Chapter 94
One by one, the teenagers of the cul-de-sac funneled up the stairs. They proceeded to make their way through the kitchen, and into the living room. Due to the impending arrival of Santa Claus, the modest sized living space was densely populated. All of the Kanker sisters younger cousins, as well as Sarah and Jimmy were gathered around the front door, excitedly anticipating the welcoming of their holiday hero. Accordingly, all of the adults had also gathered within the room, their cell phones, traditional cameras, and camcorders trained in the direction of the door, attempting to obtain home movies of their children's time with Santa Claus.
As the teenagers gathered in various locations around the living room, Tabby excitedly made her way over to the front door. The crowd remained completely silent as she placed her hand on the golden knob, and proceeded to open the door with an audible creek.
As the door swung to an open position, Tabby stepped to the side while simultaneously turning with a smile.
"Santa Claus!" yelled Tabby, "Welcome to our Christmas party, we were expecting you."
Standing on the stoop was man who needed no introduction, nor a description for that matter. Slowly but surely, the stout, plump and jolly figure known as Santa Claus breached the threshold. His satin red hat and suit sparkled under the living room lights, as did his rosy red cheeks and ice blue eyes. His long white beard hung to the area of his chest, providing a contrast to the black belt that surrounded his portly belly. Much to Tabby's surprise, Santa had also brought with him a large red sack, that seemed to contain several presents wrapped in various styles of multi-colored wrapping paper. He carried the sack over his right shoulder, holding on to it with his white-gloved right hand. On the wrist of his left hand was a band, on which jingle bells were mounted, sounding in rhythm as he waved to the crowd upon making his entrance.
"Ho, ho, ho!" yelled Santa in a deep benevolent voice, "Merry Christmas everyone!"
Santa continued to wave, smiling heavily as he made his way towards the Kanker's large arm chair. Smiles adorned all of the children's faces as they cheered, following Santa towards the chair and taking their seats in front. The teenagers of Rethink avenue observed from afar, all displaying joyous expressions as they did so; Ed and May appeared quite giddy, both clasping their hands in front of them as they smiled. Marie leaned her head on Double Dees shoulder, holding his hand as she too radiated with joy. Lastly, Lee had taken Eddy's hand in hers, gently massaging the side of it with her thumb as she observed her family celebrate.
"Alright everyone!" said Tabby, "As usual everyone no matter how old gets a turn, but per tradition it's youngest to oldest! Looks like Thomas is up first!"
Following Tabby's declaration, her small nieces and nephews proceeded to take their place one-by-one on Santa's lap in order of their ages: Thomas, Darryl, Lilly, Dean, Melissa, David, Lisa, Jay, and Joseph. Alongside their children, many of Rods brothers and sisters took their place on Santa's lap as well for family pictures. Finally, as each child left Santa's lap, he presented them with a small gift from his large red sack, which were quickly unwrapped at what seemed like light speed.
Following Tabby's nieces and nephews, Sarah and Jimmy took their places on Santa's lap together, allowing Ed and Jimmy's mothers to take several beautiful pictures of their children together. After presenting the two younger children of the cul-de-sac with their presents, Tabby turned her attention to the teenagers.
"Alright, c'mon whose up?" asked Tabby in a playful manner, "And none of that 'we're too cool for Santa teenager crap' everyone has to take a turn, it's Kanker tradition!"
"I'll go!" yelled May in an exuberant manner. The blonde girl shoved her cup into Eds hand, and proceeded to make her way towards the arm chair, planting herself down on Santa's lap.
As Tabby and her sisters proceeded to take pictures, Santa Claus decided to pose a question to May.
"So Annamae, what would you like for Christmas this year?" asked Santa.
May sighed.
"Nothing special," said May, "Just my friends and my sisters to be happy forever and ever. That's it, I really can't think of anything else. I just love Christmas!"
Santa giggled.
"Such a beautiful girl inside and out," said Santa as he reached into his bag, "I have something for you, but before I give it to you, you must make me a promise."
"What's that?" asked May in a somewhat confused manner.
"You can't open it until the stroke of midnight Christmas Day" said Santa as he revealed a rectangular prism shaped present from his sack, "Don't worry young lady, all of your friends and sisters will be held to the same promise. Can you do that?"
"Yes Santa!" said May excitedly.
"In that case, Merry Christmas!" said Santa as he handed the present to May.
"Thank you Santa!" yelled May, delivering a quick hug to the jolly old man prior to returning to her friends.
"Oooo, me next, me next!" yelled Ed as he suddenly ran in the direction of Santa. The large Ed boy promptly plopped himself down on Santa's right thigh, somewhat surprising the man and drawing several giggles from May and his friends.
"Santa!" yelled Ed, "It's me again, Ed..."
"Of course I know who you are," said Santa, "I know all of the children in the world, and guess what else I already know what you want for Christmas."
"You do?" asked Ed, "Oh boy, oh boy!"
Santa giggled.
"You always make others happy through your actions," said Santa, "And your enthusiasm for the holiday is unparalleled. I look forward to making your Christmas a special one."
At that point, Santa leaned toward his sack to retrieve Ed's present. His present was quite large, a three foot cubed box wrapped in bright red wrapping paper. It also seemed quite heavy, as Santa seemed to struggle with removing it; Eds father stepped in to assist with the process of presenting the gift to the tall boy.
"Merry Christmas Ed!" said Santa.
"Thank you so much Santa!" yelled Ed, "I love it, even though I have no idea what it is!"
Ed proceeded to rise off of Santa's lap, skip across the room towards his friends, and place his gift down on the floor with a smile.
"Damn Ed," said Eddy, "You got the jackpot present, it's huge!"
"Yeah, it is!" said Ed.
"C'mon, let's open it!" yelled Eddy as he began reaching for the wrapping paper.
"No no no mister," said Ed as he batted Eddy's hand away, "We promised Santa that we wouldn't open our gifts until Christmas, so that's what Ed's going to do!"
"Whatever ya say Lumpy!" said Eddy as he took a small sip of his soda.
At that point, Tabby turned towards the teenagers. Playfully acting as the referee and pace keeper, she decided to put the next teenager on the spot.
"Alright Double Dee!" said Tabby, "You're up!"
Double Dee remained in place for a few seconds, staring nervously across the room; after a few moments, Marie decided to deliver him a playful shove.
"What are you standing there for!?" asked Marie, "Go ahead and see Santa cutie!"
Double Dee smiled, at which point he slowly but surely made his way towards the smiling Santa Claus.
Santa smiled as the Sockheaded boy approached him, slowly but surely taking his seat while turning towards the crowd. As a multitude of flashes emitted from several of the traditional cameras peppered around the room, Marie stepped forward, quickly snapping a few photographs of Double Dee.
"So Edward," said Santa, "How are we doing on this fine evening?"
"Excellent Mr. Claus," said Double Dee, "I could not be happier witnessing my family and friends filled with joy, celebrating the beginning of the Yuletide season. After all of the trials and tribulations that had faced us leading up to this day, it is amazing to witness the love of our beautiful community at work."
Santa Claus emitted a belly laugh, typical of the jolly old man.
"Selflessness and integrity," said Santa, "Such noble character traits that deserve to be rewarded."
Santa Claus reached into his sack, and proceeded to remove a small package; an envelope sized gift wrapped in shiny red paper. With a smile, he held the present out towards Double Dee.
"Merry Christmas Edward," said Santa Claus.
Double Dee observed had present for a few moments, at which point he gazed into Santa's eyes. His ice blue eyes, shining from behind a small pair of spectacles appeared quite genuine; however as Double Dee stared into them, an expression of confusion appeared on his face. An expression seeming to convey the thought that he had seen the man within the costume somewhere before.
Nevertheless, Double Dee shook off his thoughts and proceeded to rise from Santa's lap while extending his hand towards Santa.
"Thank you so much Mr. Claus," said Double Dee as he shook Santa's hand, "Merry Christmas!"
Santa giggled as Double Dee made his way back towards his friends; Marie began walking toward the fat man, passing Double Dee her drink cup as she did so. Eventually, the black-haired girl took her seat on Santa's lap, smiling as the crowd took several pictures.
"Annemarie," said Santa playfully, "How's it feel to be spending Christmas with black hair again?"
Marie laughed at her " fathers" joke.
"Amazing," said Marie, "Such a big relief and a whole lot less expensive."
"Glad to hear," said Santa, "Sometimes the best thing to do is to put ones past behind them, and look forward towards the future."
At the sound of Santa's words, Marie glanced across the room, eventually laying eyes on Lee and Lindsay. The two girls were happily snapping pictures of Marie with Santa, in addition to taking various 'selfies' of themselves together as they shared laughs. The sight of Lee's genuine smile drew one from Marie as well, at which point she finally decided to respond.
"Yep," said Marie as she ran her fingers through her hair, "I guess so!"
Santa smiled, at which point he retrieved a 216 cubic inch box (6x6x6in), wrapped in green paper, and presented it to Marie.
"In that case, Merry Christmas Annemarie!" said Santa.
Marie delivered Santa a hug as she rose from his lap, and made her way back towards her friends. As she and Double Dee excitedly conversed about their gifts, Tabby once again decided to chime in.
"Alright Mr. McGee," said Tabby as she glanced across the room towards Eddy, "It's your turn buddy boy!"
As Lee and Lindsay cheered playfully, Eddy began to slowly walk in the direction of Saint Nick, blushing slightly as he glanced toward the floor. As his friends did before him, he took his place on Santa's lap, smiling awkwardly for the cameras.
"Eddy McGee," said Santa, "Have you been staying out of trouble?"
"I've been trying to," said Eddy.
"Well as you know, I've been keeping an eye on you all throughout the year," said Santa playfully, "And I must say, even though you are a rambunctious little imp, you certainly do have a heart of gold."
Santa retrieved a small rectangular box from his sack, a box similar in size and shape to those used to package clothing. He smiled heavily as he presented the box to Eddy.
"Merry Christmas my man," said Santa.
"Thanks Mr. C" said Eddy, "You're the man!"
Eddy and Santa shared a laugh regarding Eddy's unique methods of providing his thanks, at which point the small boy returned to his friends. After sharing a slight laugh with Lee, the redheaded girl turned toward her best friend. Lindsay, had retrieved her makeup mirror from her pocket, and was in the process of inspecting her eyeliner, distracted from her surroundings. Playing into Lindsay's distraction, Lee playfully pushed her friend into the center of the room, causing the the tall girl to hobble slightly forward.
"Lindsay's turn!" yelled Lee in a playful manner.
Lindsay turned towards Lee, delivering her friend a sarcastic glare for a few moments. To the cheers of Tabby and her father, she proceeded to make her way towards Santa, taking a seat on his left thigh while smiling towards the crowd.
As Tabby and Chuck proceeded to take several pictures of the smiling Lindsay, Santa decided to engage her in conversation.
"So Lindsay, what would you like this year for Christmas," said Santa.
"Hmm, I've got what I wanted already," said Lindsay as she gazed towards Lee, "But a few new bottles of pink nail polish wouldn't hurt."
Lindsay and Santa shared a laugh, at which point Santa handed Lindsay her gift; a small rectangular 5"x7" box wrapped in purple paper. The tall diva thanked Santa, at which point she made her way back towards Lee smiling from ear to ear.
One by one, the remainder of the cul-de-sac teenagers took they're place on Santa's lap, smiling merrily as they're families took pictures for remembrance if their special occasion. After the last teenager, Johnny, had their time with Santa, Tabby decided to invite the adults to take their place for pictures; however, her words were interrupted by May, who decided to interject with an important observation.
"Wait!" yelled May, "What about Lee, she didn't get a chance with Santa!"
"May, shut up..." said Lee, who preferred to remain out of the spotlight by choice.
"C'mon Annalee, I did it!" said Lindsay.
"Yeah Babe!" said Eddy, "Don't be a humbug!"
All of the teenagers began chanting the words "sit on Santa's lap" in a repetitive rhythm, as Tabby walked towards her eldest daughter.
"It is tradition, after all!" said Tabby with a sly grin.
A few moments passed at which point Lee rolled her eyes.
"Whatever!" said Lee as she walked towards Santa, attempting to hold back the genuine smile that was gradually overtaking her usual stoic expression.
Lee took her place on Santa's lap, placing her arm around his shoulder as she gazed out into the crowd. From the crowd, Eddy watched, beaming with joy upon seeing his girlfriends smiling face; a face of pure joy that was rarely seen, even by him. Likewise, Tabby paused for a few moments to take in the moment, staring at her daughter with her own two eyes prior to lifting her digital camera to snap a few pictures.
Santa giggled slightly.
"Annalee," said Santa, "Always the unique individual huh?"
"Yes Daddy," said Lee in a whisper, "You know it, and I own it."
"Such a fiery heart filled with compassion," said Santa, "You've always been that way, unafraid to be yourself and always willing to help others."
Santa reached into his bag, removing a present equal in size and weight to the one presented to Lindsay a few minutes ago; this one was however wrapped in paper of Lee's favorite color, green.
Lee stared at the present for a few moments, her blue eyes glistening under the living room lights from behind her glasses. She then proceeded to take hold of the present, and rise up from her position on Santa's laps, smiling heavily as she did so. She delivered a hug to the jolly old man, at which point she made her way back towards her friends.
Over the next ten minutes, Tabby invited an opportunity for all of the adults to join in on the fun, as well as families to collaborate around Santa for group pictures. Jimmy's family of three, as well as Eds family of four took advantage of the opportunity, taking beautiful photographs akin to those found in holiday advertisements. The van Bartonschmmer sisters posed for a photograph of their own, as did the Kanker family, including Tabby. Chuck and Lindsay shared a moment in the spotlight as well; lastly, of course, best friends Lee and Lindsay could not resist sharing the spotlight for a picture on Santa's lap together.
After several minutes of laughter, joy, and gift giving, it was finally time for Santa Claus to take his leave. The fat man stood up off of the arm chair, and made his way to the front door. As Tabby opened the door for the man to pass through, he wished everyone a very merry Christmas one final time. With one final wave, Santa disappeared out into the cold winter air, as Tabby closed the door behind him.
As Santa took his leave, the three Ed boys remained fixated on the door, all displaying radiant smiles. Of course, Double Dee was the first to break the silence.
"What a wonderful display!" said Double Dee, "How fitting for such an elaborate and joyous celebration!"
"Yeah," said Eddy, "Rod can really act, he should go into that professionally!"
Double Dee appeared slightly confused, pausing for a few seconds prior to responding.
"In all honesty," said a Double Dee, "I don't believe that was Mr. Lonergan."
"What are ya talking about Sockhead?" asked Eddy, "Of course it was Rod, who else would it be."
"I haven't the faintest," said Double Dee, "But I felt like I've seen them before!"
"You have Double Dee," said Ed in an exuberant manner, "It was Santa Claus of course! Eddy's just a spoil sport...tsk tsk Eddy saying that Santa is Rod, even after he gave you a present of your own."
"Whatever Lumpy" said Eddy, "I'm gonna go get some roast beef, I'm starving!"
As the three Ed boys returned to mingling, Tabby discretely made her way up the stairs to the upper level, intent on meeting Rod to congratulate him for a job well done. The redheaded woman was thrilled with Rods portrayal of Santa Claus; accordingly, she jogged up the stairs and down the hall at a rapid pace, bursting into her bedroom at full speed.
Within the bedroom stood Rod; he had apparently removed the fake beard and hat, and was in the process of working on unzipping the coat. To his surprise, Tabby practically ran over to him, jumping into his arms and wrapping her legs around his waist. The surprise addition of weight caused the man to fall backwards onto the bed, finding himself pinned down by his wife who proceeded to repeatedly kiss his cheeks at rapid pace.
"You sweet, sweet SWEET man!" said Tabby as she pulled away to look into his eyes, "That was the most amazing Santa Claus I've ever seen. And you even went the extra mile by going out and getting everyone gifts! How the hell did you manage to pull that off without me even knowing? You made everyone so happy, I could just melt inside."
"Gifts for everyone?" asked Rod.
"Don't play dumb Roddy," said Tabby, "I don't care how much it costs, seeing everyone smile was well worth it!"
"But Tabb," said Rod, "I wish I could say I did, but I didn't buy gifts for everyone."
"What the hell are you talking about?" asked Tabby as she rose up of of Rod, taking her place standing on the floor next to the bed, "You just put on an awesome Santa show downstairs, I saw it with my own two eyes."
"It couldn't have been me," said Rod as he reached for the coats zipper, "I've been struggling with the zipper for the last half hour, I still can't get it to close. I was just about to text your phone so you can get Annalee."
"Well someone just showed up and gave out presents as Santa Claus," said Tabby, "And it's not like it was Santa Claus himself..."
Tabby took a seat on the bed next to Rod, contemplating her thoughts for a few moments; as Rod rose up to a seated position, the red headed woman who remained focused on the wall, her face displaying an expression of confusion.
