26
Goodbyes
The winning paper-chain was nearly thirty feet of taped-together recycled Christmas cards cut into an alternating Father Christmas, sleigh, and reindeer pattern. The boy’s parents were delighted with the idea of a new living room carpet, ordered and fitted on request, and the boy himself was delighted to receive a box of assorted Christmas goodies. All the other participating kids, as well as receiving a Christmas-patterned toilet mat, got a consolation prize of a chocolate reindeer with Smarties inside. Exhausted after judging the event, Lucy and Alan headed back to the cricket pavilion, recommissioned as the staff quarters. As they passed the main stage, Lucy paused to watch a group of primary school children doing a cute choreographed dance to Santa Claus is Coming to Town
