It was Christmas Eve. When everyone went to bed, Bunny couldn't fall asleep. He still couldn't think of what he wanted as a special Christmas present. He wondered how Santa — Father Christmas would know what to bring him if he didn't know himself.

    As he was sitting up in bed, Bunny heard a big noise on the roof and a sound downstairs. It was Santa Claus, he realized. Bunny jumped out of bed and ran down the hall to the stairs. He hoped to take a look at the old m an before Santa left for his next stop.

    By the time Bunny was at the bottom of the stairs, everything was silent again. Lots of presents were put under the Christmas tree, but Santa was gone. A little disappointed(失望的), Bunny turned to climb back upstairs when he heard a cry.

    “Hello,” said Bunny. “Is somebody there?”

    He was answered by another cry. Bunny looked around the big pile of presents to see what was making the noise. Right under the tree was a funny looking brown animal with big feet and sad eyes. It also had antlers(鹿角) on its head. Bunny almost mistook it for a dog.

  “Are you a reindeer（驯鹿）?” asked Bunny.

  “Yes,” replied the brown animal with antlers. “My name is Ralph.”

  “And you were pulling Santa's sled(雪橇)?”

   “I was until I got air-sick,” replied Ralph. “Santa had to leave me here and go on with the other seven reindeer.”

   “Isn't it a bit unusual for a reindeer to get air-sick? I mean, isn't flying what reindeer are famous for?”

   “Not me, I'm afraid. It makes me frightened. I always feel sick when it comes to flying,” replied Ralph. “But everyone wanted me to pull Santa's sled, so when it was my turn I gave it a try. I'm afraid I just wasn't cut out for the job. Now I'm trapped here and I don't know how to get back to the North Pole .”

“Well, if you like, you can stay with us as a friend,” said Bunny. As he made the offer, Bunny suddenly realized the special present he wanted from Santa was a new friend!

    It was Tom's birthday, and he was five years old. He got quite a lot of presents from his family. His grandpa gave him a beautiful big drum(鼓). Of all the presents, Tom liked his drum best. He made terrible noise with it, but his mother didn't mind. His father was working in the daytime and Tom was in bed when he got home in the evening. So he didn't hear the noise. But one of his neighbors didn't like the noise. So one morning she took a knife and went to Tom's house when he was hitting his drum. She said to him, “Hello, Tom, do you know there is something very nice inside your drum? Here is a knife. Open the drum and let's find it.”

    Once upon a time, the colors in the world started to argue. All thought they were the most important and useful.

    Green said, "I'm the symbol of life and hope. I was chosen for grass, trees and leaves. Look around and you will see me everywhere."

    Blue followed, "You only consider the earth, but look at the sky and the sea."

    Yellow smiled, "I bring hope and warmth into the world. Look at the color of the sun and the moon."

    Orange continued, "I'm the color of joy. My beauty is so fantastic that no one can think of you at sunrise or sunset."

    Red shouted out, "I'm the ruler of you. I'm the color of life and live. So nobody can take my place." Purple stood up, "I'm the color of power. People never question me! They just listen and follow."

    Finally, indigo(靛青色) spoke slowly. "I stand for thought and reflection(反省).Yet all of you just need them."

    Suddenly, the sky became dark and rain started to pour down. The colors all gathered(聚集) in fear. Rain began to speak, "Join hands and come to me."

    The colors did as they were told. Rain added, "Don't you know you each are made for a certain purpose? When it rains, appear together to show that you can all live in peace. The rainbow(彩虹) is the color of your friendship."

    Kathy could still remember the night she had to leave her home in Hungary. It was the beginning of World War II and her family had to leave their country as soon as possible. She quickly filled a bag with a few pieces of clothing, her diary, and her treasure—a beautiful silk scarf.

    Kathy and her best friend, Monica, had asked their parents to buy them matching scarves. They each would wear the scarves as a symbol of their friendship. Kathy had no idea that she was going to America that night and would not be returning.

    Kathy kept that special silk scarf for many years. One day she decided to give it to her granddaughter, Eliza, to wear to her first job interview for good luck. Kathy was afraid that Eliza would lose the scarf, but the granddaughter promised, "Don't worry, Grandma, nothing's going to happen to your scarf. You'll see. It is going to bring both of us luck today." And with that, Eliza kissed her grandmother and left for the interview.

    That afternoon Eliza left the interview, feeling sure that she had got the job. So she decided to celebrate by going to a restaurant. As she was sitting at her table, she felt someone looking at her. Sitting next to her was an old woman, who could not take her eyes away from her.

    "I'm sorry, do I know you?" Eliza asked.

    "I'm sorry, dear, but you make me think of someone I once knew," the old woman replied. "My best friend looked like you and used to wear a scarf just like the one you're wearing around your neck." Eliza listened carefully, with her eyes and mouth wide open. She had heard stories of her grandmother's best friend and knew the meaning of the scarf. Could this be Monica, her grandmother's childhood friend?

    Eliza introduced herself and waited to hear the name of the other woman.

    "My name's Monica, dear. I lived in Hungary as a child, but my family had to leave when I was fourteen years old. I've been living here in California ever since." said the old woman.

    Eliza could not believe her ears …