ThinkabaraLily wanted to give her grandma the best Christmas present ever. But Lily only had three dollars and a handful of buttons in her piggy bank.
At the store, everything was too expensive: the fancy scarf, the shiny necklace, the big box of chocolates. Lily walked home feeling very small.
That evening, she sat at the kitchen table and thought. What did Grandma love most? Grandma loved stories. Grandma loved Lily’s drawings. And Grandma loved when Lily sang to her on the phone.
So Lily made a little book. On every page she drew a memory: Grandma teaching her to bake pie. Grandma and Lily feeding ducks at the pond. Grandma reading under a blanket with a flashlight.
On the last page, she wrote: “This coupon is good for one song, any time you want. Just call.” She tied the book with a red ribbon from her own hair.
On Christmas morning, Grandma opened the bright boxes from everyone else first. Then she opened Lily’s little book. She turned the pages slowly. And at the last page, Grandma’s eyes filled with happy tears.
“I’d like to use my coupon right now,” Grandma said. So Lily climbed into her lap and sang “Silent Night” as quietly and as beautifully as she could. The whole room went still to listen.
Later, Grandma said it was the best present she had ever received. Because the quietest gifts — the ones made with love — are often the loudest in our hearts. Merry Christmas, and sweet dreams.