Winter According to Humphrey (9781101591222) (15 page)

Later in the day, the doorbell rang, and when Mr. Brisbane opened the door—guess who was there
?

It was Ms. Lark! And she was carrying her little keyboard with her.

“Thank you for inviting me,” she said.

“Glad to have you, Mary,” he said.

Before long, Mrs. Brisbane's whole family and Ms. Lark were sitting at the big dining room table. I could see them from the living room.

They ate a delicious-smelling dinner and they talked and laughed a lot.

After dinner, they gathered in the living room. Ms. Lark played some songs called “carols” on her keyboard and everybody sang. I especially enjoyed Ms. Lark's lovely voice.

Oh, they were wonderful songs. I especially liked one about decking the halls with boughs of holly.

“Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la!” everyone sang.

I joined in. “Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la!”

I even heard a “BOING-BOING!”

The humans stopped singing, but Og and I were still fa-la-la-ing.

Mrs. Brisbane heard us and laughed. “Mary, I think our friends Humphrey and Og like your songs,” she said.

Ms. Lark shivered. “They're here
?
” she said. “You know I'm afraid of animals.”

“Things can change,” Mrs. Brisbane said. She motioned to a spot on the couch next to the table we were on. “Why don't you come over here and watch them
?
”

“They're quite entertaining,” Mr. Brisbane said. “Right, Humphrey
?
”

“Right!” I squeaked. If the Brisbanes wanted entertainment, I was the hamster to provide it.

First I climbed up to the tippy-top of my cage. “Watch carefully.” Then I grabbed on to my tree branch and leaped from limb to limb.

“Oh, my!” Ms. Lark said.

Og hopped up and down under his plant. “BOING-BOING-BOING!”

Jenny and Todd laughed and I think I heard Ms. Lark laugh, too.

Not to be outdone, I scurried to my ladder bridge and walked across it to the other side of the cage. I climbed UP-UP-UP. This time, I hung from the top of the cage and made my way to the other side paw over paw.

“Look!” Ms. Lark said. “That's amazing!”

SPLASH! Og made a spectacular dive into the water side of his tank and began to swim.

“Oooh!” Ms. Lark exclaimed.

“Now, you don't think those lovable little animals would hurt you, do you
?
” Mrs. Brisbane said.

“May I hold Humphrey
?
” Jenny asked.

“Yes, but you have to be gentle,” Mrs. Brisbane explained. “He's never bitten anyone so far, but if you move too fast and frighten him, he might.”

Believe me, I wasn't about to bite Jenny!

Mrs. Brisbane showed her how to hold me cupped in one hand and told her to hold her other hand a few inches above my head, like a little roof.

I felt warm and cozy.

“Can I pet him, Aunt Sue
?
” Todd asked.

“Yes, if you stroke his back lightly with your finger,” Mrs. Brisbane told him.

Oooh, that felt so good.

“He's soft,” Todd whispered.

“How about you, Mary
?
” Mrs. Brisbane asked.

“Sure, go ahead!” I squeaked. I wiggled my whiskers to look extra-friendly.

She reached out slowly and rubbed her finger along my back. “Oh, yes, he is soft,” she said. “And he's got such a cute face.”

YES-YES-YES! I had won her over!

Two days ago, she'd been screaming at the sight of me. Now she was my friend.

A new friend really
is
the best gift of all.

After dinner, as everyone ate pie and chatted, Mrs. Brisbane said, “This has been the most perfect Christmas, celebrating with family and good friends. That includes you, Humphrey and Og.”

“Gee whiz, come look out the window!” Mr. Brisbane called out. He'd been peeking through the curtains, but now he opened them wide.

Outside, snow was falling, covering the lawn, the sidewalk and the trees. The Christmas lights twinkled merrily against the falling snow.

“Oh, it's beautiful,” Ms. Lark said.

“A white Christmas!” Jenny shouted. “We can build a snowman. And make snowflake ice cream!”

“Can you see it, Og
?
” I asked my neighbor.

“BOING-BOING!” Og replied.

“You know what it is
?
It's a winter wonderland,” I told him.

I watched the snow and thought of what my friends were doing. Simon spinning his dreidel, Holly helping her grandparents, Sophie setting up the Nativity scene.

Harry was running all over the house with his cousins, while Paul F. ran his train around the tree.

Phoebe was talking on the phone to her parents—I was sure! And I imagined Kelsey was dreaming about dancing in
The Nutcracker.

Thomas was singing carols, while Rosie and her family were eating yummy tamales.

Then there was Joey. He was with his dad. And he was happy.

I was happy, too. Happy to be a classroom pet and to be friends with so many GREAT-GREAT-GREAT humans and one funny frog. That's something I can celebrate every day of the year.

“FA-LA-LA-LA-LA!” I squeaked loudly. “LA-LA-LA-LA!”

HUMPHREY'S WINTER WONDERINGS:
I wonder if I could EVER-EVER-EVER have a better holiday in my life!

Humphrey's Tips for Giving Gifts

 

 

1.
Give someone a gift that they would like, not just something you like. For instance, I would not like a present that smells like stinky fish at all, but Og certainly would!

2.
A handmade gift is always the best . . . unless you lose too much sleep over it.

3.
The best gifts are the kind that can't be wrapped . . . like helping a friend.

4.
Don't tell someone what to give you. Let them surprise you. Surprises are always fun!

5.
The best time to give friends gifts is when they don't expect one.

6.
It is far better to give that to receive. Giving Og a present gave me a HAPPY-HAPPY-HAPPY feeling!

7.
Good things come in small packages . . . like hamsters, for instance.

8.
A friend is a gift you give yourself. So I have lots of unsqueakably wonderful gifts!

9.
A hug is a great gift. One size fits all and it can't be exchanged. (Although we hamsters prefer a soft stroke on the fur.)

10.
If someone gives you a gift, please don't forget to squeak “Thank you!”

 

Click here for more books by this author

For more
Humphrey
adventures, look for

1
The World
According to Humphrey

2
Friendship
According to Humphrey

3
Trouble
According to Humphrey

4
Surprises
According to Humphrey

5
Adventure
According to Humphrey

6
Summer
According to Humphrey

7
School Days
According to Humphrey

8
Mysteries
According to Humphrey