The Holly Joliday Read Free Page A

mouse,” Rocky whispered.
     
    “He is,” said Judy. “A bright, white
science
mouse!”
     
    But when the spotlight found Stink, he was not a science mouse. He was not a mouse at all.
     
    He was a snowflake! A bright, shiny snowflake. Stink was dressed all in white, and strapped to his back was a giant, six-pointed sparkly snowflake. On his T-shirt, in black letters, he’d written STELLAR DENDRITE .
     

     
    “I can’t look,” said Judy, covering her face.
     
    “Not a creature was stirring!” yelled Stink, whirling and twirling in the spotlight. “Not even a snowflake!”
     
    It was clear from the look on her face that Mrs. Dempster had not expected a blizzard. But after Stink floated around for a moment or two, she kept right on reading the poem, as if nothing strange had happened.
     
    Judy had known Stink to be a mouse plenty of times. She had known him to be a human flag. She had known him to be James Madison, Shortest President Ever. But never in a million years had she dreamed that Stink would one day dance onstage as a stellar dendrite.
     
    “What a flake,” said Judy. “As in
snow
flake. Or should I say, snow
freak
?” Judy and Stink would be laughing like a bowl full of jelly over this one for many Christmases to come.
     

     

 

     
    It
was
the night before Christmas, and all through the house, the Moodys were stirring, even Mouse. Dad was ordering Hawaiian pizza (with pineapple!), and Mom was wrapping presents. Stink was shaking presents as fast as Mom could wrap them, then tucking them under the tree in the front room. Mouse chased a jingle bell all over the house.
     
    She, Judy Moody, sang,
     
    “Mele Kalikimaka is the thing to say

On a bright Hawaiian Christmas day!”
     
     
    and
     
    “Have a hula, jula Christmas!

It’s the best time of the year . . .”
     
     
    Dad poked his head into the playroom off the kitchen. “Pizza will be here any minute,” he said.
     
    “Does Judy have to sing Hawaiian songs? She knows I want snow.”
     
    “Why don’t you sing your own carols, Stink? Like . . .
Hark! The herald angels sing!
” Dad belted out.
     
    “Who’s this Harold guy everybody’s always singing about, anyway?”
     
    “Never mind,” said Dad, shaking his head. Stink put on his snowflake costume and sang,
“Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!”
     
    Just then the doorbell rang. “Pizza!” yelled Stink.
     
    The Moodys sat down to dinner. Judy was the first to grab the pizza table, for her collection. Stink ate all the pineapples off his pizza.
     
    “What a great holiday show you kids had this year,” said Dad.
     
    “And I didn’t have to be a mouse, for once,” said Stink.
     
    “Mrs. D. sure was surprised,” Mom said.
     
    “Yeah, she kept saying ‘mouse,’ and Stink didn’t come out.”
     
    “My snowflake got stuck in the door to the stage!” said Stink.
     
    Ding, dong.
     
    “Could that be the pizza man
again
?” Dad asked.
     
    “I’ll get it!” called Stink. He raced out of the kitchen and opened the front door. Stink could not believe his eyes. It was Jack Frost, live and in person!
     
    “One more package for the Moodys got left behind in my truck,” Jack said. “Thought it might be important.”
     

     
    “Wow!” said Stink, taking the package. “I never knew the mailman came at night!”
     
    Jack Frost laughed. “At this time of year, we work long hours.”
     
    “Thanks!” said Stink. “So you think it might snow tonight?”
     
    “Never say never,” said Jack. “Might be making snow angels and having snowball fights yet. Well, gotta go. I still have a lot of work to do!”
     
    “Goodbye, Jack Frost! Have a Holly Jolly Day! I mean a Holly Joliday! I mean a Jolly Holiday!
     
    “Did you hear that?” Stink asked his family, coming back into the kitchen.
     
    “We heard you wishing somebody a holly
joliday.
” Judy cracked up. “Who
was
it?”
     
    “Jack Frost.”
     
    “Not again,” said Judy, rolling her