WHO STOLE THE CHRISTMAS COOKIES?
My brother Joey and I had just finished hanging our stockings by the fireplace one Christmas Eve, when the most disturbing thought crossed my mind. “Joey!” I shrieked. “Did you know that we forgot something?” “No we didn’t,” said Joey crossly. “We’ve got both our stockings hung up. What could we possibly have forgotten?” “We forgot the cookies,” I explained to my seven year old brother, who happened to be older than me and who also happened to be more selfish than me. “Cookies!” Joey laughed. “Why would you want to have cookies just before you go to bed?” “They aren’t for me silly,” I declared. “They’re for Santa Claus.” “Oh my!” Joey suddenly clued in. “Mom! Mom! We forgot to leave a snack for Santa! He’ll never leave me the racing car set if we don’t leave him a snack. How could we have forgotten something so important?” Mommy came running into the family room. She had flour allover her face and in her hair. She looked very funny. “Children!” she cried. “What is all this screaming ab
