ThinkabaraIn a quiet backyard stood a snowman named Button. He had a carrot nose, a red scarf, and two shiny buttons for eyes. Button loved watching the house, where lights twinkled in the windows.
“What is Christmas like inside?” he wondered. “I see a tree full of lights, and people laughing, but I can never go in. Snowmen and warm houses don’t mix.”
A little girl named Ava heard him — at least, she thought she did. She pressed her nose to the window and waved. Button felt his snowy heart glow.
That evening, Ava came outside in her coat and boots. She hung a tiny ornament on Button’s scarf. She put a small paper star on his head. Then she brought out a little plastic tree and set it right next to him.
“Now you have Christmas too,” Ava said. She sang him a carol, her breath making little clouds in the cold air. Button had never heard anything so beautiful.
When Ava went inside to sleep, Button looked up. Far above, he saw a sleigh pulled by reindeer, sliding across the stars. Santa waved down at him and winked.
In the morning, Ava ran to the window. Next to Button stood a brand-new snow-bunny and a snow-puppy, as if someone had come in the night to keep him company. Button smiled the biggest snowman smile there ever was.
Because Christmas, Button learned, isn’t a place you go inside. It’s the warm feeling when someone thinks of you. Good night, Button. Good night, Ava. Merry Christmas.