Every day, Mother expected Fanny to make her own bed and set the table for dinner. Bed-making and table-setting may seem like fairly easy tasks, but not for a girl like Fanny. She would much rather watch television or play tag in the streets with her friends.

One day, Fanny decided she had had enough. She left her bed unmade as she rushed off to school, and when it was almost time for dinner, Fanny watched cartoons instead of setting the table.

"Fanny, don’t forget to set the table for dinner," Mother said. But Fanny wouldn’t listen.

"Karen doesn’t set the table for dinner, so why should I?" she demanded.

"That may be so, but this isn’t Karen’s house," Mother said calmly. "And in this house, we all chip in."

Fanny’s eyes filled with tears. "You’re mean," she whispered. "You make me do so many chores."

"What’s going on? Why hasn’t the table been set?" Father, who had just taken out the garbage, asked.

"Fanny’s not feeling well," Mother explained. "I’ll be setting the table tonight." Father followed her into the kitchen. "In that case, let me help," Fanny heard him saying.

That night, when Fanny’s parents were tucking her into bed, Father reminded her, "It’s almost Christmas, Fanny. Have you written a letter for Santa yet?"

Fanny had actually been postponing writing the letter since she wasn’t sure what she wanted. Suddenly, though, she knew exactly what to ask for. When her parents left, Fanny got some paper and a felt-tipped pen. She wrote: "Dear Santa, I have been a good girl all year. I hope you will grant my wish this Christmas, and my wish is that I will never have to do household chores again. Thanks a lot and Merry Christmas! Love, Fanny."

Fanny then put on her fuzzy bedroom slippers and padded to her parent’s room. She was going to ask Mother to mail her letter to Santa the very next day. Fanny was about to knock on the door when she heard her parents talking in very low tones. Fanny pressed her ear close to the door and listened.

"I don’t know, Tony," Mother was saying. "Maybe I’m asking too much of Fanny. After all, she’s just a little girl. I hate having to force her to do the chores."

But Father said, "You already have too much to do as it is, and you know we can’t afford to hire a maid."

Mother sighed. "I know, I know. I just hope Fanny won’t go on resenting me for it."

Fanny’s heart was beating wildly in her chest, and her letter to Santa dropped to the floor. A thought hit her like it never had before-her mother loved her! Of course, this knowledge changed everything for Fanny. Any bad feelings she had felt just a few moments ago was replaced with new gratitude and understanding.

IN the days that followed, Fanny did her chores without complaint and without having to be told. Mother noticed.

"I really appreciate all the help you’ve been giving me, Fanny," she said. "I really couldn’t get by without you."

Christmas was fast approaching, and Fanny grew more and more excited. This year, she had thought of a wonderful present to give her mother. Boy, would her mother be surprised! Fanny could hardly wait.

On the day before Christmas, Mother went out to deliver presents and greeting cards.

"Your father is upstairs sleeping," Mother told Fanny. "Just wake him if you need anything. I’ll be back in time to prepare dinner."

Fanny ran to the kitchen the minute Mother had stepped out of the door. She did not know how to operate the stove, and she had no idea how to prepare Mother’s Christmas Ham and Paella, but Fanny knew there were some things even a 10-year-old girl such as herself could prepare. She opened three cans of pork and beans and poured the contents into an ornate serving bowl.

She opened a can of sardines and arranged the fish on a silver platter. She selected big red apples from the fridge, and placed them in a wooden fruit bowl. She took out some bread and peanut butter, and made three fat sandwiches.

Finally, Fanny took a box of Instant Brownie Mix from the cupboard, prepared the ingredients, and followed the simple instructions at the back of the box. Fanny was preparing a feast fit for a queen. It was Christmas feast in honor of Mother.

FANNY glanced at the wall clock. Her mother would be home any minute! Fanny set the table with red and green placemats, porcelain dishes, and her Mother’s best silverware.

She arranged all the food she had prepared on the middle of the table along with a large bottle of Coca-Cola. She then cut fresh santans in yellow, orange, and red from Father’s garden and arranged them in a vase, as a centerpiece for their table.

When Fanny was satisfied with her work, she went up to her room to get two Christmas cards she had finished just the day before. She put one on top of Father’s plate and the other on top of Mother’s.

Just then, Fanny heard Mother parking her car in their driveway. She turned off all the kitchen lights and rushed back to the living room, in front of the television.

"Is your father awake?" Mother asked as she walked in the door. "I have to start preparing our Noche Buena. Would you set the table for dinner, Fanny?" Fanny kept her eyes glued to the television screen and did not say a word.

"Oh, well, it is Christmas, and you have been a good girl," Mother smiled. "I guess I can let you off the hook this once, Fanny."

Fanny held her breath as Mother walked into the kitchen and switched on the lights. She heard her mother gasp. What if she doesn’t like the food? Fanny suddenly wondered. But Mother was suddenly walking toward Fanny and enfolding her in a tight embrace.

"Fanny, it’s so beautiful," Mother’s eyes were filled with tears. "This is the best Christmas gift anyone has ever given me."

After much hugging, laughing, and crying, Mother went to call Father down for dinner. She told him all about what Fanny had done for her, and proudly announced that the family would be having Party Pork and Beans, Scrumptious Sardines, Appetizing Apples, Perfect Peanut Butter Sandwiches, and the Best Brownies for Noche Buena.

The family sat down to dinner, and they all agreed it was the best Christmas feast in the world.