A Little Christmas Story

In 2014, author Kate DiCamillo (The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane) shared this memorable holiday story on Facebook. We hope that you enjoy her beautiful words and that your holiday season is filled with magical moments, imagination, and discovery.


A Little Christmas Story
By Kate DiCamillo

It was Christmas Eve everywhere, even in the barn, especially in the barn, where there were three geese, three cows, a horse, a goat and one mouse—all sleeping. From a very long way away, a bell tolled once, twice, three times. And then four times, five times, six times, all the way to twelve.

The mouse woke up.

The door to the barn opened and a small girl walked in carrying a lantern. She held up the light as high as she was able. Her shadow trembled on the wall.

“Merry Christmas,” she said to the geese and the cows and the horse and the goat and the mouse. The mouse crawled out of the hay. He looked at the world beyond the open barn door. He could see stars in the indigo sky and smoke from the chimney of the house nearby.

“There is a boy at school named Alton Tromble and he said that on Christmas Eve at midnight, all the animals can talk,” said the girl.

The geese looked nervous. They made clucking noises. The horse shook his head and looked away. So did the goat. The cows were asleep even though they were standing up. Cows slept through most things.

The mouse scurried across the barn floor. He stood on his hind legs and opened his mouth. He spoke three words. His voice was high and sweet.

The geese clucked disapprovingly. The horse whinnied. The cows slept.

Outside, stars were falling from the sky, one after the other. The mouse had never known that there were so many stars.

“Oh,” said the girl. She bent to the mouse. “Say it again,” she said.

But the magic had already passed.

All of this was a long time ago.

But it happened, didn’t it?

Didn’t it?

It did.

And what were the three words that the mouse spoke?

They were: hope, joy, love.