Max was having the best Christmas ever. He was full, delighted with his new toys, and tired from laughing. Although it was getting late, he fought sleep while recounting his day.
Today, he didn’t miss his mother’s prompting to wake – his excitement roused him before the sun was even a thought. Seeing the array of “Christmas” before his sleepy eyes, Max paddled his way toward his new found bounty: playthings he and his sister never expected to ever have, clothes that both warmed and itched, and a surprise breakfast that let him know it would be a good day.
It wasn’t long before he and his sister broke a couple of the gifts – but there were others to enjoy. Hannah, four years his junior and his biggest fan, had accidently fallen on a short stack of the day’s swag and left all in pieces. Ordinarily, Max would have been angry – maybe even hitting his sister – today, it didn’t matter. It was Christmas.
Max and Hannah celebrated the morning by chasing each other, snatching and hiding the other’s toys, and dressing in all the new clothes all at once. A visitor that morning, Sr. Margaret Mary of the IHM nuns up the street, was quick to chastise the two when their silliness became a distraction. Sister would visit often, bringing a happy balance of discipline and individually wrapped candies. This morning, she brought large candy canes, Hersey Kisses, and at least two scoldings.
Despite it being late December in Michigan, it hadn’t snowed more than a trace and the day’s temperature peaked just over fifty degrees. The park along the river still betrayed shoots of green - though, a few mud holes invited lectures from Sister. A whole afternoon climbing the antiquated monkey bars and pushing Hannah too quickly on the merry-go-round was another highlight of the day.
Well, there was, unfortunately, a downer to the day: church. Sr. Margaret Mary insisted they attend the 11 am Mass with her and no one pleaded on their behalf to the contrary. Going to Mass meant washing their faces, combing their hair, and the indignity of being away from their new toys for at least an hour. Max, bored, got even as he delivered the perfect “wet-willy” to Hannah during the quiet following Communion – her scream even unsettled the celebrant.
The afternoon was spent reassembling toys injured during Hannah’s fall and watching some old movie where a guy jumps off a bridge and the whole town got different – he ends up with people giving him money so that his bank or something doesn’t close. Oh, and something about an angel getting his wings.
Sister left, the movie was over, and the toys had already begun to stale. All their friends were busy with their families doing family things and Max and Hannah were pretty much bored and waiting for dinner.
That was another misunderstanding – the folks running the shelter assumed that all the children staying there had a destination for the holiday. No dinner was planned. Though only eight, Max was resourceful . . . the shelter had a petty cash box that was usually hidden in the third drawer of the file cabinet – and fortunately, there it was. Hannah and Max enjoyed the best Christmas pizza ever and even got two free Cokes delivered.
Max and Hannah’s mother used to order pizza all the time so Max knew how to negotiate Domino’s. Unfortunately, she always was a steady (small "c") coke customer as well. Karen, thirteen when Max was born and seventeen when Hannah entered the world, was committed to making a good Christmas for her children – even if it meant that it was observed in September or July – whenever she was cognizant that she had children. This was the first time Christmas was celebrated on December 25, without one of Max’s “uncles” sleeping over, and without, to Max’s memory, him having to help his mother vomit.
Today, Christmas was at the shelter and people Max would never meet provided clothes, shoes, toys, and goodies for him and Hannah. Max was told his mother was “sick” and would be getting help and he and Hannah would temporarily be staying at the shelter until they could find someone to give them a temporary home and, ideally, some stability.
To this eight-year old, anything beyond safe, warm, fed, and with his sister was simply academic - and it never paid to look toward tomorrow. Today, he was the richest man on Earth - warm, fed, safe, and with Hannah.
Merry Christmas.
Candy Cane image reported to be in the public domain and available at:
http://www.christmas-graphics-plus.com/free/candy-canes.html
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Please be nice, sit up straight, don't mumble, be kind to animals and your family.