December 25
“Merry Christmas!”
The words echoed through the house, pulling Molly from a dream in which she, Schrodinger and Drew were walking down a Road that snaked between brightly lit Christmas trees and mounds of snow. The dream was shattered when nearly 250 lbs of cat, dog and niece landed on her and the bed.
“Aunt Molly, he came, he came!” Lily squealed, and Molly woke up fast.
“He did?”
Yes, Santa came! Schrodinger chimed in, and Jack barked eagerly. Molly’s heart sank, but she grinned nonetheless at the eager faces looking up at her.
“He did, huh? Shall we go see what he left?” She let them pull her from the bed, down the stairs and into the living room, where her parents, Nathan and Corrine, her sister-in-law, were already waiting. Aunt Marge and Uncle Art would be over later, as would her cousins, to share in the massive Christmas dinner Mrs. Barrett had been planning for the last two weeks. Nathan handed her a cup of tea and, when she raised an eyebrow at him, shook his head slightly. No Drew. Molly sighed.
“He’ll be here,” Nathan murmured. “It’s only 6 am, after all.”
“I know,” she said, and then turned to watch Lily and her comrades start to demolish the wall of presents. For the next hour, the air was filled with paper, ribbons and the squeals of delight as presents were opened and toys were played with. Molly got some lovely gifts of her own, but she couldn’t help drifting over to the window every so often and looking out at the falling snow. It was a picture-perfect Christmas Day, except for one thing.
“He’ll be here,” her mother said at one point, and Molly nodded.
“I know. I’m just a little worried.”
Mrs. Barrett refilled Molly’s tea cup and smiled at her. “Of course you are. But don’t worry too much. Drew is a man of his word.”
“That he is,” Molly agreed, and turned resolutely from the window.
But the day wore on, with no Drew. Aunt Marge and Uncle Art showed up, with more bags of presents. Her cousins Debbie and Alicia arrived soon after, bearing not only gifts but more food. And it continued to snow.
The Christmas feast was a miracle of goose, stuffing, mashed potatoes and broccoli. The sideboard groaned under the weight of cakes and cookies, pies and puddings. Molly wondered, as she did every year, whether or not they were feeding an army or just the family.
After dinner, she took a cup of tea, slipped on her coat, and went to sit on the porch and watch the snow fall. Schrodinger joined her, resplendent in his new coat, and together they sat in silence.
You don’t think he forgot, do you? Schrodinger asked softly.
“No, I don’t think so,” Molly said, stroking his head. “I think something happened to delay him. That happens sometimes, with the Gates. Maybe he’ll be back tomorrow.”
Maybe.
And then she heard it, very softly, through the falling snow. Her parents’ road was nearly deserted, and she frowned. “Do you hear that?”
Bells, Schrodinger said after a moment. I hear bells.
Bells they were, and they both watched as a glow appeared down at the end of the lane, cutting through the twilight snowfall. What was coming? A sleigh, Molly realized – and then her brain finally registered what her eyes were insisting she was seeing.
Not horses. Not even Lisa and Neil’s stags. No, pulling the sleigh coming through the snow…
Were reindeer.
“Lily, come quick!” she shouted. “Come and see! Santa is coming!”
Because that’s exactly who it was. And if he wasn’t the real Santa, well, it didn’t matter. He was, as the poem said, “chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,” and Molly, her tea forgotten, tore down the steps and into the lane. Sitting beside Santa was the one Christmas present she’d hoped for.
Drew leapt out of the sleigh before Santa could pull it to a halt and gathered her up in his arms, kissing her face. “I told you I’d be here,” he said between kisses. “It just took me a while.”
Schrodinger jumped into the sleigh and looked at the jolly man in red sitting on the seat. Thank you, Santa, he said. It’s just what I wanted.
Santa smiled at him. “You’ve been a very good boy, Schrodinger,” he said. “This is one present that I truly enjoyed giving.”
Molly, meanwhile, looked up at Drew. “Do you have an envelope for me today?” she said slyly, and he laughed.
“Of course! I promised you an advent calendar, didn’t I? Can’t forget the last day.” He handed her the envelope and she pulled the flap open eagerly.
“Dear Molly, we hope you enjoyed this as much as we did. Love, SA – Drew, Luke and Tom.”
She kissed him again. “This has been the best Christmas ever.” Then she grinned. “So, how are you going to top it next year?”
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