The Best Christmas Present

Mrs. Dudek’s Torrington TAG Students

Information PleaseInformation Please

I used to have a job as a telephone operator. All you had to do is dial 411 and you got me. 411 provides telephone

number; however many people think, “Gee! Information, they know everything about everything!” I would get calls for, “Ya know dat girl? She live in a brown house on dat one roa? She my frien in ma class. She got brown hair.” I would also calls like, “Can you tell me how to make egg salad?”

Well, one day I got a call and it was around Christmastime. I said, “Directory assistance, may I help you?” There was a man on the phone and in a very lonely voice he said, “Ma’am, I need … my cat needs some food.” He sounded so helpless but I had to disconnect him. It was against the rules to give out anything other than phone numbers, so I disconnected him. He called back and by some miracle I got him again. And again, in his frail voice, he said, “Ma’am, please don’t hang up on me. My poor cat…she’s so hungry. All I want for Christmas is for her to have some food. Please, miss…please help me.” What could I do? The poor man sounded so sincere. I had to do something! I quickly asked him for his address and took it down on a piece of paper. I told him I would see what I could do. I just knew that I had to do something for this poor old man and his cat. I went to my supervisor and asked if I could take the rest of the evening off. It was getting dark out and it was starting to snow.

I left the building and went to the store. I bought a big bag of cat food, tied a big red ribbon on it and attached a card form Santa. I got the old man’s address out of my pocket and went in search of his house. It was in a bad section of the city and when I got there it was dark and snowing. I walked up on the porch and crept up the musty, creaky stairs. I set down the bag of cat food, rang the doorbell and ran to my car and hid. I watched from m y car as a wrinkly old man opened the door. The smile on his face when he saw the food and read the card was the best Christmas present I ever received.

By Molly Melville-from a Chicken Soup for The SoulCopyright 1196 by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen & Barry Spilchuk

The Best Present I’ve Ever Received

On Christmas Day a long time ago, my mom’s ankle had been sprained. It bothered her a lot so I didn’t want her running around the house, especially on Christmas Day. I slowly crept up into her bed next to her with her present in my hand and waited for her to wake up. About 10 minutes later her eyes slowly opened and at that second I whispered, “Merry Christmas.” She smiled and was about to get up but before she did I gave her the 1st Christmas present to be opened. I will never forget the tears welling up in her eyes from the happiness on Christmas Day.

By: Elena Escobar

A Gift of Smiles

The best Christmas present that I have and will ever receive is a “smile”. I’m most happy when I can spread joy and laughter in my family. On Christmas and all of the other 364 days of the year, I enjoy making people laugh and in return I get the gift of “smiles”. Christmas is not about who got the most presents or who opens their gifts the fastest…it’s about being together. Those times are the best Christmas presents I have ever received.

By Chloe Richardson

The Best PresentBy Jake Reynolds

The best Christmas present I ever received was seeing how my 3 year old cousin reacted when she saw the Little People airplane I gave her as a gift. I knew by the expression on her face that she wanted to rip it right out of the box and play with it. That’s exactly what she did do! My cousin and her family live in Florida and were visiting us for only one week and during that time she played with my gift more than any other. Seeing her smiling face each time she played with the gift that I gave her was the best Christmas present I have ever received.

To:Emily

From: Jake

The GiftThe best present I ever received was on the day we went on a picnic in Martha’s Vineyard. My family and I were walking near the beach in Oak Bluffs trying to find the perfect place to have our lunch. I looked ahead and saw a poor man in shredded clothes who appeared to be sleeping. I noticed that his rib cage was showing and he had a look in his eye that said, “I shouldn’t be here.” He was shivering and alone while many people walked past him pretending not to notice. I took my bag lunch and walked over to him. I was feeling a bit nervous but was compelled to keep walking because I knew it was the right thing to do. I handed him my food with a smile. While he said thank you, his eyes expressed relief and happiness. Relief, because he wasn’t going to go hungry today and happiness at the generosity of a young girl. Seeing his expression was the best present I have ever received.

By

Kayla

Underkoffler

The Best Gift Is One That’s Given

The best present I ever received was when I donated a toy to children in

need. The toy would be given to a child whose family had little or no

money at Christmas. I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to have no

presents to open on Christmas morning. Although, I can imagine how

big that child’s smile will be when he or she opens the gift I bought. The

happiness that child will carry is the best present I will ever receive.

Annalise Erwin

The Gift of FamilyThe best gift I could ever receive is just spending time with my family. Every Christmas, my dad’s side of the family gets together for the holidays. We eat a special meal then spend time together in the living room. It’s so nice to spend time with everyone especially, my Grandma Dewy. My Great Grandma is 81 years old and lives in a nursing home. Grandma always sits in her wheelchair with a smile on her face when we’re all together. I’m sure there’s no where else she’d rather be than with our family. Seeing my great grandma so happy will always be the best present I have ever received.

ByBailee Nardi

My favorite present ever was seeing my

mom smile. I gave her a card when she

was not feeling well. When she read it,

her smile filled the room with joy and her

eyes sparkled. Her expression told me

how much she loved my card and seeing

this was the best present I have ever

received.

By Scott Dixon

A Gift of Love

The Best Christmas present I ever received was my dog Saidy. This was my

favorite present because when I walk through the door and look at her

jumping up and down, I can tell how happy she is to see me. Saidy loves

me unconditionally and this is why she will always be the best gift I have

ever received.

ByMorgan Audia

The Best Present

The best present I have ever and will ever receive is my mom and dad. There is not a day that goes by that I don’t feel loved. I am so grateful to have them as parents. They are my best present, EVER!

Michael

NeJaime

The Best Present

The best present I ever

received was my puppy. I

have wanted a dog for such a

long time and my parents

surprised me with her. I’ve

only had her for a few days

and she already loves me.

She follows me everywhere

and gives me lots of kisses.

Having this adorable puppy

love me unconditionally is the

best present I have ever

received.

By Olivia

Mattiello

The Gift of A Better Life

The best gift I’ve ever received was at a Mother-Daughter retreat. The speaker introduced us to World Vision, a non-profit organization that sponsors children. For just $30 each month, a child’s life would be improved. This included providing clean water, food, medication, and an education. When my mom and I picked a child whose name sounded like, “Sam-Kelly-See-way”, I was filled with joy. Just knowing this child was going to get the help she needed was a wonderful feeling. This was the best gift that I have ever received.

ByEmily

Whaley

The Best Christmas Present Ever

The best Christmas present I ever received was when I gave my mom red earrings that said I Love You on them. She almost started to cry. Her smile was so big and she looked so happy that she almost made me cry. Making my mom happy was the best Christmas present I ever received! By

Colleen Kilgore

The Best Present

The best present I ever received was when I made my Grandpa card when he was badly injured. It was a funny card and I knew he would love it. My Grandfather lives for being funny and I knew he would appreciate my creative work. Grandpa hung my card on his wall. I didn’t get to see his smile when he read my card but I know it was big and bright. Just knowing I put a smile on my grandpa’s face when he wasn’t feeling well, was the best present I have ever received.

TatumMarino

The Best Present I Ever Received

The best present I ever received was when I gave my mom a serious card when I normally give her a funny card. When she began to read it, she had to stop because she was so teary eyed! I could tell she was going to cry because her eyes were glistening so much. I knew my card had touched her heart for it’s words were filled with the love I havefor her. Once she was finally able to finish reading the words, she hugged me with so much love, I felt so touched, I too began to have teary eyes. This was the best present I have ever gotten.

ByKyle

Peet

On Thanksgiving, I was playing with my younger cousin, Jacob. Soon after, my other cousin, Ashlyn, arrived. I was so thrilled to see her that I forgot all about Jacob. While everyone was eating, I noticed that he looked really sad and he didn’t talk to anyone very much. I didn’t really talk to him either because I was giving all of my attention to Ashlyn. Later, he walked up to us and with a sad expression asked if he could play with us. When I told him he could, he was so happy. He had a huge smile on his face….it seemed to stretch from ear to ear. Seeing him smile that way was one of the best presents I have ever received.

The Gift

Of a

Smile

PaigeCianciolo

A few years ago my family made my mom cry. My dad and I went shopping in search of the perfect gift for my mom. I found it in the jewelry department. It was a beautiful necklace that was over our price range. We asked the sales clerk to put it on hold and went home empty handed. When we got home, we all decided to chip in for the gift. My 3 year old brother who is Autistic, went to his piggy bank and took out all of the change and gave it to us for the present. He felt so proud of himself and I too, felt proud of him. On Christmas morning, Mom cried when she opened her special gift. Seeing my mom sop happy was the best present that I have ever received.

A

Perfec

t Gift

Tiffany Berry

The Gift of Family

My family and I were headed to my Grandparent’s house. The bitter air outside chilled my bones. We walked into the warm house and the friendly setting became familiar one again as I saw my Grandma Piwie and Papa. We all cuddled up ion the couch together to watch a movie. I caught a glimpse of my grandparent’s faces which touched my heart. Their smiles were wide and their eyes were not on the television set but on us…their family. Those smiles truly touched me and they were the best present I will ever receive.

The Gift

of Family

Olivia LeMieux

The Best PresentThe Best Present

The best present I ever re

ceived was

when I got my mom a heart v

ase. She

loved it and gave me a huge hug. She

put the vase on her dresser. S

eeing

my mom so happy was the best

present I ever re

ceived.

CaitlynMalenfant

A Special GiftThe night before school started, my mother began having severe stomach pains. My father took her to the hospital. They determined that she had kidney stones. I was unaware of mom’s visit to the emergency room because was sleeping at the time. The following day, after my first day of school, my father told me that my mom was in the hospital. I was so worried that I searched for the phone book right away so I could get the number to Charlotte Hungerford Hospital. Once the operator connected me to mom’s room, I heard her weak voice answer the phone. I said, “Hi Mom” and when she heard my voice she started to cry. She was so happy that I called her she was crying tears of joy. Knowing how happy I made my mom when she was feeling ill was the best present I have ever received.

JacobHonig

The GiftThe Gift

The best present I ever received was when we had a field trip to Talcott Mountain and I missed the bus. My dad drove me all the way to Avon so that I wouldn’t miss out on this awesome field trip. On the way, Dad got lost many times, but didn’t get angry because he was determined to get me there. Once I arrived at the top of Talcott Mountain, it turned out that I was only 15 minutes late. Though I did not realize it at the time, Dad did everything he could to make sure I was able to participate in the science activities that were planned for me and my classmates. What my father did for me was the best gift I have ever received.

TomMorrison

A Gift of Surprise

The best Christmas present I ever received was when my mom opened the ruby earrings I gave her. The look on her face was almost indescribable. She gasped and looked at me like she couldn’t believe what I had just given her. She gave me such a big hug. That had to be the best Christmas present ever. It’s not every day that you can give your mother a gift of surprise.

EricBaccei