It was that time of year, the Daughter noted. Guests were coming through with Christmas t-shirts and souvenirs, and talking about Santa. She had to get some presents for her family - her daughter, her daughter's boyfriend, her husband, and their son, Michael. And their pet dog.
After the ride had closed for the day, the Daughter went inside to her daughter, the Granddaughter.
'What's the date, honey?' she asked.
'December 17th. It's really close to Christmas,' answered the Granddaughter.
The Daughter nodded. It was quite close to Christmas. Little over a week left. But that still left enough time to get presents.
She turned to her husband, the Son-In-Law. 'Did you know there's only a week left until Christmas?'
'I do now,' said the Son-In-Law.
'You haven't gone shopping either,' said the Daughter. It wasn't a question, but a statement.
The Son-In-Law shrugged. 'There's a week to go and we're in a theme park. It's enough time.'
The Daughter nodded. 'I hope you're right.' She looked over at Michael, their son, who was playing with the family dog.
'Do you think it's weird Michael still believes in Santa?' asked the Granddaughter.
'No, honey, I don't,' said the Daughter. 'He's a kid.'
'We're all the same age, though,' said the Granddaughter. 'So, technically, we're all children.'
'Why don't you invite that boyfriend of yours to Christmas dinner,' said the Son-In-Law, as he changed the subject.'
'Great idea, Dad!' the Granddaughter sat back down in her chair and called up her Marine Biology Student boyfriend on a video call.
'Hey!' greeted the boyfriend with a wave.
'Hey, yourself,' said the Granddaughter. 'I was just calling to invite you to Christmas dinner with my family - as long as you're not late again.'
'Late?' asked the boyfriend. 'When am I ever late?'
The Son-In-Law and Daughter chuckled and turned their attention to their youngest.
'Michael, what do you want from Santa?' asked the Son-In-Law.
Michael shrugged. 'I dunno,' he said. 'Another dog?'
'Woof.' The Dog looked at Michael with a worried expression.
'We're not getting another dog,' said the Daughter.
'Besides, Santa doesn't carry live animals on his sleigh,' said the Son-In-Law.
'I don't know,' said Michael. 'Candy?'
The Daughter and the Son-In-Law shared a glance. 'Yeah. Santa can manage candy.'
Now all they had to do was sneak out of the ride and get the candy.
And the Christmas dinner too, of course.
I don't know why only Michael, the young grandson, is named. But there you go.