"Merry Christmas Michelle, Aiden, and we can't forget little Lizzie." Dorian said as he and his family came into the Ketchum house. All three Ketchum kids ran and hugged their aunt and uncle. Ash came up to the man and taking the bag of presents, went to put them under the tree.
"Aren't you forgetting someone?" Brock said as he and Brianna came in the door. Misty immediately went up and hugged the man. As Brock went to find Ash, Misty and Brianna started talking.
"Hey Ash." Brock said as he entered the kitchen where Ash and Pikachu were sitting eating some of his mother's cookies. "Ash!" Brock said, coming to the table. "Don't eat all your mom's cookies." Brock said as he grabbed a cookie from the plate.
"Who's talking?" Ash chuckled as he pointed to the cookie in Brock's hand.
"Yeah, well this is my first one." Brock said as he heard someone come into the kitchen.
"Don't worry Brock." Delia said, coming into the kitchen. "I know my son, there's two more batches in the car."
Back in the living room, when all the rest of the relatives came, all the kids went up to Aiden and Michelle's room. Everyone sat on either the beds or the floor. "So, did you hear what the twins are getting for Christmas?" Tyler said as he sat on the top bunk, Aiden's bed.
"No, and don't tell us!" Michelle said as she got the fuzzy blue robe from her closet. Michelle hated her Christmas surprises being spoiled. "Plus, anyway I don't want to be zapped." She said as she pointed to Pikachu, sleeping in the corner. She knew, although Pikachu was older, his hearing was still the sharpest of all her father's pokemon.
"Oh, come on!" Lola said. "So you've never sneaked a look at your presents?" She asked, her right eyebrow risen. Everyone looked at Aiden and Michelle, waiting for an answer.
"We did when we were younger." Aiden confessed. "You know how well my father wraps gifts, but the ones our mom wrapped, you could forget it. She's so sharp, she could tell if you shook your gift to try and figure out what it was."
"Anyway, Christmas isn't even about presents." Michelle said, trying to sway the topic of conversation. "It's about Jesus, and his birth. How he came to earth, the son of God. To save us from condemnation." Michelle said, confidence and strengh in her voice.
"Oh, come off it Shelly!" Dakota said. "You don't actually believe that, do you?" She said, a hint of smugness and disbelief in her voice. This stunned Michelle. No one had ever mocked her faith in God before.
"Stop it Dakota!" Lola said, defending her cousin.
"Yeah." Lindsey said. "She can believe in what ever and where ever her heart guides her."
"It's ok guys." Michelle said. Michelle said as she stood up and looked Dakota in the eyes. "Yes Dakota. I believe in Jesus Christ. Because I have seen all the wonderful things he's done. Imagine the wind. Can you see it? No, but can see it's effects? Yes." Michelle said, staring her cousin in the eyes. It certainly hadn't been easy to stand up to her cousin, definantly not. But she knew she was doing the right thing.
Dakota instantly backed off from her cousin and sat by Lindsey. She hadn't believe what Michelle had said to her, but more, She couldn't believe what she had said. She knew it wasn't right, but sometimes she could be a bit of a bully.
Aiden had been quiet all this time, not wanting to get in the middle of this cat fight. I mean, he believed in Jesus too, but he didn't think he could've been as brave as his sister just had. But he had to try. "Yeah, think of all these amazing Pokemon. This all couldn't have just happened. There had to be a designer. God sure made the world full of cool Pokemon."
Tyler then started to think about Hannakah. Although it had ended about a week and a half ago, he had been more wrapped up in the presents he got, than it's meaning. "I remember." He started. "Every year on Hannakah, we celebrate the festival of lights. Every night we light a candle and say prayers in hebrew. We try to remember the miracles of God."
"What happened Ty?" Lizzie said as she sat on the floor, hugging Teddi.
"Well, a long time ago. Israel, where the jew lived was invaded and taken captive by Syria." Lola said, her brother starting the next part.
"They wanted the Maccabees, the jews living there at the time, to worship idols. Idols were stones carved to look like people, gods, or animals." Tyler said.
"Oh, like when Moses went up to get the ten commandments, and the rest of the people started worshipping a gold Miltank." Aiden said, trying to sort this in his head.
"Exactly." Lindsey said as she got up and sat on Michelle's bed. "When the Syrians were finally defeated, the temple priestd only found enough oil to keep the holy lamp burning for one night."
"But it lasted for eight nights." Lola said, interupting Lindsey, who had wanted to finish the story. "That gave the people time to make more oil."
Dakota looked over at all her cousins. "So you don't believe in Santa Claus?" She asked Aiden and Michelle.
"Of course we do. " Lizzie said. "Mommy and daddy even saw santa with Brock when they were eleven." Lizzie explained.
"But the original guy, St. Nicolas. The one who started the tradition. He was just trying to help the poor." Michelle said. "It was his grandon, Nicky, who first started the Santa Clause thing, as we know it today. He and his fifteen Jynx moved up to the north pole and started making prsents for all the kids in the world. At first, he only had a Ponyta and two stantler to transport the gifts. But with their amazing speed, they could deliver all the gifts in just one night."
This seemed to satisfy all the curiosity. Just then, they heard Misty call. "Come on kids, it's time for supper." Misty yelled up the stairs, as all the kids filed out, Pikachu tagging behind.
The End