Sam asks, “Daddy you think the Grinch came and took them?”
I tell Sam, “Let me use the bathroom, then we’ll go downstairs and look for clues.”
We take the elevator down to the family room where the tree and the presents were. There’s the trail of bows starting from where the tree was, a large note reads, “Sam I have a very special present for you that wouldn’t fit in here. So I moved everything. Santa Claus”
Sam’s eyes get wide after reading the note she asks, “Daddy what could it be.”
I slowed my shoulders and say, “Let’s find out look at the trail Santa left.” I point to the bows.
Sam tugs us along as we follow the trail first up to the door. I sent Sam after her coat, and take the opportunity to make a call. Dad says everyone is ready on Sam’s porch. He tells us too, there’s six inches of snow on the ground.
Before Sam comes back I take a broom and begin to sleep this snow way from the front porch. Only at the very bottom I find the next bow through the snow, Sam coming out in her coat and a pair of boots looks rather frightened at seeing the snow has covered up the trail of bows.
Sam asks, “Daddy were could Santa have put all our presents?”
As if in answer to Sam’s question a jingling sound can be heard in the direction of Sam’s Playhouse. I don’t hear the fan motor start or the fan running but a breeze comes and blows away the smoke revealing Sam’s Playhouse. It’s a good hundred feet away in the midst still hides the family on the porch. Sam squeals with glee seeing the small house. She shouts, “Santa said it was too big to fit in the house.”
Kathryn squeezes my hand, as Sam turns and begins to run towards the house. Through the mist and smoke I swear I see a red glow for an instant and the jingling from near Sam’s house disappears. The lights in Sam’s Playhouse comes on in the family can be seen waiting on a sprinting Sam with their arms open for her. Sam practically flies across the snow and jumps landing in her grandfather’s arms.
The family encircles Sam in hugs as each take their turn giving Sam a hug and kiss and wishing her a Merry Christmas. Sam’s joy is contagious and many of the family have tears streaming down their faces.
Kathryn and I finally managed to catch up with Sam as Daniel and Kara set her back down. They were on the outer edge in the last two hugs Sam. Sam jumps into my arm and pulls Kathryn close excitedly she says, “I love it Mommy!”
We open the door for her, and Sam’s eyes go wide seeing the inside of her playhouse for the first time. I could swear the pile of gifts grown overnight. It seems higher and wider than it was before. We take our shoes off at the door, and Sam’s Playhouse is very warm and comfortable despite the cold outside.
Sam looking around is wide-eyed at seeing everything, she runs into the next room and sees the bed gives an excited squeal, she looks out the window onto the back porch, and there is a door in the bedroom to the back porch as well. She runs back in to the living room almost blindly she hugs the closest person to her which just happens to be her grandmother Helen.
Sam releases her grandmother and sees the door open looking in finding a water closet there’s she gives another excited squeal. She runs up the stairs into the loft which is open to the living room Sam spends around another excited squeal she just can’t contain herself. Coming down the stairs she says, “There’s bunk beds for my little sisters upstairs. We’re going to have so much fun here!” Sam’s eyes finally fall upon the huge pile of presents. She excitedly runs to them, as most of the family simply laughs with joy.
Sam looks at the present she first came to and sets it aside, she takes the next and reads the label she carries it to me and says, “Santa got you something too.” Sam runs back and continues finding presence and taking them to each of the family. Sam gets plenty hugs and kisses as she gives each present to the family. Occasionally Sam will come across one and set it aside with the others she has already. When everyone has a gift Sam turns and asks, “Why haven’t you opened any of them yet?”
I chuckle and say, “Sam you get to open the first one.” Everyone in the family smiles and shakes their head in agreement.
Sam takes one from her pile and reached the label she comes over to Karen and says, “May I open yours as my first?”
Karen gives Sam a hug and says, “I would be honored if you opened mine first.”
Setting in Karen’s lap Sam begins to rip at the present and before long it is open and Sam turns giving Karen a very warm hug. Sam says, “I love the book, thank you Aunt Karen. Now you open yours, who’s it from.”
Karen reads the label and says, “Sam it’s from your Daddy. Let me see what JJ gave me.” Karen isn’t quite as excited as Sam and she still rips at the package quickly. Once it is open Karen’s eyes almost water in a bright smile on her face as she turns to me and says, “I absolutely love it JJ.” It wasn’t terribly expensive but it’s been something she’s been asking for. I asked around the family, and she hadn’t asked anyone else for it so I purchased the best Kindle fire HD for her.
Sam goes to grandma next she says, “Great Grandma Elizabeth will you please open yours next?”
Grandma giggles as she reads the gift’s tag, her eyes light up seeing it’s from Michael senior. She quickly opens it, and without a word she simply hugs her son. “Thank you Son.” She doesn’t let us know what she got but she is extremely happy with it. So much so, her voice fails.
Sam goes to her Grandpa Michael and he tears open his present after reading the name tag, his eyes go wide at seeing what the present is, walking over to Kathryn he hugs her tightly and says “Thank you.”
A little curious as to what Kathryn gotten her father but if he doesn’t care to share what it is I’ll not force the issue. Sam goes to her grandma Helen next. Helen opens her present her eyes go wide as she realizes what it is. She has her husband put on the necklace he’s gotten her. She’s wearing a bright smile that matches the beautiful necklace she now sports.
I realized Sam was going from one gift giver to the next, now with Helen getting a present from Michael Sam has to take another idea on who to pick next. She goes to her Grandma Maggie, she smiles as she begins to open the present, again Mom is very happy with the present and we continue on down the line until everyone has opened the present given a warm hug a kiss and a think you. It takes a while to do it this way especially since there are so many, and eventually we go on opening each one until we come in to our last. I’m extremely happy with each. It seems most of the family is the same with well thought out presents from each family member.
It’s the one present that I know cost the least I like most. Sam is gotten me a T-shirt that reads, I love My Daddy.
When I look around I realized there’s one too many presents for me. We each agreed on one, but I find one more. This last one has a strange tag as I read it. It reads, “You have given the gift of giving and happiness to so many. How could I not put you on the nice list? Santa”
I show it to Kathryn, who shows me a present with a similar tag. We talk among family and I say, “I appreciate this whoever gave it to me.” As I open it it’s something that I’ve always wanted but have never been able to find. It is my father’s rookie card, it was extremely rare and only a few ever printed. It’s in an exquisite glass case, unlike anything I’ve ever seen. There is no seam in the case, and from what I can see it looks like one piece of solid crystal that incases the card.
Kathryn is holding a small doll to her chest looking at me she says, “Did you?”
Looking at the doll I shake my head no. I show Kathryn my card and asked her the same question, and she shakes her head no, and says “I didn’t even know they existed.”
Mom sees the card and she remarks, “I try to get one of those for years, but they’re very rare and no one would give up the one they have, I even offered a couple million for it, and no one would sell.”
Looking at her I ask, “So it wasn’t you that got it.” She shakes her head no. The only other people that might have been able to even know about them would be George and Alyssa and possibly the Coach.”
Asking the family in general I say, “I got to know who got this.”
Absolutely no one has a clue, needless to say I’m quite blown way. Sam holding a new teddy bear tightly to her asks, “Did Santa Claus really get this for me Daddy? It’s the bear Angel Mom promised to get me when she came home.”
I truthfully answer to Sam what I know, “Sam I didn’t buy the bear for you. Did anyone else here buy it for her?” Everyone in the family shakes their head no, so I see the tag that came with the present. It simply reads, “To Sam a beautiful Princess. Merry Christmas Santa Claus”
I just tell Sam, “I believe he did.”
Storyteller’s note: My hope is that you are happy and healthy during these holidays, may love and happiness find you now and throughout the New Year. Remember an act of kindness may bring happiness to others, and once you bring happiness to others you will have a very difficult time keeping it out of your own life. Hold onto those happy moments, they will see us through the sad. Both cannot last, so choose the happy ones to hold and share.
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