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It was a dark and gloomy evening with snow gently drifting to the ground. Alex was peering out his frost-covered window into the Northern Wisconsin wilderness. He caught a glimpse of the Northern Lights through the snow covered trees. His brother Sawyer yelled up to him, telling him to come downstairs which broke his gaze into the distance. Alex turned around to look at his door. He noticed his blank Christmas list on his bedside table. Before he went downstairs, he wrote his one and only Christmas wish. It read, “To have a friend.”

Alex heard his brother stomping up the stairs. Sawyer yelled, “Get downstairs before I make you!” Alex’s heart was pounding. He quickly grabbed the Christmas list and put it in the envelope, but it was too late. His brother grabbed it out of his hand and read it. Sawyer said, “I am your friend and brother, and I always will be; you don’t need to wish for this!” Before Alex could hear him, he was already downstairs getting ready to eat dinner.

After their family ate dinner they all headed to bed. “Tomorrow is Christmas Eve!” his father said excitingly, while laying him down.

“I can’t wait, I hope my wish comes true,” exclaimed Alex. His father knew what his wish was.

“You are my best friend, and you can count on me!” Alex’s father said in a hushed tone. Before Alex could hear him, he had fallen asleep. His father left the room. Alex’s cats, Smokey and Patchy, crawled up by him and went to bed.

Alex woke up the next morning, and slowly got out of bed. He noticed that his cats were gone. They must have left the room while he was sleeping. He ran downstairs and heated up some pizza in the microwave for breakfast. Then he went into his living room and watched Garfield while eating the pizza.

After he was done, he remembered that he had to clean up his Legos in his room before he could go outside. After he finished, he got his gold snowsuit on and played outside for the rest of the day.

Alex’s mother noticed him outside while she was getting ready to deliver Christmas cookies. She yelled out her window, “Come inside and clean up; we have to spread some Christmas cheer!”

Alex relied warmly, “One minute, Mom!”

While they were delivering Christmas cookies, many of the kids from school said, “Hi” to him. His mother said, “Alex, you have more friends than me!” Alex mumbled something back, but his mother couldn’t make out the words.