Written by Amber Whitman-Currier

Seymour couldn’t believe it was Christmas already.  Every year seemed to come faster and end sooner.  Seymour missed his family, so the holidays were particularly hard.  He had never really been close to his parents.  He had a younger brother too.  They were very close as children but drifted apart.  Seymour thought of those years fondly.  He was happy that he found Georgie.  She had become like family to him.

Along with being a writer, Seymour was also a fabulous cook.  He had decorated a small tree and his little living room and decided to cook a traditional dinner for him and Georgie.  He had saved some money from a writing job.  He decided to spend it on a small turkey.  He had actually found a market for mice in his neighborhood.  They usually catered to the upscale mouse, but Seymour had become a good customer.  He also bought some potatoes, carrots, buns and cranberry sauce.  He had a few dollars left over and decided to buy Georgie a gift.  He had his eye on a ruby bejeweled collar in one of the human pet stores, for weeks now.  He told the cashier to wrap it up.

He headed home with his bags.  It was getting colder and there was a light dusting of snow.  On the way home Seymour admired all the lights on the houses.  It happened to be garbage night, Seymour’s favorite night of the week.  He had found many treasures for his basement home from others refuse.  Then there is was a small old stove that came from some little girls old doll house.  He knew he could make it into a working stove for those chilly nights.  Seymour loved the idea of having one but couldn’t afford it.  Now he could have one.  Seymour inspected it and found it just needed a pipe.  He was so excited.  He rushed home and dropped off his groceries.  Georgie happened to drop by for a visit.  Seymour invited her for Christmas Eve dinner and she accepted.  He told her about the stove.  She suggested that they go and get it together.

They carried the small stove slowly home.  Georgie did most of the heavy lifting grumbling all the way.  They set it up in a corner.  The next day Seymour found an old metal pen that would make a great stovepipe.  He popped it in the top of the stove and vented it outside through a crack in the foundation.  Seymour gathered some kindling from the woods outside and started a fire.  It worked perfectly.  He brewed some coffee and pulled up his worn armchair in front of the fire.  He spent the next day cutting and chopping and preparing the turkey dinner.  Georgie was late, but Seymour was happy to see her when she finally arrived.  She brought some tasty desserts, a cheese log and a gift.  The dinner was delicious.  They talked and laughed well into the evening.  They opened their gifts and sat by the fire.  Georgie’s eyes lit up when she opened her gift, she loved her new collar.

When Seymour opened his gift it was a set of fine quill pens and a bound black notebook.  Seymour’s passion was his writing and Georgie knew that.  He already had a story in his mind to share with the world.  This holiday he would take the time to write it in this notebook.