Thrice Upon a Christmas
Chapter 1: New Beginnings
Hi there, you may or may not remember me. My Name is Kristin Claus, and my story is one you'll never believe (or ever forget). Many years ago, eight now I think, I had the adventure of a lifetime, although I'm not sure if I'd really want to call it an "adventure" really. I mean , after what Rudolpha pulled, disaster seems more appropriate, but I'm getting a little ahead of myself.
You see, eight years ago, my dad contemplated giving up on Christmas and it scared me so much. The reason for that is because my father is Santa Claus. The very notion of Santa walking away from Christmas seems absurd, I know, but he actually thought about it. It took a challenge from his daughter (me) to change his mind. The amazing thing is that a lot more than that changed in such a short time.
When I first met the Morgans, it was easy to see why they had been placed on the naughty list (which was the reason for my challenge), and I knew it wouldn't be easy to get them off of it. Bill, Brittany, and Kyle had been filled with so much pain from losing their wife and mother respectively, that they had become sullen and hardened to the spirit of Christmas. Yet, I persevered and showed them what it was truly all about: caring and sharing with those around you.
In a short period of time the heartache went away, and I found myself growing ever closer to them as the time passed. After convincing my dad to keep the Spirit of Christmas alive, I asked him to let me stay with the Morgans. I had truly grown to love them completely and couldn't bear to lose them. Apparently, the feeling was mutual as i soon discovered during our second Christmas together. With Kyle and Brittany's blessings, Bill took my breath away when he proposed marriage! I was overjoyed and accepted, but new problems arose and once again, everything changed.
I soon discovered that I had lost my memory; in fact I didn't know who I was or what my past was all about. I was a blank slate and worried about what I might find out if I ever recovered my memories. Moments after I finally did get my memories back (thanks to Kyle and Brittany), I learned what Rudolpha had been up to. During my first Christmas with the Morgans, Rudolpha tried to fool my dad into think he needed a vacation, but thankfully I was able to stop her. What Rudolpha did the following Christmas, however, made that pale in comparison.
Rudolpha actually tried to sell the North Pole! Well, parts of it, anyway. I couldn't believe what I found when Kyle, Brittany, Bill, and I returned to the North Pole. She had dissected it, piece by piece, and profitted by it! I was so furious with her, but once again Rudolpha's plans were foiled! The North Pole came back to where it belonged, and I went back home with the Morgans, where I truly now belonged. So much has happened in all that time, and I just don't know where to start.
Kyle has started his final (and senior) year of College. He has come so far in so short a time. He is truly growing into the wonderful young man I knew he could be. I think that I am partly responsible for that, but I also know that someone else is too. His girlfriend, Sarah, has been such a positive influence on him and I am so grateful that she is in his life.
As for Brittany, she is in her final year of high school. Brittany is so smart, and so beautiful, and I couldn't be prouder of her if she were my own daughter. Last (but most certainly not least) is Bill. Even after eight years together, he still loves me with all his heart, and I love him with all of mine. Now that I've spent so much time with the Morgans, I just couldn't imagine my life apart from them.
If there's one down side to all this, I guess it's that I miss mom and dad. It's been awhile since I've been home, and I really should go and see them sometime soon. After all, Christmas is right around the corner, and I'm sure they miss me too.
I still can't believe that it's been eight long years since all that happened, yet I get the feeling that this Christmas something exciting and wonderful is due to happen. I can only imagine what that might be...