XMAS 2017

­I was sitting in my recliner relaxing after putting dinner in the oven, and I was going over my Christmas Preparation List and making sure that I had checked everything off. I took another sip of my handmade Peppermint Mocha and sighed at its rich chocolaty goodness. Life was good, retirement was treating me well; the house was absolutely perfect for the two of us and we had plenty of rooms for guests. Of course, if we ever were able to adopt any children we might just have fewer places for guests. My husband Patrick was out finishing up the last of his Christmas Shopping as he isn't the best planner in the world.

I took another sip of my mocha and savoured its rich chocolaty goodness again. I inhaled the wonderful peppermint scent and began to chuckle at the idiots still out doing their Christmas Shopping. I had mine finished weeks ago. I don't go for all of the hoopla over Christmas Shopping and extravagant gifts, I get a chuckle over all of the idiots trying to outdo each other with their gift purchases. I sit down several months before Christmas and plan out my shopping list, it usually only takes a half hour or so and is fairly painless. I just go through my interactions with my friends and family that I shop for and figure out what they need or want that they won't or can't buy for themselves. Sometimes what I decide to get is expensive sometimes it isn't, sometimes it is even free. Well, free in the monetary sense anyway. For example, I am giving my next door neighbors a free weekend of babysitting their three kids so that they can get away for the weekend and have some, one on one time. The rest of the gifts are of the more standard variety. Tickets to a play that my brother and sister-in-law really want to see with some friends but can't really afford the tickets and the weekend hotel bills. I got the tickets for them for the same weekend as their friend and also got them discount coupons for their favourite hotel. Another brother and his wife were receiving a bottle of Meritage Wine from their favourite California Winery that they had been salivating over for years.You might ask how I can afford to be so casual about spending money, it isn't that I am casual about spending money it is the fact that together Patrick and I have more money than we know what to do with. That is a completely different proposition from our earlier lives. We just happened to have made some very fortuitous investments and sold our businesses at the most propitious times. However, we didn't just give our money away, we used it to help people enjoy their lives a little better.

The oven timer broke into my thoughts and I regretfully had to put my wonderful mocha down and head to the kitchen, time to baste the roast and turn the potatoes and turnips so that they get nice and crisp on all sides. Everything was cooking nicely and Patrick and I would have a wonderful romantic Christmas Eve Dinner. I closed the oven door and reset the timer, I then opened the bottle of Mirassou 1972 Harvest Selection Cabernet and decanted it so that it could breathe. I had saved this bottle for a very special occasion and since this was our tenth Christmas together I thought that it was time to enjoy it. Kitchen duties done, I headed back to my recliner, my mocha, and Neil Diamond's Acoustic Christmas.

Before I sat down to finish my reminiscing I lit a few candles to lightly add their scents to the air. I sat in my recliner and grabbed my tablet and began to read the Little Dragon Boy by one of my favourite authors The Story Lover after I finished that one I had just started reading Shorty's Christmas by another of my favourite authors Str8mayb, when the door opened and Patrick came in and strangely enough his arms were completely empty. I got up from my chair and met Patrick under the arch of the foyer and pulled him into my arms to give him a welcome home kiss. However, Patrick had a different idea, he placed a finger on my lips and said, "Before we kiss I have a very important question to ask you." I answered him the only way that I could think of, "Patrick, I will always answer any question that you ask me." "Sean, what do you really want for Christmas?" I paused for just a moment before I answered. "Patrick, my love other than children with you I have everything." I leaned in to kiss my husband and just as our lips touched the doorbell rang and before either of us could answer it the door open and in walked the three boys that Patrick and I were Big Brothers for. "Daddy we're Home!"

"Merry Christmas to all and to all a Good Night©."©." ("Copyright by Clement Clarke Moore")

Author's Note:

I wrote this story because of an off-hand remark from our awesome programmer Akeentia that the only letter of the alphabet that didn't have a story for it was 'X'. Of course, I offhandedly replied that I would just have to write a story with 'X' in the title, like Xerxes or something. Well, this story kept me up most of the night until I had it outline and plotted in my head. For once the words came out as they were supposed to. So Akeentia, I have complied with your unspoken request.

Have a very Merry Christmas,

The Story Lover

As always comments greatly appreciated by The Story Lover.

Midwest Author's Notes:

Well, very nice. We are getting to know the daddies, aren't we?

Now it makes a very nice short story, but as I am sure you already suspect, I want to know more. I am not at all satisfied with being given such a small snack of a story to digest. Unless some of it is missing, (which, of course, it is,). There just needs to be more details given. Maybe a series of short stories all connected together, and dribbled out on various holidays in the manner of Holiday Hand Off, for instance.

Then or course, there will need to be at least one spinoff. Grin, Ok, Str8mayb, your turn.

Your humble Editor,

Darryl AKA The Radiorancher

East Coast Author's Notes:

Well X marks the spot. Very nice short story. Thanks for mentioning Shorty, he’s one of my favourites. I could go on but I think I need to reread a few of Fred’s stories. Keep up the great work. A warm story is always welcome.

Str8mayb