Harvey smiled and said,�?All right Ethel, but this is one of those things I would prefer that Rabbi Jacob knew nothing about�? We’ll go tomorrow and I’ll get Aaron to help us.�?Ethel smiled happily. She could hardly sleep that night she was so excited!

The next day Harvey, Aaron and Ethel set out early. The drive would take two hours there and back. They all piled into Aaron’s pickup and down the road they went. Aaron knew from years of living with his Mother that once she got an idea no matter how strange it might seem, it was best to just go along without

Protest.

They reached their destination without incident and walked out into the woods. It took them two hours to find a group of spruce trees that looked appropriate and an hour for Ethel to pick the exact perfectly formed tree that she wanted for her friends. The one she picked had a nice straight trunk and was so full you couldn’t see any spaces between the branches. They chopped the tree down and headed home. Harvey found himself thinking that he had enjoyed the day with Ethel and his son. “She really is a dear,�?he thought.

Ethel rang the doorbell at Sophie’s home. Sophie answered the door to find her friend standing on the stoop with the prettiest Christmas tree she had ever seen. �?Merry Christmas Sophie�? Ethel said. Sophie was so touched that her friend had done such a kind thing for her. She knew that Ethel didn’t celebrate Christmas.

Harvey and Aaron brought the tree inside and helped set it up in the tree stand that Sophie ran and got from the closet. With a last quick hug, and smile they left Sophie to decorate the tree. Even Aaron felt happy inside as they left the happy woman.

Christmas arrived and Sophie asked Ethel and Harvey to come by and see the tree decorated and standing proudly in the living room. They agreed and thought how beautiful it was. All the packages had been unwrapped so there was paper and toys strewn everywhere under the tree.

As the friends stood admiring the tree, there came a rustling in the branches. At first they thought it was just a breeze from an open window. But no, there it came again. They were all looking at the tree when Harvey saw something running up and down the trunk. That was where the noise was originating. He crept closer to the tree. And recoiled in shock.

“What is it Harvey?�?Ethel and Sophie asked at the same time. “Come look,�?he said. Ethel looked and began to cry. Sophie looked and screamed! For running up and down the tree trunk was a family of field mice. Merrily they chased one another back and forth, up and down rustling the branches as they did so.

Sophie’s husband grabbed a fire extinguisher and sprayed the tree with a heavy coat of foam. Harvey and he grabbed the tree and threw it out the front door just as the mice flew off the tree and raced across the floor back into the house. For half an hour Harvey and John chased the mice around the house with brooms never quite catching them. At last they gave up and sat down exhausted. Ethel said “I am so sorry, Sophie�? Sophie said “that’s ok, Ethel. There is no way you could have known that that tree had a nest of field mice in it.�?John began to roar with laughter and Sophie said, �?Oh, Ethel, you really made this Christmas one we will never forget! And even Harvey smiled at that observation.

Merry Christmas Everybody

From Ethel