Soaking in the peace and serenity of the moment, Rick smiled, noticing the similar expression on his companion's face. The silence was palpable, everyone else asleep in their beds upstairs, all of them eager to see what the morning would bring.

He and Carol had made quick work of scurrying out into the night to raid their neighbors' garages of the tree and other supplies being stored there. Decorating the tree had been an exercise in enjoyment as Rick allowed his mind to wander to Christmases past when he had decorated
trees in a similar manner.

Now, looking at the tree rising proudly to the ceiling, Rick saw the lights twinkling softly, casting a soft radiance on the walls and ceiling. The gold star at the top shone brightly, the sparkle from the lights and the fireplace giving it an almost iridescent glow, the decorations, many made in secret by Carl, Carol and the others over the last several days, covering the branches in love.

Shaking his head softly, he took in the beauty of the tree, of the room, the fire in the fireplace casting its soft, warm glow over everything, giving it almost a magical quality. The packages beneath the tree were all wrapped neatly, their bright paper and bows beckoning and enticing. Everything looked just right - perfect.

Yes, he thought with some amazement. We did it. We were able to pull it off! It was hard work, but we did it. And no one is the wiser.

Looking over at his companion he smiled.

"What do you think?" he asked, waving his hand to take in the quiet beauty of the room.

With a wide smile on her face, Carol replied.

"I think it's beautiful and I think he's going to love it. Everyone will love it."

"Yeah, I hope so."

"Rick, we need this. All of us."

Nodding in agreement Rick continued to smile as he looked around to make sure everything that needed to be done was done. No stone unturned as the saying went.

"You're right, Carol. We do."

He and Carol had worked furiously these past hours, single-minded in their purpose-to give their friend a memorable Christmas with his family. And perhaps more importantly, to give the quiet man something he'd clung to for years-the vision of a perfect Christmas and his faith in the dream of Christmas. Santa Claus.

Something - someone - the rest of them had taken for granted in their earlier years, but whose presence Daryl had never had the luxury of experiencing. Regardless of whether the great man was real or not, Rick and Carol wanted their friend to experience his magic.

Daryl had revealed though, that emotional evening when his lack of Christmas experiences was discovered, how a teacher had once
told him to never give up on his hope or on his dreams. Reflecting on that conversation, Rick sighed, almost hearing his friend's soft voice as he
recounted his painful childhood memory, still somewhat shocked that the quiet man had shared anything from his difficult past, let alone so much information at once.

"Yeah, it was the first day back to school after Christmas and everyone was talking about their holiday and what Santa had brought. I was in the second grade. Mrs. Griggs, our teacher, went around the room and we each had to tell what Santa brought. Or our favorite gift at least. I didn't know what to say when she got to me. I didn't really say anything, just kind of shrugged and hoped she'd move on. I remember the other kids laughing at me…they knew who my family was. Mrs. Griggs moved on to the next kid. When class was over she told me to stay and I thought I was in trouble, but I wasn't. She just wanted to talk to me. Told me she realized I hadn't had a Christmas and that she was sorry. I remember telling her it didn't matter, weren't no such thing as Santa anyway and Christmas was just another day of the year. Then she leaned down and looked me right in the eyes and told me to keep dreaming. She said, 'Daryl, if you have a dream you need to cling to it. Don't let others tell you it can't happen. If you believe in it hard enough it will come true, even if it takes years.' I knew there weren't no such person as Santa Claus, but it was nice to think about the possibility of havin' what the others had—just once."

Stopping suddenly, Daryl seemed to realize that all eyes were on him. Quite unlike himself, he'd been so lost in his story of the past that, for a few moments, the present had faded as his characteristic silence gave way to the telling of his tale. Realizing what he had shared, though, Daryl ducked his head in embarrassment, his eyes suddenly drawn to his mud-splattered boots.

Rick, however, had been thrilled with the small glimpse into his friend's past, unhappy though it might be. At the same time his heart twisted just a little in sorrow for his friend who had never experienced the happy occasions of a normal childhood. Silently thanking the faceless Mrs. Griggs for her wisdom and encouragement, Rick had felt a wave of compassion for the quiet man sitting across from him. Compassion for all the things he had never experienced, as well as for the dream he'd kept alive, even throughout all his recent experiences. The dream that maybe one day he, too, could experience Christmas. That was something the man evidently took to heart, even though he was reluctant to admit it.

Amazingly, even with all the hardships and suffering the man had endured, his faith had emerged unscathed. From what little he had said about his past - what they knew had come in dribbles - Rick was astonished that he had any faith left at all - faith in anything or anyone. But Daryl was strong, in both body and belief. His conviction remained untouched. One of those convictions was his belief in the miracle of Christmas — for everyone. For Rick, Santa Claus was part of that miracle. Unfortunately, the old man, over the past years, hadn't necessarily done a great deal to earn that confidence from Daryl. Nevertheless, though, Daryl had always clung to the notion that someday he might experience what others had known throughout the years. Granted, that notion had been pushed to the back of his mind since the beginning of the apocalypse.

Survival was what was important now. But Rick wanted to show Daryl that the spirit of the great man still existed and that he had not been
forgotten. He wanted to give Daryl the Christmas he never had.

Now, a week later, Rick shook his head in amazement as he thought about his friend and how incongruous his simple faith in Christmas was with his harsh exterior. Oh Daryl had admitted that he was probably wrong and that as a child he'd most likely been foolish to ever believe someone like Santa could be real and that his dream of a perfect Christmas was folly, especially considering the state of the world today and the difficult task of just surviving. But to Rick and Carol, who knew him so well, it was obvious that beneath the words of denial lay a last sliver of hope. Hope that there could still be some magic and goodness in this new and terrifying world—magic and goodness he had yet to experience.
When Rick thought about his friend's past life, he found it amazing that this seemingly rough and tough redneck had survived with any faith whatsoever intact.

How could someone who had only known pain and anger and betrayal — someone who had never really known what true family was until the world as they knew it came to an end — retain that purity of belief? It was incomprehensible to Rick. But he was very happy that belief was still there, however faint it might be.

Now, this year, their first in the Alexandria safe zone, his friends wanted to make sure that visit became a reality. Standing back and surveying the gifts beneath the tree, Rick realized with a smile that Daryl's greatly outnumbered the rest of the family's. He doubted seriously, though, that anyone would mind. Plotting and planning for the past week, they all had the same goal-to make Daryl's first Christmas a happy and memorable one. With that end in mind, their entire 'family' had pitched in, making gifts, finding them on runs and around Alexandria, and even resorting to bartering with some of the Alexandrians for items.

Amazingly, when the reason behind the sudden need for various items was revealed, the Alexandrians were more than willing to help. They were
excited to contribute, some even offering items for free, just to be a part of the project.

And his own people. Rick couldn't be prouder. All of them wanted to participate and each one of them was just excited as he was. Their only goal was to create the perfect holiday for their friend, and in doing so make his life—and all of theirs—a little brighter. Jumping onboard, each and every one of them had been more than happy to do whatever they could to make this day a success.

They had all come through. Scanning the brightly colored packages of all shapes and sizes, Rick shook his head in wonderment. Who knew that Christmas wrapping paper would be so plentiful in the apocalypse? Evidently, it wasn't high on the list of 'must have's' at the end of the world. The gaily wrapped presents perfectly complimented the tree and its decorations. And while it was true that Daryl's gifts outnumbered everyone else's, there were still presents for everyone in their family. Rick's gaze alighted on the labels written in the neatest of script —To Daryl, From Santa.

Smiling with affection, Rick reflected again on how thankful he was for their new life behind these walls. They were still together and, at least for the time being, they were safe. That was much more than they'd had just three months ago.

Yes, they were all — well most of them — beginning to acclimate to their new lives here in Alexandria. But that didn't mean they had lost the connection that held them together. They had survived so much out there on the road and that was a tie that would forever bind them together. They were, for all intents and purposes, a family. For the first time in a long time, Rick realized that he was happy — truly happy. He was also eagerly anticipating what was to come in a few hours.

Looking over to Carol, Rick smiled with a sense of satisfaction, throwing an arm around her slim shoulders.

"Well, Carol. I think our work is complete."

"I do think you're right, Rick. Look at all of this. I can't believe it! I think this is actually going to work!"

Nodding his head, Rick agreed quietly. Stifling a yawn, he realized that he was tired and that it was getting late. A quick glance at his watch told him that it was after five o'clock.

"We'd best get up to our rooms and pretend to be asleep. Can't have Daryl catching any of Santa's elves, now can we?"

His answer was a devilish gleam in the sparkling blue eyes of his companion, coupled with a huge grin and a shake of her head.

"No, Rick. That just wouldn't be good. Let's go to bed. If we're lucky, we might get an hour's sleep before the kiddies come bounding down the stairs to see if Santa's come."

Carol chuckled at her own joke, observing the smile that stayed on Rick's lips as well, both of them envisioning the smiles upon the faces of not just Daryl, but Carl and Judith and all of the others. Rick knew that for a short time they would be able to put the brutality of their existence aside and focus on something good. Focus on something normal, something that had always been a part of most of their lives and which they had taken for granted. Now, in this harsh new world, nothing was taken for granted anymore.

Casting his gaze upon his companion, Rick smiled at the happy expression on Carol's face. He knew, of course, that it matched his own. Yes, things were definitely looking up!

Shaking his head in affection, Rick turned to lead the way to the stairs, guiding the still chuckling woman as he went. The two exited the living room as quietly as possible. As they made their way towards the stairs and began their ascent, they were each lost in their thoughts of what the morning would bring. Happiness, to be sure, and hopefully, the knowledge that faith and dreams were things to hold tight to one's heart. The knowledge that faith and dreams could become a reality, even in this terrifying and depressing new world.

Reaching the top of the stairs, Rick gave his friend's shoulder a squeeze before dropping his arm to his side.

Giving her companion a huge grin, Carol dipped her head.

"Good night, Rick. This has been a good night. A Christmas Eve to remember." Her voice was so low Rick had to strain to hear the words. He could see the bittersweet expression on her face, caused no doubt by reminiscences of Christmas past with Sophia, now gone.

Rick nodded and replied softly. "Yes, it surely has. And now it's Christmas. As you said, we'd best go pretend to be asleep. Good night, Carol."

With that, both friends entered their rooms, closing the doors softly, awaiting the happiness that was to come.