Chapter 12: Mikulas, Bearer of Gifts Summary

With winter comes snow. December sixth is Mikulas Day, the day when Mikulas, the Hungarian Santa Claus, brings toys for the children. Hearing the childrens' excitement, Marton announces that they will be picking Mikulas up and bringing him to the house for a visit. The children are suspicious, but Marton insists that Mikulas is real and that he had last seen him some twenty years before.

Marton and his wife chuckle between themselves, nearly giving away the surprise that "Mikulas" will actually be Kate's father, Marton's brother Sandor, in costume. Marton and the kids ride the sleigh to the train station, pushing their way through heavy snowfall. As promised, Mikulas exits the train, complete with a bag of gifts. Marton, who greets Mikulas in a familiar fashion, asks Jancsi to drive the sleigh while he...