Christmas would soon be here! Seven-year old Marie knew just what she wanted. Marie wanted new figure skates. She loved to skate and her old regular “baby skates” were getting a bit too small. “Mommy, I know what I want for Christmas” exclaimed the excited little girl. “I would like a new pair of figure skates.”

“New skates?” asked the busy young mother. “Well, new skates are expensive, but maybe we could afford plain skates like your old ones.”

Marie frowned. “No, Mommy, I don’t want plain skates. I want figure skates. You know, the kind with the ice-picks on the front of the blades. Then I can poke the toe of my skate into the ice and I can push off from anywhere I like. I can make lovely turns, learn to jump and stop all of a sudden, just like the figure skaters on TV. The boot part must be snowy white and lace up nice and high too.”

“Oh my dear, do you think I have some kind of magic?” Asked Mommy as she finished drying the lunch dishes. “We might afford plain skates, but certainly not fancy, white figure skates.”

Marie sighed and said quietly, “Well, maybe I can ask Santa, then.”

“Maybe”, said the sensible mother, “but Santa isn’t made of money either.”

Things didn’t look promising at all, but Marie did not give up hope.

Christmas was just days away and Marie had done all she could think of to make her wish come true. She had written a polite letter to Santa describing the skates she so dearly wished to receive. She was especially good and was careful to mind when Mommy wanted her to do things. Most of all, Marie wished and hoped as hard as she could. She hoped and wished for those beautiful, white figure skates with the ice-picks on the toes.

By Christmas Eve, Marie was pretty sure she had done everything she could.

Mommy had warned her to not get her hopes too high, but Marie had faith. “Santa will find a way” she thought. There was something magical about Christmas and the little girl felt the spirit of Christmas all around her as she burrowed down in her warm bed and went to sleep.

In a wink and a blink, Christmas morning was here and Marie joined her family in the living room. Santa had been there and there were lots of nice things under the tree.

Pretty soon, the gifts were all opened, but there was no parcel with skates of any sort. Marie sighed and felt a tear welling up in her eye.

“What’s this?” Exclaimed Mommy as she looked behind the sofa. “There’s something back here!” She pulled the parcel out and looked at the tag. “Why, it’s for you, Marie!”

Marie tore off the wrapping and opened the box. She folded back the tissue paper, and nestled inside the box were the most beautiful, white figure skates you ever saw. They were exactly the skates for which Marie had wished and hoped so hard.

Marie’s mother sat quietly on the sofa and smiled softly as she watched her little daughter lovingly stroke the beautiful new skates. This was Marie’s most magical Christmas, ever.

The End