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PALMER CHRISTMAS

1

Palmer Christmas

Christmas Eve, December 28th, 2022

John fought not to chuckle as he listened to his four-year-old sons creep down the hallway toward the living room. He’d known something was up as soon as he tucked them into bed. The two little beasties had their own language, and it was obvious they’d hatched some kind of plan together. When John had been tucking them in, Caden had shushed Wyatt, like he’d been about to say something he shouldn’t have. John had been talking to them about Santa, and how it was important to go to bed early so they could get up early, to see what Santa had brought them. If they were bad boys, they would get lumps of coal in their presents.

He and Shannon had had the foresight not to put anything out before the holiday, because they knew that the boys would have gotten into them. Then they would have blamed it on Carmella, or something. Caden had once blamed Carmella for pooping his diaper.

And then Shannon had gone into labor Christmas Eve, at Zeke and Ember’s wedding reception. Baby Sophia hadn’t wanted to wait until January. She’d blasted into the world with a squall, a perfect little dark-haired princess. John had immediately fallen in love.

The boys had been less than impressed. It was supposed to be their Christmas. John had to give it to Marigold, though. Scrambling, she’d scribbled up a note from ‘Santa’ and had one of the men let themselves into the house and put it under the tree. When she’d driven the boys home from the reception, the note had been there, explaining that since their sister had decided to come tonight, and she and their mother would be in the hospital for a couple of days, he, Santa, would come back in three days and they would have their own, special, Palmer Christmas.

The boys seemed fascinated that Santa could turn his schedule around just for them. That was when the whispering had started. John had caught a couple of snippets of conversation. Would he wear his suit for Palmer Christmas? And something about him being really old so he probably wouldn’t hear if they snuck down to see him put their presents under the tree.

The boys were going to try to catch Santa in the act.

What little shits! He couldn’t remember if he’d ever done anything like that. But then, by age five he’d been in the orphanage, and he didn’t really remember Christmases there. Or maybe he didn’t want to.

Anyway, Palmer Christmas was tonight, and he was on duty.

Keeping the presents back had been Shannon’s brilliant idea. And now he was going to capitalize on it. While his boys planned, John counter planned. Since baby Sophia had been keeping Shannon up so much, he’d offered to be Santa tonight, promising to get her up early when the boys got up. With a gentle sigh, Shannon had kissed him on the mouth and crashed. John had stared at her, amazed at how quickly the woman could fall asleep.

He’d seen a meme somewhere that said if a person fell asleep within five minutes, they were sleep-deprived. In Shannon’s case, he truly believed it. Sophia was only days old, but she was already running them ragged.

Very quietly, he closed the bedroom door and drifted down the hallway, his wheels silent on the wood floor. Caden was in the lead, his dark hair mussed from being in bed. The living room was softly lit by the Christmas tree lights, and Carmella was curled up in her bed in front of the fireplace. When she saw the boys, she got up, her tail waving as she went to them.

Wyatt gave her a hug and leaned on her, and John could tell that he was fighting to stay awake. Obviously, Caden was the head mischief maker in this little escapade.

“Oh, man… he’s already been here!” Caden cried softly. “We missed him.”

“I didn’t hear him,” Wyatt said, yawning.

Caden went to the silver box John had very carefully placed under the tree after the boys had gone to bed. He’d spent an hour in his garage earlier today, very carefully packing up a few boxes with ‘bad boy’ presents. He had a feeling that they would be unable to resist opening one of the boxes, and if they did, they were going to be in for a surprise.

Caden weighed the box in his hands, then shook it. Wyatt moved beside him, picking up a smaller box. He looked at the tag. “I think this is one of mine. There’s my big W.” He grinned at his brother, then shook the box. It made a rustling sound. “What do you think he got us? It doesn’t sound like anything.”

“I don’t know,” Caden said, dropping to his butt on the floor. He turned the box in his hands, then very carefully prodded at the tape on the bottom.

John had made sure to barely seal the paper, and as planned, the paper fold popped up enticingly.

Caden gasped and looked at his brother. “I didn’t mean to!” he said, but Wyatt just shrugged.

When they’d been getting ready for Zeke and Ember’s wedding, the boys had been incredible bears. One day when they’d all been especially cranky, John had told Shannon that he was going to wrap empty boxes, and every time they were bad, he was going to throw one of their ‘presents’ in the fireplace. Shannon had stared at him, aghast. “That is so mean,” she’d said, and completely nixed the idea.

John still thought it was a good idea. It would have kept the little heathens in line!

He watched the boys debate what to do. He’d explained several times that they had to wait until morning for their presents, when Mom could be there with them, and maybe baby Sophia.

“She ain’t gonna want any presents,” Wyatt had whined, and John had chuckled.

“Well, maybe not,” he’d agreed, “but we need to be together as a family to celebrate Palmer Christmas.”

They had kind of agreed. And John could see the struggle now. They wanted to see what Santa had brought them, but they didn’t want to break their word to their father.

“I’m tired, Caden,” Wyatt said, setting his box down with a huff. “We missed Santa.”