Works in Progress:

I hope you enjoy this short story to help you get to know Clark’s family a little better!

You can feel the cold breeze as it wisps through the trees. The last of the leaves are sailing on the wind, as they eventually float to the ground. The air has a mixture of smells like the smoke out of chimneys and freshly baking goodies from the nearby houses. 

          The front of the house is lit up in the lighting style of big colorful bulbs. Clark hangs the lights on the outside of the house every year right after Thanksgiving and takes them down before the new year starts. The grass is freshly mowed awaiting the dormant season and the bushes are trimmed back. 

          The front porch is a big cemented empty space with huge plate glass front windows nearly reaching floor to ceiling. The window is framed inside by sparkling lights and a bare Christmas tree surrounded by Clark’s family who is slowly bringing it to life in the front window. 

          Lee (Clark’s wife)her younger sister Shari and the girls, (Leah is 10 and Kara is 9, they are ten months and twenty days apart) have decorated the inside of the house with all the trimmings in the living room, kitchen and family room. You can smell the cookies baking and hear Christmas music playing as they sing along. 

          Each ornament is carefully placed on the tree after daddy applied the lights. No one has the patience like he does to unwind, test, fix and then wind lights on the tree. Clark tells them,

          “The strings of popcorn and cranberries look amazing as usual, Shari can you lay them out so their ready to apply to the tree.” Lee later is smiling as she applies the tinsel one piece at a time. 

     “Michael (the youngest is 2) come here son.” Clark calls to him and lifts him up to place the traditional star on the top of the tree. 

          It is their tradition to sit by the tree watching the lights while eating cookies and drinking hot chocolate.

          Lee excitedly tells Shari, “Let’s grab our guitars, it’s time to sing carols!”

They take turns calling out the name of a song they want to sing.

          Noisily they load up in the car and daddy drives them around to the different streets he knows are all decorated. Clark works for the Fremont Police

 Department and the officers always share which streets are the best to go see their displays.     

          Lawrence (who is 6) yells, “Crispsmas Lane, Cripsmas Lane! That’s my  favorite street!” 

Shari asks, “What is that?”

Leah (their oldest daughter) excitedly blurts out, “The entire street is decorated! Daddy told us the main house who started the tradition does a new theme each year, he makes new characters out of wood and paints them to go with the theme. He gives last years characters to a surrounding neighbor on their street! It’s the coolest thing ever! Auntie you have to see it!  Daddy please can we go?”

     “Of course, we’re only a few blocks away honey.”

          Michael screams, “Look theirs Santa Claus! Wait, but how am I going to get my gifts if he’s here?” Michael begins to cry.   

          You can hear the ringing of a bell as he takes donations when you walk or drive by. There generally is no room to park and at least a mile long wait from either direction to get to their street. 

          “Mommy will Santa still come?”

           “Michael of course he’ll come, why wouldn’t he?”

            “We won’t be home, we’ll be at church!”

Daddy and mommy both giggle and everyone joins in. Mommy turns around to look at Michael, 

          “Santa always knows where you are, how do you think he knows if you’re naughty or nice?”

          Michael seemed to like that answer as he suddenly has a huge smile on his face. Daddy drives slowly through the lighted decorated streets as everyone is singing Christmas Carols with the windows down. 

          They head back home for a quick dinner. Everyone gets ready for midnight mass. They get there early as the church is always packed Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Easter, this guaranteed them a seat. 

          Shari waits for everyone else to get ready, she’s never ready on time. 

         “Auntie we’ll save you a seat!” Lawrence tells her as they head to the car. They walk in admiring all the Christmas additional decorations and music. It’s amazing how many townspeople attend this service that don’t attend the rest of the year. 

          Shari arrives just before mass starts and quietly scoots in next to Kara. 

          “I’m so glad you made it in time!”

           “Me too honey, me too.” Shari tells Kara as she pats her knee. 

          When mass is over, they head towards home and see if Santa visited yet!  

          Daddy unlocks the front door slowly too make sure everyone is right behind him. Lee, Clark and Shari enter first, followed by Leah.   

          “My rifle! Oh mommy and daddy Santa brought me my own rifle for deer hunting!” Kara walks in next and there is no present waiting for her. She looks around and doesn’t see anything. She solemnly waits for Lawrence to enter next. Under the tree he finds one with his name on it. 

          “Daddy, daddy I got my BB Gun!” 

          “Now son don’t forget, we don’t aim it at anyone as we don’t want to shoot their eye out.”  

Michael walks in last looking for his present from Santa. 

          “A wagon! I got a Wagon! I can’t wait to ride in it!  Mommy can I ride in it now?”

Mommy tells Michael, “not tonight, but definitely tomorrow after we wake up!”  

          “Mommy can we each open one present?” Kara asks. 

Mommy shakes her head and says, “It’s not Christmas yet, but how about you each open just one that I pick, okay?”  

Everyone nods their heads as Lee passes out a present to each of them. They take turns opening their packages. Lee exclaims,

          “Now we all have new pajamas for Christmas tomorrow!”  They all hug and thank mommy and daddy.  

          “Boys, it’s late, you know what time it is.” Lee and Clark take and tuck the boys in for bed.  

          The five of them are busily wrapping up baked goods in baskets. They quietly deliver all of them to the neighbors on their street, so they’ll be waiting in the morning when they wake up. 

          They crawl into bed about 2:30 In the morning, but all are still excited about what is to come tomorrow. Kara is quietly crying in bed, Leah asks her, 

          “What’s wrong sissy?”

Kara stifles her tears and replies,

“Nothing, Merry Christmas sissy!”

Leah rolls over and goes to sleep. 

Kara can’t believe Santa forgot about her.  She quietly mumbles, “I know I was a good girl, I always try so hard Santa.” She somehow falls asleep sometime in the night amongst her tears. 

          “Sissy, sissy wake up!  It’s Christmas!  It’s Christmas!” Squeals Michael to the girls on his way down the hall to mommy and daddy’s room. 

          “It’s Christmas! Get up it’s Christmas!” Lawrence bangs on mommy and daddy’s bedroom door. He runs to the bathroom door and stops quickly, he knows he can’t go any further until told so. He impatiently waits for the others to get there. Everyone slowly joins Lawrence

          “You guys wait here, while we make sure Auntie Shari is awake.” Mommy and daddy head out to the family room where Shari is awake and ready in her new pajamas. 

          “Are you ready for the craziness?”  Shari smiles and says, “I can’t wait, bring it on!”

They position themselves in the living room where they can see. Lee places the Santa hat on Clark’s head as he calls to the kids. Shari smiles as they run right past her, they plop down impatiently waiting.  

          The tree is overfilled with presents spewing into the middle of the floor. Daddy passes them out one at a time, taking turns watching each other open their presents. The living room is filled with discarded wrapping paper and boxes. The kids are all enjoying their newly revealed loot. 

          “Shari why don’t you get a garbage bag for the kids to clean up while I make Eggs Benedict!”

          The doorbell rings while everyone is busy putting away their new treasures.  Shari yells out from the kitchen,

          “Kara! Can you get the door please?”  Kara jumps up from her bedroom floor and runs to the front door yelling, “I got it!”  When she gets to the front door she looks through the peephole, but doesn’t recognize the people. Shari yells to her,

          “I have some people from school dropping by for coffee okay.”  Kara opens the door to a couple who are holding a beautiful miniature collie, she looks just like Lassie, but way smaller. 

          “Oh, can I pet her? What’s her name, she’s so beautiful! I’m sorry, that was rude, I’m Kara, and you guys are?”

          “I’m Yvonne and this is my husband Steve, we are looking for a young lady named Kara!”

          “That’s me, I’m Kara!”

          “We see that, we stopped by to wish you a Merry Christmas and personally deliver your present!” Yvonne handed the puppy over to Kara, who hadn’t noticed the red bow on her until now. 

          “She’s for me?  She’s my present? Oh my goodness, she’s beautiful! What’s her name?”

          “Well, that’s the funny part she has the same name as you, so it’s your choice to keep it or change it!” 

Kara was crying tears of joy holding and kissing her new puppy. 

          “I’m sorry we couldn’t get her here sooner, we tried to have her here after midnight mass, but we had some car trouble.”  

          “It’s okay, she’s here now and she’s mine!  I have my very own miniature collie puppy!” 

Everyone crowded around taking turns petting and holding the puppy. She was so soft and sweet. 

          “ I think I’m going to call her Kristi, yep that fits you perfectly little girl!” She walked her outside to do her business. 

Wishing you and yours a Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year! Love you all Bob and Kari!