The Sweet Smell Of Christmas:

One morning, the Little Bear sat up in bed and sniffed and sniffed with his nose. “Something wonderful is going to happen,” he said, “My nose tells me so.”

Little Bear ran downstairs to the kitchen. “Mommy, what do I smell?” He asked. “Christmas is coming. I think that’s what you smell,” said Mother bear. “When will Christmas be here, Mommy?”

“Christmas will be here tomorrow. I’m baking this apple pie for Christmas.” Little Bear sniffed at the pie. It smelled delicious!  “Yes. I can smell Christmas. It’s coming soon,” he said. 

After breakfast, father bear pulled the little bear on his sled. “Are we going to find Christmas, Daddy?” Asked Little Bear.

“No, we are going to find a nice little pine tree to take home for our Christmas tree,” said Father Bear. They searched in the wood until they found a bushy little pine tree. Father Bear chopped it down with his axe and put it on the sled.

Little Bear helped pull the tree home over the snow. It was a nice fresh tree, and it smelled so piney. Little Bear poked his nose into the branch and sniffed a deep sniff. I can smell Christmas,” he said. “It’s not far away.”

Then the Bear family trimmed their tree. It was fun! They hung lovely glass balls and silvery tinsel on the branches. On the very top. Father Bear put a beautiful star.

“Something is missing,” said Mother Bear. “What can it be?”

She hurried to the kitchen. When she came back, she was carrying a big jar. “candy canes,” she said. “We forgot to put candy canes on our tree.” Little Bear held a candy cane in his paw and sniffed. “Mmmm, I can smell Christmas. It’s coming very soon!” He said.

Little Bear hung the candy canes on the branches. At last, the tree was finished. And, oh my, it was so beautiful! Little Bear jumped up and down and clapped his paws. Mother Bear working on the kitchen. “What are you making, Mommy?” Asked Little Bear. “Gingerbread boys,” said Mother Bear. “You may help me.”

Little Bear liked doing that. He cut out the gingerbread boys with a little tin cutter. Then he made their funny faces. And when he smelled them cooking, Little Bear said. “Mmmm, I can smell Christmas. It’s almost here!”

While little Bear was hanging a gingerbread boy on the tree, he heard singing at the window. There, in the snow, were some carolers. How lovely it was to hear Christmas music in the frosty night.

Mother Bear invited the carolers indoor for some steaming hot chocolate. Little Bear had some too. He put his nose down close to his cup. The hot chocolate smelled sweet and chocolatey. “Oh, now I can smell Christmas,” Little Bear said. “It’s going to happen right away!”

Little Bear was right. It was almost Christmas. The bear family hung their stockings by the fireplace. Then Little Bear hurried to bed. He listened for Santa’s reindeer landing on the roof. He listened and listened. Then he fell asleep.

“Ho! Ho! Ho!” Laughed merry Santa Claus, as he slid down, the chimney. “My, what a pretty tree,” he said, nibbling a gingerbread boy. “and what a good little bear lives here. I will leave him a lot of toys.” He dug in his toy sack and put a bear could dream of under the tree.

At last, it was morning. Little Bear woke up. He sniffed. He said, “It’s Christmas day at last!” Then he ran downstairs to find his stocking. There was a big juicy orange on the top, and down inside. Little Bear found a little red train, a storybook, a tiny ball, and candles and puzzles. Little Bear sniffed at his orange. “Now I know it’s Christmas!” He said. And he ate that orange up.

Mother Bear and Father Bear hurried downstairs to open their presents, too. There was a nice tie for Father Bear, and warm mittens. Mother Bear found a necklace and lots of pretty things. And under the tree for Little Bear were a big red scooter, a drum, a little toy horse, a bugle, and a big striped ball.

Best of all, there was a soft furry teddy bear, a Christmas friend for Little Bear. All the Bears agreed it was the happiest Christmas ever!