Dear all,
since I will be offline at least for the next two weeks, I'd like to wish all of you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Here's my story. It could have been longer, but I was very busy.
Love xxx,
Dom
How Papa Smurf saved Christmas by telling the Smurfs about their saint St.Booby
Long before now, there was a tiny village somewhere deep down in the forest. The inhabitants of the village were friendly blue dwarfs calling themselves Smurfs. Christmas was coming soon and every smurf was busy in one way or the other. Even Grouchy, who wasn’t much into festivities, was looking after Baby Smurf.
All, except Clumsy. But Clumsy wanted to help the others as best as he could. Therefore he went to Baker and asked him kindly: “Do you need any help?” But Baker only shook his head and replied to him. “I need someone, who tells me that my cookies are ready to be removed from the oven. But last time I asked you to do the very same with my bread, you just forgot about it and by the time I came back, it was nothing but burnt. Therefore I think you are not that responsible enough for me and no, I don’t your help at all.” Clumsy replied: “I see, but maybe there another smurf waiting for me, who appreciates my help more than you do.”
Then he turned to Hefty, who was just approaching Baker’s mushroom house, carrying some timbers for Baker’s oven. “Hi Hefty, do you need …?” But Hefty already knew that Clumsy wanted to ask him. “No!” the little dwarf replied “I can handle it on my own, so would you please get out of my way? Thank you.” he said to him.
Clumsy was just about resigning, only when he spotted Smurfette he had a glimpse of a hope ‘Aaah Smurfette!!! She will certainly think different about me. She is always friendly to everyone around her’, the blue fellow thought himself confidently. So he ran to Smurfette, who was just about arranging some wreaths and shouted happily to her “Hi Smurfette, do you need any help?” But when Smurfette was just about to answer him, he had already stumbled over a branch and fell over her and all of the wreaths that Smurfette had been arranged so far were broken. It took a second for Smurfette to get on her feet again and her face had turned from blue to red. “Noooo!!!” she cried “Just look what you have done to me. I spent the entire fall looking for branches and flowers in order to create something, we could enjoy throughout the whole winter and now you ruined everything!!! Get away, your stupid idiot!!!” Clumsy felt as if his heart was falling to pieces. “No one needs me. I’d be better gone.” he cried, before leaving the others off to themselves.
Some minutes later, Papa came around to see what his fellows had done in the course of time. “Thank you for the great variety of cookies, Baker. I’m sure they taste fantastic” he said to Baker. “Thank you Papa,” Baker replied to Papa. “Thank God Clumsy wasn’t around and so I can assure you that they certainly taste as good as last year.” Then Papa turned to Hefty, thanking him for the hard work he had done so far: “Thank you so much for carrying the timbers. I am sure you have had enough of it. So stop and take a rest.” “Thank you Papa.” Hefty said. “I’m already looking forward to taking a break. Thank God Clumsy wasn’t around and so I can assure you that he didn’t mess up the whole thing.”
Next on Papa’s list was Smurfette, but by the time that he was approaching her, Papa noticed some other smurfs around Smurfette helping her arranging the wreaths. “Thank you Smurfette for…” But he couldn’t continue to express his overall gratitude, for Smurfette came closer to him. She flung her arms around Papa, crying “Oh Papa!!! If the others hadn’t helped me, I wouldn’t have been almost ready. Clumsy just stumbled over me and broke my precious wreaths. Thank God I wasn’t left on my own.”
Papa felt something grumbling in his tummy and so he carefully examined his fellows. Suddenly he noticed that Clumsy was missing and he became very furious, but he decided to pretend that everything was just fine and teach his friends a lesson by telling them about their long forgotten saint called St. Booby. By chance Papa had found that vita, only a few days ago in one of his books and interestingly St. Monk had experienced something like Clumsy long time ago. ‘The vita will also teach them our very own Christian values, which are taken for grant, but in fact they aren’t.’ he thought to himself, before he turned towards the smurfs, saying:
“Dear friends, you have been working for quite some time. Let’s have a break. There’s something I have to tell you. In recent times, St. Booby lived in a forest not far away from ours. All his fellows thought he was nothing, but booby. Whenever St. Booby wanted to help the other smurfs, he would always fail. One day, the smurfs had enough of him: ‘He is always messing up everything’, Brainy would argue and so they placed him on a stony island, so leaving him all alone. For on a time, he heard a voice talking to him. “Why are you looking so sad? I am the Lord and for years I have been looking for someone like you.” At first, Booby thought he was dreaming and so he replied to God: “I am nothing, but booby. I think, I will nothing but disappoint you.” “Oh no!” our Lord said. ‘Just believe in me and you shall be sitting next to St. Francis in your afterlife. Tell your fellows that they should help each other and that they shouldn’t exclude anyone. Show them that they have to care about the animals. They are your brothers and sisters as well.” But how can I help you, when I am even unable to leave this place, Lord? Have mercy on me.’ Booby cried. God didn’t reply anymore, but divided the water, so that Booby was able to leave his exile. “Thank you, Lord” he cried. ‘I owe my life to you and I promise to teach you well’, he vowed to God. Then God showed him sent a beam of sunlight on Booby. Two days later, Booby arrived in the village again. There was Grandma sitting on a piece of wood. Smurfette feet were aching for hours, but since everyone had been self-serving, no one cared about her. Booby came to her and spoke to her. “I promise to help you. Just wait a second. By the name of our Lord, you shall be helped.” he told the elderly smurfette and he ran to the others asking to help her. But no-one believed in what he was saying to them. Booby cried, yet his belief was stronger than ever. But then our merciful Lord spoke to Booby once more, showing another miracle by giving Booby flower “Just use this flower and tell them that it will help Grandma. Then tell them what I already told you.” Booby did as he was told and Grandma’s feet stopped aching. He thanked the Lord and so did the others. Bobby preached the other smurfs the smurfy values, which then were held upon high and put into practice. And by the time that Booby died, he was sent upon high the clouds and given a special place near St. Francis.”
“That was a wonderful story, Papa.” Sassette cried. “St. Booby reminds me of our very own Clumsy. He must be proud that St. Booby was just like him…But where is he?” Suddenly all the other smurfs looked around, realizing that Clumsy wasn’t among them. So they started to look for their fellow. They drooled away every stone, examined their mushroom houses, but there wasn’t any glimpse of Clumsy to be found. Somewhere close to the border between the forest and Gargamel’s castle, a freezing and hungry blue-white dwarf was coming along the way. Suddenly he saw a flashlight and he noticed a strange smurf, he hadn’t seen before. “Who are you?” he timidly asked the stranger, who was all-dressed up like a monk. “I am St. Booby and I am here to tell you that you will be saved. Just believe in the Lord. You are a good hearted smurf and your friends just realized that they need you.” “And why should I believe you, St. Booby?” Clumsy asked. “There are things, which are beyond everything you might imagine. You’ll see.” St. Booby responded. Booby then showed up to the others. “You have forgotten that Clumsy is just one of yours. Be kind to him and always believe in what the Lord taught you. Don’t forget that after all he is your brother.” The other smurfs were shocked, yet they kneeled down, vowing to both God and St. Booby that they wouldn’t exclude Clumsy. St. Booby smiled and led the smurfs to Clumsy, before he finally disappeared… “O Clumsy! We missed you so much.” Smurfette cried happily and all the other smurfs joined in. That year was indeed a very special Christmas, everyone apologized to him. Smurfette and Hefty gave him a very special wreath as a present, Baker gave him the best cookies he had and all the smurfs sang happily along.
From that day on, the Smurfs venerated St. Booby on Christmas thanking him both for the smurfy values he taught them and that he had helped them to find Clumsy.
Maureen 
