Within the blink of an eye, the big day that everybody was looking forward to had finally arrived: it was Christmas morning! Despite there not being the usual haul from Santa Claus to wake up to, the Loud children were still very much excited to see the results of the Secret Santa Siblings program their parents had them participate in from both aspects: each sibling was most curious to see what they had received from their Secret Santa Sibling, while also excited to see the reaction of the Secret Santa Sibling they had gotten a present for.
In the downstairs master bedroom, Lynn, Sr. and Rita were still slumbering peacefully in their bed, trying to get in as much extra sleep as they could while they both were still off from work, but they were soon awoken by a thunderous clatter that could only be described as a combination of the footsteps of a herd of elephants crashing down the stairs accompanied by the shrieking of nearly a dozen hyper-active monkeys. As the parents slowly opened their eyes from their slumber being interrupted, they knew the noises they were hearing outside their bedroom door could only mean one thing:
"It's Christmas morning…" Rita mumbled, shifting herself under the covers from the position she had been sleeping in.
"Yup… our annual wake-up call, right on cue…" Lynn, Sr. also mumbled, before releasing a big, loud yawn.
Any other day when the kids were off from school would usually be a day for sleeping in a little bit to catch up on some extra rest… but who could sleep late on Christmas morning? For that matter, who could even sleep through the night of Christmas Eve? Within a matter of minutes, the pajama-clad siblings had gathered around the decorated tree in the living room, where they found various-sized gift bags and packages wrapped in festive paper under the glowing branches; each was addressed to one sibling, but none of them had any indication from whom they were being received so as to keep their Secret Santa Siblings a secret until the gift-givers reveal themselves. Unable to contain their excitement any longer, the siblings were about to wrestle each other over who among them would be the first to open their present, showing that even in spite of the occasion, they still possess a lack of patience; thankfully, their parents finally emerged from their bedroom – both of them struggling to slip their bathrobes on, while Rita also carried a camera with her.
"YO!" Lynn, Sr. exclaimed rather loudly to garner his children's attention. "Let's settle down here, kiddos!"
"You know how much we enjoy watching you open your presents every Christmas, so don't start without us!" Rita said, as she and her husband made their way over to the couch where they both took a seat on opposite ends.
"So, who should open the first present?" Lincoln asked, as he and his many sisters looked to their parents for an answer.
"I suggest we go in birth order, just to make things a little easier for everybody," offered Lynn, Sr., as he scooped up Lily, and sat her between him and Rita. "So, looks like you're up first, Lori Lou!"
The eldest blonde daughter of the family grabbed a small gift bag that had her name written on the label, doing her best to hide the initial look of disappointment on her face: in her mind, being the first-born, she was deserving of a much bigger present – such as the packages that appeared to be addressed to Luan and Lana – but, she still reached into the bag, pulling out a crumple of tissue paper, which turned out to conceal… another folded piece of paper.
"Okay, what is this? Some kind of joke?" Lori asked, before unfolding this little piece of paper she had received, and upon reading what had been printed on it, she began squealing in sheer delight; stomping her feet on the floor in the process. "EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
Rita was quick to begin snapping pictures of her daughter's elation, while Lynn, Sr. prodded, "What is it?"
"Literally just what I've been wanting!" Lori squealed, as she turned the little piece of paper around to show the rest of her family:
This GIFT CERTIFICATE entitles LORI LOUD to ONE DAY of LUXURIOUS PAMPERING at THE ROYAL WOODS SPA.
"Of course," said Lola. "Only the BEST for MY sister!"
"Is this from you, Lols?" Lori asked, turning toward the little princess who was looking rather proud of herself.
Lola nodded, "Why, yes; it is. I've been listening to you griping for MONTHS about how you never have time to treat yourself to a little pampering anymore, and you DEFINITELY need it! You've been falling apart before my very eyes, you need to get yourself refreshed and re-charged – trust me, I know these things!"
"Okay, I am literally sorry I said this was some kind of joke," a red-faced Lori apologized. "This is literally all I could ever ask for! Thanks, Lols!"
The little princess found herself being pulled into an appreciative hug by her oldest sister, as she too wrapped her arms around Lori, "I KNEW you'd love it! Do everything I would be dreaming of!"
"Looks like it's your turn, Leni!" Lynn, Sr. exclaimed.
With that, the second-eldest daughter grabbed the gift bag that she saw had her name on it, fishing around inside, and removing the content from within that was wrapped in tissue paper, which, when un-wrapped, appeared to be a DVD of some sort: her own pretty, smiling face graced the front cover, which was also emblazoned with the title My Sister Leni: A Musical Dedication. The bubbly blonde was amazed, as she marveled over her gift, "O-M-Gosh! Look, somebody made a movie about ME! Wow, who made a movie about me?!"
"Well, it's not exactly that kinda flick, brah," explained Luna.
Leni looked at her rocker sister in confusion, "What do you mean, Luna?"
"Lemme show ya," offered Luna, as she took the DVD from her sister, and arose to her feet, turning towards her father. "How 'bout a lil' assist, Pop-Star?"
As Luna stepped over to the family entertainment center to insert the DVD into the player, Lynn, Sr. grabbed the remote to select the proper input, and hit the play button. The rocker took a seat on the floor next to her Secret Santa Sibling, as the family soon saw on their TV screen Luna sitting on her stool in her bedroom behind an electronic keyboard, with headphones covering her ears, and a microphone set up before her. Looking up to face the camera, Luna addressed her sister, "Hey, Leni…"
"Hi, Luna!" Leni happily waved to the TV, as though she was blissfully unaware that this particular sister of hers was still sitting next to her in real time. The actual Luna, meanwhile, could hardly contain her excitement.
The on-screen Luna continued to explain what it is her sister is watching, "This is my X-mas prez for ya this year… I hope you dig it, cause it comes from the heart…"
The family watched and listened with great intrigue, as they witness Luna begin playing a rather moving and heartfelt little tune on her keyboard, and soon singing in a soft, melodious voice that was a quite a contrast from her usually strong, robust, and resonant voice when rocking out.
My sister Leni
As far back as my mem'ry goes
One thing I will always know
You always light up ev'ry room
Like a precious flower when in bloom
The smiles from you have been many
My sister Leni
The music video then dissolved into a virtual slideshow of old family photos from years gone by of she, Leni, and the bond they once shared with one another. Luna had edited the photos into a chronology of their childhood growing up together, all the while, her dedication continued to play over the slideshow, her lyrics matching the on-screen visuals:
Starting with a shot of them being given a bath in the kitchen sinks as little babies, followed by a shot of them playing with colorful little baby toys on the living room floor:
My sister Leni
How the years have flown
but to me you've always shown
A candid shot of them wrapped in a blanket and cuddled together for a nap, followed by a shot from the first day of school when a very nervous Luna was starting kindergarten, and first-grader Leni was walking into Royal Woods Elementary while holding her hand to help ease her nerves:
By my side you'd be there
it never really mattered where
A fun little shot of them a little older as Leni pushes Luna on playground swing:
The good times they've been a-plen'y
you're my sister, Leni
A little series of shots of Leni helping Luna pick out new school clothes, and teaching her how to apply make-up to her face:
Hair of gold and heart so sweet and pure
you're the sun shinin' up above
you helped me feel so pretty
A shot of them even a little older as Leni applauds Luna for her first attempt at playing a whole song on the violin, followed by a shot of Luna modeling what was Leni's crude first attempt at making a dress all by herself:
You helped me feel so worthy
and one thing I know for sure
you made me feel so loved
Finally ending with a series of silly pre-teen selfies they both had taken with each other:
My sister Leni
I want you to hear me say
Each and ev'ry single day
You fill my life with absolute glee
You really mean the world to me
You're my sister Leni
Dissolving back to present-day Luna, finishing her dedication to her Secret Santa Sibling:
You're my sister Leni
She removed her headphones and looked up at the camera once more to deliver a final closing remark, "Merry Christmas, Leni. Love ya, sis."
Everybody in the Loud House had mist in their eyes, and even a tear or two dripping down their cheeks after watching and listening to Luna's Christmas tribute to her Secret Santa Sibling. Leni was an absolute mess, as streaks of mascara ran down her face; she turned and threw her arms around her little sister sitting next to her, as she sobbed, "That was so beautiful, Luna! All this time, I thought you didn't even like me anymore!"
Luna wrapped her arms around Leni as well, assuring her that was not at all the case, as she gently rocked her big sister back and forth, "Hey… I know we've drifted, but I never stopped lovin' you, sis… I always have, and I always will… nothin' will ever change that."
The two continued hugging onto each other, while the rest of the family did their best to dry their eyes.
"You did a wonderful job, Luna…" Rita sobbed, feeling very satisfied one of her more creative children chose to make something for their sibling for Christmas, while she dabbed the bottom of her eyes with a handkerchief.
Lynn, Sr. likewise was sniffling and rubbing the tears out of his eyes, "That was a beautiful little tune, hon… speaking of which, it's your turn now, Luni-Tune!"
Pulling away from her tear-streaked big sister, the purple-clad rocker wormed her way closer to the tree, grabbing ahold of the package addressed to her, and ripping the wrapping paper away to reveal a surprise so tremendous that she nearly went into a state of catatonic shock, as her eyes bulged out of their sockets, and her jaw nearly dropped to the floor – a reaction that elicited a huge smile from her only brother's face.
"GOODNESS GRACIOUS, GREAT BALLS OF FIRE!" The rocker shrieked over seeing that her Christmas present was the deluxe boxed set edition of the documentary film Where I'm Comin' From: The Mick Swagger Story – something she thought she would never actually get to see, let alone own a copy of. "I… I… I don't know what to say!"
"I think that look on your face says it all, sis," said a proud Lincoln, folding his arms before his chest, while raising an eyebrow.
Luna turned to face her brother sitting a little ways from her; seeing the look on his face alerted her that he was her Secret Santa Sibling, "Lincoln Loud, Lincoln Loud! Best dang brother anywhere around!" The rocker lunged over to her brother, not only smothering him in an incredibly tight embrace, but also planting a huge kiss onto one of his freckled cheeks, garnering some giggles from their other siblings, and even their parents who were still capturing the moment before them, as Rita continually snapped pictures. "Bro, HOW did you KNOW?!"
"Well, I can't take ALL the credit…" said Lincoln, while slightly rolling his shoulders.
Luna cocked an eyebrow, "Whaddya mean bro?"
"I chipped in on the gift with Sam; we went halvsies on it," explained Lincoln, before turning to his mother taking pictures. "Speaking of which, Mom, if I could borrow your memory card later, Sam wanted me to send her pics of Luna's reaction to opening her present."
Luna was squealing in a giddy manner even more now, "EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! How lucky can I get havin' not only the best bro ever, but the best girlfriend in the entire 'verse?"
Lincoln continued smiling, "We KNEW you'd love it!"
"I am SO dishin' out a million thanks next time I see Sam!" Luna exclaimed, before throwing her arms around her only brother once more, "And thank YOU, baby bro, for your contribution in makin' this the raddest X-mas ever!"
Lincoln returned the gesture, feeling absolutely beside himself over Luna's elation, "You're welcome, sis!"
"Alrighty, Luana-Banana; your turn!" Lynn, Sr. said.
Luan arose to her feet, walking over to the tree and pulling out the rather large package that was addressed to her, "Whoa-ho-ho, this is a whopper; I must have been a REALLY good girl this year!"
The comedienne ripped the wrapping paper from the box, and flipped open the flaps, but when she looked into the large box, her jaw fell open with a loud gasp.
"What is it, honey?" Rita asked, as she continued snapping pictures.
Luan excitedly removed her bright and shiny gift from the box it was packed in, "A new unicycle; just what I wanted! I can't believe it!"
"Well, you better believe it, sis!" Lynn, Jr. exclaimed.
"This is from you, Lynn?" Luan asked her sporty sister. "How did you know?!"
"Well, I didn't, actually…" the jock admitted, "but I overheard you and Lana talking about your old unicycle falling apart and how you wanted a new one for Christmas, so I did a little WHEELING AND DEALING and got that baby for you! Check out the custom plate!"
Luan tilted the unicycle a ways to observe the small, customized license plate that was attached to the underside of the back of the seat, reading, Official Company Vehicle of F-B-I.
"F-B-I?!" Luan shrieked.
"F-B-I?!" The rest of the family also shrieked.
"Like the law enforcement agency?" Luan asked. "THAT FBI?!"
"Naw!" Lynn, Jr. responded. "YOUR business! Funny Business, Inc.! F-B-I! Get it?"
Luan flew into a loud fit of joyful laughter over the nice little touch to her new transportation, "Well, I have to say, this Christmas turned out to be WHEELIE SPECIAL! Hohohohohoho!" With that, Luan pulled her Christmas pun counter from the chest pocket of her yellow flannel pajamas, giving it another click for her eleventh pun. The comedienne dashed over to her immediate younger sister, squeezing her into a big hug, "Thank you, thank you, thank you, Lynn!"
"Aww, you're welcome!" Lynn, Jr. returned the gesture, actually feeling a sense of pleasure and satisfaction over the happiness her gift brought to her sister.
"Well, L.J., looks like it's your turn to step up to the plate, slugger!" Lynn, Sr. exclaimed with a chortle.
Breaking away from her funny sister, the jock grabbed the package that was addressed to her, wasting no time in ripping the paper away, and finding what appeared to be a shoe box. Initially feeling excited over the possibility of receiving a new pair of cleats, or maybe even wrestling shoes, she pulled the lid off and tossed it aside, but was surprised at the contents she found inside the box: it was a pair of shoes alright, but not only did they look a bit too small for her unusually large feet, they also looked incredibly old as well.
"Okay, so, what's the story with the ancient footwear here?" Lynn, Jr. asked. "They look a little small for me…"
"Why don't you try reading the note in the bottom of the box?" Lori suggested, while raising an eyebrow. "That should literally answer your question."
Indeed, underneath this ancient pair of shoes was a note… of authenticity, signifying that the items contained within the box were the actual sneakers that were worn by none other than former basketball star Shorty McGillicuddy.
"NO WAY!" Lynn, Jr. shrieked. "You got me a pair of sneakers that were actually worn by Shorty McGillicuddy?!"
"Not just ANY sneakers worn by Shorty McGillicuddy," Lori began explaining with a smile, "those are literally the sneakers he wore from his very first season."
Lynn, Jr.'s eyes widened almost as big as a pair of basketballs. "GET OUTTA TOWN! You actually got me the REAL sneak's worn by one of my BIGGEST sports idols from his rookie year playing for the Great Lakes City Lakesters?! WHERE did you GET these?!"
"From your pal Jason over at Good Sport!" Lori continued to explain. "They obtained those in a trade from another collector, so I haggled a little and got them for your Christmas present!"
"I LOVE YOU!" Lynn, Jr. quite literally sprang from where she was sitting, across the room, tackling her oldest sister to the floor in a big hug, much to everyone else's surprise. "These are even better than a limited edition autographed B-ball! These are a one-of-a-kind treasure no one else has! Thanks, Lori!"
The tall blonde wrapped her arms around her spunky sporty sister, squeezing her tightly, and feeling tremendously elated at the happiness this truly rare and special gift brought to her, "You're literally welcome, Lynn!"
"Alright, Lincoln; you're next, son! Go for it!" Lynn, Sr. exclaimed.
The only brother residing in the house reached over to grab the gift bag that was addressed to him, and was most curious to see what his present was… he was a little hesitant at first, because despite how well he knows each of his sisters, none of them ever seem to know what to get him for Christmas; in years past, any present he's gotten from them was more along the lines of something THEY would rather get for themselves, and he was pretty much expecting this to be the case again. As he removed the contents from the bag, and peeled away the tissue paper it was wrapped in, he was quite surprised to find his gift turned out to be a miniature wood carving of himself – standing proudly in his signature characteristic pose of having his fists planted firmly onto his hips.
"Oh, wow, it's a little me!" Lincoln marveled; he studied the miniature sculpture of himself carved from wood, and could not resist playfully stroking his ego just a little, as a wise smile took over his freckled face, and his eyebrows raised a good three or four inches. "Hmm, I had NO idea I was so HANDSOME…"
Knowing woodworking was actually one of Leni's few talents, Lincoln and the rest of his sisters were about to assume that she was the one this handmade little gift came from, until the tomboy twin spoke up, "I did my best to really capture the essence of what makes you so… so… Lincoln-y…"
"YOU made this, Lana?!" Lincoln asked. He and the rest of his sisters marveled over the fact that this little creation came from the hands of their little handy sister.
"Well, Pops helped a little…" a humble and modest Lana admitted, while stroking her little arm.
"Hey, I just supervised for your own safety," said Lynn, Sr., downplaying his involvement. "It was ALL your doing."
Lana then offered her brother a suggestion for his custom gift, "If you wanna paint it, I would recommend a really good multi-surface paint that'll apply to wood nicely, like acrylic or somethin'…"
Before she knew it, Lana found herself being swamped by her other sisters dumping requests on her to carve miniature wood sculptures of either themselves, or any one of their friends, or, in some cases, their significant others – even Leni, who seemed to have forgotten that she herself possesses talent and skill in woodworking; the little tomboy felt as though she was consumed by a whirlwind of these verbal requests that were being heaped upon her all at once.
Rita lowered her camera to reel her other daughters in a little, "Okay, okay, girls, let's settle down here. That was a wonderful little gift you made for your brother, Lana…"
"Yeah, this is great – DEFINITELY one of the best Christmas presents I've ever gotten!" Lincoln exclaimed, as he reached an arm out towards his little sister, "Thanks a lot, I love it!"
Lana scooted her way over to her big brother, joining him in a little hug, and feeling thrilled that he is most pleased with this little gift she had made for him with her own hands, "Aww, you're welcome, bro!"
Even though it was clear that a vast majority of their children had bought a gift for their Secret Santa Siblings –which was nothing that either of the parents had any quibbles with- they were most pleased to see that some of them opted to make a gift for their Secret Santa Siblings instead, as Luna and Lana had so far done.
"Go ahead, Lucy; it's your turn now," said Lynn, Sr.
Lucy reached over and grabbed the gift bag that had her name on it. From inside the bag, she retrieved the item that was wrapped in tissue paper, pulling said paper away to reveal a rather thick journal with hard black covers that featured an intricate white trimming along the edges; the journal's other main feature was a little lock and key, and the front cover had been personalized with red metallic letters that read Poetic Property Of Lucy Loud. The little goth girl reacted with one of her little smiles that, while not exactly rare, were somewhat un-common – something her mother made sure she was capturing on camera.
"This is the most beautiful gift I have ever received," said Lucy, with only a trace amount of enthusiasm in her deadpan voice. "Who did this come from?"
"That'd be me!" Luan spoke up, while extending her thumb into her direction.
Lucy's little smile grew, feeling as though it was a stroke of good fortune that Luan, of all people, was her Secret Santa Sibling. With nothing more to say, the little goth merely arose to her feet, walked over to where her big sister was sitting, and expressed her appreciation and gratitude by dropping to her knees, and giving her a great big hug – something her mother REALLY made sure she was capturing on camera; it was not at all common for any of the Louds to see Lucy express such emotion or affection, but it was a sight that warmed their hearts nonetheless, as Luan also wrapped her arms around her little goth sister, and squeezed her tightly, so happy that the journal was, indeed, the perfect Christmas present for her.
"Alright, Lana; you're next!" Lynn, Sr. exclaimed.
The little tomboy tried so hard to mask her dread; still already knowing that Leni was her Secret Santa Sibling, she was so certain that the fashionista had no idea what sort of Christmas present to get her, and once her little eyes fell upon what was the largest package by the tree, that only further contributed to her dread – Leni must have gotten her a whole chest full of clothes… this could turn out to be the worst Christmas ever.
After ripping the wrapping paper away from the large box, Lana hoisted her way up to the top to open the flaps and peak inside, only to find what looked like four fake hooves protruding from within, "What the?! What IS this?!"
Leni stood up and stepped over to peer into the box for herself, "Woopsies; it's upside down! Here, let me help…"
The older blonde pulled her sister's present out of its box, resting it on the floor next to her; as the little tomboy examined the gift she was presented with, her reaction likewise was a mixture of eyes widened and jaw dropped. "Leni! Is that a llama?!"
"I think so," said Leni, easily scooting the large stuffed animal closer toward her little sister. "At least, the girl at the toy store said it was a llama… I thought it was a weird, shaggy, donkey thingy with a giraffe neck… so, I guess it's a llama?"
The little tomboy began jumping for joy, pumping her little fists into the air with each jump… this turned out to be the best Christmas ever. "Alright! My very own llama!" She sprang up into the air, wrapping her little arms around its long neck, and hugging it tightly, "I'm gonna name him Lana, Jr.!"
"And where are you even going to keep Lana, Jr.?" Lola asked. "You don't even have room for him!"
"Don't worry, I'll make room!" Lana insisted, before turning toward her big sister. "Thanks, Leni!"
Leni scooped up her little sister along with her new animal friend, hugging them close to her chest, "Oh, I am TOTES happy I was able to make you happy for Christmas!" She squealed, while planting a loving kiss atop her red-capped head.
"Well, Lola, looks like it's your turn now!" Lynn, Sr. continued.
The excitable little princess grabbed the small gift bag that was addressed to her, quickly pulling out the tissue-wrapped contents from within, but once she removed said tissue paper, her eyes were almost blinded by the bright pink light that emanated from her gift items, as she screamed, "AAAAAH! MY EYES!"
"My sincerest apologies, Lola," said Lisa. "But, I have the utmost confidence that after your ocular organs have had a chance to recover from the initial shock, you will be most satisfied with these new decorative bodily ornaments; street name: jewelry."
After blinking a number of times to relieve her visually assaulted peepers, Lola took another look at the fiber optic jewelry that Lisa had created for her; once again, this elicited a reaction of widened eyes, and a large gap-toothed grin, "WOW! I have NEVER seen anything like THESE before! They're so flashy… so sparkly… and they're my color!" The princess wasted no time in clipping the glowing bright pink dangly earrings onto her ears, slipping the equally illuminated bracelets onto her wrists, and the choker around her neck.
"Even I am fully aware of how much you like stand out from the crowd like a shining star, if the gods of astronomy will forgive me for utilizing that terminology within an un-related context; I don't believe you could stand out any brighter than this…" continued Lisa. "Not to mention, I am also aware of how much you strive for originality… what other contenders of child beauty competitions would have such fiber optic jewelry adorning their bodies as they exhibit themselves on stage?"
Lola wrapped herself around her little sister in a big hug, "THESE ARE FABULOUS, LISA! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!"
Lisa merely reached one arm around Lola, petting her back without much enthusiasm, though still with affection in her own manner, "You are most welcome, my immediate older sister."
"That was a really creative gift idea!" Rita complimented.
"Way to think outside the box, Lis!" Lynn, Sr. exclaimed with a thumb's up. "And now it's your turn, so go for it!"
The little green-clad Brainiac maneuvered her way through the crowd of her siblings gathered together in front of the tree, sifting her way through the mess of discarded wrapping paper, tissues, and bags, but as she continued her search, she had come to an un-expected discovery, "Hmm. It would appear that there is no materialistic item of celebratory giving addressed to me underneath our decorated indoor evergreen."
The faces of both parents soured, as Rita lowered her camera to her lap, and Lynn, Sr. leaned forward from his seat, "What do you mean?"
"To put it into terminology that will be easier to comprehend…" continued Lisa, as she stood straight, and adjusted her spectacles, "it seems I did not receive a Christmas present this year."
The parents were thoroughly dis-pleased upon hearing this. "This isn't right," said Rita.
"No, it isn't," agreed Lynn, Sr. "EVERYBODY should have gotten at least ONE present this year; nobody was to be excluded."
Sensing the hostility that was beginning to arise from her parents, Lisa attempted to diffuse the situation as best as she could, "I assure the both of you that I am not at all dis-satisfied with my exclusion from this program you have orchestrated, as I am perfectly content without the use of some miscellaneous materialistic item of giving that I may otherwise have no need for. It really is not that big of a deal."
"No, it IS a big deal," insisted Rita, as she began addressing her other children. "We ALL made a deal: each of you were going to be a Secret Santa to one of your siblings, so that way, nobody would be without a present this Christmas."
"That's right," agreed Lynn, Sr. "You ALL picked one name from the bowl, which means ONE of you HAD to have picked Lisa's name…"
The other siblings began looking at each other in curiosity and suspicion; who among them was supposed to be Lisa's Secret Santa Sibling? Nobody was speaking up or coming forward. However, as it turns out, the Brainiac's Secret Santa Sibling felt that the former's previous comments of indifference over not receiving a gift confirmed their mindset that trying to present her with any kind of gift for Christmas would have been a pointless venture that would go un-appreciated.
Still, the parents were not at all happy about this. "This is just un-acceptable!" Rita barked. "Each of you had until Christmas Eve to find a gift for your Secret Santa Sibling… Dad and I even told you if you had no idea what to buy for them, you could always MAKE them a gift instead."
"It's like we said, it's not so much the gift that was important, it was the thought that counted," added Lynn, Sr.
"That's right," continued Rita. "We wanted you kids to understand it's better to give than to receive; our Secret Santa Siblings program was a way for you to experience the true meaning of the season of giving by bringing a little joy and happiness to your siblings… for someone to NOT do this for Lisa was incredibly selfish of them."
Once again, Lisa attempted to mollify her parents' upset, "Please, my dear parental units… if you would like my opinion, I believe your little experimental program nevertheless had the effect that the both of you so desired… each of your other offspring's have clearly displayed emotional positivity over the receiving of their materialistic items of giving… why diminish this occasion of secular celebration for the rest of them simply because I have not received such an item for myself? You said so yourself, as the old proverb states, tis better to give than to receive… I have received nothing, so what, exactly, is my loss?"
The parents exchanged looks with each other; they still were incredibly disappointed over the fact that one of their children did not bother to give Lisa anything for Christmas, but because of her insistence to not make such a big fuss over the matter, they reluctantly agreed to let it go. "Very well, sweetie…" said Rita. "But, somebody in this house clearly has learned nothing about the spirit of GIVING… and this will NOT be forgotten."
Another hush fell over the room, as the other siblings again eyeballed one another, trying to figure out who Lisa's Secret Santa Sibling was… all but one sibling, that is, who, at this moment, was feeling very much like a shrinking violet because of their parents' disappointment.
"Well, it's time for one last present, and that would be for YOU, Miss Lily!" Lynn, Sr. exclaimed as he produced what appeared to be a colorful little plush parrot, and handed it to the baby who had been sitting between he and his wife on the couch. "See what Mommy and Daddy got you? Merry Christmas, sweetie!"
Lily gasped at this colorful little plush toy that was being presented to her, as she took hold of it, nearly squeezing the stuffing out of it, however in doing so, the excited little baby garbled and cooed – startled to hear the parrot repeating the same noises back to her in a high-pitched mechanical manner. "Huh?" She responded, while the parrot repeated the same back to her once again. A big smile took hold of the baby's face, as she began speaking gibberish to the stuffed bird, having it repeated back to her again, which elicited some adorable baby laughter from her, which the toy continued to repeat back to her like, well, a parrot.
Lynn, Sr. chuckled, as he reached over, placing his hand on Rita's arm, "See, honey? Didn't I tell you she'd love it?"
"Yes, Lynn, you made an excellent choice," muttered Rita, while screwing a smile on her face, dreading having to put up with these high-pitched mechanical parrots of whatever Lily says while squeezing her new toy for an untold period of time.
Wanting to get one last group shot of their children with their new presents, Lynn, Sr. sat the baby onto the floor with the rest of her older siblings, while Rita took another picture to preserve the memory of this most unique and special Christmas day.
"Alright," Lynn, Sr. began, while rising up from the couch. "You kiddos get this mess cleaned up…"
"And, don't forget to save the boxes and bags; we can recycle them to use again next Christmas!" Rita instructed.
"Right," said Lynn, Sr. with a nod. "Breakfast will be ready shortly, and then, who wants to help ol' Dad-O prepare the Christmas dinner?"
Leni, Luan, Lincoln, and Lana all shot their hands up and volunteered their assistance – even though the little tomboy didn't want to really help prepare the dinner so much as she just wanted to eat whatever mistakes any of the others happened to make in the kitchen.
As the siblings began to gather all of the discarded wrapping material that was scattered about the living room floor, Lisa did feel a pint of genuine curiosity as to why, exactly, her supposed Secret Santa Sibling opted not to present her with a gift for Christmas, and planned to find out more about this when the opportunity presented itself.
Yeah, I know. This turned out to be a looong chapter – nearly twice as long as I try to keep my chapters… but hey, there were a LOT of presents to go through! And, if I have ever thought trying to think of poetry for Lucy to write was hard enough, I am going to avoid trying to write songs for Luna at all costs now. That. Was. Tough. (For what it's worth, it was actually the music of Sarah McLachlan that was playing in my mind while trying to come up with My Sister Leni).
Anyway, I'm sure if you've been following along rather carefully, you may have a good idea as to whom Lisa's Secret Santa Sibling is, so don't drop the story just yet – I know some of you, for whatever reason, tend to give up on my stories after the penultimate chapter, but we're not finished here; there's still a little more to come after this. So, stick around!