Christmas Miracle (47/73)

 

It was Christmas morning and the house was quiet. Dallas had vacated my room by this time. I laid in bed and enjoyed the peace and quiet while thoughts of the night before ran through my head. I could not believe that we really had opened all of our gifts last night. But I had to say I did kind of get a little spoiled this year. New Barbie’s, Clothes, CD’s, and of course my Star Wars – Ewok Village. My Cousin Devon was given the Millennium Falcon. We had a blast putting them together and playing with them on Christmas Eve.

I could hear rumblings in the room next to me. I knew my cousins had to be up. Before I could get out of my bed, my door swung open and in ran Dallas to tell me to get up. She starting jumping on my bed saying Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas and that it was time to get up. Once she stopped jumping, I got out of bed and reached for my house coat that was hanging behind my door.

As I stepped out of my room, I could see that Grandma Lois was putting on her glasses and was about to the head out her bedroom door. I reached out, hugged her and wished her a Merry Christmas before we both made our way down the hallway to the kitchen. The aroma of fresh coffee was in the air as we passed through to the dining room. Santa had left our stockings on the table where we had left cookies and milk for him the night before. All three over stuffed stockings were spilling over onto the table. We each reached out for our own and headed to our own little spots to check out their contents. There were also a few gifts under the tree from Santa for each of us. Santa had been good to all three us this year.

It was not something that I was used to. My Mother never went overboard on Christmas, how could she. We lived on assistance for the most part. The most exciting gift I would get in the years before this Christmas would be… whatever the coolest thing that Santa’s Anonymous brought with the turkey hamper. However, gifts did not matter to me. The holidays to me were about being with family. Every Christmas Day I would spend with my Father. By noon, he would pick me us as he did every year before. My own version of a Christmas Miracle.

I was never home Christmas day night. Jack could never take the memories of those nights from me because he was never apart of them. He could never tarnish them and stain them with his darkness. I would always be with my Father. These nights and memories would be ours. This is why… Christmas morning would always be magical. A morning where anything can happen and wishes do come true. How could I not believe this when every Christmas morning for years before the clock struck noon, my Father, Brandon would swoop in and take me away and save me. Save me from a ruined Christmas. Every year I wished for Christmas day with him and every year I was given it. Magic… or at least that is what a ten-year-old little girl believed it was. This year would be no different.

My Father promptly arrived at noon to fetch me. I was smiling from ear to ear at the site of him. It had been a very calm 24 hours considering I had disobeyed Jack the previous morning. It was odd but Jack was keeping his distance from me over the last day. Not really speaking to me except in a group or out of common courtesy. However, I could tell there was underlying anger in his lack of communication and by his stiff body language. But that was a worry for another day. Today I was going to enjoy Christmas Day with my Father and his family. I would walk out the door leaving this house and its complications behind well at least for a few days anyways. I would have to be back by New Year’s Eve but until then I was free to just be me.