Jolly Jingle

That wasn't Mrs. Thompson's voice nor her mother back from shopping. Sandy turned around slowly. There stood a tiny little man.

It was the first day of Christmas Vacation and Sandy was bored. There was no snow for sledding, making snow angels, or building snowmen. No ice for skating on, either. Mom was shopping and old Mrs. Thompson was supposed to be babysitting, she mostly took naps. At six years old, Sandy thought she was too old for a babysitter anyway, but it would have been nice to have someone to talk to. Sandy lived in the country with no nearby neighbors.

Sandy tried reading, but she just couldn't concentrate. Her toys held no appeal.

“What are you doing?”

That wasn't Mrs. Thompson's voice nor her mother back from shopping. Sandy turned around slowly. There stood a tiny little man.

“Who are you?” Sandy demanded.

“Jolly Jingle at your service, Little Miss,” he answered, doffing his tiny green cap, making it jingle.

“Where did you come from and why are you so little?”Sandy asked.

“I came from the North Pole, Special Reindeer Delivery from Santa, and I'm an elf,” he informed her.

“From Santa! But why did Santa send you?” Sandy wondered.

“You were so lonely, Santa sent me to play with you, and I can also report back to Santa as to which list you belong on,” Jolly replied.

“Oh, you mean the Naughty or Nice List?” Sandy worried.

“Yes, that's the one,” Jolly agreed. “So do you want to play Hide And Seek?”

“Sure, I'll count and you hide! Five, ten, fifteen, twenty, twenty-five, thirty, thirty-five, forty, forty-five, fifty...” Sandy droned on “Ready or not, here I come!”

She went in search of Jolly. Sandy looked in the closet, under the bed, behind the couch, even in the kitchen, but she couldn't find Jolly anywhere. She stood in the living room wondering just where he could be when she heard giggling close by.

“Where are you, Jolly? Come out, I give up,” Sandy said in frustration.

All of a sudden Jolly appeared right next to Sandy.

“Silly, I was right here beside you all the time,” Jolly laughed.

“But that isn't fair, you were invisible!” She complained.

“Well, that is how Elf Hide And Seek is played,” Jolly insisted, “You'd better not pout, I'll tell Santa you are a sore loser.”

“So, do you have any other magical abilities?” she asked.

“Well, if I snap my fingers, I can summon Jack Frost and the North Wind to make it snow,” he said with a click of his fingers.

Sandy ran to the window. Sure enough, it was snowing outside! The wind swirled the snow around, soon the ground was covered.

“Ready to go outside and play?” Jolly asked.

“I have to ask Mrs. Thompson first,” Sandy told him, hoping to assure her spot on the “Good List.”

Mrs. Thompson was sound asleep in the recliner, so Sandy wrote a note telling her she would be outside playing. Sandy put on snow-pants, coat, boots, scarf, hat, and mittens.

“Aren't you going to put on your winter clothes, Jolly?”

“Oh, I don't get cold, I live at the North Pole, remember,” Jolly said matter-of-factly.

They played outside, making snow angels and snowmen, and sliding down the small hill out back until Sandy's fingers and toes were frozen. They burst inside, rosy-cheeked, stomping snow off their feet.

“Did you have fun, Sandy? I've got some hot cocoa to warm you up,” Mrs. Thompson offered.

“Jolly and I had so much fun!” Sandy gushed.

“Jolly?” asked Mrs. Thompson quizzically.

“The elf,” Sandy said turning to find that she was now alone, no Jolly Jingle in sight.

“I love your imagination, Sandy,” Mrs. Thompson replied with a laugh.

Sandy played with Jolly Jingle a few more times that Christmas, but the adults could never see him. On Christmas Eve Jolly left without saying goodbye, but he made sure Sandy was on the “Good List.” When Christmas Day arrived there were plenty of gifts for Sandy under the tree.

Jolly would return at Christmas time for a couple more years, and they would have loads of fun together. Sadly, the year Sandy turned ten Jolly didn't return. Sandy was so busy with her new friends that she hardly noticed. When she did stop and think about Jolly it was with fond memories of a lonely little girl's first playmate.

Years later, Sandy's daughter, Samantha, told her mother about her own elf playmate.

“Is his name, Jolly Jingle?” Sandy asked with a smile on her lips.

“How did you know?” asked a surprised Samantha.

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