Christmas Presents. Audio story narrated in British English.

That year, the Christmas Present Conference was full to overflowing. In the audience were all the toymakers in the world, and many others who weren't toymakers, but who had lately come to be regular attendees. There were also those who, of course, could never miss the conference; the distributors: Santa Claus and the Three Wise Kings. Like every year, the discussions dealt with what kind of toys were the most educational or the most fun. Another common topic of conversation was what size of toys should be made. Yeah, that was something they often argued about, because the Three Wise Kings and Father Christmas complained that every year the toys were getting bigger, and this was causing serious transportation problems.

However, something happened to make this conference different from all the previous ones. A little boy snuck in. Never had any child ever attended those meetings, and when they realised that there was a boy sitting next to the Three Kings, no one really knew how long he'd been there.

When Santa Claus was talking to an important toymaker about the size of a very in-demand doll, the toymaker shouted

-"What are you talking about, Fatso?! If you were a bit slimmer you could fit more in the sleigh!"

The little boy saw this, stood up, and said,

-"It's fine, don't argue. I'll deliver everything the Three Wise Kings and Father Christmas can't carry."

The attendees roared with laughter for quite a while, dismissing the boy's suggestion. While they were still laughing, the boy got up, a tear fell from the corner of his eye, and he left the hall, head hanging...

That Christmas was like most others, if a little colder. In the street, everyone was carrying on with their lives, and there wasn't much talk of the wonderful stories and events of that season. And when the children received their presents, they were hardly excited at all. It seemed that yuletide was really no longer of much importance.

At the next Christmas Present Conference, everyone was worried about how Christmas seemed to be losing its magic. The discussions began once more, until there suddenly appeared, in the doorway, the boy they had laughed so long and hard at the previous year. This time he was with his mother, a beautiful woman. On seeing her, the Three Kings jumped up in excitement:

-"Mary!"

they ran over and embraced her. Then she approached the stage, took the floor, and said,

-"Every year, my son celebrates his birthday by throwing a big party - the biggest in the world - and he fills it with all his best gifts for young and old alike. Now he tells me he no longer wants to celebrate it, that none of you really enjoy his party, that you are more interested in other things... Can someone tell me what you have all done to him?"

It started to dawn on most of those present what they had done, and where they had become so confused. A very old toymaker - one who had never spoken up in those meetings - approached the boy, knelt, and said,

-"Forgive me, Lord. I want no other gift than those you offer. Though I never knew it, you were forever delivering that which neither the Kings, nor Santa Claus, nor anyone else, could give us. Love, peace, and joy. And last year it was so terribly missed... forgive me."

One after another, everyone there asked the boy's forgiveness, admitting that his gifts were the best available in any festive season; gifts which fill the hearts of good people, gifts that make every Christmas a little bit better...