Shopping with Santa

  Word count 639   

SHOPPING WITH SANTA

         Black Friday came and we found ourselves snowed in. That meant that our usual shopping spree every year after Thanksgiving was canceled. Thankfully, we still had power, a fast internet connection, and credit cards. At first, Jimmy, my twelve-year-old brother, was upset, but then Dad shouted from the computer room that Black Friday sales were still good so long as we acted now.

         Dad had a fancy new webcam that allowed him to video conference with his employees. Mostly he did software and video games, which must be pretty good money, but he never talks about that where I can hear and just laughs when I ask about it. I guess it wasn’t enough money to forgive me for the window I broke in the living room when I threw that snowball at my brother and missed. Sure, it was an accident, but I just couldn’t admit to actually breaking the window. So the money I was saving for the shopping trip was really going to pay for my lie. So being snowed in was a good thing, for about five minutes.

         Every year, Dad dressed up like Santa, but only on Christmas Eve, and only for the video conferences he held while locked in his computer room. Dad said he was the boss and shouldn’t have to wear the Santa suit, but someone made him wear it.

         The joke about Dad is since he rarely came out of the computer room and because he was so fat- he was Santa. Okay, it takes a bit of imagination but that is what families are for. Of course, we knew he was delivering presents to all boys and girls the world over so we didn’t really mind. Actually, he didn’t deliver the presents; he had his elves do it for him because he didn’t leave the computer room unless he had to.


         Of course, nobody actually called him Santa to his face except Mom and she was careful not to call him Santa around anybody else, but I have heard her call him Santa when she didn’t know I was there. Dad even seemed to like it when mom called him Santa, but only when they were alone because he got such a big smile that made his belly rumble! So there we were Christmas shopping with Santa on Black Friday. Everyone except me, I didn’t have enough money to buy that new ten-speed bicycle since I had to pay for the window I broke.

          “Moon Sand!” Jimmy yelled, pointing furiously at the computer screen. Jimmy was always yelling and I don’t know why.

         “Have you checked lately to see which list you are on?” Dad ruffled Jimmy’s hair and Jimmy answered with a quick grin.

          I knew which list I was on and it wasn’t the good list. So all the while they were shopping I just stood back and watched quietly. Mom was a chatterbox and pointing at deals. Jimmy was shouting his opinions. That left just Dad and me. After a while, I started feeling really bad, but then something changed. I think it was then I truly believed for the first time and I could almost touch the love I saw in my Dad’s eyes. I could truly see the love he held for us as a family. More importantly, I felt the love he held for me, even though I told a lie.

          “I know what you are thinking, son. For a hug, I will put you back on the nice list,” Santa said. I heard enough. The bicycle wasn’t nearly as important as the love of this man. I knew I wouldn’t get it this year, but was pretty certain I would get it next year even if I had to do extra chores. Maybe they can be small chores. Hmmmm.