It didn't seem fair that Pop had to work an extra-long case on Christmas Eve of all nights. Didn't crime understand that Christmas Eve was family time? Every year they'd have a big dinner and exchange one present each, watch the Charlie Brown special on TV and Stanley would read a Christmas story to them before bed. This year they'd only had time for a quick dinner and the special before Pop left.
"Don't look so glum, children," their new stepmother had said. "Your father wouldn't want to see all these long faces on Christmas Eve, would he?"
"I guess not," Flip muttered. "But it's still not fair!"
"Yeah, it's not Christmas without Daddy here," Mimi said with a pout, nestling against Nancy's side. Henry looked over his shoulder from where he was arranging the presents neatly under the tree and nodded.
"Ever since I can remember, we've always had Pop home and we've always done our little tradition," he said. "And it was gonna be super special this year."
"Oh?" Grace raised an eyebrow. "Why's that?"
"Because it's our first one with you, of course!" Anne bounded in from where she'd been helping Tom and Alan with the dishes, having overheard the conversation. "After two whole years without a mom on Christmas, we've got one again and she sure is far out!" Grace smiled and shook her head, wrapping an arm around Anne's shoulders.
"Thank you, dear, but flattering your new stepmother won't bring your father home any faster...or let you stay up past bedtime."
"Come on, I mean it!" Anne smiled. "I really think you're great, I don't think I've ever seen Pop so happy in a long time...although, I do have a few more presents to wrap and some books to read for my Christmas break assignment, so I wouldn't mind at least another hour."
"No sale, dear." Grace chuckled. "Although you do present a convincing argument."
"So much for passing time before Pop gets home," Flip groaned. "I already wrapped my presents and I don't have any homework for Christmas vacation!"
"And Tom already helped me wrap all of mine," Nancy said. "And we can't have another dessert since we ate before Pop left."
"Well, we could make hot chocolate and popcorn!" Stanley suggested. "We always have hot chocolate while we open our presents, anyway, and who can say no to popcorn?"
"Hey!" Suzie put down the present she was wrapping, throwing a blanket over it to shield it from prying eyes. "It's only an hour or two until the little ones' bedtime, so why don't we make hot chocolate and tell Grace some stories?"
"Stories?" Grace asked, interest piqued.
"Yeah, stories! We've got a million of them from before you and Pop got married," Suzie said. "It'll help us pass a little time, and it'll be fun!"
"An excellent idea!" Tom slipped a bookmark in his copy of A Christmas Carol. "Clearly, our new maternal unit should be indoctrinated into the eventful history of the Chan Clan. And when I say eventful, I only scrape the tip of the iceberg."
"I'll round up the kids," Henry said. "Alan, you help Suzie make the hot chocolate."
"Right on!" Alan followed his older sister into the kitchen, and fifteen minutes later everyone had changed into their pajamas and sat by the fireplace, a much of cocoa in every hand and a smile on every face.
