Chapter Five

The First Christmas Stocking

      Nicholas did not leave the wood carver on that Christmas day, or the next, or the next, but stayed on learning to be as good a wood carver as his old master. Marsden realized this and as he was now becoming too old to spend a full day carving, decided to retire and live with his sister in a nearby village. He was very proud of Nicholas and knew that he would be quite able to carry on by himself, and so it was that Nicholas became known as “Nicholas the Wood Carver.”

      The village had grown so large that Nicholas did not know every child in the village the way he used to, and the only way that he could tell if a house had children was by a bag hanging on the door on Christmas Eve. With this increase in children his small sled could no longer carry the enormous number of toys and Nicholas had to use Old Marsden’s horse and sleigh for his now large rounds. It had become the custom of the children to leave a brightly decorated bag filled with oats on their doors and when the horse had eaten the oats, Nicholas would fill the bag with the toys he had made.

      Nicholas’ life was not all work. One day he looked up from his workbench and saw some children having a snowball fight in the fresh snow. They were having so much fun that he couldn’t resist the temptation to join in. One of the children, whom Nicholas had never seen before, was standing watching shyly.

      “ Here,” said Nicholas, handing him a large hard snowball, “try this one for size. Justin looks like a good target over there.”

      “ Oh no! I have to gather some firewood and get home quickly,” said the small boy as he moved away pulling his empty sled.

      “ Who’s the new fellow?” Nicholas enquired from the children when the boy was out of earshot.

      “ That’s Frederick. He’s just moved into the village. His father had an accident at sea which paralysed him and now he has to stay in bed all day. The family is really poor so Frederick and his little brother Wilhelm don’t have any time to play because they are always helping their mother.

      Later, as Frederick was pulling his sled of firewood home, he had only one thing on his mind. He had heard so much about Nicholas and how he only left toys at the doors that had bags hanging on them. It was only a few days until Christmas and Frederick could imagine his little brother’s face if he had a new toy on Christmas morning, but how could he arrange it so that Nicholas would know that there was a little boy in the house? He looked everywhere for a bag without success.

      On Christmas Eve he tried to interest his mother in the problem.

      “ Mother.” he began slowly. “Mother, do you suppose we have a bag in the house?”

      “ A bag! What sort of bag Frederick?” she inquired in astonishment.

      “ Well, it should be embroidered really, but I suppose any sort of bag would do. We have to hang it outside the door on Christmas Eve, and when Wilhelm wakes up tomorrow there will be a beautiful toy in it for him. Nicholas the wood carver does it for all the children of the village and I thought if there was only some kind of bag around here...”

      His mother sighed, “Things like flour and potatoes come in bags and those we haven’t seen for ages. Goodness knows, with all my other worries, I have no time to embroider a bag or even make one. Anyway I’m sure this Nicholas person wouldn’t come to poor little children like you. Now go and get Wilhelm ready for bed. That might take your mind off your silly ideas.”

      So sadly Frederick was forced to abandon the idea of putting a bag outside the door for his little brother’s Christmas gift, but he couldn’t forget about Nicholas. He thought about how he looked, such a kind, jolly man there out there by the forest. He felt sure Nicholas wouldn’t pass a child’s house just because they were poor. He thought and thought, and while sitting by the fireplace helping his little brother undress, he pulled of his warm, bright and woolly stocking. As Wilhelm held it up he said jokingly, “Now that would hold some kind of gift just a well as any embroidered bag. And why not?” he murmured to himself. “Why not indeed?” and with one leap he flung open the door and soon had the stocking tied to the door.

      Once again this Christmas Eve, everything in the village was blanketed with white snow, sparkling under the bright winter moon. No lights were showing in the village and everyone was asleep... except Nicholas, of course, who was busy going from house to house leaving bulging bags filled with gifts. At Frederick’s doorway he paused. In the bright moonlight he saw a funny object dangling on the door. A child’s woolen stocking! Nicholas laughed silently to himself, a kind tender laugh, then reached down into his bag and filled the lonely little stocking up to the top, and then with a snap of his whip and the jingle of sleighbells he was off to the next house on his rounds.

      When Frederick opened the door on Christmas morning, he and his little brother found not one, nor two but three toys each. Right down in the toe of the stocking he found five large coins, enough to keep the whole family all through the winter. The boys shouted with joy, while their father almost sat up in his bed with the excitement. Their mother’s eyes although always bright, were filled with happy tears as she watched Frederick and his brother hugging close to their hearts, the first Christmas stocking.

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