Quickly, before you read:

For English class, we were all assigned to write a Christmas story and read it aloud for the class. After several weeks of hard work, this is what I ended up with. The reason I made the main character in fourth grade was because this story was supposed to be for six to ten-year-olds.

Well, now that that's over with, enjoy this Christmas oneshot and thanks for reading!


"Children," called Miss Brown. "Settle down now. Class is starting."

The twenty-two children of Miss Brown's fourth grade class settled noisily into their desks. Aiden Mercer flopped into his desk in the front row, sending pencils and papers and who-knows-what else scattering onto the floor.

"To get into the spirit of Christmas, I thought I'd play some holiday music while you complete your seatwork," Miss Brown suggested, passing out the day's assignments.

Aiden didn't bother to raise his hand. "Do we have to? I—I don't really like Christmas music."

The rest of his class gaped at him in disbelief.

"Actually," continued Aiden, "I don't really like Christmas at all. I just want the presents." Howls of shock and protest burst out from his classmates.

"How can you not like Christmas?!" exclaimed Olivia, a girl with two long black pigtails that swished whenever she turned her head.

"I dunno," he shrugged. "Just... pointless songs, spending money... and alleged list of names by some dude named Santa called the Naughty List—"

"You're on the Naughty List!" yelled a girl named Valerie, who was sitting in a seat several rows behind him.

"Class!" Miss Brown diverted their attention away from Aiden. "I know you're excited about Christmas break, but right now you need to focus on your classwork. You only have one more hour, and then you guys are free for two weeks."

"Well, Aiden's not excited for the break!" another student shouted. "Didn't you hear him? He doesn't have any Christmas spirit!" The class broke out into another round of yelling.

Miss Brown dropped her head into her hands. "One more hour," she told herself. "Only one more hour."


Finally, the school bell rang. Aiden dashed out of the class without being dismissed, and jumped on the school bus, only to realize that he had left his lunchbox at his desk inside.

"Excuse me! Hey! Old Mr. Bus Driver Dude! Yeah, you. I forgot something. Can you let me off?"

Old Mr. Bus Driver Dude (who was in fact no older than thirty-six) sighed, and with a shake of his head he opened the doors. Aiden clambered over the many legs and feet of the rowdy fifth graders who sat at the front, and eventually managed to exit.

Aiden had only made it to the front steps of the school when one of his best friends, Maya, came rushing out. "Here's your lunchbox!" She tossed it at him as she ran the other direction. "Race you to the park!"

He caught the flying bag in midair and chased after her. "I'm gonna beat you!" he exclaimed, pulling off his jacket, the one with a picture of a lion's face on the back. He carried over his shoulder as he chased after her.

The cool winter wind ruffled Aiden's shaggy brown hair and made his eyes water as it rushed by his face. His shoes thumped on the pavement rhythmically and his bookbag slapped against his back as he followed Maya, who was already a good thirty feet ahead of him.

The two finally reached Porter's Park, an open field of grass with a few picnic tables and benches scattered here and there. A cluster of birch trees sat off in a clump to one side next to the shimmering blue lake. The rest of the park was covered in rolling green hills that were very fun to slide down on a piece of cardboard. In short, it was a very good place to go and relax after school to get away from the commotion and noise of the city.

Maya reached a stone bench by the lake and set her bags down. Aiden caught up and flopped onto the seat. "You got faster!" he panted, still trying to catch his breath.

"Yeah, well." She took a seat next to him.. "I've been practicing." But then her brown eyes turned serious. "But for real, back at school, why'd you say you hate Christmas?"

He shrugged. "Well, I wasn't gonna lie."

Maya looked crestfallen. "You really mean that? You should enjoy it while you—never mind." She looked away, not meeting his gaze. "Well, anyway, I have to tell you something."

"Yeah?" Aiden leaned across the table, staring into Maya's golden-brown eyes.

She took a deep breath. My mom got laid off from her job at work two weeks ago. She just told me this morning... and now she says we won't be able to celebrate Christmas since we have to save our money." Maya paused, still looking away. "I was going to get you a Christmas present... but, uh... next year."

Aiden (who wasn't that great at being sympathetical) just shrugged. "Oh. That's all?"

Maya stood up. "You—you don't care?" Slinging her bags over her shoulder, she turned to leave, obviously hurt. "I thought that at least you, my best friend, would understand. But no, Mr. I Don't Care About Christmas is too good to be bothered by something upsetting someone else. But you—augh!" She shook her head and started walking away.

"No, Maya, don't—Maya!" Aiden called in a feeble attempt to keep her from leaving. Maya ignored him, speeding up until she boarded one of the city buses.

Aiden watched her storm off. Once she had gone, he sighed and headed home. He didn't feel like sitting by himself.


Aiden trudged almost a full mile home with three heavy bags, and in the snow that had started falling. By the time he reached his street, the wind had started blowing quite furiously and snowflakes flying into his eyes. Needless to say, it was not a pleasant experience.

"Mom, I'm home," Aiden said, closing the back door. He hoped his mother would be too busy in her office to come out and chat. He didn't want to talk to anyone else for the time being. He might mess that up, too.

"Lock the door!" was the only response he received. He could picture his mom in the study, typing away on her laptop with the cordless phone and a cup of coffee from that morning. Friday afternoons always seemed the busiest for her.

Aiden stomped upstairs, dumping his bookbag and all its contents by the fireplace, which was adorned with stockings and tinsel and a few colored lights.

Throwing himself onto the wrinkled bedspread, Aiden spread out and took up all the room his twin-sized bed would offer. He grabbed a yellow-and-green blanket that was hanging onto the floor and threw it over his head.

He had really upset Maya, he knew that. But how was he supposed know that she would fly off the handle at a simple shrug? He was a boy; boys didn't have nearly as many emotional triggers as girls. Probably. But anyway, it wasn't his fault!

He lay under the covers for a long time, until he eventually heard his mother begin to pull pots and pans out of the cabinets and make dinner. Aiden finally trudged downstairs just as his father's car came to a stop in the driveway. "Hey, Dad," he sighed, taking a stack of papers from his father and setting them on the hall table.

"Aiden! Hey, buddy." Aiden's dad ruffled his son's hair. "Where's your mom?"

"Cooking, I think."

"Well, let me get changed out of my work clothes and I'll be back down here in a minute." His father set his briefcase on the floor and went the master bedroom, returning a few minutes later in jeans and a long-sleeve green t-shirt. "I'm gonna help your mom finish fixing dinner, so run back up to your room for now."

Aiden did as told, and half-heartedly tried to put a five hundred piece jigsaw puzzle of a fire truck together until his parents called him back down for supper.

"I heard Ms. Stewart, Maya's mom, was laid off from her job," Aiden's mother said conversationally, carrying a plate of steaming hot broccoli to the table when her husband and son sat.

"Too bad," sighed his father. "I wonder how they're going to pay the rent for their apartment. I've heard the prices were raised for the entire city this month."

Aiden pushed a spoonful of mashed potatoes around his plate with a fork. "Maya said they can't have Christmas because they have to save their money."

"That's terrible!" exclaimed his mom with an expression of pity on her face.

"Maya's mad at me," he continued, "Because when she told me, she said that I wasn't concerned enough."

His parents exchanged glances. "Well, honey, were you concerned?" his mom asked, buttering a bread roll.

"Well... I mean... Christmas isn't such a big deal for us, so I didn't really care..."

"But is it a big deal to Maya?" his dad gently prodded.

"Yeah, I—I guess. Then when I didn't say anything, she got mad at me and left!"

His mother put down her fork. "Did you ever think about how she might feel? You know how much the Stewarts love celebrating Christmas. It's the only time they can enjoy going all out with worrying about money or bills."

Aiden shook his head. He needed to find some way to apologize to Maya for being so insensitive. Trouble was, there wasn't any school for the next two weeks, until January sixth. He'd have to walk over to her apartment the next day.


Aiden retreated upstairs after dinner, and once again flopped on his bed, this time even more depressedly than the first time. What could he do to make it up to Maya? Ideas flew through his head, but none of them were any good.

"Why do girls have to be so complicated?" he groaned into his pillow.

Suddenly, he was struck with an idea. He could—yes, that'd be perfect! The gears in his brain started turning furiously. Surely this would help him make amends with his best friend.


Bundled up in a scarf and striped mittens, Aiden walked swiftly to the entrance of Maya's apartment building. The faded structure looked old and run-down, but the boy wasn't worried. He had been here by himself many times before.

He rode the elevator to the fourth floor, where Maya and her mom lived. After taking a wrong turn and ending up at some random grandma's door, he finally reached Apartment 451.

Taking a deep breath, Aiden knocked on the door. "Hello?" he called.

A few seconds passed, and then a tired-looking woman with messy dark hair answered the door. "Aiden. We haven't seen you here in a while. How are you?"

"Hi, Ms. Stewart. I... uh—I need to talk to Maya. Is it all right if I come in for a few minutes?"

"Maya's not feeling well, sweetheart," Ms. Stewart told him. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"No, I really need to see her. To apologize."

"Fine, then," sighed Ms. Stewart. "Hurry, though."

Aiden walked inside, holding his hands behind his back. He didn't want to reveal the surprise yet. It was weird seeing the Stewarts' apartment without decorations. A week or so before the twenty-fifth, Maya and her mom always drove to the nearest Christmas tree farm to pick one out. But instead of the glowing, ornament-covered pine tree, there was just an empty space in front of the window.

Maya was curled up in a chair by the window, staring outside. She had her back to the boy and didn't turn around when Aiden entered. "Uh… hey, Maya," he called tentatively, inching closer to where she sat.

"What do you want?" she sighed, pulling the blanket that was wrapped around her shoulders tighter. "Just go away."

"I—I wanted to say that I'm—that I'm sorry for being so insensitive yesterday." Now she turned toward him. "And… um, I know how much you and your mom love celebrating Christmas, so I brought my money—I have almost one hundred and ten dollars—and I want to give it to you. So you can buy a tree and get a Christmas dinner."

Maya looked at him with wide eyes. "Really?"

"Yeah," he said, bringing his hands in front of him and and holding out the money. She took it from him slowly.

Maya's mom, who had been watching from where she stood at the door, walked over now. "Aiden… are you sure? We—we can't accept this."

"I'm sure. Think of it as a gift. A… Christmas present."

"You don't know how much this means to us," Ms. Stewart said. She went to Aiden and gave him a quick hug. "Thank you."


With Aiden's money, the Stewarts were able to buy a fresh pine tree, which they placed in front of the window next to their fireplace. With the leftover money, Maya and her mother purchased ingredients for a simple meal and invited the Mercers over for a Christmas dinner. Aiden's family happily accepted the invitation.

After the dinner, as Maya and Aiden sat in front of the fire together, Ms. Stewart told Mrs. Mercer what Aiden had done for her and her daughter. It came as a surprise to Aiden's mom, since he hadn't told anyone what he had planned until he had done it.

"You know," Aiden's mom said as she walked toward him, putting an arm around her son, "That was a very honorable thing to do, giving up your money to help another family. I hope you know how proud I am of you."

Looking at the joy on everyone's faces, Aiden knew that he had, at last, discovered the true spirit of Christmas.


Okay, that was all! Again, I had to write this for English class, and that's why some things are a bit different. And please, don't question why certain people are related. I pretty much listed all the characters' names and randomly picked who would be related to who and stuff like that. Anyway, I hope you liked it.

Merry Christmas, guys!