It’s Christmas Eve, and snow quietly covers the backyard. Ala mixes the icing, and Dad hangs the lights. There’s the smell of gingerbread and orange peel on the plate. The Christmas tree twinkles with colours until your eyes feel happy. “Do you hear the bells?” asks Ala to her younger brother, Bruno. Bruno nods, but the sound suddenly stops. A small envelope of snow lies under the door. On the envelope is a stamp with a reindeer and a star. Ala opens the letter, and the letters glow like lights. It’s an invitation to the garden, signed: Santa’s Helper. They zip up their jackets, put on their hats and quiet shoes. In the garden, the snow creaks like a crunchy wafer. The path shows tiny, shiny hoofprints. A box sits by the feeder, and something inside it buzzes. On the lid is a star with a missing horn. Next to it lies a note: Open when the sleigh bells sound. Suddenly, a cheerful red dot flashes above the roof. Bells are heard — like a rain of tiny silver balls. From behind the fence, someone giggles, and a twig snaps. Ala touches the lid, and the box shakes harder and harder. And then, something knocks quietly from inside.