“Molly, Molly, he came, he came!”

 

Drew groaned and tried to pull the covers over his head.  “Is it daylight yet?”

 

Molly chuckled.  “It’s actually almost seven o’clock.  They let us sleep.”  She got up and stretched.  “Come on, don’t you want to see what Santa brought?”

 

Lily and Zoey were waiting outside the bedroom door, their full stockings in hand.  From the smears of chocolate on their faces, Molly suspected they’d been up for quite a while.  “Did Santa bring you everything you wanted?” she asked, as she let them drag her down the stairs towards the living room.

 

“I don’t know,” Lily said seriously.  “We haven’t opened presents yet.”

 

Molly had to laugh at that.  “Is everyone else up?”

 

“Almost,” Zoey said.  “You and Drew were the last ones we woke up, but Dad and Mom are still trying to get moving.”  She cocked her head at Molly.  “Should we go jump on Drew?”

 

“No, I have a better idea.”  Molly looked into the living room, where Schrodinger and Jack were nosing eagerly around the tree.  “Hey, Schrodinger!  Jack!  Come here!”

 

A few moments later, they heard Drew shout, “Okay, I’m up, I’m up!” and all three of them burst into giggles.

 

“Did you sic Jack and Schrodinger on Drew?” Corrine asked, coming out with a tray full of steaming mugs.  Molly accepted a mug of tea with a wicked grin.

 

“Maybe.”

 

Nathan, Peter and Donna joined them in the living room where Mr. and Mrs. Barrett were already sitting, and after a few more moments, Schrodinger and Jack came galloping down the stairs, followed by Drew, who was tying his robe around him and gave Molly a dirty look.  “I’m going to remember that the next time you have a day off and want to sleep,” he said.

 

“What?” Molly said innocently, and then giggled as he mimed taking a swing at her.

 

We only wanted to make sure you didn’t miss anything! Schrodinger said, twining around Drew’s feet as if he were a common house cat.  You didn’t want to sleep through Christmas, did you?

 

“No, but putting your cold noses on my feet was NOT appreciated,” Drew told him, accepting a mug as well.   “What did you do, go outside and rub them in the snow first?”

 

And you said he’d never guess!  Jack said to Molly, who nearly choked on her tea.

 

“Ah, so you’re the mastermind!  I was right!” Drew said, shaking a finger at Molly.  “Revenge will be sweet.”

 

“You say that now, but be warned – I withhold treats when I’m ambushed,” she told him.  “Consider that.”

 

“You fight dirty,” Peter said admiringly.

 

“That’s nothing,” Nathan said, winking at Molly.  “You should see her when frozen marbles are rolled into her bed.  Or her tea is switched for coffee.”

 

“I’m surprised you survived into adulthood sometimes, you know,” his wife said to him.  “I would have drowned you years ago.”

 

“I tried,” Molly admitted.  “Mom and Dad usually managed to find us before I’d finished the job, sadly.”  She looked at her brother.  “Then again, if I’d succeeded, I wouldn’t have a steady supply of good booze.  Or an adorable niece and a great sister-in-law.  So I guess it’s a good thing.”

 

“I apologize for my children,” Mrs. Barrett told Donna and Peter.  “They really aren’t morning people, and they forget their manners sometimes.”

 

Everyone laughed and then Lily and Zoey got down to the important thing: passing out the mountain of presents, so people could open them.  During the time it took to do so, Aunt Margie and Uncle Art showed up with even more presents.

 

“This is going to take all morning,” Drew murmured to Molly.  “We haven’t even opened our stockings yet.”

 

“And why are you surprised at this?” she replied, chuckling.  “You know how much my family loves Christmas.”

 

It did take all morning, but finally, there were only a few presents left.  One of them was a huge wrapped package that said “The Allards” on it.  Donna and Zoey unwrapped it together to find a large basket full of gift cards from nearly every business in the Cove to help them rebuild.  Donna sat back, tears in her eyes as she stared at the basket.

 

“This, this, is amazing,” she whispered.  “How did you do it?”

 

“I just let it be known that I was accepting donations,” Aunt Margie said.  “We all feel terrible that this happened now, and we all wanted to help you folks get back on your feet.”

 

“Thank you,” Donna said, and the tears finally spilled out.  “I don’t know what we did to deserve such wonderful friends, but thank you.”

 

After a few moments, they continued. Zoey set aside her present from the Snow Queen, and uncovered a small box that said simply, “For Molly.”

 

“For me?” Molly said, blinking.  She reached out for it, but Drew intercepted it.

 

“It is, but it’s not one for you to open,” he said, and stripped the paper off a small jeweler’s box.  He knelt down in front of her, amid the remains of wrapping paper and opened the box, exposing a brilliant diamond ring on a simple platinum band.  “Molly Barrett, will you marry me?”

 

She looked at him and then at Schrodinger.  The CrossCat was nearly vibrating with excitement.  You will, won’t you, Molly?  His thoughts were laced with joy.  Won’t you?

 

“Yes,” she said, and leaned down to kiss him.  “Yes, I will.”

 

The room erupted in cheers as Drew kissed her back and then slid the ring onto her left hand.  It sparkled in the light, and it was Molly’s turn to swipe aside tears.

 

“I should have known,” she said quietly to him.

 

“How?”

 

“You were talking about houses last night, remember?” Molly said.  “I should have known then what you were planning.”  She turned to Schrodinger.  “And you knew, didn’t you?”

 

Of course, the CrossCat replied.  He asked me over a month ago if I minded.  Schrodinger snuggled up against her.  I can’t wait to find our new home!

 

She hugged him.  So you won’t leave us?

 

Why would I do that?  He purred.  You’re my family.  You don’t leave family.

 

Finally, the only gift left under the tree was Zoey’s present from the Snow Queen.  “Let’s open the Advent Calendar first,” she said, when her mother pointed this out to her.  “I don’t want to go outside just yet.”

 

Drew brought out the Advent Calendar, and the four youngsters crowded around, looking for the last number.  After a few moments, Lily said, “There it is!  In the runner on the sled!”  She turned to Zoey.  “You do it today.”

 

Zoey smiled at her.  “Let’s do it together.”  They both pressed a fingertip to the golden number and then stepped back as the painting crumbled.  The magic snowflake came floating out, and to everyone’s surprise, it went and danced on the top of Zoey’s present.

 

“Maybe you’re supposed to do it now after all,” Lily said.

 

Zoey knelt down and picked up the small package.  “Now what?” she asked the snowflake, which had moved when she’d taken the present.   The snowflake glittered in response and drifted out into the hall, where it stopped by the coats.

 

“Do you want us to go outside?” she asked, and it pulsed in response.  Zoey looked at Lily, who shrugged.

 

“We can put our coats on over our pjs,” she said, suiting actions to words.  Everyone agreed, and in a few minutes, the entire party went out onto the porch.

 

In the front yard, Old Man Winter waved to them from his sledge.  “Merry Christmas!” he called.

 

“Old Man Winter!” Zoey and Lily squealed together in joy.  “Merry Christmas!  What are you doing here?”

 

“I heard a rumor that you might need a ride,” he said merrily, his eyes twinkling.  “I see I was right.”

 

Zoey looked from him to the snowflake, which had perched on one of the reindeer’s backs.  Then she looked back at her parents, and back to Old Man Winter.  “All of us?”

 

He gestured to the sled.  “I’ve got plenty of room.”

 

They all climbed in, Zoey clutching her present.  When Molly climbed in, her ring flashed in the sunlight, and Old Man Winter smiled.  “Bout time, boy,” he said to Drew.  “Bout time.”

 

Drew grinned.  “Had to move fast before you stole her.”

 

Old Man Winter hrumphed at that, but his eyes twinkled.  Once they were all settled, he shook the reins and shouted, “Gi-yup!”

 

The reindeer jumped forward, following the snowflake, which shot forward over their heads.  The cold wind stung their faces.  Schrodinger turned to Molly.  Do you know where it’s taking us?

 

She shook her head.  No idea, she admitted.  This was done without me.

 

To everyone’s surprise, the snowflake led them back to the ruins of the Allards’ house.  Molly hadn’t been out to see the wreckage yet, and in the harsh light of day, the extent of the damage was disheartening.

 

There was literally nothing left of the house but a few blackened timbers.  The Christmas decorations they’d worked so hard to put up were strewn around the yard, trampled and burned.   The smell of smoke still clung to the area.

 

Zoey’s eyes filled with tears.  “Why did you bring us here, snowflake?” she asked.  “Why show us this?”

 

The snowflake hadn’t disappeared when they stopped.  Now, it drifted over to her and settled down on the package she still held in her hands, nearly forgotten.

 

“Maybe it’s time to open that last present,” Old Man Winter said.

 

Zoey looked down at it, and then opened the present carefully.  Inside was a plain white box, and a card that said simply, “Open away from face.”

 

“Open away from face?” she said.  “I don’t understand.”

 

“It means don’t look at it when you open it,” her father said.  “Which makes me incredibly curious.  Open it!”

 

Zoey pointed the top of the box away from her, out over the edge of the sledge, and opened the top flap.  The next minute, she cried out as a veritable maelstrom tore out of the present, ripping it from her fingers and swirling snow all around them.

 

The winds howled and gusted, throwing snow up everywhere and then, just as suddenly as it erupted, it died.  Molly, Zoey and everyone else blinked the snow from their eyes, and then they saw what the magical present had done.

 

The area had been scoured clear of everything.  All the rubble had vanished, and in its spot was a hole in the ground for a basement.  As they watched, a new snow devil spun up in the middle of the hole.  This wind was tightly controlled, and from deep in the middle, it began to throw out…

 

“It’s rebuilding the house!” Lily said, eyes wide.  “By itself!”

 

Beam by beam, the house rose slowly from the ruins before their eyes.  Donna covered her mouth with one hand, and Peter had his arm around her as they watched.  Zoey was as still as a statue.

 

When the last shingle settled into place, she finally moved.  As if in a dream, she climbed out of the sledge and went up to the front door.  Pinned to it was a note that she pulled down and read out loud.

 

“Dear Zoey,  I’m so sorry that I wasn’t able to get this done before Christmas Day, but this kind of magic needs all the belief it can get, and my powers are greatest on this day.  I hope you and your family have a wonderful holiday.”  She turned to her parents.  “Signed, Santa.”

***

 

Merry Christmas, everyone!  I hope you enjoyed this year’s Advent story!