Christmas with the Calvins

Chapter Seven

"Do you want to go for a walk around town? We could look at the Christmas lights." Scott was leaning on the doorway of his daughter's bedroom. Jessica sat on her bed reading her book and ignoring her father. "Oh come on! You love looking at the Christmas lights!"

"Dad, I just don't feel like Christmas this year." She rolled her eyes. She couldn't believe he was trying to coerce her into yuletide celebrations when he'd spent the past year pretending to be Santa Claus. Yet there he was, leaning on the door frame waiting for an answer. The teenage girl sighed. "If I go for a walk with you to see the Christmas lights, can we skip everything else about Christmas this year?"

"Skip Christmas?" Scott remarked. He was about to argue when he remembered he'd already put a wedge between he and Charlie. It was probably best not to push Jessie away too. "Fine. If you come see the lights with me, no Christmas. I promise. "

"I'll get my coat." She grabbed her down feather jacket and slipped her feet into her pair of Uggs. Jess would do anything to be rid of Christmas after the year she'd had. Even if that mean walking around in the freezing cold. Together she and Scott walked in the snow for an hour looking at the Christmas lights and lawn decorations. Eventually they came upon a familiar looking neighborhood.

"Oh Daddy, no!" Jessie groaned when she spotted Neil and Laura's house. She couldn't believe he had concocted the entire 'Christmas lights' scheme just to get her to go with him to her mother's house.

"I just want to know how he's doing." Scott pleaded. "We're already here, what are you going to do, walk home alone?"

"You're ruthless you know that?" His daughter snarled. She reluctantly followed him down the street to the Miller's front door. Scott knocked, grinning like a five year old when Neil answered the door.

"Hello Jess!" Neal greeted his stepdaughter politely and allowed her to enter the the house.

"Hey Neil." Scott forced entry into the home.

"Scott, you're not supposed to be here." Neil said threateningly.

"Don't make me beat you up, Neil." Scott puffed his chest up.

"Oh, would Santa really beat someone up?" Neil laughed.

"I'm this close!" Scott snarled.

"So you still believe you're Santa?" The psychiatrist questioned.

"I don't know." Scott shrugged.

"What do you mean you don't know!" Charlie exclaimed. He came running in from the dining room. "Of course you are, Dad. How can you say that? Think of all those kids!"

"The only kids I'm thinking about, are you and your sister." Scott told his son seriously.

"Dad, we're fine! You can't let them down. They all believe in you!"

"Charlie listen..." Jessie jumped in.

"You listen!" Charlie snapped at his sister. "You think you know who he is, you don't!"

"Charlie, honey, listen." His mother knelt down by his side. "You're confused."

"I know exactly who he is!" The young boy insisted.

"Charlie, Dad is not Santa!" Jess insisted firmly.

"He is too Santa!" Charlie insisted just as firmly. "We went to the North Pole together. I saw it! The elves are real old even though they look like me. Bernard called me 'Sport' because he knew everything. Right Dad?" This was it, this was the moment where Scott finally had to tell his son that there was no Santa. "Remember!" Charlie yelled.

He threw his special snow globe at his dad. Scott caught the toy with surprising dexterity. He stared into the snowglobe and watched it come to life in his hands. A row of houses lined the inside of the sowglobe. Above the houses flew a miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer. A smiled spread across Scott's face, a childlike twinkle appeared in his eyes. Without a word, he knelt down and held his arms open wide for his son. Charlie knew the snowglobe had helped his dad see the truth.

"Thank you, Charlie." Santa whispered in Charlie's ear as father and son shared a hug.

"I love you, Dad." His son whispered back.

"Could you guys leave us alone for a minute?" Scott looked up at Neil and Laura. "I mean, so I can say goodbye to him properly?" Neil opened his mouth to say no, but Laura nodded 'yes'. Jess went to follow her mother out of the room, but Scott called back to her. "Jessie stay."

"You saw!" Charlie marveled when the kids were alone with their father. "You saw the ball come to life!"

"You bet I did." Santa promised."Well, I guess I better go." He said rising to his feet.

"I'll get my stuff!" Charlie agreed.

"Get your stuff? Charlie, you can't come home with us." Jessie shook her head.

"We're not going home we're going..."

"Well, wait sport!" Scott interrupted. "I think it's a much better idea if you just stayed here with your mom."

"But I want to be with you Dad." Charlie frowned.

"Boy, I love hearing you say that." Scott smiled.

"You mean I can go?" The eight year old boy grinned. "And Jess, you'll come too right?" He looked up at his older sister. Jess didn't answer. She just stared at the guy who'd suddenly appeared in her mother's dining room.

"Boy this bird is dry. Haven't you people heard about basting?" The guy complained before putting down the turkey led he'd been munching on.

"Bernard!" Charlie remarked before running in the elf's direction.

"Hiya Sport!" The elf greeted Santa's son with a hug.

"Charlie, who is that?" His sister questioned. Bernard stood in the doorway uncomfortably as Jess studied him. He was wearing an unusual red and white striped tunic and plain brown slacks. A necklace made of jinglebells produced the tiniest of jangles as he walked. A velvet green hat rested on top of his curly hair and a brown satchel was slung over his right shoulder.

"This is Bernard, he's one of my elves." Scott told his daughter. He thought it would've been obvious since the elf had appeared at the table from thin air. He's an Elf? Jess gasped internally. He's Santa. My dad is actually Santa Claus.

"Head Elf actually." Bernard corrected the new Santa. "Jessie, nice to finally meet you." He offered out his hand. She shook the elves hand politely.

"Aren't you a little tall to be an elf?" She questioned with a smile. Charlie and Scott were both surprised that she didn't correct the head elf for his liberal use of the nickname.

"Aren't you a little short for a human?" The head elf countered with his own smile.

"Touché." Jess laughed.

"Are you coming with us to the Pole?" Bernard questioned the teenage girl.

"Well, I'm not going to stay home alone." She promised. It still seemed impossible that Charlie and her dad had been right all along.

"Bernard, can I go? Please, can I go?" Charlie begged the elf, tugging on his sleeve.

"It's okay with me." Bernard said, looking over at Santa.