December 25<\/p>\n
\u201cMerry Christmas!\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cAunt Molly, he came, he came!\u201d Lily squealed, and Molly woke up fast.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe did?\u201d<\/p>\n
Yes, Santa came!<\/i> Schrodinger chimed in, and Jack barked eagerly. Molly\u2019s heart sank, but she grinned nonetheless at the eager faces looking up at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe did, huh? Shall we go see what he left?\u201d 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019ll be here,\u201d Nathan murmured. \u201cIt\u2019s only 6 am, after all.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know,\u201d 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\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019ll be here,\u201d her mother said at one point, and Molly nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know. I\u2019m just a little worried.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mrs. Barrett refilled Molly\u2019s tea cup and smiled at her. \u201cOf course you are. But don\u2019t worry too much. Drew is a man of his word.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat he is,\u201d Molly agreed, and turned resolutely from the window.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
You don\u2019t think he forgot, do you?<\/i> Schrodinger asked softly.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, I don\u2019t think so,\u201d Molly said, stroking his head. \u201cI think something happened to delay him. That happens sometimes, with the Gates. Maybe he\u2019ll be back tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n
Maybe.<\/i><\/p>\n
And then she heard it, very softly, through the falling snow. Her parents\u2019 road was nearly deserted, and she frowned. \u201cDo you hear that?\u201d<\/p>\n
Bells,<\/i> Schrodinger said after a moment. I hear bells.<\/i><\/p>\n
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 \u2013 and then her brain finally registered what her eyes were insisting she was seeing.<\/p>\n
Not horses. Not even Lisa and Neil\u2019s stags. No, pulling the sleigh coming through the snow\u2026<\/p>\n
Were reindeer.<\/p>\n
\u201cLily, come quick!\u201d she shouted. \u201cCome and see! Santa is coming!\u201d<\/p>\n
Because that\u2019s exactly who it was. And if he wasn\u2019t the real Santa, well, it didn\u2019t matter. He was, as the poem said, \u201cchubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,\u201d and Molly, her tea forgotten, tore down the steps and into the lane. Sitting beside Santa was the one Christmas present she\u2019d hoped for.<\/p>\n
Drew leapt out of the sleigh before Santa could pull it to a halt and gathered her up in his arms, kissing her face. \u201cI told you I\u2019d be here,\u201d he said between kisses. \u201cIt just took me a while.\u201d<\/p>\n
Schrodinger jumped into the sleigh and looked at the jolly man in red sitting on the seat. Thank you, Santa,<\/i> he said. It\u2019s just what I wanted.<\/i><\/p>\n
Santa smiled at him. \u201cYou\u2019ve been a very good boy, Schrodinger,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is one present that I truly enjoyed giving.\u201d<\/p>\n
Molly, meanwhile, looked up at Drew. \u201cDo you have an envelope for me today?\u201d she said slyly, and he laughed. <\/p>\n
\u201cOf course! I promised you an advent calendar, didn\u2019t I? Can\u2019t forget the last day.\u201d He handed her the envelope and she pulled the flap open eagerly.<\/p>\n
\u201cDear Molly, we hope you enjoyed this as much as we did. Love, SA \u2013 Drew, Luke and Tom.\u201d<\/p>\n
She kissed him again. \u201cThis has been the best Christmas ever.\u201d Then she grinned. \u201cSo, how are you going to top it next year?\u201d<\/p>\n