In March 2015, Mr. Elton Moore took office as mayor of the village Evergreen Field. This village has extensions of land planted with different vegetables. In addition, it produces its famous Evergreen cheeses, which are highly valued in nearby towns.
Evergreen Field has had its Christmas traditions established for years. Among the customs they develop for this time of the year are: the lighting of the Christmas tree, the distribution of toys for children, the sack race and the sale of food products made by different families.
That year, the new mayor decided to join the organization of the events. All the inhabitants were astonished with this incredible decision. It was received with total approval. Solidarity is a characteristic that Mr. Moore values in his residents.
Everyone would meet at the Sweet Dreams Hotel party room, provided by its owner, Mr. Adolph Clinton. The meeting was scheduled for Saturday morning at 9:00 am. Everyone arrived punctually. An outline was drawn up for the December schedule of events. The following items were discussed:
Sale of some trees for Christmas
Production of sweets
Preparation of sauces and pickles
Lighting of the Christmas tree
Buying toys for the children
Sale of cheeses
Sack race for adults
Christmas songs every evening in the square
Christmas billboard
-Shall we start with the billboard?- asks Mrs. Helen Hopkins.
-Yes, it seems to me the most logical and immediate thing to do- says Mr. Henry Miller.
-I can take care of it, let's get started, - says Mrs. Lea Green.
-The first thing is to decide which trees to cut down. The first thing to do is to decide which trees to cut down. The ones on the side of the road leading to the city are ready. We had already discussed this with forester Charles Roosvelt. This way we keep our environment in balance,- says Klaus Schimtz.
-Okay, that's the most immediate thing to do. With that money we can buy toys for the children. And the food sales will give us the rest of the things to do. Oh, I forgot, the children believe that, this year, Santa Claus will deliver the toys. Although this has not been done before, I can dress up as Santa,- explains Mr. Miller enthusiastically.
-I think it's an excellent idea. I would be in charge of selecting, buying the toys and delivering them already packed to Santa,- smiles Mr. Maurice Hopkins.
-I'm ready. I'll be in charge of cooking and coordinating with the ladies the food we will sell. The mayor will be in charge of the singing. The tree lighting and the sack race would take place on December 21. So that Christmas Eve is spent with the family. I think it would be convenient to hold the sales events for 15 days, consecutively, before Christmas. In this way, tourists staying at Evergreen Field will get to know our delicacies. All of the programming will be featured daily on the Christmas billboard,- says Mrs. Lea.
-Okay, we're ready. Now let's get to work,- is the voice of Engineer Roosvelt from the back of the room, whose presence went unnoticed.
Everyone went out happily to do the programming. The ladies would select all the ingredients for the culinary preparations. In addition, it occurred to her that the town should be decorated at the beginning of December. An extra job that everyone would appreciate.
Everything went on normally until November, when fatal news reached the village. Most of the inhabitants, from nearby towns, had been left homeless by the storm and the hurricane. There was even talk of people dying in the catastrophic event. The Mayor dares to resort to the generosity that characterizes Evergreen Field. Although he did not believe..... he was able to prove that everything that was said about its inhabitants was true.
The victims arrived from the affected areas and were temporarily housed in the Mayor's Office building. This with the purpose of, later, relocating them in social housing accommodated for those purposes.
As the Christmas season was approaching, the organizers of the events decided to carry out a campaign called Christmas Project. This would consist of collecting donations for the victims. The mayor could not believe it....... The whole town supported the plan. They would hold a meeting in the town square to decide on all the arrangements.
There they resolved to give food and lodging to the few families who accepted. There were many orphaned children. They went to the homes of the families who took them in for Christmas.
The village cafeteria, with the help of the victims themselves, prepared breakfasts that were given to the children every day. In addition, the bakery would give them a snack. During these meetings there was one child who stood out from the rest, Mario. He had lost his parents and was living with his foster parents who died during the storm. Mario was happy to be in company, but he was concerned that he had no family.
During one of these breakfasts, Mr. Jamie walks into the cafeteria and observes the boy. As he had nowhere to sit Mario invited him to his table. So he did. They talked for a long time. Mario, all shy, says to him:
-Sir, if you want, I can be your son, but only temporarily. Later I will be placed somewhere else.
The 25th was the agreed day, in the square, for the delivery of the gifts. All the children lined up to receive them. After opening the gifts ..... Christmas Project had an additional surprise: all the children would take a sleigh ride with Santa Claus. Thus, Christmas Project became part of Evergreen Field's traditions.
CHRISTMAS PROJECT María del Carmen Sánchez Copyright © 2021
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)