December 25, 2009
6:00 AM PST
Martin Seamus McFly Jr smiled, as he glanced at his clock. This really was the one time of year when he was allowed to leave his bedroom before eight on a non-school day - for reasons other than to use the facilities. Neither of his parents sure were what one might call "morning people", and breakfast usually was not served until around ten.
He sighed - as he then thought of his older sister, Marlene Stella McFly. Their parents no longer had to worry about hergetting up that early, since she now preferred to sleep in until almost noon. Marty Jr just could not figure out exactly why, though.
For the most part, Marty Jr was simply close to his ten months older sister. As of late, though, it seemed as if Marlene had a big thing with "being mature" - and, in fact, she sometimes gave Marty Jr grief for being immature. This rather tended to annoy him.
For instance, one week ago, his family had been invited to a winter picnic - and, while Marty Jr had been quite excited to attend, Marlene sure had a different opinion on it. As such, Marlene had not attended the event with the rest of their family - which had made Marty Jr feel more than a little sad. He hoped that it was just a passing phase.
Also, until about last summer, Marlene shared in her brother's passion for hard rock - in particular, Led Zeppelin. Lately, Marlene quite appeared to be strictly interested in listening to pop music. At least, it was better than her liking rap - but not by much.
Marty Jr then turned off his stereo - which was turned to the local active rock station, KKHV - before leaving his bedroom. He made his way to the living room, as he just felt himself bursting with excitement. Most certainly, this was his favourite time of year.
Just as he entered the living room, both of his parents were there - and, to his shock, so was his sister. Even more shocking, he realized that his sister simply had a big smile on her face. After all, in recent months, it sure seemed unusual to see her being quite cheerful - so early in the morning. Indeed, it felt as if he stepped into a time warp.
"Who is the sleepyhead, now?" Marlene asked, with a playful smile. Marty Jr took his place in front of the Christmas tree - which had included some homemade ornaments that Marty Jr and his sister made - his sister added, "Merry Christmas to you, bro!"
"Merry Christmas to you, Marlene!" Marty Jr replied, smiling. He flopped on the couch, as he added, "Well, uh, what's simply up with Grandpa George and Grandma Lorraine? Are they gonna be here, soon? Also, what about Uncle Kevin and Aunt Linda - and..."
"They'll be here, in a little while," explained Marty Sr, smiling. "I wish Dave and Renee could be here, too - but New York sure is many miles way away. I wonder how Nancy and Tanya are doing. Man, it's quite hard to believe that they're now seven and five. Tanya was just learning how speak in full sentences, when I last saw them. It's so..."
"They look pretty," Marty Jr replied, wistfully. "At least, Brent will here. It's so strange to think of how his voice is starting to deepen, and the fact that he's simply starting to chase after girls. I don't mind being friends with them, but then idea of kissing any..."
"Believe me, bro," Marlene interjected. "That'll change. I used to feel the same way as you. Well, about kissing boys. Although, I'm still not into kissing girls. I don't quite swing that way." With a nervous giggle, she added, "You happy that it's Christmas?"
"Oh, you betcha!" Marty Jr replied, smiling. He felt so pleased by his sister's cheerful mood. He wondered if a part of her was really regretting that she did not attend the winter picnic. "I sure enjoy all the decorations, the treats, and the..." Just then, the door bell rang. "Well, it looks like we have company. I wonder who they could be."
"It's probably our relatives," Marty Sr suggested, as he headed towards the door. "If it's them, then we can have breakfast. Your grandma was planning to bring over fruit soup." He opened the door, as he gasped, "Mom! Dad! Kevin! Linda! Brent! It's you!"
"Kevin's car was in the shop," Lorraine explained, "so I thought I'd pick them up on the way. Well, how are the kids doing? Are they excited about Christmas, like Brent is?"
"I really am!" exclaimed Marty Jr, as he skipped to his grandmother. "My sister is, too. It's still one of my favourite holidays." He hugged his grandmother, as he added, "The thing is, I can't imagine that I'll ever stop liking Christmas! I love everything about it!"
"Merry Christmas, Grandma," added Marlene, as she joined the group. "And Grandpa! And everyone else! For once, I was up before my brother. He's a sleepyhead, now!"
"Oh, Marly!" Marty Jr gasped, laughing. He hugged his grandfather, as he added, "I'm simply glad to see you guys! Well, Gramps, how's the golfing? Are you getting nice low scores? I do hope you're showing your golf buddies who's really the champion here!"
"Oh, I don't quite know about that!" George replied, laughing. "We're all quite good at the sports. Well, I sure don't know about you folks - but I'm feeling very hungry. Shall we have breakfast, right away. After that, then we can begin opening our presents."
"Well, if the kids don't quite mind," Marty Sr replied, smiling. "Do you kids mind?" Marty Jr shook his head, as he did feel hungry. Marlene and Brent did the same. "I guess it's settled, then." He then glanced at the family stereo, as he added, "Why don't we just put some Trans-Siberian Orchestra? It will help enhance the Christmas atmosphere!"
"That sounds fine, honey," Jennifer agreed. "Kids, why don't you sit at the table - as your grandma serves up the fruit soup for us? The fruit soup rather won't even need to be heated - as we now have thermo-boxes. Ah, isn't modern technology grand?"
Marty Jr smiled, as he sat at the table. Even though he was a tween, he just was not ready to give up the carefree attitude of childhood. While Brent did also quite change with becoming a teenager, he still was decidedly less high-strung than Marlene was.
"How are the two of you doing?" Brent asked, smiling. "I was actually thinking that the three of us could maybe go to a Disturbed concert. Dad said that he would take us."
"Actually, I really don't care for Disturbed," Marlene replied, softly. "I know, I used to be a little more into hard rock - but I guess, these days, loud music sure tends to give me a headache. Maybe you should ask Harmony to take my place. I bet she's be..."
Marty Jr smiled at the mention of his best friend, Harmony Brown. A little over a year ago, the two of them had sneaked off to a Foo Fighters concert. His mother sure got angry with them, and she actually planned to ground Marty Jr for a whole month. His father, however, had convinced her to lighten the punishment to just the weekend.
"Aw, that's a real shame," Brent replied, softly, "but I guess tastes do change. I don't mind taking Harmony along, as she's interested. I just hope you don't mind me asking, Marly - but what kind of music are you into, these days? I mean, it seems strange..."
"I'm into Lady Gaga," Marlene replied, softly. "Yeah, I know! A lot of people, including my brother and his friends, hate her music - but I think she really has a lot of talent."
"Well, I can't say that I quite agree with your assessment," Brent commented, "but I really do respect that you are entitled to your opinion." Turning to Marty Jr, he said, "So, Marty, is Harmony still a headbanger? Would she be down with Disturbed?"
"You bet!" Marty Jr replied, flashing a lopsided smile. "I don't quite know if Disturbed is her favourite band - I do think she loves Led Zeppelin and Foo Fighters more - but she does definitely enjoy their music. If you have the tickets, I think she'd be happy to..."
"Oh, good!" Brent replied, sighing with relief. "I'd hate to have a ticket go wasted. No offence, Marly - but I don't quite understand what some people see in pop. I mean, it just strikes me as boring. I guess I was rather born to be a headbanger. I really don't think I could date someone who's not a fellow headbanger. I mean, music is my life."
"Well, pop can be upbeat," Marlene pointed out. "I mean, I certainly enjoy music that I can snap my fingers too - but I simply don't care for music that's noisy. I really want my music to be melodic. Lady Gaga really has a way of making music be enjoyable."
"Well, if that's what you believe," Marty Jr replied, sighing, "I guess I won't argue with you." Just then, the rest of his family step into the dining room. "Man, I really love the way the soup smells. I certainly do wish we could have fruit soup on more occasions."
"Oh, if we did that," Marty Sr pointed out, flashing a lopsided smile, "then it would not be as special." He began passing the bowls around, as he added, "It's so great to see that you kids are so perky. I must say, the very idea that Marly and Junior are almost teenagers is somewhat bittersweet - but, in the end, you always will be our children."
"And you are still my child," Lorraine was quick to mention, just as she gave Marty Sr's right shoulder a gentle squeeze. "As well as with Linda. It is quite a bit of a shame that Dave and his family couldn't be here, but I'm sure they're here in spirit."
As Marty Jr glanced around the breakfast table, he thought of just how lucky was. He did quite love his sister, even if they did not always get along. He and his father really did have a close relationship. His mother was very gentle and loving, even though she was sometimes the disciplinarian. All in all, he felt thankful for the family that he had.
