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“Come on, Henry! We need to leave!”
It was his father calling for him through the house while his mother was already tending to his two little sisters, Madeleine and Laura, in the car.
Henry had packed his bag so carefully the day before, thinking of his cuddly bear, his moon-shaped night light, and the book his father was currently reading to him, The Famous Five. But he had forgotten to pack his new colouring pencils and his new colouring book, an early Christmas present from his aunty Addy.
And now he couldn’t find it.
Henry could hear his father calling him again and quickly he looked at his bookshelf, underneath his blanket, and on his desk.
“Hey buddy, didn’t you hear me?,” Tom asked, standing in the doorway now. Henry turned around, a few tears already shimmering in his eyes.
“I can’t find my colouring books and pencil case, Daddy,” he mumbled, wiping a few strands of hair out of his eyes without looking at his father. He didn’t want to cry, he was a big boy now - almost at least. He was a big brother. Big brothers don’t cry. And yet he was still his father’s little boy who needed help sometimes and who still craved hugs and kisses from his Mummy.
“Come here, Henry. It’s all fine, Mummy’s already packed your colouring book and pencil case. She knew you’d want to take it. It’s in the car, waiting for you,” Tom smiled and picked him up, breathing a kiss onto his son’s forehead. Instantly, Henry’s tears vanished and his eyes lit up before he hugged Tom tightly and kissed him soundly on the cheek.
***
The drive up to his father’s house was a long one and eventually all three of their children had fallen asleep much to their parents’ relief. It would be Laura’s first Christmas in their midst and everyone was excited for her almost more than for themselves. Henry had gone shopping with his mother the other day, hoping to find the perfect present for his visually impaired little sister. He wanted her to enjoy Christmas as much as he did even though she wouldn’t be able to see the big, sparkling Christmas tree or the glittering wrapping paper covering the presents underneath.
In the end he had found a soft book with different textures inside which would help Laura to get to know her environment by touching each surface while one of her parents or even siblings told her about them. He hoped she would like it. It was very colourful, too, and as he knew she could faintly see at least a few bright colours, he hoped she could see some of those as well.
Madeleine never seemed to care much about her little sister’s visual impairment. She played with her just like with every other person and together with their Mummy they had the best tea parties in the area - according to her at least. She also couldn’t quite understand it when her parents tried to explain Laura’s disability to her. She looked so like them and laughed and cried just like she and Henry did. Sometimes she bumped into things or couldn’t hold onto a cuddly toy she offered her but she was a baby still so Maddie didn’t mind. Maybe her Mummy and Daddy had gotten something wrong and she wasn’t ill at all?
Maddie had found a soft doll with pretty woollen hair at the toy shop the other day and it would be her Christmas present to her baby sister. She really hoped she’d like it. For now, though, all three of them were snoring away on the back seat and even Oscar and Molly were fast asleep, dreaming of big dog treats and warm snoozes in front of the fire place.
“Did you know that Henry made me add a P.S. to the letter to Santa?,” Tom grinned at his wife as he steered the car up to Greenock.
“No! What did it say?,” Olly smiled and looked over at him, at the faint lines beside his eyes and the few grey hairs amidst the other golden ones.
“It said ‘P.S.: We won’t be home this Christmas. Please deliver all presents to my Grandpa’s house in Greenock, Scotland.’ and then he drew a map of the street and the house underneath just to make sure Santa would find it,” he laughed and briefly glanced at his son’s reflection in the rear view mirror.
“Lucky us, then. Just imagine if Santa had brought the presents to the wrong house,” Olivia grinned, imagining their children’s shocked faces if the space underneath the tree had remained bare on Christmas Day.
“Fortunately, there’ll be plenty for them to unwrap if my information is correct,” Tom winked and briefly squeezed Olly’s hand before he focused on the road ahead again.
***
James was old by now, almost too old to live on his own, if you asked Tom, but he couldn’t be forced to leave his house and move into a care home so they had convinced him to get a housekeeper at least. Mrs Eldridge was a pensioner who had lost her husband a few years ago. Now she enjoyed the company of James Hiddleston as she helped him in the household and she had become rather fond of the old man and his adorable son’s family. This year, she’d spent Christmas with them too as all her family had either moved away or was no longer alive and who wanted to spend the holidays alone after all?
It was she who opened the door for Tom, Olivia and their brood as well and was welcomed with a heartfelt hug from all of them before Maddie and Henry raced inside to greet their beloved grandpa.
“And you must be Laura,” Mrs Eldridge smiled and gently took the toddler’s hand. Shy as always, Laura buried her face in the crook of her mother’s neck who only smiled warmly.
“She always does that with new people she meets. Don’t worry, by the end of our time here, she won’t want to leave your lap,” Olly grinned and followed them all inside.
Christmas Eve was always an exciting time for the children. Snacks for Santa and his reindeers were prepared and placed in the living room by the fireplace. A few curious questions were asked, too, each year, but the answers remained the same.
“Will we hear Santa when he leaves our presents?” - “No, you’ll be fast asleep, love. Santa can be very quiet and the reindeers, too.”
“But won’t we see Rudolph’s glowing nose?” - “No, he’s learned to hide it so no one will see him before morning comes.”
“What if they don’t like the mince pies? Shouldn’t we leave something else as well? Just to make sure they won’t be angry and take all our presents away again.” - “No, darling, mince pies are their favourites and carrots, too, so all is well.”
With a sigh and still not quite satisfied, Henry looked at his father before Olly reminded him that it was bedtime now. Laura was already fast asleep and Maddie had fallen asleep on her grandpa’s lap was well. Now It was time for the excited young boy to head to bed, too, so Santa could come and leave his presents.
***
When he woke up the next morning, all was white outside. Heaps of snow had fallen overnight, covering the garden and all the houses under a soft, white blanket. If Santa had found their house after all underneath all this snow?, he wondered before he tumbled out of bed and quietly opened the bedroom door.
He knew his Mummy and Daddy were sleeping next door and carefully he opened their door too and peeked inside. They were still sleeping, his mother’s back resting against his father’s chest while he kept his arm wrapped around her middle to keep her safe and warm. After a moment of hesitation, Henry left his spot by the door and walked towards the edge of the bed.
“Mummy,” he whispered, his own nose close to hers. “Mummy, wake up. We need to see if Santa has found our house with all the snow,” he added now that both had just about opened their eyes.
“Morning, darling. Has it snowed last night?,” Olly whispered with a smile and cupped his cheek. Excitedly, Henry nodded.
“Yes! It’s all white outside. Maybe Santa didn’t find our house because it all looks the same,” he mumbled with worried eyes but Olly still smiled up at him.
“Only one way to find out then. Come on, let’s get your sisters and then we can take a look downstairs,” she suggested and although Tom didn’t look quite ready to leave the warm bed yet, he followed, too, and picked up a sleepy Laura from her cot. She instantly snuggled up to him again and closed her eyes once more.
In the hallway, Molly and Oscar were already waiting for them with the latter’s tail wagging incessantly and as soon as Henry approached the stairs, they raced down, as well. The children reached the living room first and together with Maddie, Henry opened the big doors and looked inside. The lights on the tree were twinkling warmly and underneath numerous presents were waiting for them, all wrapped in the most wonderful paper. Some were big, some were small, some had odd shapes, and yet others looked perfectly square. To say he was excited and happy would be an understatement with little Henry. His eyes were big as he looked back at his parents who had remained in the doorway and now watched their two older children explore the heap of gifts.
“What do you think? Shall we wake up grandpa and Mrs Eldridge, get a cup of hot cocoa and then unwrap some presents?,” Olly suggested and was met with a unanimous cheer from Henry and Maddie. Laura had, meanwhile, fallen asleep again in her father’s arms. She was too young, yet, to be as excited over Christmas as Henry and Madeleine were and Tom couldn’t say that he minded.