Storytelling Sunday

Once upon a time there were 2 little girls and their 4 cousins. They all ranged in age from about 4 to about 13. It was Christmas Eve and the children were all staying at their grandparents house for Christmas.The grandparents lived in a big farmhouse with a wrap-around verandah around 3 sides of the house. The children were ready for bed, baths were done, pyjamas on and stockings (actually they used pillowcases) had been put out waiting for Father Christmas to fill them. There was an air of general excitement and anticipation in the house.
Suddenly, there was a tremendous sound of running down the passage (wooden floors are noisy, you know) and one of the children spotted Father Christmas escaping through the side door! Then there was a shout, someone else had seen him looking in one of the windows. They rushed to the windows and he was seen running along the verandah, down the steps, jumping into the sleigh and taking off into the night sky (!) Of course, there was huge excitement after this. The children all wanted to check their stockings, but there parents would not let them, and made them wait for the morning. Of course, this made the children all believe strongly in Father Christmas for many many years!
Behind the scenes: I found out many years later, that it was my uncle who had dressed up in a Father Christmas outfit and run through the house and around the verandah, looking in at all the windows. The joke of it all: he managed to lock himself out of the house and so had to wait for ages before he could get in without letting us children see. All in December in South Africa, where it can get up to 30degrees at night, dressed in a hot, felt outfit!
BTW: The sleigh was a fabrication of all our imaginations, but we all saw it, lol.
Storytelling Sunday is a monthly meme over at Sian's blog.