Merry Christmas

Part 2 of the 8th annual holiday marathon

Catherine exited the bathroom and crawled back in bed beside Steve. "We have three more hours." She snuggled into his side when he opened an eye.

"Well, since you're up …" He grinned and leaned over to his bedside table and pulled a box from the drawer. "One extra gift."

She pushed up on her elbows. "Extra… Steve." She shook her head and took the small box, opening the wrapping paper she recognized from the jeweler. "What did you do?"

"I had to get you one." He shrugged, and she thought his expression was so similar to when he gave her his grandfather's navigation book all those years ago. The only difference in the face she knew and loved so well was now there was no trace of his being unsure of her response to his present.

"Oh, Steve," she whispered as she opened the box and removed the platinum band that held alternating rubies and diamonds. Angie and DJ's birthstones. "A mother's ring." She sniffed lightly and slid it on her right ring finger. "I love it so much. Thank you."

"You're welcome. Thank you for being the best mother the kids could ever have. You know, the first time I saw something like that was when Danny gave a necklace with all the grandkids' and great grandkids' birthstones to Nonna."

"On the first Christmas we spent in New Jersey." She smiled at the memory.

"It's been in my head ever since." He kissed her softly, smiling when she pulled back to wipe her eyes before moving in to kiss him again.

"It's beautiful, just like the kids. Inside and out." She glanced at the clock. "Now we have two hours and forty five minutes, wanna shoot for a little less sleep time?" she murmured against his lips with a smile he could feel.

"Without a second thought," he replied and they melted together and slid lower on the mattress. "Merry Christmas, Cath."

"Come on, Angie, let's go see!" DJ said as the two pajama-ed children hurried down the stairs, Catherine and Steve following with Cammie.

"Let's go!" Angie echoed, right on her brother's heels.

When they reached the bottom of the stairs, instead of heading right for the tree and the presents underneath, they ran to the coffee table where the special Santa plate of cookies and veggies for Santa and his reindeer had been carefully placed the night before.

"They're all gone!" DJ exclaimed.

Angie jumped excitedly. "Dey ate dem all!"

"Of course they ate them all," Steve said, fighting a grin as he flashed a look at Catherine. "You picked some delicious cookies for Santa."

"And some very good vegetables for the reindeer," Catherine added.

"And here's the note!" DJ said excitedly, picking up the piece of paper left by the plate.

"Read it, DJ, read it!" Angie squealed, practically vibrating with excitement.

"It says, 'Dear Angie and DJ,' " he began.

"Dat's us!" Angie cut in, unable to contain herself.

" 'Thank you for the delicious cookies. You know all my favorite kinds.' " DJ looked over at Angie and both children beamed. " 'You have both been so good this year. Thank you for being kind, brave, and helpful. You make your parents and your family very happy and proud. I hope you have a very Merry Christmas. Love, Santa. P.S. The reindeer loved the veggies. Thank you for thinking of them, too.' "

"Where does it say 'Love, Santa'?" Angie asked, peering at the words on the page.

DJ pointed. "Here. Love starts with L and Santa starts with–"

"S!" Angie interjected. "Like S for Steve."

Steve shook his head. "Let's not start that again."

"Isn't that a great note, Mommy?" DJ asked, looking up at her and beaming.

Catherine smiled, running a hand over his hair. "I think Santa knows you two very well. You're both kind and brave and very helpful."

"So is it present time?" Steve asked just as Angie's tummy rumbled. She looked down at it and they all laughed.

"Can we have a little breakfast first?" DJ asked.

"Yeah!" Angie said, nodding her agreement.

"Breakfast before presents?" Catherine repeated. "You must be the only two kids on Oahu who would choose that."

"Possibly the only two in the world," Steve said. "All right, Christmas pancakes?"

"Yay!" Angie cheered.

DJ grinned. "The best kind."

"Then let's go!"

After breakfast was finished and the presents from Santa were opened and DJ, Angie, Cammie and Pumpkin had each gotten both fun and useful presents, the kids looked at each other with unbridled excitement and DJ said, "Mommy, Daddy, Angie and I have another present for you."

"Another present? But you both got us the wonderful gifts you picked out with Grandma and the ones you made at school." Catherine smiled at Steve.

"That's right, and we love them all," he added, sincerely.

"Dis is da special secret one, and I didn't even tell!" Angie stood from where she was sitting beneath the tree and did a little hopping dance of excitement.

"But it's upstairs," DJ told their parents. "Grandpa helped us hide it but it's too big for us to carry. Can we go up and you open it there?" His eyes danced.

"Upstairs? You guys did a great job of hiding it, we had no idea," Catherine said as she stood and offered him her hand. "Let's go see what this top secret gift is."

"Yay! C'mon, Daddy!" Angie tugged Steve's hand until he stood and they made their way to the second floor. Lifting Pumpkin in her arms, she said, "C'mon, Cammie," so the whole family could be upstairs together.

"It's in my room," the eight year old giggled. "I picked a spot way in the back of my closet," he explained as he opened the door and pointed.

"Okay, wow, that's big." Steve hid a smile as he pulled the 30 by 30 inch nearly flat item out and passed it to Catherine.

"You gotta open it together," DJ said.

"Toget'er, 'cause i's for both of you," Angie echoed her brother as Cammie, picking up on her little humans' excitement, did a tiny whirling hop.

"I wonder what it could be…" Catherine was already smiling when they tore the paper off the front to reveal a canvas printed portrait of the children with Cammie and Pumpkin.

"Oh, ohhh, it's …" Her breath caught. "Beautiful." She blinked back tears as Steve cleared his throat. "This is an incredible present, you two," he added as they wrapped the children in a hug that included both pets.

"Do you like it?" Angie smiled toothily. "It's us and Cammie and Pumpkin, and Grandma and Grandpa helped get the lady."

"We love it, baby girl. You and DJ did such a wonderful job, and look how beautiful and handsome our gorgeous kids look," Catherine said as Steve nodded in agreement while asking, "What lady?"

"Grandma got a real photographer, she knows her from Tutor Time, and she came when we were home with Grandma and Grandpa so Pumpkin could be in it, and we all sat on this big piece of cloth. Ms. Lacey, she's the photographer, called it a seamless, 'cause it's one piece with no seams. Anyway, she took a gazillion pictures and we picked this one with Grandma and we paid with chore money for the picture."

"Well that's quite an operation. Very stealthy." Steve ruffled his son's hair and DJ beamed.

"Grandma and Grandpa paid for the frame, but we're gonna help them do chores and stuff."

Catherine kissed them both after wiping a tear. "This is so, so perfect, we're hanging this up right this second."

"Absolutely," Steve agreed. "How about in the living room above the desk so everyone can see it when they come later today?"

"Perfect spot for the perfect portrait," she said and leaned over to peck his lips as the beaming kids ran for the stairs so they could be ready to help hang their gift. "We have the best kids." She bent to kiss Cammie's head. "Human and furry." She lifted Pumpkin and kissed the cat's forehead as well.

"We absolutely do," Steve said, lifting Angie up for a kiss and then hugging DJ to his side.

"That's 'cause we have the best parents, right, Angie?" DJ asked, smiling up at them.

Angie looked between her mother and father and smiled. "Right," she said with a definitive nod. "Da best."

Catherine stepped closer to Steve with Pumpkin and wrapped her other arm around DJ as Cammie snuggled between them in a family hug. "Merry Christmas to the best family I could ever imagine," she said.

Steve kissed Catherine's temple as Angie rested her head on his shoulder and DJ leaned against his mother's side.

"Merry Christmas."

Hope you enjoyed!

Join us tomorrow for the day after Christmas and the long-awaited debut of Grace and Kaitlyn's video!

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