Is it FINALLY time!? Is it!? Is it is it is it is it is it??????????

Yes, Rachelle, now will you shut up!?

I can’t, I can’t, I can’t!!! Cant you feel it!?

Quit yelling, feel what?

The buzz!

The… buzz….? Rachelle, how much did you have to eat before you went to sleep again last night?

I didn’t eat anything this time, I wanted to sleep!

You, wanted to sleep?

Yeah, dontcha know that makes him come fast?

Who come faster?

You’re really dumb, you know that?

Rachelle, you’re imagining me. I am part of your dream after all…

Touché… But…! How can you not know if you’re part of my dream!?

Maybe you just really want to ramble about something?

Aye, maybe….

What’s that smell?

You change the subject more than a dictionary. (pause) Or me. Not the point. That’s cookies baking.

Why are you baking cookies?

Because you always bake cookies for him! Otherwise he’ll be sad and leave your house with a frown on his face, and you’ll never get as good presents anymore because he thinks that you no longer believe. But he never abandons you. Nuh-uh. He’s the reason we can all miraculously afford the damned holiday.

Don’t swear-

I’m not. I used a sentence enhancer.
-but now you’ve told me why I smell cookies. Now who exactly is the guy you’re talking about!?

If I’m not allowed to enhance my sentences, you aren’t allowed to yell. Now stop.

Do you hear something?

I hear three somethings! (grins)

Er… I hear a jingling…

Oh, that’s just his sleigh! Nothing to worry about. I can hear the others giggling with delight, they know they’re gonna get some carrots. I always remember to leave them carrots!

Wait, now who are you talking about!?

His helpers of course!!

Whose helpers!?

Take a guess!

I dunno…. (pause) Michael Jackson?

Ew. No.

Just tell me, please?

C’mon, the only guy who can break into your house and not be yelled at for a B and E because he’s just doing his job! And we welcome him in every year!

I… I really don’t understand. Do you even know who you’re talking about. You’re talking about some guy who eats a lot, feeds his helpers carrots, and breaks into peoples homes!?

He even knows when you are sleeping, and knows when you’re awake, and knows if you’ve been bad or good so be GOOD FOR GOODNESS SAKES~! OOHHHHHH~! YOU BETTER WATCH OUT, YOU BETTER NOT CRY, YOU BETTER NOT SHOUT I’M TELLING YOU WHY~!

QUIET DOWN!

Sorry. (rolls eyes)

Auuuggghhhhh… your cookies smell terrible… It smells like the woods…

No, silly, that’s our tree! We decorate it each year! It’s the only time my sister, mom, and I really smile during the year, my dad being gone all the time.

Why? What’s your dad doing?

Oh, he works for the military. Stuff I can’t tell you. Silly.

Okay, but why do you decorate a tree?

Honestly, I couldn’t tell you to save my life. (laughs) I’m not that heavily religious. I really don’t know its significance. All I know is that I love this time of year~!

You still haven’t told me why you love it so much.

Yes I have! It’s because this is the time of year he finally comes!

Blech, I don’t know who it is your talking about still, all I know is that it’s cold, and I hate the snow on the ground.

The snow makes it even more magical, with the lights reflecting off it. I know I know, ‘why do you put up lights, hinga dinga derga’ it’s so he can find your house easier. Silly willy pumpkin pie.

You gonna tell me who he is now?

Definitely not Michael Jackson.

(exasperated sigh)

What?

Look, you keep rambling on and on and on but I have no idea what you’re going on about, or what so great about this time of year.

Christmas.

Bless you?

No, Christmas. It’s a holiday. When we celebrate Mr. Jesus Christ’s birth. And no, I’m not going to explain who that was to you. I don’t want to screw up a detail. That would be rude.

Uh-huh… and what, may I ask, is so great about Christmas?

Presents, Family, Food, Smiles, Giggles, Laughs, Memories, Snow, Cold, Wind, Love, Hope, I can keep going you know…

It… sounds nice.

Oh, but it is! I mean, sure, I’m a little too old now for him to be bringing me the same amount of gifts he used to, but the little kids who still get a lot from him just light up! Their faces are just amazing! He always knows what they want, and they always get it. The kids wake up at the wee morning of the hours, when during a school day that would happily sleep in for another four or five, in my case eight, to rush out and see all their presents under a tree.

Is that why you have a tree?

And the stocking hung up on the fireplace, or a wall if someone doesn’t have a fireplace, or they’re gently placed on the floor, a couch, another miscellaneous piece of furniture, so that even more stuff from him can be given. Anyway, they always come out into the room where their tree is and see their presents. So much of it, mountains and mountains of new toys, games, and lots of yummy treats. Their eyes grow wide and their lips part to an ear to ear grin. Little gaps from missing teeth are shown in all their glory as a squeal that cannot be suppressed rises in their little throats.

Sounds annoying.

On any other day, it would be. (laughs) The little kids then go running into their parents room, ‘Mommy, Daddy, he came, he came! C’mon, wake up, silly sleepy heads, we have to see what he brought us!’ This is usually returned with a, ‘Insert Name of Child Here, go back to bed. It’s three o’clock in the morning.’ Later on though, at six, they’re up again and the parents finally drag themselves out of bed, knowing that their little kids hearts may fail with excitement if they don’t hurry up and let the children release some of their energy ripping off all the wrapping paper.

Doesn’t that make a mess though?

Oh, you bet. That’s the best part. The kids are all ripping off the wrapping paper- Rip, rip, rip! –as the parents try and keep some order in their house as they continuously pick up paper from the floor and put it in a plastic bag. After a few boxes though, they give up and let themselves get lost in their children’s excitement. A kid will proceed to then dump EVERYTHING out of their stocking all over a couch or the floor! All the candy that falls out, oh man, it’s a cavity waiting to happen – the best cavity they will ever have. A Christmas Cavity. Oh joy~! And there are little presents in the stocking they tear open. Pokemon cards, a brush, and other miscellaneous items in their as well.

Pokemon?

Don’t worry about that, trust me. You don’t want to know. Next a kid will viciously attack the presents under a tree. That’s where the big ones are held. But, they only open up certain ones first. Not the ones from their parents, from a sibling, from grandma, grandpa, aunt margaret, uncle bob, cousin jon, nothing, except for a very particular present, that always seems to have an angelic glow about it.

The ones from him?

Yes. The ones from Santa Claus.

(silence)

I hear bells again.

I do too… Do you think he’s here!?

Better wake up and look, lets see what he’s brought us!

Okay, sorry to wake up, if I hear from you again, I’ll tell you what it was!  Maybe I can catch him tonight!

Stop talking to me, hurry, you’ll miss him!

Aye, aye, cap’n!

Footsteps were heard as the teenager ran into the room with her tree, a huge grin plastered on her face as her little sister ran out of the room just as fast to see the presents under the tree.

“We missed him again this year, darn it!”

“Next year we’ll snag him!” her sister said laughing.

“Hey, the cookies and carrots are gone.”

”Yay, that means we must have got something good!”

The teen laughed. “More’n likely, Santa’s pretty cool like that, eh?”

Her little sister nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah, you bet! Hey, I’m gonna go wake up Mom now!”

“Mmkay, hurry up! Remember, after we wake her we have to wait three hours!”

”Why do we always feel the need to wake up at 3 AM?”

“I couldn’t tell you to save my life.”

Both the girls laughed as the younger one ran into her mother’s room to wake the poor parent up for some good old morning insanity.

The teenager walked over to a window looking out to the sky. As she glanced upwards to gaze at the night, her dog hopped up and placed his forepaws on the window sill to stand next to her and watch the stars together. Jingling was heard far off as a house light went on and a young child wailed with delight. She laughed. Oh, three in the morning, the thrills you give us on this day of December 25.

The little sister tiptoed back out into the room with her sister and took her place at the window as well. As both sisters stared into the sky a 10 distinct figures floated across the sky. A bright light on one with four legs, eight other figures with four legs as well, and a sled-like shape with a giant human-like silhouette seated comfortably in his trip around the world.

Both the girls looked at each other wide eyed. “Santa…” they breathed.

At that instant they knew they weren’t silly to believe.

THE END