It was at least two months before Christmas when my nineyearold Almie Row told her father and me she wanted a new bicycle.1Christmas drew nearer, her desire for a new bicycle seemed to2or so, we thought.We bought the latest sage, Babysitter's Club dolls, and a doll house.Then，3 ， on December 23rd, she said that she 4wanted a bike more than 5else.It was just late, what with all the details of preparing Christmas dinner and buying lastminute gifts, to take the time to 7 the “right bike”for our little girl.So, it was Christmas Evearound 9：00 p．m.，with Almie and her sixyearold brother, Dylan nestled snug in their beds.Now we could only8the bicycle and the 9of our daughter.
“10I make a little bicycle out of clay and write a note that she could trade in the clay 11for a real bike？”her dad asked.“Since this is a(n)12item and she is ‘such a big girl'，it would be much better for her to pick it out.”So he spent the next four hours13working with clay to make a tiny bike.
On Christmas morning, we were14for Almie to open the little heartshaped package with the beautiful red and white clay bike and the15 ． Finally, she opened it and read the note aloud.“Does this mean that I16this bike that Daddy made me for a17one？”
“Yes，”I said.
Alimie18tears in her eyes when she replied，“I could never trade in this beautiful bicycle that Daddy made me.I'd19keep this than get a real bike.”At the moment, we would have 20heaven and earth to buy her every bicycle on the planet!
Notes：
①sage n ． 鼠尾草 ②trade in以旧换新
