A Katie Kazoo Christmas Read Free

finally. “My parents usually get me great stuff without my having to ask for anything.”
    “You’re lucky,” Suzanne told her. “My parents need all the help they can get.”

Chapter 5
    “I’m hungry,” Katie said after she and Suzanne had been shopping for a while. Katie was carrying two bags. One had Pepper’s present in it. The other held a little toy roller coaster. Katie had bought that for her grandma. Katie’s grandmother loved roller coasters. “You want to go to the food court?” she suggested.
    Suzanne grinned. “I have an idea. How about we get something at Cinnamon’s Candy Shop?”
    “Ooh, yummy!” Katie squealed. “I love her gingerbread!”
    “I can’t believe my mom didn’t want me to have that pink sweater,” Suzanne moaned as the girls turned and headed toward the candy store. “It would have been the perfect thing to wear to the Christmas Extravaganza.” She looked at Katie. “You’re so lucky. It doesn’t matter what you wear Christmas Eve. You’re just going to put an apron over it anyway when you serve food at the shelter. But I have to look good. So many people will be seeing my outfit.”
    Katie frowned. It wasn’t like Suzanne was going to be onstage at the Extravaganza. No one was going to be looking at her. “Suzanne, you don’t have any Christmas spirit,” Katie told her.
    “How can you say that?” Suzanne demanded. She pointed to her reindeer-shaped earrings. “See. I do too have spirit.”
    “Christmas isn’t just about reindeer and Santa Claus and presents, you know,” Katie insisted. “It’s about being nice, and helping people, and . . .”
    “Sure, sure, sure,” Suzanne interrupted. “But everybody likes presents. And you have to admit that it’s fun seeing all the pretty lights and decorations.”
    Katie didn’t know what to say. Suzanne was right. She did like presents and lights. But that didn’t make the way Suzanne had been acting any better.
    “Look, even Mrs. Derkman agrees with me,” Suzanne continued. She pointed toward the hardware store. At that very moment, the teacher was walking out of the shop with a pile of Christmas lights in her arms. Mr. Derkman followed behind her, carrying a family of plastic elves.
    “Hello,” Mrs. Derkman called out to the girls.
    “Hello, Mrs. Derkman,” Katie said.
    “Wow, look at all those lights!” Suzanne exclaimed. “Your house is going to be the most beautiful in the whole neighborhood.”
    “That’s the idea,” Mrs. Derkman said. “In our old neighborhood, we were the only house that put up lots of decorations.” She stopped for a minute and sighed. “Of course, that’s different now.”

    “You mean Mr. Brigandi’s house?” Katie said.
    “Yes,” Mrs. Derkman said. “Although I think his decorations are so tacky. Ours are much more tasteful.”
    Katie looked at the bright red and green elves Mr. Derkman was carrying in his arms. They looked kind of tacky, too.
    “I noticed that your parents put up very few lights,” Mrs. Derkman mentioned to Katie.
    “We always decorate our house the same way,” Katie said. “Blue and white lights on our trees and around our window sills.”
    “Very traditional,” Mrs. Derkman replied. “But maybe you’d all like to try something new this year. I’d be glad to give your parents some lessons on the fine art of Christmas decorating.”
    Decorating lessons? Somehow Katie couldn’t imagine her parents taking lessons on how to decorate. She wondered if Mrs. Derkman would make them write a term paper on the proper way to hang a wreath or something.
    “I think they like our house the way it is,” Katie said.
    “I’m just letting you know I’m here if you want some help,” Mrs. Derkman replied.
    “Uh, Snookums?” Mr. Derkman interrupted.
    “Yes, Freddy Bear?” Mrs. Derkman replied.
    Katie tried hard not to laugh. The Derkmans’ pet names for each other were so mushy.
    “These elves are getting very heavy. I think we need to head