The Christmas Apron — Rachelle Pace Castor

It's nearly Christmas, and the seven children in Millie's family can't wait for Grandma to arrive with her special Christmas apron, newly pressed and filled with generations of holiday memories. According to tradition, each grandchild will carefully write down the gift he or she wants most in the world, and then slip that wish into the apron's frilled pocket. Then, on Christmas morning, those wished-for gifts will be waiting under the tree -- like magic. Little Will wants Lincoln Logs; nine-year-old Grace wants a horse of her very own. Even eleven-year-old Millie, who's too old to believe in magic, has a precious wish in mind -- a pair of silky pink toe shoes.

But one dark evening, Millie overhears a worrisome conversation between her parents: due to wartime shortages, the family can't afford gifts for all the little ones. She pictures the terrible disappointment on her siblings' faces: no toys or games or art supplies to open on Christmas morning (and certainly no horse for Grace!) From that point on, she wrestles with a terrible question: Is she willing to sacrifice her own whole-soul wish so that someone else's can come true? Full of tender emotion and delightful surprise, this story reminds us of the miracles that unfold when we think of others before ourselves.