Nell is sad because she
believes that Santa Claus will never visit her. Being both crippled
and poor, she feels forgotten and worries that children in her
situation are not meant to experience the magic of Christmas. She
thinks their chimney is too small and that Santa only brings gifts
to rich children, leaving her with little hope. Despite her sister
Nan’s reassurances, Nell cannot shake the feeling that she will wake
up on Christmas morning to find nothing in her stocking. However, to
her surprise, Santa does come, quietly leaving behind gifts—a golden
orange and a little toy monkey—proving that she is just as loved and
deserving of joy as any other child, no matter her hardships. (After
a poem by Lizzie Lawson/Robert Ellice Mack.)
