At two in the afternoon, Grandpa Theodore settled into his favourite plantation chair on the porch. His eyes were fixed on 
the road. Usually, he could doze off anytime, but today, he was wide awake, expectantly waiting for something.
Good news
Not a minute passed, and the postman arrived at Theodore’s doorstep with a letter in hand. Theodore was surprised to see that the letter was from his son, who lived far away in Italy with his wife and children. The letter brought joyful news – his son and his family were coming home for Christmas! Theodore’s heart swelled with excitement and without a moment’s hesitation, he sprang into action.
He launched into a frenzy of activity – cleaning the house, visiting shops to buy supplies and cooking. Since his wife died he had been cooking in this lonely house and he had become quite skilled at it. He lovingly baked a variety of sweets in preparation for his son’s visit.
Reunion
Finally, the big day arrived. Theodore’s son came with his family, filling the house with laughter and happiness. The reunion was a heartwarming moment and they exchanged stories and caught up on each other’s lives. In the days that followed, the grandchildren were overjoyed to spend time with their grandfather, and Theodore was equally delighted to have them around.
They played games together, explored the coconut grove behind their house and created beautiful memories that would last a lifetime. “Grandpa, look” they cried, seeing eagles circling overhead. “Yes, White-bellied sea-eagles,” said Grandpa. “They are after tiny turtle hatchlings, may be”.
At the beach
Grandpa led them to the beach. There were several turtle nests. “These are turtle nests,” he said. “The villagers protect them until the baby turtles hatch.”
“Wow!”
“When you come back next time, you can join to release the baby turtles into the sea.” The grandchildren were thrilled. As night fell the children would gather around Theodore, their eager faces illuminated by the warm glow of the Petromax lamp.
Story time
It had become a daily ritual to listen to their grandfather’s stories. With a twinkle in his eye, he would begin a tale, like the one about The invisible silk robe. The children would be transported to magical worlds. He would then weave another enchanting story that captured their imagination. Grandpa Theodore would continue until their eyes grew heavy with sleep, though he was wide awake, enjoying these moments more than anyone could imagine.
One evening, Theodore pulled down his old, well-worn storybook and, slowly tracing the lines with his forefinger, searched for a tale that best suited his dear grandchildren. “Once upon a time, there was a king…” “No! No! Grand-papa,” the small folk interrupted. “We are sick of stories about kings,” they said. \
“Then what?”
A Santa story
“A Santa Claus story”, they chorused.”
“Well, once upon a time, in a small village, there was a poor man with three daughters whom he loved dearly. However, he was unable to marry them to good husbands as he could not afford their dowries. One day, a kindhearted saint came to the house, and seeing his poverty, decided to help.
One Christmas Eve, the saint secretly dropped a bag of gold down the chimney of the poor man’s house. The bag fell into a stocking that was hung by the fire to warm them. The same happened to the second daughter. The curious father hid himself in a corner of the house, behind some hanging cloths and watched. At midnight, he saw who the generous man was -it was the saint, dropping gold for his daughters.
The man and his daughters were filled with great gratitude. He was finally able to find his daughters
good husbands. The good news about the gifts spread far and wide. Soon, children all over the world started leaving stockings on Christmas Eve in hopes of receiving gifts.
To this day, well-behaved children still receive secret gifts from Santa Claus, a token of his kindness and generosity”. The grandchildren were a good deal excited and went to bed early. Theodore drew a deep sigh of satisfaction. Suddenly, the barking of a dog shattered the silence like a gunshot. When he opened his eyes, he was still sitting in his favourite chair on the porch, but he was alone.
Theodore stood up, shaking his head sadly. He knew that it had been a dream, but it had been a good one. It had given him a chance to spend time with his grandchildren again, even if it was only for a little while. It’s Christmas tomorrow.
Grandpa Theodore becomes Santa
He thought of Santa Claus. At that moment, an idea dawned on him: why not be a grandfather to all these children? A big, happy smile spread across his face. He decided to go to the grocery store and buy all the ingredients for a grand feast. Filled with the spirit of giving, he made a variety of food and sweets. He shared them all with the neighbouring children.
