Like many of you, my family has some unique holiday traditions. My favorite is probably the annual feast of homemade pizza while we watch "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" and sip Coca-Cola from the mini glass bottles.
The runner-up has a little more meaning for me personally, but especially this year.
My mother-in-Law Evelyn Overholts passed away on November 30th of this year, just 24 days short of her 54th birthday. She'd fought a fierce three year battle with leukemia. As you could expect, this Christmas season has seen a bevy of emotions for my family and extended family and my runner-up tradition is an example of that.
Five years ago, I started writing a short story that I read to my family on Christmas Eve. This year's is called "The Christmas Chase" and it is dedicated to Evelyn.
The three McMurray children liked Christmas a bunch,
Even more than their father liked Pizza for lunch.
So on Christmas Eve when they lay down to sleep,
They couldn’t get rest.
Not even a peep.
They tossed and they turned, pondering all the morning would
bring.
A ninja turtle for Jase?
For Kelsey and Kaelin some bling?
Seconds turned to minutes and minutes to hours,
And yet the anticipation never loss power.
“I wonder what we’ll get,” Kaelin said with a smile.
Kelsey rolled over in bed. “I’ve been wondering that for a
while.
I hope we get Kings Island passes and Jase gets a rubber
serpent.”
“I don’t care about that,” Kaelin said. “I want a servant.
Someone to clean our room and put away our clothes.”
“Don’t be silly, Kaelin,” Kelsey turned up her nose.
“Slavery is bad and Mom and Dad can’t afford a Butler or
maid.
And I’m pretty sure,” she added, “that’s why they had Jase.”
“But Jase doesn’t ever clean,” Kaelin snarkly replied.
“He only gets into things and slobbers and cries.”
“Don’t forget,” Kelsey interjected, “that he uses Barbie as
a hammer.”
She was going to add more but from the roof came a
clamor.
Kaelin sat up so quickly.
“Did you hear that noise? It
sounded like bells.”
“Could it be?” Kelsey’s eyes widened. “Santa and his elves?”
Kelsey and Kaelin leaped out of bed and tiptoed down the
hall.
They came to the edge of the living room and couldn’t
believe what they saw.
“It’s him,” Kaelin whispered. “Right there in the red.”
Kelsey pressed a finger to her lips. “Shhhh.
We’re supposed to be in bed.”
From that point on, the two little girls barely even
breathed.
They were so enamored they didn’t notice the pitter patter
of little feet.
It wasn’t an elf or a blonde hairy dog.
It wasn’t a hungry dad or even their mom.
Jase slipped right by them and headed for Santa’s bag.
“No! No! No!” the girls said with a gasp.
“Stay away from there, Jase!” the little girls blared.
But Jase didn’t hear or Jase didn’t care.
He just hurried on over with his ornery grin.
Opened the bag and climbed right in.
Santa, listening to his IPOD, didn’t even notice.
The glass of milk and plate of cookies were his only focus.
He drank and ate them
real fast,
Hurled his bag over his shoulder then was out in a
flash.
Kelsey and Kaelin went white as they turned toward each
other,
“What do we do?” Kaelin asked. “Wake up father and mother?”
“No,” Kelsey said. “They will be mad and we won’t get any
gifts.
We gotta go get him and we gotta be swift.”
They slipped on their boots and coats then rushed outside,
And through the swirling snow, they searched the sky.
“There!” Kaelin pointed, “On Hudson and Savannah’s roof!
There’s a sleigh with eight reindeer licking their hoofs.”
They had to get up there but there was no way to climb.
Then Kelsey thought of an idea in the St. Nick of time.
“In their yard, under the fresh fallen snow!
We jump together on the trampoline and up we will go.”
They raced to the trampoline then bounced in the air,
And landed on the roof with little time to spare.
As the McMurray girls climbed in the sleigh,
Santa wailed his commands and the reindeer obeyed.
With a kick of their legs, they took off in flight.
Kelsey and Kaelin held on to each other as they sped through
the night.
In a blink of an eye, in no time at all,
They landed on the roof of Aunt Jessica and Uncle Paul’s.
“I know this place,” Kelsey said, “But why are we here?”
“To borrow a sander?” Kaelin said. “Or fix one of the deer?”
“No Kaelin, that’s not what I mean.
This isn’t our street.
This isn't our scene."
"Don't worry about that now," Kaelin said as she
stood.
"We gotta find Jase or we'll lose him for good."
Kelsey nodded in agreement then opened Santa's bag.
Kaelin climbed in first and Kelsey followed without lag.
There was a mountain of presents so wide and so tall.
They tumbled half way down before their momentum did stall.
Kelsey picked herself up.
"Now I'll find Jase and you go get Santa's attention.
"But try not to surprise him, because he probably
suffers from hypertension."
Kaelin shrugged because she had no idea what that meant,
But toward the top of the mountain of presents she made her
accent.
When she poked her head out of the bag she couldn't believe
what she witnessed.
Daphne and Dahlia were up to their knees in all kinds of
mischief.
Paper and toys were spread all over the room.
The glass of milk was knocked over and the tree was awaiting
its doom.
But with a twirl of his fingers, Santa cleaned up the mess,
Patted the little girls on the head and sent them to bed.
His IPOD still blaring, Santa reached for the bag.
Kaelin ducked back inside and went limp like a rag.
A few seconds later the bag was back in the sleigh.
Santa’s gave his commands and the sleigh pulled away.
In the time it takes for a snowflake to melt in the palm of
your hand,
The sleigh was slowing and the reindeer were preparing to
land.
“Where are we now?” Kaelin asked, as the mountain shook
under foot.
The bag opened a bit and two hands appeared covered in soot.
As presents flew passed her, Kaelin caught a few names.
“Christopher! Carlee! Calem and Cayla!” she exclaimed.
“Kelsey come here! I
know where we are!”
Kelsey climbed up to the top where the bag was ajar.
Her mouth fell open when she spotted the Mason kids asleep
under the tree.
"We were at Daphne's and Dahlia's but now we’re at
Chris and Carlee's?
This doesn't make
sense, we're all over the map.
I think Santa had too much eggnog and is in need of a
nap."
Santa finished his duties and was back in a hurry,
And the sisters resumed their search for Jase William McMurray.
As the sleigh coursed through the night, the girls called
out his name,
"Come out now, Jase," they demanded, "This
isn't a game!"
But Jase made no sounds and was nowhere in sight,
Though they searched all the presents with a Barbie
flashlight,
They couldn't find him, couldn't find him at all.
The mountain was tall and he was so small.
Then from outside of the bag they heard a giggle,
They poked their heads out and solved the Jase riddle.
Their little brother, it appeared was working for St. Nick.
Santa gave Jase some unwrapped presents and he ran off right
quick.
Jase darted up the stairs where four little girls slumbered,
A present for each one in the appropriate number.
“A book for Clara,” Kaelin stated, “And my little pony for
Lucy,”
“A dragon for Tali and for Ellie a little La La Loopsy.”
“They will love their presents,” Kelsey added, “And I’m glad
Jase is safe.”
“But that still doesn’t explain why we’re here at this
place.”
“I know it’s confusing,” Kaelin said, “but hasn’t it been
fun?
And I’m sure Santa will return to our house when the gift
giving's done.”
Kelsey nodded in agreement and they hid once again.
Jase climbed in next to Santa and the sleigh began to
ascend.
It zipped through the night and girls went along for the
ride.
While St. Nick jammed to his music with his honorary elf at
his side.
As swift as the wind blows, the familial pattern continued,
They made stops at Aden, Liam’s, Gloria’s and Isaiah’s
venues.
They visited Laeven’s, Peggy’s and Aunt Kayla’s too.
Before stopping at Grandma Sheri’s and Papaw Don's for a
quick rendezvous.
As many will tell you, Santa is not known to be tardy,
They even swung by Kentucky to visit Papaw Marty's.
Then Santa gave a command and the sleigh whirled around.
It blazed through the sky then landed without making a
sound.
When the girls poked their heads out, they discovered they
were not on a roof,
At first they assumed that Santa had goofed,
But when they saw him standing in the snow with a tear in
his eye,
As he stared pensively at the little house on Dean Drive,
They knew without words that there had been no mistake,
The man in the red shared their heartbreak.
St. Nicholas removed his hat and earbuds then lowered his
chin,
“Though you’ve said goodbye,” he said, “her story didn’t
end.
I know you’ve been wondering why I took you this way.
I didn’t have too much eggnog and the GPS works just fine on
the sleigh.
I wanted you to see that the most important things won’t be
found under a tree,
They are the people you love, your friends and family.
Your Grandma Lou Lou loved you so so much,
And her memory can be found in your mother's touch.
When she holds you after a bad dream,
Or when she cleans up and bandages your scraped knees.
Those are lessons she learned that she will pass on to you,
And one day you will pass them on to your children, too.
Now, we have one more present to deliver,
There's a grandpa in there, in need of three little givers.”
Without any instructions, the McMurray children knew what to
do.
They climbed out of the sleigh, and across the front lawn
they flew,
Inside the house they gave their grandpa warms hugs,
And successfully chased away the remaining bah humbug.
Then they returned to the sleigh, prayed then departed,
And in a blink of an eye, they were back where they started,
Snuggled up together so warm in their beds,
As memories of the
most important things replayed in their heads.
