Free December Secrets by Patricia Reilly Giff Page A

Jill.
    Jill looked big and fat with the hat on her head.
    She looked silly with all those yellow ribbons hanging out under the hat.
    Emily looked down. She could see the stain on her knee. It looked very green.
    She sighed. She'd have to wait a whole year before the fire truck came back to the Polk Street School. She'd have to wait another year for a chance at the fire hat.

Chapter 2

    “That was really exciting,” Ms. Rooney said when they were back in the classroom. “Everyone's cheeks are red.”
    Emily's hands still felt cold. She blew on them a lit-tle.
    “It's the first day of December,” Ms. Rooney said. She looked at the class. “Does anyone know what happens in De-cember?”
    Noah Green raised his hand. “It's Hanuk-kah.”
    “Right,” said Ms. Rooney. She drew a candle-holder on the board. It had one big candle in the middle and four smaller ones on each side.
    “This is a special sign for Hanukkah,” Ms. Rooney said. “It's called a menorah.”
    Matthew raised his hand. “It's Christmastime too.”
    Ms. Rooney nodded. She drew a green wreathon the board. “And this is a special sign for Christ-mas.”

    Emily wished she knew something that happened in December.
    Beast raised his hand. “One of our presidents had a birth-day in December,” he said.
    “Very good,” said Ms. Rooney. “Woodrow Wilson was born in December. He was our twenty-eighth presi-dent.” She drew a flag on the blackboard. “President Andrew Johnson was born in December too.”
    Emily looked at Richard. She wondered how he knew about the presidents' birthdays.
    Ms. Rooney asked Richard, “How did you know?”
    Beast laughed. “I didn't. I just took a guess.”
    Emily tried to think of something to guess.
    “I'll tell you something,” Ms. Rooney said. “It's the month that someone patented chewing gum.” She drew a square piece of pink chewing gum on the board.
    Emily put her hand up in the air. At least she could ask what
patented
meant. It sounded like shiny shoes.
    Ms. Rooney smiled at Emily. “Patent,” she said. “When you invent something, you tell the government. Then no one else can say they invented it first.”
    Ms. Rooney looked at the big clock on the wall. “It's almost time for art,” she said. “So I'll have to tell you this quickly.”
    She drew a line under the menorah and the wreath. “This is the time for giving,” she said. “It's a special time for making other people happy. And that's what we'll do in the class-room.”
    “Presents?” asked Matthew.
    “Yes,” Ms. Rooney said. “But we'll do it in a special way. Everyone will pick one person in the classroom. He will be your secret friend. And all through December you can do special things for that person. You can draw pictures for him.”
    Timothy Barbiero said, “You can hide candy in his desk.”
    “Nice,” said Ms. Rooney.
    Dawn put her hand up. “You can pick up her book if she drops it.”
    “That's the spirit, Dawn,” Ms. Rooney said.
    Emily tried to think of something to say so that Ms. Rooney would say “That's the spirit” to her too. She raised her hand.
    “Yes, Emily?”
    Emily couldn't think of one thing to say. “I for-got,” she told Ms. Rooney.
    “Think of someone to pick,” Ms. Rooney said. “Don't tell that person. Tell me.”
    Timothy raised his hand. “You mean, that person will never know?” he asked. “I have to give him stuff and he won't even know it's me?”
    “Oh, yes,” said Ms. Rooney. “Everyone will tell his secret friend on the last day of school before the winter vacation.”
    She held up her hand. “But it doesn't have to cost money. Do nice things for your secret per-son.”
    Ms. Rooney looked at the clock again. “One more thing,” she said. “Tomorrow bring a box. Bring a cigar box. Or maybe a writing-paper box. We're going to do something exciting with it.”
    Ms. Rooney smiled. “Time for art now.”
    The class lined up.
    Emily looked around at everyone.
    Beast was at the end