Long ago, on a far-away planet of angels called Cherubia, grass, trees, and flowers constantly covered the world. Summer was everywhere, all year round. It was warm green summer at the top of the world. It was summer at the bottom of the world, and it was summer in-between.

No one knew about winter. They had never seen snow or tasted it on the tips of their tongues. No one had ever seen the delicate pictures that Jack Frost could draw on windows. No one had ever shivered in a fresh, cold wintry breeze. There was only one season and that was summer.

Now, summer can be very messy if left untidied. The grass would grow as high as the trees. The flowers, when they finished blooming, would droop, sadly, on their stems. The falling leaves would settle into dry, dusty heaps on the ground. After a while, summer would look terribly unkempt if someone didn't keep it neat. This is why the resident Angels, of Cherubia, worked so hard. They were the caretakers of the world. They had to clean and tidy, every day, because it was always summer.

Busy Angels dusted and swept in every corner of Cherubia. Unfortunately, the Angels were becoming weary. They had never had vacations from their chores. They barely had time to catch their breaths. One day, Angel Rose-red and Angel Cinnabar slipped away to the seashore for a well-deserved rest. There, they met Angel Kermes and Angel Gingernob . "I am so weary," Rose-red sighed. "The grass grows too fast. I can hardly keep it cut."

As the four Angels sat and talked, they decided to call a meeting of all the world's Angels. "Everyone must be as tired as us," they concluded. "Let's draw up new plans for our working hours."

Before long, there was a great gathering of Angels on the seashore. They all agreed that summer must stop for a short time, each year. They penned their request into a sparkling silver book, and tied it with a gold ribbon. The Master Angel stated, "I shall take this request, to the Boss, upstairs."

The Angels looked at each other, held their breaths, and crossed their wings. After all, the situation was quite fragile. Soon, the Master Angel reappeared, and declared, "Your wish has been granted. At the end of each year, there will not be a summer. All the Angels will stop their work, and do whatever pleases them. The Boss suggested that it might be a wonderful time to celebrate the birthday of His Son."

All the world's Angels jumped for joy. They laughed, and patted each other on their heads. At last, they could rest and dream, or play and have parties. "Hurrah! Hurrah!" They all shouted, and their happy sounds drifted over land and sea like holiday bells. In merry excitement, they flew through space, stopping to dance on every star. When they reached the largest star, they washed and polished it, into diamond brightness. They blew Angel kisses into the heavenly rain barrel. The raindrops puffed up like popcorn, and fell to Cherubia as snow.

The Oldest Angel shied away from the flying and dancing. His wings were stiff and creaky; every time he walked, he stepped on his long white beard. However, he didn't like being left out of the festivities. Besides, he, too, needed a rest from his usual summer chore, which was painting stripes on bumblebees.

He decided to do something very different. In a wink, he fashioned himself a jolly red suit, trimmed in white fur. He donned a red cap, black boots, and buckled a black belt around his stout little tummy. He strutted to and fro, quite proud of himself, then, dear oh dear, tripped on his beard.

The Oldest Angel

"This will never do," he thought, picking himself up and brushing the newly popped snow off his chest. Then, a wonderful idea came to him. He gathered little bits of this and that, left over from summer, and tossed them into a pile.

With a quick snap of his fingers, the summer things magically built themselves into a huge sled.

"I would like it to fly," thought the Oldest Angel. He stood and tapped his finger on his chin as he wondered just how to do that. In an instant, he knew. He chose eight munchmoose (they looked very much like reindeer), from an audience of curious animals that had come to watch, and cast a special spell upon them. He harnessed them to the sled, jumped in and shook the reins, and shouted the magic words. "Ho! Ho! Ho!" Into the sky they flew!

The Oldest Angel was incredibly pleased with himself. He gave everyone a present, wrapped in pretty colored paper. He threw down handfuls of glistening ornaments and tinsel on every green tree he saw. Soon, Cherubia was alive with excitement and gaiety. Beautiful music floated through the air. All the angels, who could cook, prepared delicious feasts, and invited everyone to partake. Most of all, the world's Angels gave thanks to the Boss for allowing them this happy, peaceful time. It brought everyone together, even the ones who had always worked alone. They decided to name this special time; they called it Christmas. They also decided that it would always be for everyone and everything. Best of all, it would always be---forever.

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