The Christmas Bon-Bon Surprise

By Manoshi de Silva

"Look at my new necklace!" said Savi holding her new pebble necklace near her neck, "I am going to wear it to church on Christmas day!" "It's very beautiful!" said her little brother Sanju. But it was not just Savi's brother who was admiring the necklace. Peeping down from a small hole in their ceiling were two little mice, named Tutu and Kiki.

Savi left her necklace on her dressing table and went to the hall with Sanju to decorate their Christmas tree. The two little mice came down and got on top of the dressing table. "Look at this beautiful string of pebbles," said Tutu. "Let's take it home!" said Kiki. So they both carried Savi's necklace back to their home in the ceiling.

Later Savi came back to her room. "Where is my pebble necklace?" She started searching everywhere. But Savi's pebble necklace was missing. The two children along with the rest of their family searched for it all over the house, but they couldn't find it. Savi was very sad. "Now I don't have a necklace to wear with my new frock to church," she cried.

Seeing how sad little Savi was, her grandmother got a small present for her and Sanju as well. While the children were decorating the tree, their grandmother walked in with a little box covered in colourful Christmas wrapping paper.

"You'll never guess what this is!" smile the children's grandmother, holding the box up. "Is it a cake?" "Is it a box of sweets?" "No," she said handing them the box. "In the box were toffee-shaped things wrapped in colourful shiny paper. "What are these?" wondered Sanju. "Are these Christmas decorations?" asked Savi.

"Yes, these can be used to decorate the tree," smiled the grandmother. "But these are not just decorations. These have a surprise toy in them. These are called Christmas crackers or bon-bons." How excited the children were. Their grandmother showed the kids how to pop them open by pulling the thin strips attached to their sides.

Savi and Sanju pulled the strips and the bon-bons opened in the sides, dropping small gifts like whistles and balloons. It was so much of fun. "Now you can use the empty bon-bons to decorate the Christmas tree," said their grandmother. And they place the empty bon-bons on different branches.

Finally the Christmas tree was decorated. Sanju turned on the tiny fairy lights and the whole living room looked absolutely magical. The kids played around the tree and wrapped Christmas presents to keep under the tree. "Day after tomorrow is Christmas!" said Sanju. "I can hardly wait!" beamed Savi.

After the kids went to sleep, Tutu and Kiki slowly came out and climbed down. They went to the hall and saw the Christmas tree. "Oh how beautiful is this!" they said, their eyes sparkling with joy. "Look at this!" shouted Kiki, seeing a bon-bon. "I have never seen anything like this!" "It looks like a giant toffee!" said Tutu. "Let's carry it home," said Kiki. So the two little mice carried the empty bon-bon back to their little house in the ceiling.

It was the day before Christmas. Savi and Sanju were very busy helping their mother in the kitchen to prepare different types of food for Christmas. The kids made small Christmas sugar cookies with the help of their mother. They cut the dough in different shapes like bells and angels.

But Savi and Sanju were not the only two who were busy that day. Tutu and Kiki too ran around in their house in the ceiling, playing with the necklace and bon-bon. "What are these? Where did you get these from?" asked the mother of the two little mice, who was surprised to see the necklace and the bon-bon in their den.

"We went down and brought these," squeaked Tutu and Kiki, feeling very proud. "Well, there is no space in here to keep all that," said their mother. "Also you shouldn't take things that don't belong to you. So please go and leave them back where you found them," she advised the two little mice.

"Why make two trips down? Let's put the string of pebbles inside the big toffee and take both of them together!" said Tutu and Kiki agreed. So they put Savi's necklace inside the empty bon-bon and carried it down. They got on top of the dressing table to keep the necklace there, but they heard someone's footsteps. So they left the bon-bon there and ran off.

Savi walked into her room and was surprised to see a bon-bon on her dressing table. "How did this get here? Didn't we hang all the bon-bons on our Christmas tree?" she said picking up the bon-bon. The bon-bon felt heavy. There was something inside it. The girl held the open hole on the side of the bon-bon close to her eyes and looked inside.  

"My necklace!" shouted Savi and everyone came running to her room. "What a surprise!" My lost necklace is inside this bon bon!" Savi was so happy. "Now I can wear it to church with my new frock," said the girl dancing around. "But who left it here?" Sanju was confused. "It's Christmas, maybe some angels left it here for me!" smiled Savi.

Savi went to the kitchen and came back with two small angel-shaped sugar cookies. "Thank you angels, for returning my necklace. These are for you," she said leaving the cookies on her dressing table. "Oh look!" pointed Tutu. "She left gifts for us!" squeaked Kiki. The mice waited till no one was around and went near the cookies. "Thank you kids!" shouted Tutu running back home with a Christmas cookie. Kiki also took a cookie and followed Tutu, "Thank you kids! We wish you a Merry Christmas!"