"Have a good one everyone" Sandra said to Jack, Gerry and Brian as they left the UCOS office on Christmas Eve.
"Yeah, well I'll try. You know what all my girls are like though!" Gerry joked and they all went to their cars and Brian hopped up on his bike and went back to their own lives, thinking about the day tomorrow.

Sandra turned on the radio which happened to be playing 'It's the most wonderful time of the year'.
"Hff" Sandra snorted at the irony. She hated Christmas. She use to like it, once upon a time when she would rush downstairs to see what Father Christmas had bought her and open up all her presents on her parents bed. Her dad always spoilt her and made Christmas so much fun. Her mum was never a fan of all the fuss but tried her best to stay in high spirits for Sandra. When her dad died her mum stopped making an effort and each year she dreaded Christmas.

She only had her mum now and was planning what they were going to do tomorrow. She had invited her difficult mother round for Christmas dinner although she was buying it all ready cooked because she knew Grace would make a snide comment if she actually tried. She just wanted it all to be over.

Gerry was stuck in red lights at crossroads on his way home when 'All I want for Christmas is you' came on his radio. He started to sing along and then realised how relevant this was. He was going to Paula's house for Christmas and everyone would be there, all his ex-wives, all his daughters and his beloved grandson Gerry. The lights changed to green and he carried on.
Although Gerry loved all his ex's he missed having a woman in his live who was constant. He thought of Sandra and how he thought that she and him would be perfect together but then firmly put the idea out of his head. He had promised Paula that he would do the potatoes and parsnips for Christmas dinner and pulled into Tesco to get them.

Jack just pulled into his drive when 'Lonely pup' started to play. He sighed and went into the house, through the kitchen and out into his garden to talk to his late wife.
"Oh Mary love, here we are again, another year just the two of us. You always loved Christmas, remember when I gave you your engagement ring on Christmas Eve all those years ago? Yes! You were over the moon and then we went to Brighton for Christmas because we met on the pier there. Oh I miss you darling."
Jack went back into the house and poured himself a large scotch.

"Brian?" Esther called from the kitchen as she heard the wheeling of a bicycle in to hall.
"Just me love" Brian called back.
Esther came out of the kitchen holding a peeler in one hand and a potato in the other. She was wearing a striped apron that their son Mark had bought her a couple of years earlier. Mark was going to his in-laws for Christmas which left Brian and Esther alone for a quiet Christmas on their own.
This was good for Brian, Esther would make sure he didn't touch a drop of booze and he wouldn't need to make an effort for Mark (who he had a difficult relationship with) but for Esther she wished she could spend Christmas with her son too.

Sandra's home phone started to ring. She glanced down to see who the caller was to see 'Mum' flashing across the screen. She thought that she was probably calling to check Sandra had remembered that is was Christmas tomorrow or something silly like that but sighed and answered anyway.
"Hello" she said bluntly.
"Oh Sandra darling" graces voice crackled down the line "I have been trying to get hold of you all day!"
"Yeah well I was-"
"Working, yes." grace finished Sandra's sentence. "You see Whitemead are having a do tomorrow for Christmas and I thought I'd pop along, you don't mind do you? I'd probably get on your nerves anyway."
Sandra thought about this for a minuate. Her mother wasn't going to come over for Christmas? Although she had been dreading it she didn't want to spend Christmas alone.. "OK mum, I'll pop over with your present now then shall I?" She asked. She didn't want to admit that she would rather have her mums company than no ones.
"No, not now darling. Maybe come over Boxing day? You can stay longer then."
"OK I'll do that, see you then mum." Sandra agreed
"Bye darling, have a good Christmas!" Grace called down the phone and then she was gone.
What was Sandra going to do now?