Weisburg,” the coordinator said with a frown. “We call her Callie.”
“I call her ‘iceberg,’” a boy beside them sneered.
“Tommy, that’s not nice,” the coordinator reprimanded.
“But it’s true,” Tommy said. “Callie Weisburg, sits on her iceberg, watching everyone else play. Not even a spider would sit down beside her, because she keeps to herself all day!”
Kristen stiffened at the revised nursery-rhyme insult and narrowed her eyes on the boy. “If you keep saying that, you’ll end up with coal in your stocking this Christmas.”
The coordinator gasped but Kristen didn’t care. She marched straight toward the young girl and sat down beside her.
“Hi Callie, I’m Kristen. Lately, people call me Mrs. Claus.”
Callie lifted her gaze. “Hi.”
“Don’t you want to be in the play?” Kristen asked.
“No,” Callie said, and glanced at the other children. “It’s better if I’m not.”
“How is it better?”
“The other kids don’t think I’m good at anything but homework. The less I’m with them, the less they can mock me and call me names.”
“I know,” Kristen said, and remembered the way she herself had hid away from the other kids at school for the same reason. “It hurts when the other kids think you are different or not good enough to be with them. They gang up on you and make you feel alone. So you keep to yourself and choose to be alone before they can make the choice for you.”
“Have you ever been alone?” Callie asked, shifting her position and looking straight at her.
“I’m alone all the time,” Kristen admitted, “and I discovered something this week.”
“What?” asked the girl.
“I don’t like it.”
Callie was quiet several seconds and then said, “What do we do about it?”
Kristen nodded toward Noah who kept glancing their way. “Do you see that jolly old elf with the white beard and the red suit? No matter what people say about him, he goes out of his way to help people. Even when they don’t deserve it, he greets people, gives gifts, and tries to be a friend. What do you think would happen if we did that?”
Callie looked at Noah, surrounded by the other kids. “Maybe other people would start to like us?”
“Even if only one or two people became our friends, don’t you think that’s better than being alone?”
“I do.” Callie got up off the cold ground and stood up. “Will you be my friend, Kristen?”
“I’d love to, Callie.”
Hand in hand, Kristen and Callie joined the other children. One of the coordinators found Callie an angel costume and placed her in a group with a few other girls. Kristen took a few moments to watch.
One of the girls said something to her new nine year old friend and Callie looked embarrassed. Then Callie said something back and the other girls laughed. Callie laughed too, and one of the girls looped their arm through hers.
“Are those tears I see in your eyes?”
Kristen brushed her eyes with her hand and heat rose into her cheeks as she looked at Noah, watching her. “I - I’m just so happy for her. She’s going to be okay. Happy.”
“What about you?”
All of the sudden Kristen burst into tears. “I want to be happy too. I want friends to talk to and do things with. I want my life to be different. I want to be different.”
Noah pulled the round metal ring out of his pocket and dropped it down the magical Santa string, where it swung back and forth like a holiday necklace. “You are different. You’re beginning to believe in Christmas.”
She dropped her chin. “I don’t want to be alone.”
“You don’t have to be alone anymore, Mrs. Claus. You’ve got me.”
“Thank you, Noah. I’d really like it if we were
“I call her ‘iceberg,’” a boy beside them sneered.
“Tommy, that’s not nice,” the coordinator reprimanded.
“But it’s true,” Tommy said. “Callie Weisburg, sits on her iceberg, watching everyone else play. Not even a spider would sit down beside her, because she keeps to herself all day!”
Kristen stiffened at the revised nursery-rhyme insult and narrowed her eyes on the boy. “If you keep saying that, you’ll end up with coal in your stocking this Christmas.”
The coordinator gasped but Kristen didn’t care. She marched straight toward the young girl and sat down beside her.
“Hi Callie, I’m Kristen. Lately, people call me Mrs. Claus.”
Callie lifted her gaze. “Hi.”
“Don’t you want to be in the play?” Kristen asked.
“No,” Callie said, and glanced at the other children. “It’s better if I’m not.”
“How is it better?”
“The other kids don’t think I’m good at anything but homework. The less I’m with them, the less they can mock me and call me names.”
“I know,” Kristen said, and remembered the way she herself had hid away from the other kids at school for the same reason. “It hurts when the other kids think you are different or not good enough to be with them. They gang up on you and make you feel alone. So you keep to yourself and choose to be alone before they can make the choice for you.”
“Have you ever been alone?” Callie asked, shifting her position and looking straight at her.
“I’m alone all the time,” Kristen admitted, “and I discovered something this week.”
“What?” asked the girl.
“I don’t like it.”
Callie was quiet several seconds and then said, “What do we do about it?”
Kristen nodded toward Noah who kept glancing their way. “Do you see that jolly old elf with the white beard and the red suit? No matter what people say about him, he goes out of his way to help people. Even when they don’t deserve it, he greets people, gives gifts, and tries to be a friend. What do you think would happen if we did that?”
Callie looked at Noah, surrounded by the other kids. “Maybe other people would start to like us?”
“Even if only one or two people became our friends, don’t you think that’s better than being alone?”
“I do.” Callie got up off the cold ground and stood up. “Will you be my friend, Kristen?”
“I’d love to, Callie.”
Hand in hand, Kristen and Callie joined the other children. One of the coordinators found Callie an angel costume and placed her in a group with a few other girls. Kristen took a few moments to watch.
One of the girls said something to her new nine year old friend and Callie looked embarrassed. Then Callie said something back and the other girls laughed. Callie laughed too, and one of the girls looped their arm through hers.
“Are those tears I see in your eyes?”
Kristen brushed her eyes with her hand and heat rose into her cheeks as she looked at Noah, watching her. “I - I’m just so happy for her. She’s going to be okay. Happy.”
“What about you?”
All of the sudden Kristen burst into tears. “I want to be happy too. I want friends to talk to and do things with. I want my life to be different. I want to be different.”
Noah pulled the round metal ring out of his pocket and dropped it down the magical Santa string, where it swung back and forth like a holiday necklace. “You are different. You’re beginning to believe in Christmas.”
She dropped her chin. “I don’t want to be alone.”
“You don’t have to be alone anymore, Mrs. Claus. You’ve got me.”
“Thank you, Noah. I’d really like it if we were
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