The Ghost of Christmas Present

Somewhere in the world a certain jolly old fat man was having a bit of a problem. It seems that certain lists had decided to rewrite themselves in midair; now, instead of giving Robert coal, Santa had to find presents for him. Luckily for all involved, another certain magical Elf named Fred knew just what to do, and, with a wink and twitch of his nose, he and Bartholomew were off to save Santa's bacon and reward Robert for his awakening.

Back on earth, boys and girls of all ages, races, creeds and orientations were dreaming of sugarplums, toys and more. That is, except for one little boy wrapped up in the arms of his new big brother, and, because of that, two lives were saved, and two stars will burn a little brighter and a lot longer. For, not only did Robert and Jeff save Andreu's life, they saved Tommy's as well.

For, you see, Tommy was at his wits' end; puberty had hit him like a ton of bricks. To him it seemed every piece of his body had changed all at once, and he had no one to talk to or ask questions. His father was too distant since he had basically disowned his big brother Darryl, and he had a hard time trying to talk to Darryl about his problems over the phone. He couldn't use Skype™, because the family computer was in the family room, so he had no privacy. His grades were plummeting, not that his father cared or even noticed.

Tommy stirred slightly in his sleep, and a small sob escaped from his lips. Andreu, still sound asleep, responded subconsciously by holding Tommy tighter and kissing his neck. Tommy sighed and fell deeply asleep.

Meanwhile, his father was wrestling with demons of his own and was drifting in and out of sleep.

'Robert, look what you have done to your family because you were an ignorant, obstinate old fool!'

Robert sat upright in his bed, or at least his dream self did. For the next several hours he watched, as his life played itself out before his very eyes. He couldn't believe what he was seeing; it was if everyone in his life was acting as if he didn't even exist. He watched Tommy and Amy grow up before his eyes, and saw his wife helping them with their homework. He felt as if someone had stabbed him through the heart when he heard Tommy call Jeff, Darryl, or even Mike, to ask questions that should have been asked of him! He finally realized how the hate and bigotry of one person affected far more than a single life.

As the tears started falling down Robert's cheeks, the scenes of his life changed, and finally a bit of cheer appeared. He was able to see true joy on his family's faces, as they opened their presents that morning, and he also saw himself having a blast cooking breakfast with Darryl. The joy he was watching spread through his body, and his sleeping self hugged his wife a little closer and whispered "I love you".

The next scene to be displayed threw Robert for a complete loop. It was a court scene, with Tommy as a lawyer representing Andreu. However, that wasn't the unusual part; the unusual part was the fact that Tommy had only aged a few months, yet he had the confidence of someone many years older.

The scene changed again to an auditorium setting, and suddenly there was his son Andreu on stage, receiving a Pulitzer Prize for his fantasy epic, about dragons, of all things. [Yes, it is a shameless plug. ;)]

The next thing Robert knew, the wonderful aroma of coffee was waking him. He gave his sleeping wife a kiss and then quickly headed toward the bathroom. Once he had finished with the necessities, he headed toward the kitchen and the nectar of the gods.

Once Robert had his Quadruple Eye Opener (four shots of espresso in a cup of coffee, also known a Quadruple Red Eye), he began to contemplate breakfast. First, he decided to fix his World Famous Hot Chocolate for everyone; the men would have Double Chocolate, and the women would have White Chocolate. For those that needed it, he would also fix plenty of espresso to add to their hot chocolate. Since Robert didn't have the time to prepare the hot chocolates from scratch, he was going to rely on his old standbys, Ghirardelli® Chocolate Double Chocolate Premium Hot Cocoa and Stephen's® White Hot Chocolate. Instead of milk, Robert used Half and Half, with an added tablespoon or two of Heavy Cream, to start the Hot Chocolates. Once he had the Hot Chocolates to the right temperature and consistency, he added a tablespoon of gourmet vanilla to each batch, then poured them into preheated carafes to keep them perfect. It was now time to begin preparing the second secret ingredient, Peppermint Whipped Cream. 'Hmmm, I hope Darryl and Jeff have some baker's sugar (super or ultrafine sugar, not to be confused with powdered sugar).' Finding both the sugars he needed, Robert began mixing together equal amounts of baker's and powdered sugars. Taking the mixing bowl and beaters from the freezer, where he had thoughtfully placed them last night, he then poured in the quart of heavy whipping cream. Turning on the mixer to the right speed, he slowly added the sugar blend and continued beating until the sugars were completely incorporated. Once that was accomplished, he turned the speed up a notch or two and began the actual whipping process.

While Robert was busy preparing the hot chocolates, Jeff and Darryl had slipped into their kitchen and had begun their own breakfast preparations. They didn't have to worry about preheating the ovens, because they had set the timers the night before. Robert was concentrating so hard on the Peppermint Whipped Cream that he didn't even notice when Jeff put the breakfast casseroles and cheesy hashbrowns in the oven. He finally realized that he had company when Jeff refilled his coffee and said, "Merry Christmas Dad." Robert nearly installed a skylight in Jeff' and Darryl's kitchen, he was so startled. But hearing Jeff call him 'Dad' made him feel warm and fuzzy.

"Aaggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, what are you trying to do, give me a heart attack?"

"Sorry, Dad, I forgot that when you are cooking, nothing else exists :) . Is there anything I can do to help you?" Jeff sheepishly replied.

"Okay, I forgive you this time but don't do it again," Robert responded, as he drew Jeff into a hug.

"Yes, there is, can you show me where you keep your Peppermint Schnapps?"

"C'mon, Dad, I will show you, while Jeff cuts up the potatoes for dinner, as punishment for scaring you and then you scaring me." Darryl grinned at his husband Jeff and gave him a hug and a kiss before leading Robert to the bar.

'That was beautiful and shows what true love is all about, I am very glad that Mike decided to intervene in my life and show me what I have been missing.' Robert's mind was busy, as he followed Darryl. [From Chapter One]

Once Robert had the bottle of Peppermint Schnapps in his hand, Darryl headed back into the kitchen. As soon as Darryl had turned around, Robert grabbed a bottle of the secret ingredient, and then followed his son.

As luck would have it they both arrived back in the kitchen in the nick of time. Robert had just begun pouring the secret ingredient into cappuccino mugs, when the kitchen was invaded. The first ones through the door were Andreu and Tommy, both of them looking around, as if last night was a dream.

Andreu ran over to Jeff and gave him a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you, Big Brother, for giving me the best Christmas and birthday of my life!"

While Andreu was busy smothering Jeff with love, Tommy was doing the same thing to his Dad. "Thank you, Dad, you have made this the most wonderful Christmas ever! You are the best Dad in the world."

Jeff and Robert were stunned and overwhelmed, but before they could respond Tommy broke away from hugging his Dad and then grabbed Andreu and took him over to Darryl.

"Andreu, this is your other big brother, Darryl, and he is a really nice guy. You stay here and get to know him, while I go help Dad and Jeff. Somebody has to make sure that they don't burn down the kitchen," an impudent Tommy told his new brother and then scampered away from Darryl's swipe at his head.

Breakfast that morning was a lively and fun filled affair. The food was plentiful and delicious, and Andreu thanking Tommy for their Dad and Jeff not burning down the kitchen brought down the house. Andreu did ask one very pertinent question that caught everyone's attention.

"Uhhh, Dad, what is that wonderful flavor in my hot chocolate? It is different, but absolutely heavenly!"

Of course, Andreu's question caused everyone, especially Jeff, to take another sip of theirs.

"That is just' the Peppermint Whipped Cream," Robert answered, intentionally misunderstanding the question.

"Daaaaaaaaaadddddd, you know that wasn't what I meant! I know what peppermint tastes like. This flavor is very rich and creamy, and I have never tasted it in hot chocolate before." Andreu surprised everyone by his quick response and the fact that he didn't stumble over 'Dad'.

"Okay, you got me you young scamp; it is Bailey's® Irish Cream, that I use for just the reason you described. And before anyone gets upset about giving alcohol to minors, let me remind you that Bailey's® is only 17% alcohol, and, with the size of these mugs, it is a very miniscule amount. On top of that, they are eating lots of food, as well, and are only allowed one. Everybody satisfied now?" Robert directed the question to everyone, but he was staring directly at Tommy. Of course his smart alecky son just had to respond.

"But, Daaaaaaaaaaaaaddddddddddd, I wanted four or five more! No one loves me anymore. :("

Andreu reached over and smacked his new younger brother on the back of his head [NCIS Rules] and whispered loud enough for everyone to hear:

"We will just offer to do the dishes, and then we can sneak all we want."

That caused everyone to break out laughing, and whatever leftover tension there was over the reason Andreu was joining their family vanished into thin air.

As soon as breakfast was over, the whole family headed into the family room to open presents. Robert was absolutely stunned, and broke down into tears when Darryl and Jeff gave him the presents that they had been keeping for just such a day.

Andreu couldn't believe all the presents he received and, in fact, was very confused, as he received more than Amy or Tommy did. Seeing his questioning look, Carol explained with a question or two of her own.

"Son, what day is this?"

A bewildered Andreu replied, "Ahh, Christmas Day?"

"Well, you are half right; what other day is this?" an amused Carol asked her newest son. Suddenly the light bulb lit and glowed very brightly, very brightly indeed.

Andreu then spent the next several minutes hugging and kissing everyone. Amy was still somewhat confused, so she queried her new big brother.

"Andreu, why are you so excited about getting both birthday and Christmas Presents?" Amy's question brought a frown to Andreu's face and tears to his eyes, which caused his sister to run over and hug him and try to apologize.

"Shush, lil sis, it is okay; it is just that I have never received birthday presents before..." Andreu's answer was interrupted by the total silence in the room and by Amy's squeaked question. "Why not?"

"Sis, it's like this, my 'ever loving' ex-parents told me that I could have one or the other, but not both. But that is in the past, and I am here now part of a wonderful and truly loving family. I have seen more caring and love since Dad and Big Bro Jeff found me than I have experienced in my whole life. All I can say is that this is what Christmas is all about, not the presents, the tree or the decorations; it is about family and love!" Andrue's heartfelt words brought tears to the whole family and resulted in him almost being hugged to death in the family hug that ensued.

[What Andreu described about getting only Christmas presents or birthday presents is a sad but true fact for many children. I know that for a fact, because a similar thing happened to both my oldest sister (rest her soul) and my oldest brother's best friend. My sister's birthday fell on December 13th, and, if she got a birthday present, it was very small and very, very inexpensive. If she got decent presents for her birthday, she got little or nothing for Christmas and vice versa. I tried to remedy that situation by celebrating her Half Birthday on June 13th and giving her a nice present then. My brother's best friend was born on Christmas Day, and his parents realized the problem from the beginning, so they decided to celebrate his birthday on Super Bowl Sunday, and always threw him a great big party. So you see Andreu's situation isn't unique, unfortunately.]

"Mom and Dad, what Andreu said reminded me of something; what would have have happened to Andrue, if he was only fourteen and Daddy and Jeff weren't the ones who found him?" Tommy's serious question definitely got everyone's attention. Jeff decided to take the bull by its horn and answered the question.

"He would probably have been placed in an emergency children's shelter, or, if that was full, Juvenile Hall. That is, unless CPS had an emergency foster parent/family with an opening, and sadly, from what we saw last night, I doubt that. Why do you ask, if you don't mind me asking?"

"So, he wouldn't have had a Christmas, and any other kids at the shelter prolly had a terrible Christmas as well?" Tommy wasn't quite ready to explain himself yet, so he asked another pointed question.

Since Jeff had started answering his youngest brother, he continued trying to answer Tommy's questions; at the same time hopefully discerning where Tommy was going. He had a pretty good idea already, and, if he was right, he was going to be very proud of his youngest brother.

"Sadly, Tommy, you are probably one hundred percent correct; they would be lucky to get one small present and, if really lucky, one new garment............."

"That isn't fair! We have everything, and we are spoiled, and those kids didn't do anything to become orphans, so why should they suffer!?" Tommy's surprising outburst stunned everyone and with everyone talking out loud nothing was getting accomplished.

"Enough! One person at a time! Now, Tommy, what do you want us to do? I figured, by your passionate outburst, that you have an idea in your head." Robert got everyone's attention and then gave his son a chance to explain.

"Well... I wanted to give all of my presents to someone at the shelter. I don't really need any of these wonderful presents, as my loving family has already given me more than I need. And now that I have my WHOLE FAMILY back, and a new brother, I decided it was time to give back to those who don't have either. On top of that, if I really need something, I have more than enough of my own money to buy what I need." Tommy paused for just a second, while his eyes began to twinkle with mischief and an ear to ear grin began to form. "Plus I have three big brothers to buy me whatever I want."

Tommy's last response brought needed levity to the situation. "Tommy, are you sure that is really what you want to do? They are your presents, and you are only young once. Now, before you blow up at me, let me state for the record that I think it is a wonderful idea." Robert showed that he meant what he said by walking over and giving his youngest son a hug and a kiss.

"Tommy, if that is really what you want to do, then Jeff and I will match everything you give away," Darryl told his youngest brother with pride in his voice.

"Sorry, hun, you are wrong! We will double everything, since there are two of us. Right?" Jeff cut off his husband at the pass and turned the tables on him.

"Ahh, can I say something?" Andreu timidly inquired.

"Of course, you can, son; you are part of this family, as well, and don't you forget that," Carol answered her son exactly the way her husband had answered Tommy.

"Thank you, Mom, you are the greatest Mom in the whole world." Tommy's response brought tears of joy to Carol's eyes.

"I would like to do the same as Tommy, and for some of the same reasons. I have a wonderful, loving family that gives me all the love I can wish for. On top of that, as Tommy said, I have two big brothers to hit up, when I want something." Andreu's words brought tears to the whole family again.

Not to be outdone, Amy put in her two cents. "Me too! I wanna do just like my brothers."

"Andreu, are you really sure you want to do this? This is your first Christmas with a new family. If it is truly what you want to do, you will make me very proud to be your father," Robert replied, and, before anyone could get a word in edgewise, Jeff blurted out, "Andreu and Amy, if this is truly what you want to do, Darryl and I will do the same for you that we are going to do for Tommy. Right, Hun?"

Darryl, being no fool and wide awake for once, replied appropriately and correctly. "Of course, Hun, they are family, too." He went over and gave Jeff a great big hug and a fairly passionate kiss.

As if there were cue cards, all the kids responded loudly, "Uggggggghhhhhhhhhh, get a room!" They then ran and hid in the kitchen.

"Okay, kids, please come back in, so we can get things started," Robert laughingly shouted. As soon as the kids returned, he began speaking.

"Well, since all of you are bound and determined to do this, your Mom and I will match Jeff and Darryl's generosity, as well. Tommy, get on the phone and call your Uncle Mike and get Jens Younger's phone number. Once you have that call Jens and find out how many boys and how many girls are at the shelter. Don't forget to get the address, and the ages of the children, as well. While you are doing that, the rest of us will re-wrap all of the presents."

"Yes, Sir! Right away, Sir!" Tommy jumped to his feet, saluted his Dad and went to get his cell phone. Carol took pity on her new son and tried to explain what had just happened. She could see by the perplexed look on Andreu's face that he wanted to know why Robert told Tommy to do those things instead of doing them himself.

"Andreu, don't worry about Tommy. What your Dad asked him to do will be a snap, and, in fact, I will bet you a week's worth of dishes that not only will Tommy get all the information, he won't write any of it down, and won't forget anything. Not only that, but he will connive his Uncle Mike and Uncle John and family into joining us."

Jeff decide to be a real big brother and help his younger brother out. "Andreu, don't take that bet; trust me, you would lose, and lose big time. I know things were very crazy last night, so you didn't twig onto something very important that was going on. Remember that ten dollar bill you paid me, as your lawyer?" Jeff paused until Andreu nodded shyly.

"Well, officially, I was, and still am, your lawyer; however, while I was with you, your younger brother was browbeating the adults into making sure that all of the legal documents were absolutely correct and perfect. There were several high powered lawyers here last night, and they all submitted to his wishes. Your younger brother even convince a Supreme Court Justice to change some legal jargon. Tommy probably knows as much about the law as I do, or more, and I graduated at the top of my class. If that wasn't enough, the twerp has a photographic memory and complete recall. So Dad asked him to do those things so they would get done correctly and quicker than if he had done them himself. Do you feel better now?" Andreu answered by giving Jeff a bearhug and a kiss. While those two were talking, everyone else was busy re-wrapping the presents.

"Okay, folks, snap to it! Daylight is a-burnin'! Uncle Mike and families will meet us at the shelter in an hour and a half. We have time to go buy the additional presents and clothes we need at the MegaMart run by a Grinch; they are open today. I'll drive our van, Andreu, you drive Jeff's Hummer, and, Darryl, you get stuck driving your Explorer. Everyone's got their orders, so let's get this show on the road!" Tommy then grabbed one of the bags of presents and headed out the door.

Andreu sat there with his mouth gaping open like a fish out of water."But...but I can't drive; I don't have a license!"

With those words, they finally realized everything that Tommy had said. "Tommeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" everyone shouted in unison, and then ran after the mischievous imp. Of course, they didn't have to go far, for the joking teenager was standing at the front door, laughing his head off.

"Well?????????? What took ya so long? I had to say something to get you all up and running." With those words he was out the door like a shot, heading towards the vehicles.

When they finally arrived at the emergency children's shelter, the whole family was shocked, well, except for a grinning little 'elf'. Not only were all of Mike and John's families there, but Jens had brought his family, and all of the assorted police officials from last night were there with their families, as well. The EMT's were there, and they had dragged Dr. Kildare Sloan there, as well. It was truly Christmas at the shelter for the first time in many a year; and no one was happier than Tommy.

Merry Christmas To All and To All A Good Night!

The End

Author's Note:

Well here ends the Christmas part of this tale and I hope that you have enjoyed reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it. I hope that you and yours have a safe, healthy and Merry Christmas. If you can, please share your warmth this Christmas season with those who may not be as fortunate.

The characters may return at a later date in a different venue and a different time of year.

Thanks to Str8mayb for the loan of his characters, to The Radio Rancher and Arli J, as well as Str8mayb, for their assistance and encouragement.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanza, Buon Natale, Feliz Navidad, Happy Kwanzaa, Holy Ramadan, Frohe Weihnachten! ,Christmas Alegre! ,Joyeux Noel!,God Jul! , Glaedelig Jul! , Nadolig Llawen , Gledelig Jul , Nollaig Shona Duit , Mele Kalikimaka

Editor's Notes:

Thanks, TSL, for another wonderful chapter in this story. It's good to see that Andreu has been accepted into the family and already feels at home with them. This was a great expression of the true Christmas spirit, with Tommy talking the family into sharing what they had with the orphans in the children's home. We can only hope that his example may inspire others to do the same, or at least similar.

Arli J

Comments appreciated at The Story Lover