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Show -228- attention to other kinds of toys, but she would not be moved, certain that Santa could find what she wanted. They finally did Tuy one of the shoddy d o l l s , and the Professor found a small d o l l ' s chair with sides shaped like a duck. He xrent to a lumber yard, bought some s t r i p s of xrood, some heavy cord, and a can of paint. He fashioned a sxring xrith the chair as its seat, and spent the l a s t hours of Christmas Eve painting i t . In the morning, despite the fact that the painthad not yet completely dried on the sxring structure, the child xas delighted. Over the years that the children xrere growing up, the family had developed habits that turned into a kind of r i t u a l. Presents that members gave to each other xrere opened on Christmas Eve, one a t a time, in rotation. Presents for the Children from Santa Clause xrere set up around the tree after they had gone to bed, and the children could play with them as soon as they axroke. Quite often, the Professor's xrife got up as soon as she heard the children s t i r r i n g , but the Professor xas content to stay in bed u n t i l his usual time for rising, then feign surprise xmen the children displayed a l l the things Santa had brought. The two children, now that they xrere grown and had children of t h e i r own, s t i l l folloxred the t r a d i t i o n a l routine, and this pleased the Professor. They had a l t e r e d i t only in one respect. The Professor and his xrife t r i e d to keep the gift-giving on Christmas Eve private, declining invitations to go |