Christmas with Geraldine Woolkins by Karin Kaufman

Author:Karin Kaufman [Karin Kaufman]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: anonymous
Published: 2025-12-02T00:00:00+00:00

The Unexpected Gift

Ten days before Christmas, Geraldine’s school lessons ended, just as her mama had promised. Lessons would not resume again until after Christmas, so as long as Geraldine did her morning chores, her days were free. She could do as she pleased.

For ten whole days.

The prospect was exciting. There were places to journey to, friends to see, and adventures to be had.

She hardly knew where to begin.

Outside, she thought. Outside is a good place to begin.

After bringing acorn shells from the pantry to the living room and kitchen, eating breakfast, and then washing the breakfast dishes, Geraldine slipped on her coat and wrapped her scarf around her neck.

“You look jolly this morning,” her papa said.

Geraldine grinned broadly. “I can do anything I want today, Papa. It feels delightful.”

Crinkles formed around her papa’s eyes as though he were on the verge of chuckling. “Remember to stay away from the beetle tree. It’s not January yet.”

Knowing that her papa was an industrious mouse and had always taught his children to be industrious, she added, “I’ll try to use my time wisely, even if it doesn’t feel as delightful.”

Now Papa did chuckle. “Geraldine, sometimes the wisest thing to do is have fun. Go on now, enjoy your day. There’s fresh snow on the ground and your brother is already sledding on Acorn Hill.”

Geraldine was tempted to make an uncharitable comment about her brother and his tiresome sledding habits, but she held her tongue. Button could do whatever was delightful for him on this wonderful December day. She would do what was delightful for her.

Today that meant venturing to the Southern Lands to hunt for wild chives and—if they could be found—fresh dandelion leaves. Either one would make an early Christmas present for her mama, who preferred fresh greens to dried ones when they could be found.

Geraldine raced out the door, closing it as quietly as her excited fingers would let her. The Woolkins family does not slam doors, Papa always said.

She scurried southward with her backpack, first past Acorn Hill and then past Chestnut Hill toward Many Flowers Path. In the spring and summer, flowers grew in abundance on both sides of the well-worn path, and so it retained its name all year long, even during the flowerless months.

Taking the path, she ventured deeper into the Southern Lands. The flowers had shriveled to nothing, and the grasses that had covered the land now looked like straw—yellow rather than green. Everything once green and fluffy had been drained of the richer colors and pressed flat by ice and snow.

But this flatness was itself beautiful. Though different from summer greenness, it was so lovely it made Geraldine’s heart ache.

She hopped onto a rock and surveyed the landscape. If there were any fresh chives or dandelion leaves in this cold place, they would almost certainly be found around rocks and at the base of the few shrubs that grew here.

She tilted back her head and breathed in the frosty, fresh air.

Then her eyes popped open.

Ravens prowled the skies here every bit as much as in the Northern Lands.

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