Little House on the Prairie – Santa Claus

By Laura Ingalls Wilder

Illustrations by Garth Williams

This edition published in 1953

Picture two young girls on Christmas Eve.  See the disappointment in their eyes because the creek is flooded and they realize Santa Claus won’t be able to get to their house.  Still, they know they are lucky little girls to be in their warm house with Pa and Ma with a turkey dinner to look forward to.  

Imagine their delight and surprise when through the door bursts Mr. Edwards, their closest neighbor, soaking wet and shivering after making his way through the swollen creek, just so he can bring two little girls their gifts from Santa.  Santa, he claims, is too old and fat to cross the creek.  After running into Santa in town,  young, spry Mr. Edwards offered to deliver the gifts himself.  Pa and Ma understand the risk their neighbor took, but Mary and Laura are just overcome with delight.

And what are the gifts?

“Something was shining bright in the top of Laura’s stocking.  She squealed and jumped out of bed.  So did Mary, but Laura beat her to the fireplace.  And the shining thing was a glittering new tin cup.

Mary had one exactly like it.

These new tin cups were their very own.  Now they each had a cup      

to drink out of of."

That wasn’t all, though.  Each girl also found a candy cane and little cake made of white flour with actual white sugar sprinkled on top.

“Laura and Mary never would have looked into their stockings again.  The cups and the cakes and the candy were almost too much.  They were too happy to speak.  But Ma asked if they were sure the stockings were empty.

Then they put their arms down inside them, to make sure.

And in the very toe of each stocking was a shining bright, new penny!  They had never even thought of such a thing as having a penny.”

This chapter from Little House on the Prairie has long been my favorite Christmas story. (Besides the original Christmas story, of course!)

When I was very young, I was astonished at how thrilled Mary and Laura were to receive what I saw as very humble gifts.  Reading Laura Ingalls Wilder’s account of her Christmas memories was the first time I remember realizing how very little some people had, and still have, as far as material goods. 

What impressed me was not only their utter joy at receiving, but also their spirit of thankfulness.  As I go about my preparations for a modern American suburban Christmas, I need to keep this long ago Prairie Christmas in mind!