Well you may not believe this, but it’s the absolute God’s honest truth and I’m not making it up.

      I was there when old Santa’s glitter-matic exploded onto the streets of town last Christmas Eve. I heard the thing just went kaput after one of those elves carrying a stack of boxes 10 feet tall to the wrapping station tripped on the cord of a do-re-mi keyboard. (You know those elves, they are awfully clumsy sometimes, have you seen the shoes they wear? Perfect for traction on snowy fields and trampolines, but not so easy to walk in.)

      Anyway, he toppled right over and you can guess that those boxes just went soaring through the air in every direction. Upwards, downwards, left, right, and upside-down. One landed on the train set, one was lost forever in a jungle of tinsel, one even landed in a freshly baked peppermint pie and one... landed on a workbench. This is the workbench that held the glitter-matic, and it happened to have one loose screw and one loose leg. That thing puffed glitter everywhere! I reckon the elves are STILL busy sweeping to this day.

      Well when the big guy bustled through the door to see what had rose such a clatter, that glitter got caught in the wind and boy did it blow everywhere. Australia, Russia, the Pacific Ocean, and any other place you can imagine. And it blew right into my town, too.

      Now I was very busy, you know, doing the usual preparations for Christmas Day. I had to reread my glorious Christmas list, the one I mailed to Santa SIX MONTHS in advance. (This of course was just the copy I had written for my own personal records.) I had to practice my present-opening facial expressions in the mirror for nearly an hour before I thought they were just right. I had to bring all 32 of my coloring books into my room and collect enough snacks to pass the time during my all-night-long stake out. I’m sure the other kids on my block were doing similar rituals, and you probably did too at one point or another.

      But then, out of nowhere at all, a rattling, something had brushed against my window. I hopped off my stool and walked over to investigate. I pushed my curtains away and snow! Snow, floating all around, dancing, sparkling, swept up on a breeze. It drifted and– Wait. Sparkling? Snow is sometimes like magic, sure, but has it always sparkled like this? Has snow always glimmered like diamonds in the glow of the street lights. Strange thoughts were forming in my head... no, this couldn't be snow.

      Well, without wasting a moment more, I threw that curtain shut, grabbed for my jacket, leaped down the staircase, and whipped around the turn in the banister and onto the floor with a thunk. Boots, boots, boots, slippers! They’ll do. I could hardly open the door quick enough (and I sure had no time to shut it). I stumbled out into the yard and gazed up at the clear night sky.

      Everything was quiet. The wind rushed through my unbuttoned jacket and swept my hair up. And I just closed my eyes for a moment and let it. Above me swirled a cloud of Christmas glitter. The light of the stars bounced around making it all look like rainbows.

      And then I felt my mother’s hand on my shoulder. My father, he was there, too. And well, by this time, the neighbors and all of their families had come out to see, also. There we all stood, amazed and staring up at the beauty around us. And there’s a lot out there. But  like I say, I know you may not believe it, but sometimes I still see a little Christmas glitter floating around. It might be New Years, or Labor Day, or just on a Tuesday when I get home from school. And you know, there’s just so much gosh-darn glitter that I don’t know if they’ll ever be able to clean it all up. And that's my most favorite part of all.