Our Story
It Started With $20 on Layaway
A Christmas ornament, a bedtime story, and one little mouse who changed everything
Twenty Dollars Was a Lot of Money
It was 1970. My mom was pregnant with my older brother. My dad was in seminary. And there, in a local gift store in Fort Worth, Texas, sat a little mouse sleeping in a red felt hammock.
It was $20—and my mom had to put it on layaway until she could afford to pay it off.
That ornament hung on our Christmas tree every year. It became part of our family story, a tiny reminder that the most meaningful things are often the ones we work hardest for.
Years later, when we started sharing this story at Christmas shows, that original mouse was stolen at a show in Fredericksburg, Texas. But the story—and what it represents—lives on.
Fast Forward: A Mom With Spoiled Kids
Years later, I had two children of my own. And like many parents during the holidays, I noticed they were more focused on what Santa was bringing them than what we could do for others.
So my husband, Josh, and I came up with a bedtime story. It started like this:
Not a creature was stirring EXCEPT one little mouse...
We'd ask our kids: "What do you think the mouse does to be helpful at Christmas time?"
And ironically, that little mouse did all the things Josh and I were too busy to do. The mouse cleaned up crumbs on the kitchen counter. Cooled off the cocoa for Santa. Put out the fire so it wouldn't burn his bottom. All the little things that make a big difference.
I Am the Little Mouse
It took me until after writing the first book—maybe even the second—to realize something important:
I didn't mean to write the mouse's personality as my own—I was just writing from my point of view, and it happened naturally. I'm little. I'm squeaky. And honestly, I often feel like I can't make a big impact in this world.
We live in a time where there's so much happening—politically, socially—and it feels like a bit of a hot mess. What can I do? I'm just a mom trying to raise my family.
But that's exactly what the little mouse taught me: little things make a BIG difference.
Little Things Add Up
When we show people our handmade ornaments—crafted by artisans in Nepal at fair trade factories—we tell them about the mission behind the story.
In the back of each book, written as part of the story itself, we explain what an orphanage is. And we share that a portion of the proceeds from everything we sell goes to an orphanage in Haiti.
It's a small portion of each sale. But over the years, those little contributions have added up to something remarkable.
Just like the little mouse, we're doing what we can. One ornament, one book, one family at a time.
Meet Bethany
I'm not a teacher—I get asked that all the time. I'm just a mom who had spoiled kids and came up with a story with my husband to encourage them to think of others during the holiday season.
Twenty years in merchandising and product design for Fortune 500 companies taught me how to create products people love. But this little mouse? This is personal.
Because sometimes the smallest creatures—and the smallest actions—make the biggest difference.