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parents’ bedroom door to wake them up. Something told him …
    Maybe it was just the Christmas spirit, but he felt, deep inside, that somehow, his parents had gotten him that snowboard
     after all. He didn’t know why he felt that way — he just did.
    His mom and dad kept looking at each other and smiling secret smiles over breakfast. That made Dennis feel even more sure
     he was right. Of course, they could be smiling over something else, some other gift they were looking forward to giving him…
     .
    Finally, breakfast was over, and the family gathered once again in the living room. Dennis had given out his presents already,
     so his parents did all the giving.Actually not quite all — there were sweat suits and sports jerseys from his grandparents in Florida and California, a subscription
     to
Sports Mania
magazine from his aunt Mildred and uncle Jack in South Carolina (they gave him the same thing every year, and that was all
     right with Dennis), and even a box of chocolates for him from baby Elizabeth (his mom and dad told him she’d asked them to
     buy it for him).
    Dennis’s presents from his parents included a remote-controlled motorcycle, a kit for making paper airplanes, a set of art
     materials, and some other, smaller things, too —some books and a CD or two.
    But no snowboard.
It suddenly, finally, sank in that he had been wrong about his feeling. He had opened up his last gift, and there were no
     more to come.
    With a deep sigh, he got up, trying not to show his disappointment. “I guess I’ll go upstairs and look at my new books,” he
     said, grabbing them and heading for the hallway. “Thanks again for everything, Mom and Dad. The presents are really cool.”
    He was halfway up the stairs when he heard his father’s voice.
    “Oh, Dennis! Come on back down here — there’s one more present we forgot to give you.”
    Dennis could hear the blood pounding in his ears as he jumped all the way back down the steps in a single bound. He slid on
     his slippers right into the living room, and there were his mom and dad, holding a big, long, gift-wrapped package between
     them.
    “Just a little token of our love,” his mom said, giving his dad a wink. “Tasha and Robbie chipped in on it, too.”
    Dennis stepped forward, holding his breath, and took it from them. It was heavy — just the right weight…
    “Well, aren’t you going to open it?” his dad asked.
    Dennis tore open the paper, and there it was — sparkling, metallic blue on top, with yellow lightning bolts, and the word
Gizmo
in the center.
    A snowboard!
    There were so many things Dennis wanted to say, but they all tried to come out of his mouth .at the same time and he wound
     up unable to say anything at all. Instead, he threw his arms around his parents and hugged them extra tight.
    After a long week of misery that had felt more like a year, Dennis O’Malley was happy at last.

6
    N ow, just because we got it for you doesn’t mean you’re to go be a daredevil,” Dennis’s mom cautioned him as he sat on the
     living room floor, running his hands over the sleek surfaces of his dream come true.
    “That’s right,” his dad chimed in. “Don’t go showing off before you’ve even got the hang of it.”
    “Dad,” Dennis said in an impatient tone, “if you thought I was responsible enough to have one of these…”
    “He’s right, honey,” his dad told his mom. “You’re right, Dennis. Enjoy it.”
    “Um, do you think I could call up some people?” Dennis asked, not wanting to seem impolite.
    “Sure,” his dad said, laughing. “Call a few hundred friends and tell them the good news.”
    “Thanks!” Dennis said. Not wanting to let go of Gizmo even for a minute, he tucked the snowboard under his arm and went into
     the kitchen,where he proceeded to call Tasha and thank her.
    “I can’t believe you told me you weren’t getting me anything!” he said jubilantly.
    “I wish I’d been there to see the look on your face