A Christmas Without Presents

December 25

Dear Diary,

This morning was definitely not what I expected. When I raced downstairs, the space under our tree was completely empty. A giant winter blizzard hit our town last night, so the delivery truck carrying all our holiday packages got stuck two towns away. At first, I felt a little sting of disappointment, and my little brother, Sam, looked ready to cry. Mom gave us big hugs and said it was totally okay to feel bummed out.

After eating a huge stack of blueberry pancakes, Dad clapped his hands and announced that today was going to be an "Adventure Day." We decided to see how much fun we could have using only what we already had in the house.

First, we raided the recycling bin and found cardboard boxes, paper towel rolls, and old magazines. Sam and I built a miniature bowling alley in the hallway using empty plastic bottles and a tennis ball. We kept score on a paper plate, and Mom won by knocking down nine pins with a crazy backwards roll!

Later in the afternoon, we decided to make secret gifts for each other. I spent an hour drawing a funny comic book for Sam called Super Hamster Saves the World. Dad made Mom a tiny flower vase out of folded foil and colored tape, and Mom wrote coupons for everyone, like "One Free Night Off from Doing the Dishes."

Tonight, the wind is still howling outside, but our living room is warm and bright. We all wrapped up in blankets near the fireplace, drank hot cocoa, and took turns telling the funniest memories we had from this past year. The boxes will probably show up in a few days when the roads are clear, but today turned out to be one of the best days of the whole winter.