Star:Gone Sledding

   Once was a star.  Not the brightest shining star but he was a star nonetheless.  He looked like all  other stars up so high in the sky.  His best friend was the moon.   He made friends with the moon because they were so close to each other in the sky.  The star and the moon would shine together every night through wind and snow and rain.  

    Shortly after the first snowfall of the year, little star told the moon that he disliked sitting up in the sky all the time and shining -- night, after night, after night.  No one ever noticed how special he was.  Feeling everyone took him for granted.  He wanted to try to do other things -- sledding for example.  He watched the child who lived below him sled today.  That might be fun!   He told the moon how he would start at the top of the highest hill and zoom down its entire length.  The cold air pushing his star points as he held on for dear life!  What a thrill sledding would be!  How the star wished he could go sledding!

    The moon only laughed at the star.  Sledding!  What a ridiculous idea!  Who ever heard of a star sledding!  What would all the other stars think?  He told the little star that dreaming and doing were two different things -- and in this case the star had better stick to dreaming about sledding.  He reminded the star the he had a responsibility to light up the night sky.  That was his job -- not sledding!

    The star became angry with the moon. Lighting up the sky… BORING!   Who was he to laugh at the stars’ dream?  A silly old moon, that’s who!  He would show him! The star decided he was going to go sledding!

    The star waited until the people in the child’s house had fallen asleep.  Then flew down to the child’s backyard and borrowed his sled.  The star took the sled to the top of the highest hill and set it down gently.  He climbed on board and gave a little push. 

    WHOOSH ! ! ! Down the hill he went, faster and faster!  The more excited the star became, the brighter he shone!  He was so thrilled and having so much fun that the star was becoming as bright as the sun!  The star held on real tight for he was going super fast and did not want to fall off the sled.  He loved sledding!

     Through the trees and over the hills and brighter and brighter he got!  What fun this sledding is!   The night air was chilling him and the snow was stinging his face -- but it was all worth it because he was sledding!

    The moon looked down and could not believe what he was seeing!  The star was sledding! The moon called to all the other stars to look.  None could believe their eyes!  They all watched the star as he raced with lightning speed down the hill.

    Suddenly the star heard the moon yelling, “Watch out! Watch out!”  Watch out?  Watch out for what?  The star tried to wipe the freezing snow out of his eyes so he could see, but it did not help.  Before he knew it - POW! - He had crashed into a pine tree!  The star broke up into a hundred little pieces.  He flew up into the air and landed upon the tree that he had hit.

     The star had made so much noise when he hit the tree the people woke and came outside to see what happened.  There stood the pine tree. What a lovely tree it was!  They circled the tree this way and that way looking at all the branches that glimmered with tiny lights.  They excitedly clapped saying how beautiful the tree was!

    It took a few minutes for the star to figure out that they were looking at parts of him spread out all over the tree. They were saying that he looked beautiful hanging on the tree!  He liked being called “beautiful!”   Since this is where all appreciated him, this is where he would stay! Now he had a new responsibility!  He was a Christmas tree! And he twinkled happily after ever!