dear Grandma's
very much.

At last Christmas came. It was a bright, frosty day; the icicles that
hung from the iron railing, sparkled as the sun shone upon them, and the
little boys in the streets made sliding ponds of the gutters, and did
not mind a bit when they came down on their backs, but jumped up and
tried it again; and a great many people were hurrying along with large
turkeys to cook for their Christmas dinner, and everybody looked very
happy indeed.

After these children, about whom I am telling you, came back from
church, they were dressed very nicely, and although they lived in three
different houses, they all got to their Grandma's very nearly at the
same time. The first thing they did was to run up to their Grandma, and
wish her a merry Christmas, and kiss her, and say that they hoped she
felt quite well. Then they did the same to their Grandpa and Aunties,
for they had two dear, kind aunts, who lived with their Grandparents.
Then they all hugged and kissed each other, and jumped about so much,
that some kissed noses and some kissed chins, and little Sarah was
almost crazy with delight, for she had never been to so large a party
before.

"Grandma," said Willy, "I hung up my stocking last night, and what do
you think I got in it?"

His Grandma guessed that he got a birch-rod.

"No," said Willy, laughing, "I got a doughnut in the shape of a monkey
with a long tail; I ate the monkey for my breakfast, and it was very
good indeed."

The children all laughed at this, and Bella, Willy's sister, who was
the oldest of all the children, said she thought Willy had a
monkey-_look_ about him. So he went by the name of the monkey-eater for
the rest of the day.

Soon the bell rang for dinner, and they all went down stairs; for the
children and grown people were to dine together. It was now quite dark,
and the chandelier that hung over the table was lighted, the curtains
were drawn close, the fire burnt brightly, and the table-cloth was so
white and fine that it looked like satin.

The happy party sat down at a large round table, and the children's eyes
looked so bright and their cheeks so rosy, that it was the pleasantest
sight in the world to see. Little Sarah could not help having a great
many little laughs all to herself. She could not keep them in. She was
only four years old, so you may suppose she could not look very grave
and stiff on such a delightful occasion.

When Willy saw his little cousin Sarah