The Snowman’s Kindness

One snowy Christmas eve, in a garden outside a little suburban house, there stood a snowman that two young children, called Tom and Janet, had made the day before.

 

It was a very smartly dressed snowman; as smart as any in that street, with a tall black top hat upon its head; a stripy scarf wrapped round its neck; a bright orange carrot for a nose and two black coal lump eyes.

 

But, unlike the other snowmen and snow women round about, it wasn’t pompous or proud and, underneath it frosty exterior it had a very warm heart.

 

It was so kind, in fact, that, when a little robin fluttered down upon its shoulder and told the snowman that its nest had been blown away leaving its chicks without a home, the snowman just said,

 

“Don’t worry little robin. Take my hat and make a nest in that instead”.

 

And then it took off its hat and put it in the branches of a nearby tree for the robin and her children to make a home in and the robin thanked him for his kindness.

 

But then, not long afterwards, a little father rabbit went hopping by, looking quite frantic.

 

“What’s wrong, Mr Rabbit?”, asked the snowman, concerned.

 

The rabbit explained that it’s children were starving but that it couldn’t find any food to give them.

 

Hearing this, the snowman was very sad indeed but then he had an idea.

 

“Don’t worry”, he said, pulling out his carrot nose and handing it to the rabbit, “You can give this carrot to your children”.

 

The rabbit was astonished by the snowman’s kindness and he thanked the snowman and shook his hand as he took the carrot away to feed his children.

 

But then, passing by, the snowman saw a poor little beggar girl who was shivering and cold and, seeing her, a little tear poured from one of his coal lump eyes.

 

“Don’t freeze, little girl”, he said to her, “Take my scarf and wrap it around you and take the coal lumps from my eyes and mouth to build a fire and keep warm”.

 

The poor beggar girl had never known such generosity and she smiled warmly, happily accepting the gifts and thanking the snowman.

 

“Oh, it is nothing”, he said, “I do not feel the cold, so what do I need with a wooly scarf and coal lumps but if you don’t get warmth you might get terribly ill”.

 

And he even wrapped the scarf around her neck before waving good bye to her.

 

Now however, the snowman had no eyes to see with; no mouth to speak with or nose to smell but he could still hear and he heard an odd sort of sound like the tinkling bells of a sleigh and an old man bellowing, “Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas”.

 

And then, suddenly, to his amazement, the snowman regained his sight.

 

He could smell too for someone had placed a new carrot nose at the centre of his face and given him a new mouth of coal lumps to speak with and they had even placed a new smart hat upon his head and a new scarf around his neck.

 

Then, looking to see who his generous benefactor could be he saw a fat, jolly old man with a white beard, dressed in a red and white suit.

 

“Santa Clause”, he exclaimed, recognizing the old man, “Are you here to deliver gifts to children?”.

 

“Yes”, replied Santa, "But I'm here for another reason aswell".

 

Then Santa told the snowman that he had seen the snowman’s kindness as he had been flying overhead in his sleigh.

 

“And you are just the kind of kind person that I want working for me in my workshop in the North pole”, he added, “Helping to bring joy to millions of children around the world”.

 

And, when Santa had delivered his toys to the home of a sleeping Janet and Tom, he took the Snowman back home in his sleigh to work for him in the North Pole and that is where the snowman has lived, happily, ever since.