"Kr…Kristina?! What happened to you?"
"Um…I gained a little weight."
"Yeah I can see that. I can barely recognize you."
"Gee mom thank you for noticing my weight, did you notice anything about my hair too."
Kris's mom circled around her daughter and saw her thick white mane.
"Oh…my…gosh. This isn't normal, honey go to the bathroom. I want to check you."
"Check me for what?"
"To see how bad this really is."
Kris went into the bathroom and pulled up her shirt. Her mother was rather shocked at what she saw.
"Honey you have love handles. How much weight have you gained over this past week?"
"I'd rather not say mom."
"Honey this isn't normal. You may be sick or something; I can't do anything about it unless you tell me what the problem is first."
"I gained 62 lbs."
Mom just about fainted "I'm calling the hospital!"
"Mom I'm fine. I've just gained some weight."
"Some weight? Some weight? Kristina it is scientifically impossible to gain that much weight in a week unless something is very very wrong.
"Come on mom please? I don't want to miss Church Services over something as silly as this.
"Sigh…fine but as soon as services are over, we are taking you to a doctor."
Kris's mom softly kissed her on the cheek. "Now go get dressed we don't want to be late. Kris got to her closet and managed to find a red and white dress that fit her size perfectly. It wasn't super extravagant or gaudy, but it wasn't shabby either.
"Still dressing up for the holidays?"
"why is it too much?"
"I don't think so. You just don't want to go too extravagant."
Kris and Ella jumped into the car. Kris was a bit surprised at first since she took up slightly more room than expected. It was also a little difficult to get the seatbelt over her new potbelly. As Kris's mom started the car, Kris found herself singing Do You Hear What I Hear. the even stranger part was she actually sounded good. Kris while maybe being gifted with a heart of gold, was not blessed with a decent singing voice, her mom always told her that the lord di not care as long as the melody came from the heart. But this time, not only did she sound decent, she also sounded pretty to listen to.
"Have you been practicing?" Kris's mom asked
"Well um…no I'm actually surprised I hit all those notes."
Ella just smiled, and before Kris new it the whole family started to sing along. When they reached the church building, they were greeted by their uncle John. If you wanted to talk about the living representation of Santa Claus, this man wait. He was a very large man with a thick white beard a round nose and rosy cheeks a very large belly that fit the whole "bowl full of jelly description. He even had the signature Santa laugh." When his brother died, John played the role of the father figure fo Kris and truth be told, she was more often like a father than as a uncle.
"Uncle john!" Kris shouted wrapping her arms around the large man.
"Kris!" The man grabbed his niece and nearly lifted her off the ground "It looks like you…grew a bit."
"If by grow a bit you mean I've grown sideways then yeah I've grown a bit.
"How much weight did you gain?"
"…63 lbs."
John's eyes widened
"Yeah I'm going to the doctor after church is over, I just can't figure out what's causing it. on the Brightside though look at my hair."
Kris turned around and John found himself stroking her thick hair.
"Man…this all happened in a week?"
"Yeah and something's told me that this isn't over yet."
"The weight gain and the hair started at the same time?"
"Yep."
"Hmmm…Change in hormones maybe. It looks and sounds almost like you're going through another form of puberty. I'm not a doctor though so if you want to get a professional medical opinion I would suggest going to an actual doctor."
The family went inside and the church service started. What Kris found most intriguing was the lesson that her uncle had given. John talked about the holidays and what many did. One of the things he emphasized that People had not forgiven the spirit of the holidays, but that people had forgotten the spirit of giving.
"Christmas can be fun. I'll be the first to admit that. And it's fun to pretend and to play with the other kids, but you know, watching the kids on the street, as they enter the soup kitchens and they fight that for that last apple. it makes me wonder if we are really doing our jobs? We think of Christmas as a time to give to other, but you know, in 1 John 3 we are told that Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. there is nothing wrong with material possessions per se but ifsees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? So what does that say about you and me when we decide to give only that one day to elevate our guilt? Do we really participate in the spirt of holidays or the spirit of giving, or do are we leaving it half-baked? We are more than just our stuff. We are people with emotions and the things we do with people and for people are more valuable than stuff. Even if it's just smile or helping someone out when they have a bad day. People will find that much more valuble than probably your Ipod. I propose a challenge to each and every one of you brothers and sisters. We think of Santa Claus as a figure head of giving, I'd say let's all be Santa clause for as long as we live."
After the lesson, the congregation sang a song, partook in communion and them dismissed after everyone partook in the collection. After the service Kris hugged her uncle.
"Did I do a good job on the lesson?"
"Yeah I also liked the lesson though I am probably biased. It's a lesson that pops up every time I have to explain why I'm not fully into the holidays."
Well I guess All I can say is live well and free, oh and good luck st the doctor.
The two gave a kiss on the cheek, and Kris headed to the doctor.
A/N: Okay I will admit badly written Chapter. I can't exactly make a church service the most exciting thing. Anyway good luck to everyone and happy new year.