The Jewel Collar (6 page)
Authors: Christine Karol Roberts
Tags: #friendship, #adventure, #holiday, #beach, #roses, #sad, #house, #cat, #dog, #christmas, #trees, #tree, #california, #los angeles, #spirit, #snow, #attorney, #sharing, #orange, #gifts, #courthouse, #collar, #lesson, #fountain, #christmas tree, #garden, #moving, #harbor, #dove, #flowers, #squirrel, #puppy, #jewel, #newport, #crickets, #apples, #champion, #duck, #mommy, #popcorn, #beach house, #possum, #aristotle, #feathers, #decorating, #christmas spirit, #move, #lhasa apso, #ari, #mallard, #sparrow, #finch, #maltese, #jewel collar, #train station, #newport harbor, #show dog, #law library, #floral park, #bushes, #share, #orange tree, #paw, #birdhouses, #sunflower seeds, #quack, #garden friends club, #snowfall
Although he still missed his old friends at
the beach house, he and his new friends, Steve the Squirrel, Mr.
& Mrs. Morning Dove, Mama and Papa Finch, Mikey the Mallard,
Pete the Possum, the Sparrow Family and Hannah the Hummingbird and
her children, would have many joyful and happy days in the Floral
Park garden.
On Christmas day, the garden friends always
gathered together to decorate their Christmas tree in the garden.
They decided to call themselves the Garden Friends Club.
They placed each of their jewels on the
Christmas tree, along with the apples, oranges and the strung
popcorn and bright lights that Ari’s Mommy put on the tree. They
also added some feathers. “The jewels will be Ari’s contribution to
our Garden Friends tree.” Steve the Squirrel told them.
“During the year we will share these jewels
as a token of friendship with all of our new friends who come to
live in Ari’s garden.” said Mrs. Morning Dove.
“We will share the jewels so that our new
friends will not be lonely and know that we will always be their
friends.” They promised each other that all of the jewels would be
returned to the Garden Friends tree each and every Christmas
Day.
And then a miracle happened. Snow began to
fall over the garden. The Garden Friends looked with wonder and awe
at the softly falling snow.
The snow glittered in the light. None of them
had ever seen a snowfall in the California garden. Chloe,
Aristotle’s friend from Texas, even made a snowball.
They jumped and played and told each other it
was the very best Christmas ever.
Ari knew that sharing his jewels with his new
garden friends was so much better than keeping them all to himself
and having no friends at all.
The gift of the jewels was truly in the
Christmas spirit. Of all of his gifts, the gift of his new
friendships was the best gift Ari received for Christmas.
That evening, Ari’s Mommy kissed his head and
smiled softly at Ari, who was now fast asleep after a long, happy
Christmas day in the garden with his new friends.
Merry Christmas to My Garden Friends and to
All a Good Night.
