Grandpa, do you have any Christmas stories about the insect friends?" Tristan asked.

"I believe I do," answered Grandpa Jake. "I'll have to check my storybook, though. Would you please get it for me?"

"Oh, sure!" the little boy exclaimed, as he bounded up the stairs in search of his grandpa's favorite storybook. He returned with the book and sat next to his grandpa, eager for a story.

"Ah, here it is: 'Christmas Cheer'!" Grandpa Jake said with a smile. He began to read….

It was a sunny winter day. Snow had fallen the night before, covering the ground in a soft, white blanket. Several insects hurriedly made their way to a gathering that had been called, leaving their little prints zigzagging in the snow.

Soon the insect friends had all arrived at the meeting spot, a homey underground burrow. They snuggled close together to keep warm.

"I was thinking," began Wallace, "how nice it would be if we could do something for our neighbors this Christmas."

"That sounds like fun!" Drudy exclaimed.

"What were you thinking of?" asked Lincoln.

"I'm not really sure," Wallace answered. "I haven't been able to think of anything yet. That's why I asked all of you to come, so that we could talk about it. Any ideas?"

"Hmmm, Christmas is supposed to be a time of giving," Bits said thoughtfully.

"And singing," chorused Specks and Jibber.

"I knew we'd come up with some good ideas," Wallace said with a smile.

"So what do we do next?" asked Jibber.

There was a moment of silence.

Finally Lincoln said thoughtfully: "I was just thinking, Christmas is Jesus' birthday, isn't it? I wonder what Jesus would want us to do for His birthday?"

"Maybe we should ask Him," Wallace suggested.

The others nodded.

So the eight insects bowed their heads and prayed. Once they had finished, they went back to planning their Christmas neighborhood event.

"Silent night, holy night," Lincoln sang in a shaky voice, and then let out a sigh. "I can't do it! My voice isn't good enough."

"Don't give up now," Jibber said, "you just have to keep practicing. Specks, come join us."

The three insects began the song again, together this time. After a few tries their voices blended beautifully as they sang:

Silent night, holy night!
All is calm, all is bright,
Round yon virgin mother and child
Holy infant, so tender and mild,
Sleep in heavenly peace,
Sleep in heavenly peace.

"That was wonderful!" exclaimed Drudy, as she and the other insects clapped enthusiastically.

"Oh, wow!" exclaimed Specks. "Those Christmas baskets are beautiful!"

"They really are," Lincoln agreed.

Lined on the ground were several baskets filled with presents, delicious snacks, and decorated with holly leaves and berries.

"Everyone has been working hard on them, and they really are excellent," Wallace said, as he peeked up from the leaf he was writing on.

"What are you doing, Wallace?" Bits asked.

"I've been putting together a list of all the insect families in our neighborhood that we could distribute the baskets to," he explained.

"How many do you have?" Drudy asked.

"About twelve."

"That means we're pretty much done," Jibber said, after counting the baskets. "Only two more to go."

"I'm so happy we could finish them up in time," Bits said. "It's Christmas Eve, and tonight we can distribute them."

"I'm so excited! I can't wait to get started!" Lincoln said eagerly.

Wallace thought of a plan. "How about if we all just finish up with the last two baskets, then we can all get ready for visiting?"

"Good idea," the insects chorused, and then got right to work.

Little snowflakes tumbled gently from the sky. As the insects walked, the snow crunched under their feet. The eight softly sang, "Joy to the world, the Lord is come… ."

They arrived at Mr. and Mrs. Beetle's place.

"Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. Beetle," Wallace greeted them.

"Good evening to you too, Wallace," Mr. Beetle replied. "And a merry Christmas to all of you!"

"Merry Christmas," said Mrs. Beetle. "What brings you here?"

"We wanted to give you something special for Christmas," Drudy explained. "We brought you a Christmas basket, and we'd like to sing you a Christmas carol, if you'd like."

"How delightful!" Mrs. Beetle exclaimed. "That's so thoughtful of you."

"We'd love to hear a carol," said Mr. Beetle, and their two little beetle children nodded.

Lincoln began singing: "Silent night, holy night." The others joined in, even Mr. and Mrs. Beetle.

When the song had ended, Mrs. Beetle gave each of the insects a hug. "Thank you so much for visiting us," she said. "You have helped to make this a wonderful Christmas."

"Merry Christmas!" the eight insects called out as they went on their way to their next stop.

And on they went through the evening, bringing joy and happiness wherever they went, and a smile to the face of each one they met. At the end of the evening the eight said goodbye to each other before they headed off to their own homes.

"That was the best Christmas ever," Bits said.

"For sure," the others agreed together.

"I'd like to do something like that for Christmas," Tristan said when the story had ended. "But what could I do?"

"Good question," Grandpa Jake said. "Maybe you can do something for Derek next door, or you could make a Christmas card for your parents. There are so many things you can do for others. You can ask God to show you what to do for people. I'm sure He'd have some good ideas."

"I'll do that," Tristan said, bowing his head to pray.

It was to be the best Christmas for Tristan, because he was doing what Jesus likes best for His birthday: Tristan was thinking about others and how to make them happy.

Moral: The best Christmas present you can give to others is love and kindness. When you make others happy, you also make God happy.