The Christmas House (22 page)

     It dawned on him that yesterday was not a dream. It really happened. The laughter and music he could barely detect from downstairs confirmed his thoughts. He sat up in bed and yawned as he put on his robe. He hoped that the guests had not
woke
David or the baby. During all of the chaos of the previous night, Michael forgot to place the Christmas presents by the tree for the traditional Christmas morning ritual of opening the toys that Santa delivered while they all slept. He knew David would be very disappointed if he ran down from his bedroom and into the family room to find a tree without colorfully wrapped presents surrounding it.

    
“Poor kid will think Santa left his toys in Florida instead,” Michael said to himself.

     As Michael walked out of the bedroom, he shut the door softly as to not wake Arianna. Down the narrow hall toward the winding stairway, he heard laughter and giggles coming from the guestroom.

     He knocked on the 6-panel hardwood door. “Hey! You two better be of age in there.”

     Michael started to walk away laughing and then heard a response from the room.

    
“Don’t you worry about us Mikey, we’re doing just fine.”

     “Uncle Wally?” asked Michael. “Who’s in there with you?”

     “Just little old me Michael?” responded Arianna’s Aunt Lucille.

     “Aunt Lucy?” Michael asked.

    
“Uncle Wally you should be ashamed of yourself. Wait until Aunt Louise hears about this.”

     The door of the guestroom flew open and Uncle Wally, wearing only a white sheet came running after Michael.

     “Mikey, wait a minute there son,” Wally said in a shallow soft voice. “Let’s keep this our little secret okay. I mean I love my wife and I know she will be joining me soon, but Mike, I’m dead. She’s in a nursing home a thousand miles away and I can’t leave this house to go see her. I promised at the altar, “
until
death do us part.” I died, we parted and now I’m doing Arianna’s Aunt Lucy. Hubba Hubba!”

     “Uncle Wally!” Michael said. “Why don’t the two of you get dressed and come down stairs for breakfast before everyone knows what you or should I say “who” you are doing up here!”

     “Relax Michael. They already know. Hey I haven’t been with a woman in over 20 years. Don’t you think I deserve a break?” Wally asked.

    
“Well, I guess you’re entitled. Besides by this time next year your wife may be here and you’ll have to be good again,” Michael replied.

     Wally’s smile turned to a frown.

    
“Wow
Mikey
, you really know how to take the wind out of a guy’s sails.”

     “Good! Now get dressed and come down to celebrate Christmas with the rest of us,” Michael said as he walked down the stairs.

     Wally slowly walked back to the guestroom talking aloud.

    
“One lousy day I get to be with another woman. I was faithful my entire life and starting next year I will have to be faithful for the rest of eternity. Wow!”

     As Wally opened the door to the guestroom pondering the rest of eternity, he looked inside while still standing in the hallway and asked, “Lucy?
You hungry?”

    
“Only for you, you big hunk of man!”
Lucy replied.

     “That’s my girl!” yelled Wally as he darted into the guest room leaving the sheet that once covered his body lying on the hallway floor, as the door shut behind him.

     Arianna came out of the bedroom in her pink satin robe and started to walk slowly toward Nicole’s room. As she turned, she caught a glimpse of a white sheet lying on the floor down the hall. She just smiled.

     Meanwhile Michael made his way downstairs and was greeted by 70 people yelling, “Merry Christmas Michael!”

     He held his head and replied, “It’s too early for this. Coffee... I need coffee.”

     As he walked through the dining room into the kitchen he noticed that many of the guests had been up for several hours. Bone china coffee cups were scattered about and cigarettes smoldered in crystal ashtrays at the end of the dining room table. As he walked into the kitchen, he spotted his mother wearing an apron and mixing batter in a large stainless steel bowl. Arianna’s mother was spooning out the batter onto a hot griddle with a silver ladle. The sight was odd. Not only had Michael not seen his mother make pancakes in over 10 years, he
had
never s
een
her make them while wearing the formal gown she was buried in before either.

    
They were making pancakes for the guests of the house. From the looks of the kitchen table, they had been at it for quite some time.

    
“Bet the two of you can’t wait to go back to heaven. All you do down here is work! Look at all these golden brown pancakes. I wasn’t hungry a minute ago, but I sure am now!” Michael said.

    
“As we said before Michael, some things never change. But, we don’t mind really. It makes us happy to be useful again,” Michael’s mother replied.

     “Okay then, but if you get tired, please let us
know
and we’ll take over for a while,” Michael stated.

    
“I have to get the presents set up by the tree for David before he wakes up and runs down here.”

     “Too late Michael,” his mother replied.

    
“Oh no!
Is he down here already?” Michael asked.

     “No, I meant it is too late for you to set up the presents. Go look over by the tree,” she replied.

     Michael grabbed his cup of coffee and walked over to the family room. There, surrounding the tree were all of the presents properly positioned. All neatly wrapped and stacked one on top of each other.

    
“Who did all of this?” he asked.

    
“Well, we all pitched in. It didn’t take very long and it was great fun,” his mother replied.

     “I’m sure David will be very happy. And I am very appreciative,” Michael said.

    
Arianna walked into the family room with Nicole in her arms. She also noticed the gifts stacked by the tree.

    
“Michael, you did a great job!” she said.

     Michael commented, “
Nope,
wasn’t me. It was my mother and a few of her friends.”

    
“It looks wonderful! I thought for sure we were going to be awakened to the sound of David crying that Santa never came. Thanks so much for helping out and allowing us to avoid that scene,” Arianna said.

     At that moment, David bolted into the family room from the kitchen. Still in his red flannel pajamas and his hair disheveled, his cheeks were a glow as the excitement could be heard in his voice.

    
“Santa came!” he yelled.

     As he ran to the pile of presents near the tree, his eyes were wide with wonder.
A smile that only a child could have on Christmas morning, brightened his face as he inspected the presents.

     Arianna announced to the rest of the guests to please come into the family room to share in David’s joy. Groups of people paraded from the front of the house to the back, passing through the kitchen and helped themselves to a breakfast of pancakes and jellies.

     David sat in the middle of the massive assortment of presents and kept his eye on the largest box just a few feet away. The family room was wall to wall people, all staring at David and sharing this special moment. Christmas songs played on the
stereo and the mood was perfect as a light snow fell outside. The ever-present red cardinal sat in the evergreen tree across the street and sang a methodic melody of joy.

    
“Now before you open any presents from Santa, make sure you read the tag on each box first. I’m sure that some of those presents are for Nicole and your Mom,” Michael said.

     David scanned the boxes within reach, looking for the tags.

    
“Yeah, look here is one for Nicole! Should I open it for her?” he asked.

     “Give it to your Mom and she will open it for Nicole. I’m sure you want to start to open your own presents,” Michael replied.

     “I can wait Dad. I don’t mind if Nicole goes first. She is the youngest,” David said.

     “Well
David, that
is a very nice gesture. You are quite the proper young man,” Arianna’s father said.

    
David opened Nicole’s present from Santa. As he
unwrapped
the box, he threw the wrapping paper on the floor. Michael’s mother brought a large plastic bag in from the kitchen to collect the discarded papers that were sure to pile up quickly.

     David opened the box and looked inside.

    
“Nicole got.... clothes,” he said as if to be disappointed for her.

     Arianna laughed.

    
“Well it’s not that bad David! She needs clothes.”

     “I hope Santa brought me toys. I hate clothes!” David said.

     The guests all laughed at David’s remarks. Michael assured David that Santa brought many toys as well as some sensible clothes.

     David opened his presents one by one. As he unveiled a gift, it was passed around the room for each guest to inspect and admire. Comments of, “Oh isn’t that something” and “Wow, look at that”, were heard as the gift made it’s way from one end of the room to the other. A train set, a sled, a football; a new guitar, a baseball
mitt and many other gifts were bestowed upon David from Santa.

     Nicole received many gifts as well including rattles, mobiles, learning toys, and or course, lots of clothes.

     “Hey, the tag on this present says it’s from Grandma Marie to me!” David suddenly exclaimed.

     A hush came over the crowd, for they all thought about the mass and matter rule Martha explained the previous evening.

    
“Oh, but I didn’t....” Marie stumbled to explain.

     Arianna came up behind her and whispered, “Mom, I changed the tags on some of the presents while no one was looking. I know you couldn’t bring the kids anything yourself, so I did it for you.”

     Marie smiled at her daughter and said, “David, I hope you enjoy it and Merry Christmas.”

     David opened the present and found a camping kit that included a canteen, a compass and a Swiss army knife.

    
“Wow, this is neat! Look a compass. Now I won’t ever get lost again!”

    
He stood up and ran to Marie and hugged her tight.  “Thanks Grandma. This is the best present I have ever gotten!”

    
“Oh, you are very welcome David. Merry Christmas grandson,” Marie said smiling from ear to ear.

 
  
As David ran back to the tree to open more presents, Marie embraced Arianna.

    
“His love and thanks is the best Christmas present
I
have ever received. Thank you for bringing the joy of Christmas to my heart once again.”

     “I love you, Mom,” said Arianna as they continued to hug.

     David walked over to a large box to the left side of the tree and read the tag.

    
“Hey, Dad.
Santa brought you this big present!”

     Michael smiled and walked over to the present and shook the box.

    
“Hmm, sounds like... golf clubs,” he said.

     “I wonder how you
knew?
” Arianna replied.

    
Michael opened the box and unveiled a brand new set of golf clubs in a new leather golf bag.

    
“Guess Santa wants me to relax a little more instead of working all the time huh?” he asked.

    
“Yes, Santa told me himself that you work too much!” Arianna replied.

     “That’s funny. He told me that you worry too much!” Michael said.

     The guests laughed at the exchange between husband and wife.

     Some of the guests made their way around the room to get a better view of Michael’s golf clubs. Arianna’s father pulled one of the woods out of the bag and started to swing erratically. Other guests were ducking and jumping out of the way of his motion with the club.

    
“Whoa Dad!
Watch out!” Arianna said as the club head barely missed Uncle Wally’s head as he finally joined the celebration after his upstairs interlude with Arianna’s Aunt Lucy.

     “Whew! That was a close one! Watch where you’re swinging that thing Arthur,” said Wally and then continued.

    
“So, did I miss much?”

     “I was about to ask you the same question,” Marie replied as she walked by and gave Wally the evil eye.