Tottenville High School - Purple Parrot Yearbook (Staten Island, NY)

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.14 Clwbfnfzad for? It was a cold and bitter night, the snow was falling heavily as a little boy trudged wearily down the street. All around him people were bustling about, finishing their last minute shopping or shouting a greeting to a friend. Over the rush of the crowd could be heard the chimes softly playing: Silent Night, Holy Nightf' letting you know it was Christmas. Yes, Christmas was here at last, and a little boy stopped by a store and looked in through the window at the beautiful, bright new toys. He was imagining himself in a big room, with a Christmas tree, and under the Christmas tree were packages, dozens of packages, all gayly wrapped in shining red ribbon, and on the tag was marked- To Joey on Christmas. Yes, it was fun to dream, dream about a Merry Christmas. His thoughts were suddenly shattered as a gay group came laughing by and shoved little Joey aside. Joey picked himself up. '6Oh how I hate Christmas, he cried with tears running down his face. His mother and father had both been killed in a plane crash three years before and it left little Joey an orphan at the age of six. He thought about the or- phanage from which he had escaped. He didn't like the orphanage, he always though it was a place for children whose parents didn't want them. Ever since he first came to the orphanage, he had hated it. He had never felt at home there and had never made many friends. While he was standing there he felt someone tap him on his shoulder and say, '4Merry Christmas, son. Turning, he saw a man who appeared to be middle-aged. He had on a shabby blue coat, his shoes were badly sodden from the weather, on his head .was a battered hat which looked like it had been worn out several times. Clinging to this arm was a little girl about J oey's age who was dressed as shabbily as the man. As Joey was about to shout at the man and tell him he hated Christmas, he noticed something about the little girl, who now was tugging at the man's arm saying, Who is it Grandpa, who is it? lt is a little boy,', the man replied, Pvc just wished him a Merry Christmas. It was then that Joey realized that the little girl was blind. Ashamed, Joey blurted out a weak Merry Christmas, and as they passed him Joey heard the little girl exclaim with delight about the music and the gay noise all around her. Joey imagined himself in her shoes and shuddered. It seemed in that minute Joey grew up. He had been feeling sorry for himself, never thinking about other people. Now he knew that he was just being selfish. He realized that Christmas was the time of forgetting your sorrows, and to stop running away. Running away wasn't going to solve anything. Christmas was the time to give, not look to receive, and also for making others happy. Well, thought Joey, this is a Merry Christmas after all, and with those thoughts in his mind and a smile on his lips, Joey turned swiftly and marched happily back to the orphanage.