It is well known that as Christmas is coming，there are so many things to do. Besides buying presents，sending cards，and cleaning rooms，parents are still _______ with difficult jobs of hiding presents from curious young children. If the gifts are large，this is sometimes a real _______ .On Christmas Eve，young children are torn between the wish to go to bed early so that Father Christmas will bring their presents quickly and the wish to stay up late so that they will not _______ the fun. The wish for gifts usually proves     _______. But though children go to bed early，they often lie _______   for a long time，hoping to get a short look at Father Christmas.

Last Christmas，my wife and I _______ hid a few large presents in the storeroom. I _______   the moment when my son，Jimmy，would ask me where the new bike had come from，but   _______ he did not see it.

On Christmas Eve，it took the children hours to go to sleep. It must have been nearly _______ when my wife and I went quietly into their room and began ________ stockings. Then I took out the ________   from the storeroom and left it beside the Christmas tree. We knew we would not get much sleep that night，for the children were ________ to get up early. At about five o'clock the next morning，we were woken by loud sounds coming from the children’s ________ —they were shouting excitedly！Before I had time to get out of bed，young Jimmy came ________into our room on his new bike，and his sister，Mary，arrived. She dragged a large balloon behind her. Suddenly it burst. That woke us up ________ . The day had really begun with a bang!

My husband and I were going to be away from our family for Thanksgiving. We would be alone in a hotel room, eating cheap take-out and feeling very _________ for ourselves. The thought of it was more than I could bear.

I decided to take the _________. I wrote a post on Facebook: “Does anyone know of a church or community center hosting a public _________ for Thanksgiving in Winnipeg?” A friend immediately wrote back with _________ news. So, three days later, we found ourselves driving to the small town of Dauphin, Manitoba, to spend Thanksgiving with _________.

We _________ in front of a small, lakeside house. A smiling couple _________ us from the front porch. As we stepped into Betty and Gary’s home, we were immediately met with _________. The wood stove took every bit of chill out of the air, and the smell of food _________ us like a soft blanket. Turkey, stuffing, veggies, and piles of desserts — what a ____________!

And the warmth didn’t just come from the home or the food. It came from Betty, Gary, and their ____________. We gathered around the table; introductions were made. We____________that no one there was family by blood.   ____________, we were all connected by something much greater. Our unease ____________ as we told stories, shared laughs, and gave ____________, with food ____________ shared around an open table. We were ____________ into this circle of friendship. Laughter____________ to flow. Relationships were born. Memories were created.

We thought we were going to spend Thanksgiving with strangers, but we really didn’t. Sharing a meal together, we’re connected by our desire for ____________, our need for understanding, and our common humanity. What a ____________ way to celebrate Thanksgiving!

It was a cold December, at the end of the Great Depression, and things were tough. Mum had a _________ time raising us kids on her own. Looking back, I realize what Mum _________ sending us to school. Constant _________ was typical for my family, and it didn’t look like we’d be in our current house much longer. Rent was $25 a month, but Mum couldn’t pay it.

The holidays were fast _________ , and we received S25 for Christmas from social services. Mum said instead of buying food and Christmas gifts, she was going to pay back our _________ with it. That way we’d have a roof over our heads for a little while longer.

Unknown to Mum, I had been _________ Christmas trees, shoveling (铲) snow and doing odd jobs to earn enough money to buy a new pair of boots.

The _________ day came on Christmas Eve afternoon. I was very _________ as I hurried to catch the bus into town. On the way a house with Christmas decorations reminded me that at our house, we had no such things and no _________ for Christmas goodies. Suddenly, I felt a sense of __________ . Here I was going to spend S23 on a pair of boots, while Mum was probably home __________ , wondering how to explain why there were no __________ . As I arrived at the bus stop, the driver opened the door. I stood there for what seemed a century, until __________ the driver asked, “Son, are you getting on this bus or not?” I finally blurted out, “No thanks, sir. I’ve __________ my mind.”

The bus drove off and I stood alone, feeling as if a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I went into a __________ across the street, with __________ and excitement. I bought a turkey, ham and all the Christmas trimmings. I spent every dime of my __________ money.

Two boys with carriers on their bicycles ran those groceries to our house. After we __________ piled (堆) the groceries against the door, I __________ the door. I could hardly wait to see my mother’s face! When Mum opened the door, some of the groceries fell inside onto the floor, and she just stood there, extremely __________ . Holding back the tears, I yelled, “Merry Christmas, Mother! There really is a Santa Claus!”