As soon as Halloween was over, Noel was jumping with Christmas joy. She hung up Christmas lights in her room and blasted Mariah Carey’s “All I want for Christmas is You,” on a loop. It was torturous for her parents, but Noel couldn’t help her Christmas spirit— Christmas happened to be her birthday (hence the name Noel).
Noel’s Christmas list was a mile high, the number of items on it seemingly endless. Noel was a very materialistic girl, and she wanted all of the presents on her list— she was the female equivalent to Dudley from Harry Potter. She would know when she didn’t get that Barbie doll that was listed at #42. And boy— would she pester you about it. If you did not satisfy Noel’s Christmas (and birthday) wishes, she would cry and cry and cry until you took her to the store and let her pick out not only the item that she wanted, but another one too for “being so stuck up” and not purchasing the present that she requested for her before Christmas.
On Black Friday, Noel would force her parents out of the house to supply some of the things on her list, just in case Santa didn’t supply her with everything already. Her parents would always suck up to her too— they were truly frightened of their daughter when the holiday season came around.
“Mommy! Look at all of those stuffed animals! Can I have them all???? Can I???”
Her mother sighed. “Yes, Noel, you can get all of the stuffed animals.” Her mother would then dig her credit card out of her wallet.
Noel would grab all of the stuffed animals that she saw and she would throw them in the shopping cart, proceeding to sprint as fast as an Olympic Gold medalist over to the toy aisle and grab practically every Barbie product there that she didn’t already possess at home.
Noel and her parents would leave the stores with an abundance of Christmas gifts on Noel’s list before passing the list on to relatives that were forced to buy the rest of the presents for Noel one way or the next.
When the Christmas season began truly kicking in, around December 14, Noel’s mother would bake gingerbread and sugar cookies leading up to Christmas Eve. Then, on Christmas Eve, Noel and her family would travel down to Philadelphia to visit their family— some of which Noel hadn’t seen in years.
When Noel’s family arrived at the large venue that their family rented out each year, they were greeted by a mob of people, and Noel felt like a celebrity.
Everyone was laughing and singing and dancing and having a good time, but Noel did not care for any of it. Noel did not like the singing or the dancing or the laughing— in fact, she was only there for the presents!
The thing with Christmas babies is sometimes they believe they should be spoiled extra on Christmas, and Noel was definitely a firm believer in that. That is why Noel was more than angry when the presents were passed out and she had only received 20 gifts. That is why when she ripped open the wrapping paper to one particular present, she was surprised to find a small black box. And that is why she was surprised to open the box and see that there was tiny, twinkling bell inside of the small box.
Noel held the bell firmly in her hand before giving it a small shake. The bell made a tiny sound like that of a slight breeze blowing on a wind chime. She was very disappointed in this gift, for this was not the Barbie Beach House that she wanted! No, this was a stupid little bell that held no value in her young head! She threw the bell on the ground before proceeding to stomp it into a million little pieces.
But what Noel didn’t know was that the bell she had been given was from her dying grandmother. What Noel didn’t know was that her grandmother watched her smash the bell. And what she truly didn’t know was how important the bell was to her grandmother, for she just wanted Noel to have a bell as beautiful as herself. Her grandmother put a lot of time and effort into decorating and designing the bell that had been laced with red ribbon and silver sparkles. 
Noel knows now how much that bell meant to her grandmother, and every Christmas, when it dawns on her that her grandmother is no longer with her, she feels guilty for smashing the bell so many years ago. She realizes now that, while it may not have been the Barbie house that she wanted, the bell was made with love, yet she just smashed it without a second thought.
That is why, dear reader, it is important to appreciate the gifts given to you, no matter how large or how small, for they may hold a place of value in someone’s heart, and you might not realize that until it’s too late.