December

"Vroom! vroom! I go fast!"

Johnny Bates raced through the kitchen, his toddler legs wheeling as fast as they could. The cardboard box, a byproduct of that afternoon's Amazon haul, was certainly taking a beating in its many reincarnations as a cave, an artist's canvas, a treehouse and now a racecar.

"Johnny!" Anna called from inside the open refrigerator. "It's time to go, love, Santa's waiting!" The door shut behind her as she turned, hands full with the only sippy cup that doesn't leak in the car.

"Santa!"

"That's right, let's put away our box and put on our shoes, yes?"

"My boots!" The boy shouted as the box was parked against the dishwasher.

"No, my love, not today. We get to wear our fancy shoes because we're going somewhere very special."

"I go see santa!"

"That's right, baby," she smiled. Her precious little boy was growing up so fast. Sounds turned into words, which turned into sentences quicker than they could keep up with. After years of trying to expand their family and, with a little medical intervention, their greatest happiness was realized. Two and a half years later, here they were getting ready for one of the holiday seasons most iconic traditions: photos with Santa.

"Anna, are you about ready?"John entered with a jumble of various items teetering from each finger.

"Shoes, a coat and that's it. What's all that?"

"Sippy cups, goldfish cracker bits, cookie wrappers, rain jackets, puffy vests, muddy shoes, uh," he passed the pile to Anna who was gesturing for him to offload it. "And I lost count somewhere."

"Yeah, it makes me look like a bad mom," she sighed.

"Not at all. It makes you a mom–a prepared one, at that. And, fortune favors the prepared, they say." He winked, hoping that would work. Her tendency to be critical of herself was something he couldn't be a fan of. Even if things piled up a bit here and there, he could never truly complain about an extra mess, not when the reason for it was their family.

"I will say it's hard to keep up lately when the weather is bordering on summer one day and frigid the next, raining the following day and back to summer again," she opened a hand to emphasize her point, "all in december." She picked up a shoe to wiggle in his direction, "And this isn't mud, by the way."

"What else could it be?"

"Dog poop."

He wrinkled his nose. "And on that pleasant note, I best help him into those fancy shoes of his."

They peeked through to the living room to see a very determined Johnny twisting and pulling his shoes on the wrong feet, tongue popping out from the corner of his mouth.

"He tries so hard, it's so sweet," she said.

"I did it! Daddy, I did it!"

"Great job, buddy!" John praised his son as he went to kneel in front of him. "Now, let's make it a little more comfy for you and put them like this."

It meant the world to Anna to see her husband, in all bulk, hunkering down to their boy's level to help, teach, play, or anything at all that meant the two of them were together. And to Johnny, nothing in the world was better than daddy.

The mall wasn't nearly as busy as they thought it would be. Maybe they could chalk it up to the persisting pandemic precautions. Maybe online shopping really was taking its toll on the grand shopping experience of days gone by; after all, pants aren't a requirement for Amazon.

Their appointment for photos in the middle of the afternoon on a weekday could also have had something to do with it, but the ambiance was very much the same. Great garlands and swags with oversized baubles were suspended overhead. Glittering snowflakes of massive proportions hung from the vaulted glass ceilings almost invisibly. A steady stream of christmas tunes played through the sound system, clashing hideously with the contrasting songs played by each storefront they passed.

Johnny held Anna's hand and walked politely along as they approached the center of the mall. Prominently displayed was the North Pole in all its garish glory. Sparkling sugarplums and glowing gifts wrapped with large bows covered the expanse in front of the towering castle ahead of them. Swirled and flashing candy canes towered over Johnny as they followed the red carpet to their destination. His eyes were wide with awe as he took in the snow covered turrets above and drawbridge underneath his feet. Before they knew it, they were faced with the man himself: Santa.

"Santa," he whispered, his smile spreading from ear to ear.

John knelt next to him as Anna finished up with the official paperwork and ordering options. "There he is, are you excited?"

"Yeah"

"Do you want to give Santa a hug?"

Little legs bolted from their spot and sent Johnny hurtling into Santa's arms.

"I suppose that's a yes," John murmured. "All set?" He asked as Anna joined him, tucking a paper packet into her purse.

"Five copies, Four sizes, three poses…"

"Two turtle doves?"

"And a partridge in a pear tree."

Santa's Helpers prompted and posed Johnny with Santa, opting to begin to photoshoot immediately before the excitement began to fade.

"Lucky for us Johnny is so social, he takes after you." John nudged her with his elbow. "It takes the pressure off me. What need do I have to be social if I have the two of you?" He smirked, satisfied at the eyeroll he knew he'd receive for saying something like that.

"For goodness sake, John. You do wonderfully in a crowd. But…he does look so comfortable up there with him, doesn't he? Some kids just cry or shrink away, but Johnny would crawl into the poor man's skin if he could."

When the photos were finished, Santa began to speak with Johnny. He was regaled with tales of the boy's adventures in potty training, which was obviously very meaningful because each successful attempt was met with chocolate as a reward. He also heard about favorite toy cars and a stuffed Winnie the Pooh.

"Well, young man," Santa found a moment to interject Johnny's stream of toddler thoughts with his closing question, "what would you like for Christmas?"

Johnny blinked.

John ducked his head to say it a little differently. "Remember we talked about Christmas? And the tree?" Johnny nodded. "What do you want Santa to bring you?"

His eyes lit up, now knowing what he was being asked. Anna tried talking about it with him in the car before they arrived. He took a deep breath to proudly blurt out his request. "A fighter cock!"

While she knew what her boy was asking for, she almost forgot what it sounded like to others. When she saw the hands of several of Santa's helpers fly to cover their mouths to hide their laughter, Anna froze in panic. Her face washed over crimson. The man himself, who was otherwise motionless with his slack jaw, blinked desperately at John for help.

"A 'FIRE TRUCK,' buddy," John emphasized loudly. "Wow! That's a great idea!"

The relief in Santa was immediately felt by all. His shoulders dropped as he let out a hearty "Ho! Ho! Ho!" Johnny beamed with pride at his first time visiting with Santa, excited to be able to share what he wanted most of all.

Christmas Eve

"Come on everyone, it's time for dinner!"

"Let's go, pal, Mommy is calling us." John nudged a cozy Johnny. They were cuddled up on the couch watching Johnny's favorite show.

"No. I have breakfast."

"Nooooo, buddy, you already had breakfast in the morning. Look, it's getting dark outside, it's time for dinner now."

"I don't want to go in my crib." He crossed his arms and pouted at his father.

Their little boy was starting to ride the line of being unreasonable. Since he stopped napping, it was getting harder to persuade a cranky boy to cooperate as the day went on, especially without bribes.

"But we're having spaghetti and meatballs–" He put on his best sing-song tone, wiggling his shoulders for good measure.

Johnny smirked. "I like scabetty."

"I know you do, pal, Let's go."

Mood suddenly transformed, he chirped brightly, "Okay!" and hopped off the couch to thunder his way to the table.

Towards the end of their meal, Anna was reminding Johnny of all the fun things they still had left to do before bedtime. He was most excited about getting to feed the reindeer their carrots.

"And I feed Rudolph! He's so nice."

"Well, we have to leave the carrots on the plate and Santa will take them up to Rudolph. It'll be awfully late and you know, Santa won't leave us any gifts if we're not fast asleep," Anna tried to explain, not wanting him to get his hopes up for the sight of a real flying reindeer.

"What's that noise?!" Johnny suddenly gasped.

They paused to listen and sure enough, there were sounds of whistles and horns from outside. Anna and John smiled at each other, realizing what a fun treat this would be.

"Oh, buddy, I think Santa is coming to say hello to you before you go to bed." John released the latch on Johnny's booster seat and led him to the closet. "Let's put on our coats and shoes and go see."

"I wear my boots!"

"Okay, you can wear your boots." Anna put them down for him to pull on.

"I see Santa!"

Mostly everyone in the neighborhood was already out waiting in front of their houses, looking to see Santa. The horns and whistles were blaring louder the longer they stood.

"What's that noise?!"Johnny shouted into John's ear from his perch, high in his father's arms.

John winced and shifted his son into one arm, to rub at his ear. "That's a fire siren, buddy."

"A fighter siyen! Beep Beep!" Johnny cheered.

Anna shared a few smiles and waves with friendly neighbors across the street. They also had young children with excitement of their own to manage. As the flashing lights came into view through the trees at the end of the block, the horns made everyone reach to cover their ears. But for their direct neighbors, it made them finally come out of their home and grimace.

"Hello, Mrs. Andrews! Mr. Andrews! Merry Christmas!" Anna called over cheerily across the grass.

"Hmm. Too noisy if you ask me!" The older woman snapped.

Anna sighed softly and turned back towards her family, smile fading.

"You keep trying with them, but they're not likely to change, you know. They've only had about 400 years to perfect their brand of charm." John mumbled under his breath as he smiled brightly and waved at the Andrews' on their doorstep. They clutched their robes closer in response.

"Try seventy. But, it's just so disturbing. I've never had anyone just simply not like me. I've never given them any reason." She shrugged.

"Well, I've had plenty of experience not being liked. With and without reasons. Why you fell for me is a miracle in itself," he smirked.

"Santa's comin'!" Johnny yelled, pointing at the corner. And when the big red engine came into full view, he practically vibrated. "That's mine! That's MINE!"

"Baby, what's yours?" Anna asked.

"My gift! That's mine!"

"What?" his parents asked in unison.

"A FIGHTER COCK! Santa got my FIGHTER COCK!" Johnny's small arms were outstretched above his head with his glorious declaration; the likes of which was so loud, all of the surrounding neighbors heard him clearly.

"Oh yes! A FIRE TRUCK! Santa is on a FIRE TRUCK!" Anna nearly shouted for all to hear, but it did nothing to stop the snickering. Being parents, themselves, of small ones, they all understood. All save one house.

She heard the distinct sound of sucking teeth behind her. She turned to see Mrs Andrew's scrunching her nose in disgust and muttering to her husband,

"I always wondered what goes on in that house, shameful."

John's ears burned and he shook with fury. But Anna spun so quickly, he didn't even get the chance to react. She approached them. "Now you listen here, he's still a baby, he's still learning to say things correctly. Unlike you, who SHOULD know what should and shouldn't be said out loud. He doesn't know what that word means, he's just excited to see his dream come true. How dare you even consider something so impure?"

And as quickly as she went, she returned, leaving her targets gaping in her wake.

"Bravo," John whispered as she came back to his side.

Silently, she tweaked Johnny's nose, the latter still enthralled with the gleaming engine before him.

"Do you like the truck?"

"Yeah," Johnny whispered.

"It's so big."

"Big cock!" He called out once again.

She smirked, knowing exactly what she just did. They turned their heads to glance over their shoulders at the glaring Andrews'.

"They're just jealous because they think you have a big—"

"Anna…" John blushed.

She giggled beside him.

Santa called out a hearty "Ho! Ho! Ho!" while the firefighters on the street passed out lollipops. Then it was time for him to move on to the rest of the neighborhood.

"Merry Christmas to all, and to all a goodnight!" He called before being drowned out by the horns and sirens once more.

"But my fighter cock," Johnny whined.

"It's alright, Buddy. Santa didn't forget, but I think that one's too big to leave under the tree, yeah?"

"Yeah," he sighed.

"Hey, baby, let's go inside, we still have to put out Rudolph's carrot," Anna offered.

"Yeah!" He squirmed to get free of John's hold and hopped towards the door.

John sighed as he roped his arm around Anna's shoulder, pulling her close as they walked.

There was a teasing lilt to her voice as she spoke next. ''Twas the night before Christmas and on up the block, Santa was riding up high on a—"

"Anna, please stop," he interrupted.

"Aww, what's the matter? You're looking rather flushed,

John"

"Not here," his whisper was harsh.

"Oh, really, it's just a poem your son would make."

"Don't pretend you're being innocent."

She chuckled and nudged him as they reached the door. "Come on, everyone. Let's go make some hot chocolate."

"Hot cockolate!!!"

They laughed as the door clicked shut behind them.

AN: I kept this very american for simplicity's sake. I don't know if everyone is familiar with Santa visiting neighborhoods on the local fire trucks, but that's what happens here. He always passes out candy canes or lollipops and generally makes a racket. Take from life, they say…..so I did. If I was being truly realistic, they'd have twins, but oh well. All pronunciations are the things I hear on the daily and have a giggle at. Hopefully this can also serve as a time capsule of sorts so I never forget some of the adorable things they say. What's missing is something I have to share because I hope they'll always be called this in my house: Slippy Slops…. (flip-flop/thong sandals). Side note: all my neighbors are lovely people.