to keep you on your toes!”

Santa nodded thoughtfully. “It’s not about what was left out, but the thought behind it. This Noah lad is creative, thoughtful, and most of all caring. Hand sanitizer and a snack he loves, he wanted me to feel right at home.”

“Are we going to start making pickle sandwiches for next year’s sleigh ride snacks, Santa?” one elf teased.

“Ho ho ho! Maybe,” Santa replied with a wink.

From that Christmas on, it became tradition for Noah to leave something extra special alongside Santa’s cookies and milk. One year it was a peanut butter and banana sandwich. Another year, it was a slice of cold pizza. And yes, the pickle sandwich made its return a time or two.

And Santa? Well, he looked forward to Noah’s house each year, not just for the unusual snacks, but for the warmth, creativity, and care that Noah always left out for him.

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