to the circus. Do your parents all know you're here?"

A chorus of yeses rang out.

"What about the hot chocolate?" I asked.

A door slam was my answer. Mr. Hobart shrugged and said, "Leave the window open. Soon as they smell it, they'll come running back."

He was right. And when they returned, Nina Marshall had joined them (she's four).

Now I felt at home. Nine kids.

You should have seen them. You'd think they hadn't eaten or drunk in weeks.

"Me first!"

"Give me some!"

"Quit pushing!"

Ben finally boomed, "Wait a minute! I'll serve whoever's sitting down!"

Zoom. Musical chairs. James, Jake, Johnny, Becca, Nina, and Myriah grabbed the six. kitchen chairs. Mathew scrambled into the dining room and dragged in two more chairs, while Charlotte got the piano bench for Jamie.

Ben thought this was hilarious. As he ladled the hot chocolate, he began singing, "Deck the halls with boughs of holly." (Ben loves to sing.)

"Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la," Myriah, Johnny, and Charlotte joined in.

"Come on, everybody!" Ben urged.

Jake blushed. Becca rolled her eyes. Nina began moving her mouth, but nothing came out.

"If you want to have hot chocolate, fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la," Ben continued in this goofy voice, "you must sing these Christmas carols, fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la."

Ben was being unfair. Some of those kids are super-shy. He was tormenting them!

But you know what? One by one, they all started singing. Even Nina. It was a little like the Whos, in How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

As for me, quiet Mallory Pike? Well, I guess my performance at the Baby-sitters Club meeting had loosened me up. I sang out, horrible voice and all.

When we finished the verse, Mathew asked, "What comes next?"

"Wait." Ben ran into the living room and returned with a big book of carols. He flipped through the pages and said, "Um, here it is. 'Fast away the old year passes.' "