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About The Hellgate Lance (Missoula, Montana) 1964-current | View This Issue
The Hellgate Lance (Missoula, Montana), 23 Dec. 1980, located at <http://montananewspapers.org/lccn/TheHellgateLance/1980-12-23/ed-1/seq-5/>, image provided by MONTANA NEWSPAPERS, Montana Historical Society, Helena, Montana.
... LANCE, DICHiber 23, 1910- 5 Enlightenment ___ -,-- _________ _ ~y David Patterson he snow was falling quite heavily now, and Tommy couldn't concentrate on his pe g teSt, now matter how hard he tried. The white blanket of joy was simply too inviting; it almost seemed to tease him. There were so many things he could do, if only stupid school would get over so Christmas vacation could begin. Sledding and skiing, snowballs and skating all flashed across his mind as he tried to spell \horse.\ The bell finally rang. He ran to the coat room and left school in a flurry. He had forgotten to put his name on his paper . Outside, Johnnie and Curt were waiting on Tommy. As he ap- proached , Curt pelted him with a snowball at close range . He and Johnnie laughed . Tommy giggled . also . The three hung around the play- ground and waited for the bus to ar- rive. They managed to start a snow- ball fight, which they were haH- heartedly winning when the famil- iar yellow bus pulled up in front of tbe · school. The fight broke up quickly and everyone, laughing, ran for the bus door . \Race you for the front seat.\ Tommy tripped on the top step, but claimed the second seat with It was drawn, or scribbled, in pink crayon : a fat stick man with a heavy sack and a grin on his face. Below the picture was scrawled, al- most ill~ibly, in the same hot pink crayon: \Santa\. Tommy had picked up the draw- ing, an<' was looking at it with Curt, who triP.<! to sustain his giggles. \Santa? You don't believe in Santa do you?\ Curt. The bus driver smiled . Nor- mally, he never would have toler- ated such a noise level, but it was only two days before Christmas , and they were such small and inno- cent kids . Tommy ' s little sister sat in the seat across the aisle. She was only in kindegarten, and she was taking home some pictures she had drawn in art. One fell to the floor. \What's that say? \ \ Saitta. Mrs. Dickey told me how to spell it. She said if I bring it back to school it might be in the paper.\ She grabbed the drawing from Curt, who was now laughing hard. \Santa? You don't believe in Santa, do · you? \ \Yes I believe in Santa,\ replied the young girl. \He's not real .\ Second place, Jennifer Rudio . . . \How do you know?\ \Everybody knows.\ His sister turned toward Tommy and asked, \Santa's real, isn't he?\ Tommy squirmed in his seat and noticed that a lot of people were watching him . H~ turned toward his sister. \Of course he is. Curt's just lying .\ The bus stopped, and Tommy and his sister got up to get off . Tommy heard the laughter as he stepped off the bus. Maybe Curt was right , but where could Mommy hide all those presents? Tommy climbed the short hill for another ride down on his sled. He could see Curt coming, even through the hard snowfall, and he didn ' t want to talk with him. Curt could say all he wanted about no Santa Claus, but Tommy knew that Santa was real , he just had to be . \T ommy , you don't really believe in Santa do you?\ \Why nqt? He leaves me presents every year .\ \T ommy , your parents do that. \ \How do you know?\ \Last year I spied . Really late, I saw my daddy put all the presents under our tree.\ Tommy was in tears . \Maybe at your house, but not at mine. Santa leaves me presents every year, and I hate you, Curt. \ Tommy ran home crying. It was the day before Christmas and Curt said Santa wasn't real. Santa had to be real, he just had to be. Christ- mas was just another day without Santa. The door banged behind him, and Tommy heard his mother's voice . \Is Santa real, mommy?\ His mother hesitated, but only for a moment. \Of course Santa's real, honey, if you believe he is.\ Tommy didn ' t understand her an- swer, but the look in her eye kind- led his hopes. . Tommy sat below the Christmas : tree, and stared up through the multi-colored blinking lights, past the bulbs and the tinsel, at the lofty angel. It was all so beautiful; the bells and the candy canes, the snowmen, and the gingerbread man, the elves and the angel. Santa not real? That would ruin every- thing , ruin all this. Tommy almost · dismissed Curt's claim sitting under the tree. His father was calling him. \Come on Tommy, time for bed. Santa won't come till you're sound asleep.\ Tommy scrambled for his bed. He lay there breathless, with his heart pounding . Tomorrow was the big day . He tried to go to sleep, but he was too excited. Tonight he was coming! He tossed and turned for what seemed like forever, and just as he was convinced that he had · been awake all night, he fell into a light slumber . Tommy was jolted awake at slightly after midnight by a noise in the living room. He could see Santa and prove Curt wrong! He crept slowly out of bed, and gently opened his door, careful to make no sound . In the next room, Tommy's father was putting presents under the tree, humming a Christmas tune . Tommy ran to his bed crying. Santa wasn't real! Tommy tried to fall back to sleep, but he couldn ' t quit crying. A whole world was bro- \Last year I spied. Really late I saw my daddy put all the presents under our tree.\ \T ommy , not on my kitchen floor . For heaven's sake take off your boots . You're soaked.\ \Mommy can I help you make Christmas cookies? Please can I do the pressing?\ \Get out of those wet clothes first.\ Tommy pressed down on the giant Christmas tree mold, and sprinkled green sparkles over the dough. He watched his mother take the tray over to the already-warm oven . \Mommy is Santa real?\ His mother turned toward him. \What dear?\ IW \ · ken. He cried on and on, silently moaning long into the night. In fact, he didn't sleep for the rest of the night. His sister ran into his room at quarter after six. It was still almost completely dark out- side. ~·Hurry, Tommy. He came last night!\ The two ran into the living room in their pajamas. The wooden floor was cold on their bare feet, and sleepy clogged their eyes. Neither cared. \Tommy look! Santa is to real.\ Tommy hesitated, and smiled. \He sure is.\ ! university - - E gas - - - - I; Also, 4Jpoes :r ''· 1 · a c layaks - ~ = - - - ~ .. H ·.· - -.... y . . ~;: ~ :J~~~- , . . . _ iliiMDDiDnil•u.••••••~ -------
