This story originally appeared in 2019, when Hanukkah started later in the month. (Unlike Christmas, which is always on December 25th, Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights, moves around on the calendar. This year Hanukkah started at sundown on December 14th and ended on December 22nd.)
Mandy turned the last page while Charlotte and Mariah held the book.
"Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!" Mandy read. and they closed the book.
The dolls all thought about the story.
Suddenly, the dolls all gazed at the ceiling. "What was that?" Billy asked.
"It sounds like someone on the roof!" Jolena said.
The dolls listened.
"It can't be Santa," Mariah said. "We're all still awake."
"Yes," agreed Mandy, "and even the mouse is still stirring."
They all thought about that with their little imaginary doll brains, while Mandy petted the mouse.
"Do we count as creatures, though?" Veronika asked.
"We're dolls, after all," she pointed out, "not people, and the mouse is a cat toy."
The mouse, or cat toy, or whatever he was, wiggled in Mandy's hand. He was definitely stirring.
"Maybe we could peek down from the stairs," Charlotte suggested in a whisper.
They all nodded in agreement. They got up and crept down the stairs. Charlotte went first, since it was her idea. It was almost dark downstairs, but the lights on the Christmas tree were bright enough that they could see. The dolls peeked between the spokes on the bannister.
As a group, the dolls tiptoed...well, they didn't tiptoe, exactly, because their toes don't bend. They went quietly down the stairs so they could see better. They saw the tree in the corner windows, but no one was there.
They heard humming.
"It sounds like 'Jingle Bells,'" whispered Charlotte.
The other dolls thought it did sound like "Jingle Bells." They wanted to hum along. Then they heard what sounded like paper rattling.
"It sounds like someone is putting presents into stockings," Mariah said.
The other dolls agreed, it did sound like someone putting packages into stockings. The sound was coming from down the hall. They listened.
Then they tiptoed...well, walked quietly down the hall to the family room. Then they stopped and looked.
The stockings were all lying on the hearth in front of the fireplace instead of hanging from the mantle, where they had been when the dolls went upstairs, and now they were stuffed full! It must have been Santa, but no one was there!
"The stockings must be too heavy for hanging now," Mandy said.
All the dolls heard bells jingling and a snapping sound from over their heads.
"That was his whip," Mandy said. "He snaps it over the heads of his reindeer, so they know it's time to take off," she explained.
Then they heard a scrunching sound from the roof. "Sleigh runners," Billy said. "My sled sounds like that."
Then they heard a deep voice saying, "Merry Christmas to dolls and to dolls a goodnight!"
"He knew we were up!" Mariah exclaimed.
"Well, we should go to bed now," Veronika suggested. "We have to set a good example for real girls and boys." She made little shooing motions with her hands.
The dolls went upstairs and got into bed.
"One thing I don't understand," Emil said as he and Billy got into bed. "We have a gas fireplace, and it was lit. How did Santa get in and out?" He had read that Santa comes down the chimney. How could he do that with the fire lit?
"I guess Santa knows how to solve problems like that," Billy said. "Some people don't even have fireplaces, but Santa still comes. I guess it's what you call a miracle (MEER-uh-kul)."
In the girls room, Charlotte put on her sleep mask and got ready to go to sleep. She was tying the ribbon on her sleep mask at the back of her head, when she heard a voice in her head.
"Happy Hanukkah, Charlotte," the voice said, and then, "Happy Hanukkah, Emil!"
It was Santa's voice! Charlotte smiled. She snuggled down in the bed. Tomorrow was Christmas, and tomorrow night would be the first night of Hanukkah! She and Emil would light the Shamus and then the first candle. "Happy Hanukkah, Santa!" she replied. She hoped Emil heard Santa, too.
Charlotte went to sleep dreaming of Hanukkah gelt and playing the dreidel game with her sisters and brothers.
She dreamt about how they would light one more candle each night on the menorah.
Suddenly, the dolls all gazed at the ceiling. "What was that?" Billy asked.
"It sounds like someone on the roof!" Jolena said.
The dolls listened.
"It can't be Santa," Mariah said. "We're all still awake."
"Yes," agreed Mandy, "and even the mouse is still stirring."
They all thought about that with their little imaginary doll brains, while Mandy petted the mouse.
"Do we count as creatures, though?" Veronika asked.
"We're dolls, after all," she pointed out, "not people, and the mouse is a cat toy."
The mouse, or cat toy, or whatever he was, wiggled in Mandy's hand. He was definitely stirring.
"Maybe we could peek down from the stairs," Charlotte suggested in a whisper.
They all nodded in agreement. They got up and crept down the stairs. Charlotte went first, since it was her idea. It was almost dark downstairs, but the lights on the Christmas tree were bright enough that they could see. The dolls peeked between the spokes on the bannister.
As a group, the dolls tiptoed...well, they didn't tiptoe, exactly, because their toes don't bend. They went quietly down the stairs so they could see better. They saw the tree in the corner windows, but no one was there.
They heard humming.
"It sounds like 'Jingle Bells,'" whispered Charlotte.
The other dolls thought it did sound like "Jingle Bells." They wanted to hum along. Then they heard what sounded like paper rattling.
"It sounds like someone is putting presents into stockings," Mariah said.
The other dolls agreed, it did sound like someone putting packages into stockings. The sound was coming from down the hall. They listened.
Then they tiptoed...well, walked quietly down the hall to the family room. Then they stopped and looked.
The stockings were all lying on the hearth in front of the fireplace instead of hanging from the mantle, where they had been when the dolls went upstairs, and now they were stuffed full! It must have been Santa, but no one was there!
"The stockings must be too heavy for hanging now," Mandy said.
All the dolls heard bells jingling and a snapping sound from over their heads.
"That was his whip," Mandy said. "He snaps it over the heads of his reindeer, so they know it's time to take off," she explained.
Then they heard a scrunching sound from the roof. "Sleigh runners," Billy said. "My sled sounds like that."
Then they heard a deep voice saying, "Merry Christmas to dolls and to dolls a goodnight!"
"He knew we were up!" Mariah exclaimed.
"Well, we should go to bed now," Veronika suggested. "We have to set a good example for real girls and boys." She made little shooing motions with her hands.
The dolls went upstairs and got into bed.
"One thing I don't understand," Emil said as he and Billy got into bed. "We have a gas fireplace, and it was lit. How did Santa get in and out?" He had read that Santa comes down the chimney. How could he do that with the fire lit?
"I guess Santa knows how to solve problems like that," Billy said. "Some people don't even have fireplaces, but Santa still comes. I guess it's what you call a miracle (MEER-uh-kul)."
In the girls room, Charlotte put on her sleep mask and got ready to go to sleep. She was tying the ribbon on her sleep mask at the back of her head, when she heard a voice in her head.
"Happy Hanukkah, Charlotte," the voice said, and then, "Happy Hanukkah, Emil!"
It was Santa's voice! Charlotte smiled. She snuggled down in the bed. Tomorrow was Christmas, and tomorrow night would be the first night of Hanukkah! She and Emil would light the Shamus and then the first candle. "Happy Hanukkah, Santa!" she replied. She hoped Emil heard Santa, too.
Charlotte went to sleep dreaming of Hanukkah gelt and playing the dreidel game with her sisters and brothers.
She dreamt about how they would light one more candle each night on the menorah.
They were happy dreams.
The cast of The Doll's Storybook wishes all their readers a very merry Christmas, a happy Hanukkah and a happy Kwanzaa!
If you haven't read the story about Charlotte's Hanukkah celebration, you can read it here. She explains why she lights the candles and tells us all about Hanukkah. (Emil wasn't with us then, so she explained it again for him the next year. Emil had a turn telling the story here.) Hanukkah is a celebration that falls on different dates each year, but Christmas is celebrated at the same time every year. This year Hanukkah and Christmas week come at almost exactly the same time.
Cast--
Veronika: Götz Classic Kidz Vroni
Mandy: Götz Happy Kidz Katie 2015
Jolena: Götz Happy Kidz Lena in Aspen
Charlotte: Götz Happy Kidz Anna in Paris
Mariah: Götz Happy Kidz Mariah, "Chosen" from My Doll Best Friend
Billy: Götz Happy Kidz Lily at London
Emil: Götz Happy Kidz Emilia
Mouse: A cat toy.
The dolls were reading The Night Before Christmas. This year's book is a Random House PICTUREBACK book illustrated by Douglas Corsline. The original story is attributed to Clement C. Moore and has been printed in many variations. You can find out more here.
The cast of The Doll's Storybook wishes all their readers a very merry Christmas, a happy Hanukkah and a happy Kwanzaa!
If you haven't read the story about Charlotte's Hanukkah celebration, you can read it here. She explains why she lights the candles and tells us all about Hanukkah. (Emil wasn't with us then, so she explained it again for him the next year. Emil had a turn telling the story here.) Hanukkah is a celebration that falls on different dates each year, but Christmas is celebrated at the same time every year. This year Hanukkah and Christmas week come at almost exactly the same time.
Cast--
Veronika: Götz Classic Kidz Vroni
Mandy: Götz Happy Kidz Katie 2015
Jolena: Götz Happy Kidz Lena in Aspen
Charlotte: Götz Happy Kidz Anna in Paris
Mariah: Götz Happy Kidz Mariah, "Chosen" from My Doll Best Friend
Billy: Götz Happy Kidz Lily at London
Emil: Götz Happy Kidz Emilia
Mouse: A cat toy.
The dolls were reading The Night Before Christmas. This year's book is a Random House PICTUREBACK book illustrated by Douglas Corsline. The original story is attributed to Clement C. Moore and has been printed in many variations. You can find out more here.
You can follow The Doll's Storybook here.
Do you have questions or comments for us? Would you like to order an autographed copy of one of our books? You can email us at thedollsstorybook@icloud.com.
Note: No dolls were harmed during production of this blog. All dolls shown are Götz Happy Kidz, Classic Kidz or Little Kidz. If you like these stories and are willing, please make a donation of any amount to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital or any organization that supports pediatric cancer research and treatment. We are not affiliated with St. Jude in any way other than these donations.
"The Doll's Storybook" is not affiliated with Gotz Dolls USA Inc. or Götz Puppenmanufaktur International GmbH.
Watch for the next story each Friday afternoon at 1:00 PM Pacific Time.
<a href="https://www.bloglovin.com/blog/19832501/?claim=j3fj3mbb8kt">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>
"The Doll's Storybook" is not affiliated with Gotz Dolls USA Inc. or Götz Puppenmanufaktur International GmbH.
Watch for the next story each Friday afternoon at 1:00 PM Pacific Time.
Do you like our stories? Some of them are available in print:
The stories in Mariah: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are Being Little, Besties and Distraction.
The stories in Emil: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are Best Buds, Getting What You Want and The Boys Cook Dinner.
The stories in Classic Tales Retold: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are Little Green Greatcoat, The Boy Doll Who Cried Wolf and Lost in the Woods.
Our book of poems, Our Favorite Verses: Poems from The Doll's Storybook includes Valentine's Day, Keeping Pets, Back to School, Victor the Vulture, The Week Before Christmas, Insomnia and Veronika's Vocabulary Verses.
The stories in More Classic Tales Retold: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are Welcoming a Stranger, The Rescue, Unmasked, Fuzzy Town––A Play and Sky Blue.
Available now from BookBaby and other booksellers: Billy: Stories from The Doll's Storybook. The Stories in Billy: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are Talking About Boys, Changes, Shhhhh!, Staying After and Money in a Jar.
If you don't get free shipping from Amazon or B&N, buy from the BookBabyBookshop, because 50% of the price goes to St. Jude. Other booksellers pay much less, because the vendor gets a cut. The Writer's author's page at Book Baby is here. Scroll down and click on any of the books that interest you. Find our books at Barbara's Bookstore as well, or ask your library to get them for you.
Note: This blog post was produced on the iPad and the MacBook, using the iPhone for some photos and some photo processing. No other computer was used in any stage of composition or posting, and no Windows were opened, waited for, cleaned or broken. No animals or dolls were harmed during the production of this blog post.
Copyright © 2019, 2024, 2025 by Peggy Stuart
