“I didn’t realize how late it was. Poor thing.”
I knock on the door, and Liam jumps up, startled, and then sees us through the window in the door.
“Sorry, I guess we wore each other out playing board games,” Liam says, opening the door to let us in.
“That’s our fault. We didn’t realize it was already so late,” he says as I pick Emily up and load her in the car. “I’ll see you tomorrow for dinner?”
“Of course. Six, right? I’ll be there after my shift.”
“Yup. See you tomorrow, bro.”
Once home, we try to put the cookies on the sheet and into the oven the fastest we can because Emily can barely stay awake.
“Have you ever met the real Santa?” Emily asks Damon. “I haven’t. But I really want to.”
“When I was eight, I snuck out into the living room when I heard a noise and saw him by our tree. Without turning around, he told me to go back to bed.”
“He did? Was he mad?”
“Not mad. He just wanted to make sure I got good sleep so I could be wide awake to open all my presents the next day.”
The oven beeps as Emily says, “Makes sense.”
We take the cookies out and let Emily go and put her pajamas on while they cool. It’s so wonderful to see how imaginative kids are, and how faithfully they believe in things that have been around for generations.
“All right, same as every year. Let's put six on a plate with a glass of milk. And you, little girl, need to get some shut-eye,” Tess tells her, rustling cookies on a plate and setting them on the table by the tree.
Emily runs over to Damon, gives him a hug, and then follows me into the bedroom.
“Good night, sweetie,” I say, knowing it won’t be long until she’s passed out.
“All right, let’s get started.”
We sit and start wrapping the final presents and put them under the tree, admiring the Christmas tree strung with blue, white, and gold lights.
“So, what are we doing from Santa?” I ask. “She’s never got a big gift from Santa... never could afford anything extravagant. And kids discuss what they get... I’ve always felt anything big should come from the parents, so if talked about with other kids, it doesn’t make them think that they are liked less for just getting a basketball or a teddy bear from Santa. Is that ridiculous?”
Damon fiddles with his jaw. “The karaoke machine then? It’s not small, but not extravagant either.”
“Perfect. That’s what I was thinking.”
After situating all the presents under the tree, we take a break on the couch. “Man, being Santa is rough. I think I’ll have a cookie and some milk before I head to bed.”
I laugh. “Be careful or you’ll get a dad bod. Not that I’d complain either way.”
We relax and watch our favorite show until about eleven. I’m not sure what time Emily will wake up, so I don’t want to stay up too late.
“Alright, I’m heading to bed. Are we forgetting to do anything?” Damon asks.
“Actually,” I say, pulling him close. “You’re forgetting about me.”
My lips are on his, and a goodnight kiss is just what is needed.
“I’ll sleep with Emily tonight. See you in the morning. Bright and early probably.”