text: When he had rung the doorbell, he hadn't expected to be greeted by a big white poof of a man, decked out in a red suit and hat. In fact, noticing the expanse of decoration around him, he froze. "Well come in Champ, you'll freeze out there. Though it looks like you already did." The man winked. "Ulysses, you made it! Your sister is in the kitchen." Ah yes, Abby. Maybe she'd have an explanation for why their mother had finally broken and hired a Santa impersonator. Dad had gotten one when they were kids for them and all of their cousins, but they were far from kids anymore. He entered the kitchen to find her mashing a pot of potatoes. He took the masher from her. "Mom really went all out this year, huh?" There was a tree strung with popcorn (though some along the bottom looked to have been nibbled away). There was a manger scene across the mantle, and despite not being lit, he would have had to been blind to not notice the winter wonderland set up outside. That could not be a cheap electric bill. Leaning back against the counter, she inspected the state of the potatoes. "Actually, that was Nick." He stopped mashing. "Nick?" "Mom's new husband. The fat jolly guy that answered the door." Taking the masher back, she tossed it in the sink. When had she gotten married? Sure, he had been across the globe on business trips and hadn't taken the time to check in on his family as much as he should have, but at very least he would had gotten an invitation, yeah? Was he that terrible of a son? "Mom married a Santa impersonator...named Nick?" His sister set a serving dish on the counter, grabbing a spoon. He held the pot up for her. Rather, he did until he processed her response. "They eloped last month. Remember how she said she was going to vacation in Vegas?" Thud went the bowl. He had no time to process it as a dog came running through, headed for the back door. Had there always been a dog flap? He was chased by a small green person that he could only describe as an elf. "What was that?" "Blitzen. Mom has a dog now." "Who was chasing Mom's dog?" Salvaging what she could of the potatoes, she carried the dish to the dining room. He counted the chairs. Five chairs. Somebody was coming for dinner. "Noel. He's Nick's dad." She noticed his confused face. "And before you say anything, he's not an elf. He's a midget." They turned at the sound of winded breathing. Holding onto the collar of Blitzen, he keeled over. "I prefer the term 'little person,' thank you." Nick appeared behind him. Grabbing the spunky dog, he let his suit get covered in hair. Thwack thwack went the tail. "Let's eat. Your mother won't let me touch the cookies until we've had dinner." He gave a hearty laugh. Before digging in, his mother had requested that they all say grace. They hadn't done it in years since Dad had left. There was already ham tucked in his cheek as he joined hands with Noel and his sister, waiting for their eyes to close so he could swallow. At first it was silent, save for the sound of forks scraping across the plates, and Blitzen whimpering for someone to 'accidentally' drop some bits his way. Ulysses, mouth empty, let his thoughts spill out. "You eloped with Santa in Vegas?" His sister choked on a spoonful of corn. "I eloped with Nick, yes. We've both been married before, and we didn't need a big ceremony to prove our love for each other." She placed a hand over her husband's. He shoveled in another spoonful of potatoes to avoid more conversation. It was obvious that his mother was happy, and he did not want to be the one to ruin it. "After dinner, I'd like for you to help decorate the tree. Blitzen ate a bit of the trimmings, but it'll be the most beautiful tree you ever did lay your eyes on. Rockefeller won't hold a candle to it." Nick cleared his plate. Pushing back from the table, he went to grab for a cookie. His mother followed. Abby smacked her brother. "Why are you so fixated on this? So he looks like Santa. He can shave. He can lose weight. Underneath it all, he's a nice guy who makes Mom feel special again. He's not actually Santa." Noel, still haven't left the table, piped up. "Not to burst your bubble, Abby, but my son is Santa. Works a Christmas themed park year round. Even sells his own brand of charcoal for grills. Calls it Naughty Nuggets." "What?" Ulysses chuckled. "So Mom did marry Santa Claus!" "Kids, get out here! Nick wants to decorate the tree before it's too late to go caroling," his mother called. She sounded excited. He missed her being excited. When her husband had left, he had taken all of her spirit with her. Christmas was a hollow exchange of gift cards and Chinese takeout. He had forgotten how good potatoes could taste when they weren't made from a packet of flakes. She set a box of ornaments on the floor, unbending paperclips and handing them off like she used to as they took turns running up to the tree to hang the decorations. "Remember, not too low, or Blitzen will bite the legs right off that gingerbread man." Nick wrapped an arm around their mother, melting into her. Nodding, he moved the ornament higher. When the box emptied, they turned off the living room lights. With a twitch of his nose (and an unseen press of a button), the tree lights came on. Abby's eyes sparkled like a little girl's. "That is...beautiful." Ulysses gawked at the tree, unable to turn away. That is, until his coat was thrown at him. "Let's go, before the storm comes. It's caroling time." Noel tugged a hat on. Now he truly did look like an elf, if you ignored the wrinkles. He picked his coat off the ground. "I don't sing." "Trust me, they won't be focused on you." He thrust a sack into his arms. "You're on toy duty." At every door, they'd sing. They, being everyone who wasn't Ulysses, who found he could mouth along, because Nick had a big enough voice for all of them. The children would gape at the jolly man, and be gifted a present personally, signed from, of course, Santa Clause. When they arrived back home, he realized there were still two boxes left in the bag. Had they not hit all the houses in the neighborhood? He was frozen stiff, and was anticipating the hot chocolate he had been promised. "Did you read the labels?" Nick asked him as they knocked the snow off their boots. "To Abby. To Ulysses. From Santa Clause." "Gotta wait until Christmas to open it." He would have to leave early in the morning to drive back home. It'd be a long trip with curiosity building up inside of him. He felt like a kid at Christmas, waiting for his parents to get up so he could see what Santa brought. "Right now, it's time for the big show." He set the gifts on the foyer table. "Big show?" The couch was too small for five, so he stretched out on the floor with his sister, as Nick hit play. "Every who down in Who-ville liked Christmas a lot..." Honestly, he wasn't in Who-ville, but for the first time in years, he could say the same. He liked Christmas, a lot. There was some sort of strange comfort in being a family again, even if it wasn't with Dad. He was so blissfully comfortable that he didn't even notice he had drifted off, exhausted, until he awoke to find a blanket draped over him, a pillow wedged under his head. Succumbing to the sunbeam, he got up. It was time to go. His parents (that would take some getting used to) left a note saying they had gone to church. They'd be back too late to say goodbye, but evidenced by the lipstick stain on his cheek, his mother already had. He arrived home in the late afternoon to a bleak apartment. It was cold, and he turned on the heat. Settling into the couch, he unraveled the ribbon on his box. "Dear Ulysses," he read, finding a letter inside. "Unlike the real Santa Clause, I'm not the best at giving gifts. But I hope that I made your Christmas magical. I love your mother dearly, and letting her have a perfect Christmas was my gift to her. So he's twenty bucks to get yourself something you want. And a rock, because I had to put some weight in the box. Fooled ya! Merry Christmas, Nick." Best gift ever.