GROWING UP
Christmas Court
Christmas Family Court is now in session
This story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this production are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased) or places, is intended or should be inferred.
JUDGE: All right, Johnny, let’s hear your side of the story.
JOHNNY: Well you know how Sister Sue has been a real pain, and…
JUDGE: Johnny, Sister Sue’s conduct is irrelevant. It’s Christmas morning.
JOHNNY: But she’s been terrible.
JUDGE: And you’ve also been less than perfect, but you haven’t been sold into slavery. Yet. Now tell us how all this happened.
JOHNNY: Well I found it this fall down by the tracks.
JUDGE: The tracks! You know that the tracks are off-limits to you.
JOHNNY: I was just riding by on my bike. Honest. And I didn’t go onto the tracks. And I was only there for a minute.
JUDGE: Uh-huh. And you’ve been planning this for how long? Oh never mind. Go on.
JOHNNY: So I picked it up and brought it home.
JUDGE: And where did you put it?
JOHNNY: I lashed it to the rack on the back of my bike.
JUDGE: No! Where did it go when you got it home?
JOHNNY: Under my bed.
JUDGE: So you brought that dirty thing into the house and put it under your bed.
JOHNNY: Yeah, but it really wasn’t dirty. Kinda shiny.
JUDGE: You don’t think soot or dirt from the tracks would rub off of it?
JOHNNY: It was fine. No mess at all.
JUDGE: You really need to clean your room more often. But go on.
JOHNNY: I wrapped it with leftover paper I found in the basement. Just scraps. I didn’t use any new paper.
JUDGE: How noble. But please tell me how it got into your sister’s stocking.
JOHNNY: Well I went to bed when I was told, but I woke up in the middle of the night.
JUDGE: Go on.
JOHNNY: I fished the package out from under my bed and went downstairs. I stepped over the squeaky step so no one would hear me. Then I emptied Sue’s stocking, put it in the bottom, and filled it back up.
JUDGE: Anything more?
JOHNNY: No, that’s all. I went back to bed. This morning I just waited and watched while Sue emptied her stocking.
JUDGE: And when she got the bottom?
JOHNNY: She found a surprise.
JUDGE: Do you think it was a nice surprise to find a lump of coal at the bottom of her stocking?
JOHNNY: Well, maybe not really nice, but…
JUDGE: No buts about it. It wasn’t very nice.
JOHNNY: But Sue has not been very nice either!
JUDGE: That’s not the point. Sue is your sister and you need to be nice to her. Now give your sister a big hug and tell her you’re sorry.
JOHNNY: Awww, Mom…
JUDGE: Do it! And do it like you mean it, so we can get on with Christmas. Be very thankful that’s all you have to do.
JOHNNY: God bless us, every one.
JUDGE: That’ll be enough out of you.
Merry Christmas or whatever happy celebration floats your boat this holiday season!
And just in case you’ve forgotten:
And old news:
