Handprints ( #2 BOOK IN SERIES )

December (Part Two)

Christmas day used to be a lazy day for my mum and I. We would sleep in until mid-morning, eventually get up and take time to open the small bundle of presents which were sat next to the pathetic Christmas tree. It was barely four foot tall and we only ever decorated if we could be bothered.

Once the presents were open, I would help my mum make lunch. It was never anything extravagant, just a roast dinner which was enough for two. There was never any point going all out with a turkey and all the other Christmas dinner extras as we would never be able to eat it.

Afterwards, we would lounge in pyjamas, watching a movie or playing a board game – normally monopoly - before eventually deciding to call it a day and go to bed. It was never much but it was our routine and I loved it. My mum and I would talk about everything and nothing, from colleagues at my mum's work who were annoying to Hollywood stars we would date.

Christmas isn't like that anymore.

Before the sun had even had time to rise, I was up and feeding Erin, a mixture of bottled milk and purified baby mashed up food. All of the mashed up food looks the same to me. When I was halfway through feeding her, I could hear small, dainty footsteps running down the stairs and straight into the kitchen where I am sat.

"Has he been?" Missy excitedly runs around the kitchen table and asks me.

"Who?" Rubbing sleep out of my eyes I ask her.

"Santa silly," she says to me as if it was the most obvious thing. I guess on Christmas morning it is.

"Oh, I guess so. Why don't you go look in the living. I'll join you once I've finished feeding Erin. Don't open anything, just look," I tell her.

I feed Erin her last few spoonful's of the mashed food before wiping her face clean. We join Missy in the living room who is shaking presents in her hands, trying to guess what they are.

"I thought I told you not to touch," I say, sitting Erin up on the sofa.

"Sorry Kwisten," she says, putting the presents down.

Instead she picks up some of Erin's toys off of the floor and brings them onto the sofa, sitting down next to her. I watch as they play, Missy stacking some plastic rings into a pile, waiting for Erin to knock them down. They both play well with one another which is nice to see.

Thirty minutes later, the sun eventually begins to rise and Missy jumps onto her feet.

"When can I open my presents?" she cries, obviously getting impatient.

Tired that the only company I currently have are all five and under, I tell her, "why don't you go and wake everyone up. Once everyone is down then you can open your presents," she hurries off upstairs to wake everyone up.

Within fifteen minutes, everyone is sat huddled around the not-so-pathetic Christmas tree, and the large bundle of presents. We let Missy open her first and I watch as she rips open each present, tossing the wrapping paper all around the room, sometimes landing right next to Erin which she takes into her little fists and plays with. Everything she gets, she squeals with delight as if it's the best present ever.

"Mummy, these ones don't say who they are from," she says, looking carefully at the blank tags.

"Hmm, maybe they are from Santa himself," Mrs Stevens replies to her, a smile creeping onto her face.

"Wow, really?" she asks and her mum nods her head in return.

Eventually she reaches the bottom of her pile, loving everything she has received, even though she never got the pony that she asked for. The rest of us begin to open our presents. I get some pyjamas from my mum, some chocolates from Cory's parents which was nice as I wasn't expecting anything from them, some Lush bath products from my friends and perfume and a top from Cory.