A young woman is experiencing her first Christmas as a popular new teacher in an elementary school. The little ones were fidgeting in anticipation of the class party that afternoon.
When the time finally came the teacher addressed the students. "Once the treats have been passed out you may all quietly exchange any presents you have brought with you. After this we will listen to the Christmas carols while we visit with one another".
Little Johnny and Sheila passed out the cookies and punch and the children began to pass around gifts. To the teacher's surprise quite a few students lined up to hand over presents they had brung for the teacher.
Sheila was first and she handed a beautifully wrapped box to the teacher. The teacher thought she'd amaze the class with her "teacher sense". "I'll bet this is a box of candy!" exclaimed the smiling woman.
"How did you know?" the little girl gleefully replied. Sheila didn't know that the teacher knew here parents owned a candy store.
Simon was next. His father was master cabinet maker. "Could this be a jewelry box?" asked the teacher as she felt the heft of the smallish package. Simon was amazed.
"And this must be perfume." she said to Cindy (who's mother worked at the department store cosmetic counter). The children audibly gasped at another correct "guess".
One after another the teacher was able to deduce what gift each child had to present her with. The children clearly enjoying the game as much as the teacher did.
Finally Johnny brought up the last present. Clearly he was
sure that she wouldn't guess what his gift was and she didn't want to disappoint his enthusiasm for the game.
Upon inspection she noticed that one corner of the package was damp to the touch. She knew that Johnny's father owned a liquor store in town and thought that perhaps the fragile glass bottle had either cracked or the seal had been broken on the way to the head of the class.
The teacher looked at the large square box on her desk with a forced frown on her brow (she didn't want to spoil the excitement for the little ones).
Not wanting to give away she hemmed and she hawed for quite a few seconds before declaring "A bottle of brandy!"
Johnny smiled as he answered "Nope! That's NOT it!"
"Hmmm.... A bottle of rum for my eggnog?" she asked confidently.
"Wrong again Miss!" Johnny's smile getting broader.
The teacher slid the package across her desk so that she could sereptisously get her fingers on the liquid now seeping from the package.
The teacher licked her fingers to conveniently clean them (in truth to 'sample' the amber fluid puddling on her desk). "Ah, a nice bourbon!" she responded thinking it was the worst tasting whiskey she'd ever tasted and annoyed that his parents would send such cheap rot-gut to her for Christmas.
Johnny's smile grew to enormous proportions and he coudn't hold the surprise any longer as he exclaimed "Uh-uh. Wrong again Miss! I GOT YOU A PUPPY!"
