THE VISIT BEFORE CHRISTMAS
I wrote this story in Christmas of 2011
and it is published in a anthology called 'Canadian Imprints' and in my first
book of short stories called, ‘Mystery on Highway 599’. I hope you enjoy
reading the story as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Many years ago, in a small town far away,
there lived a small boy called Jonathan. For the first six years of his life,
he had dreamed that at least on one Christmas Eve, Santa Claus would come to
his home and leave a toy for him under the tree.
Calling that plastic one-metre-high tree
a Christmas tree is akin to calling a telephone pole a forest. But since he was
a fatherless boy and his mother only had one leg (she lost the other in the
same car accident when her husband was killed) she was a welfare recipient and
for this reason, she could only afford the small tree with some trinkets and it
was for the boy’s sake that she put it up each Christmas.
Two days before Christmas, she and her son
went to the city to visit a friend and while they were there, her friend said
that she was going to take her daughter to visit Santa at a large department
store and suggested that perhaps Jonathan might like to see him also.
As they walked towards the department store,
Jonathan’s mother wasn’t too happy with going there considering the burden she
would face if her son asked Santa for something that was beyond her means to
obtain. Nevertheless, she finally agreed, especially when she saw tears in her
son’s eyes when he thought she would say no.
They arrived at the store ten minutes
before it was to close and when they got to Santa’s Village in the middle of
the store, they saw Santa waving goodbye to the last child who had just talked
with him. As he was standing up and stretching his arms, he saw the two
children on the winding path leading to his chair.
He immediately sat down and said in a
loud voice, “HO, HO, HO! And which of these two beautiful children am I going
to see first?”
Jonathan always remembered what his
mother told him about ladies first so he motioned to the young girl to go ahead
of him. When she and Santa concluded their talk together, he waved goodbye to
her and then motioned Jonathan to come to him. Jonathan was very nervous
because he had never seen Santa before and didn’t know what to say to him.
“Sit on my lap and tell me what your name is, my boy”
Jonathan was extremely nervous and
excited at the same time. He was nervous because he was convinced that Santa
didn’t bring him toys because Santa thought he was bad. Despite that, he was
also excited because he thought that maybe Santa would give him another chance.
He whispered his name.
Santa asked, “And Jonathan, what would you
like for Christmas?” Jonathan looked Santa right in his eyes and said, “You
never brought me anything before so I don’t expect you to bring me anything
this Christmas either.”
The old man looked at the young boy and
tears began to form in his eyes. Then he said with a feigned surprised look on
his face, “You mean to tell me that I have never visited your house at all?”
“Never!” exclaimed the boy. “I guess it’s
because I am bad.”
Santa smiled at the boy and said, “My
boy. I could tell right away when I saw you that you are a good boy. I saw how
you let the little girl go ahead of you. That is the act of a considerate boy
and a considerate boy is one who is also a good boy.”
“Then why haven’t you visited my home on
Christmas Eve and left me a toy?”
The old man knew right away why the boy didn’t
get a toy at Christmas time. He could tell from the way that his mother was
dressed that she was in dire financial means and since the boy’s father wasn’t
with them, he assumed that she was probably caring for her son on her own.
Santa motioned one of his assistants to
approach him and then he whispered, “Ask the boy’s mother to give you her
address.” Then he turned to the boy on his lap and after stroking his hair, he
said, “I will visit you tomorrow night and leave you a toy. Now you tell me
what you would like me to bring you?”
The boy smiled and whispered what he
would really like for Christmas. The old man was startled, “You mean that’s all
you want?”
The boy cried out, “Yes, that is all I
want. Please….”
Santa interjected, “Then you will get your wish.”
While the boy was leaving the old man in
the chair, his mother asked him, “What did you ask Santa to bring you?”
“It’s a surprise.”
“But you have to tell me, Jonathan.”
Jonathan looked up at his mother and said,
“Santa said that I wasn’t to tell anyone.”
As she led her son out of the store in
the company of her friend and her friend’s daughter, she wondered just why the
old man told her son not to tell anyone what he wanted for Christmas.
Santa meanwhile changed into his street clothes and then walked directly
to the office of the general manager. When he was seated in front of the manager’s
desk, he told the manager what his plan was.
The manager’s eyes lit up and then he said,
“It’s a great idea and once it is done, we will inform the news media. It will
be great publicity for our store.”
“NO!” exclaimed the other man. “We must
never tell anyone what we are doing.”
“Why not?” asked the manager.
“For two reasons. The first reason is the most
important one. It would embarrass the boy’s mother and probably him also. But
the second reason is also important.” The old man paused and then said, “You
would have hundreds of children coming here with the same story and what would
we do for them that we haven’t done for this boy and his mother?”
The manager rose from his chair and reached
for the old man’s hand and as he shook it, he said, “Leave everything to me. I
will arrange everything and it will be at the store’s expense.”
“And…” said the old man before he was
interrupted.
“And it will be done very secretly.”
replied the manager.
Jonathan and his mother took the bus home
the next day and before they began walking down the street to their left where
their home was, she looked at the setting sun in the distance and then wondered
why Jonathan wouldn’t tell her what he wanted for Christmas. Was it because he
didn’t expect anything? Jonathan’s mother was distraught. For the past six
years she has never had enough money to buy a present for her son. Buying him
clothes was the most she could afford on her meagre income.
The next day was December 24th and the
snow fell quite heavily so by the time it got dark, most people were inside
their homes. Jonathan and his mother were asleep when she received a phone call
at nine in the evening. The man on the phone said that he was from the post
office and that a special delivery was being made at ten that night.
“
Who is the delivery for?” she asked
The voice on the other end of the receiver
asked, “Do you have someone there by the name of Jonathan?”
“Yes, I do. He is my six-year-old son.”
“Then,” said the voice firmly, “You better get
him up at that time because he has to sign for it.”
“I
am his mother,” exclaimed Jonathan’s mother angrily. “I will sign it for him.”
The voice paused and then said sadly, “I’m sorry Ma’m but unless the boy
signs for it, the delivery can’t be made.”
“Very well,” replied the boy’s mother, “I
will have him at the door when you ring the buzzer.” With that having been
said, she hung up the phone.
When it was fifteen minutes before ten, she
woke up her son and when ten o’clock arrived, so did whoever was making the
delivery.
When the sound of the buzzer was heard,
Jonathan’s mother motioned to her son and said,
“Someone is making a delivery for
you.”
Jonathan jumped up from the chair and
exclaimed, “It’s Santa. He kept his word. He’s coming to visit me.”
“Nonsense!” exclaimed his mother. It’s the postman.”
“No. It’s not. It’s Santa. He said that he
would come and visit me.”
The buzzer rang again and before the third
ring, Jonathan opened the door and there before him was the man he recognized
from before as Santa Claus.
“Santa!” cried out the little boy with
excitement. “You kept your word.”
As
the old white bearded man dressed in a red suit and carrying a bag over his
shoulder entered the hallway, he smiled at Jonathan and said, “Jonathan, my
boy. People, who break their promises, impair confidence in those whom the
promise was made but if you keep a promise, you enrich the relationship you
have with the one you have given your word to.”
When the three of them were in the living
room, Santa began to open the bag and brought out various toys. He smiled and
said, “These are the toys I forgot to bring you in previous years.” Then he said, “Oh, there is something I also
forgot.” He left the room and went out the front door and in seconds, he
returned with a large cardboard box. He looked at Jonathan’s mother and said, “Your
son told me that he wished that you both had a bigger Christmas tree and I just
happened to have one in my sleigh.”
As
he brought it out, he said, “You know, no one has ever let me put up a
Christmas tree. Could I help you put up
this tree?”
“Of course,” replied Jonathan’s mother.
And put it up the three of them did. When it was finally finished, it had
coloured flashing lights, silver bells and golden glass balls hanging from the
branches.
Then Santa said with a smile, “You know,
Jonathan, good boys are supposed to be asleep when Santa comes in the middle of
the night.
Jonathan was no
fool. He knew that if he went to bed right away, he would still be on Santa’s
good side so while about to be piggybacked up the stairs by his mother he
asked, “Will I see you next year?”
“Of course my boy but only when you visit
Santa’s Village like you did yesterday.”
“You mean you won’t come to our home
again like you did tonight?”
Santa laughed uproariously and then said,
HO! HO! my son. I only visit one home before midnight each year and tonight was
the only visit I am making before midnight this year. Next year, I will make another
visit before midnight to the home of some other child however, I will bring you
another toy when you are asleep.”
Jonathan was pleased as punch, not only
for the toys and the tree, but most importantly, for the visit he received as
previously promised to him.
The old man looked at them both and while
putting his finger to his lips, he said,
“Remember, this visit must be a secret
between us.”
Jonathan and his mother nodded their
heads in agreement.
As Santa was opening the door, Jonathan
cried out, “Santa, do you have a present for my mom?”
“Good Lord! I almost forgot. I am getting
so forgetful in my old age.” cried out the old man. “Of course I have a present
for your mom.”
He
reached into a pocket and pulled out a red coloured envelope. He handed it to
Jonathan’s mother and whispered, “I generally only bring presents to children
but it gives me great pleasure to hand you this one.”
Then with a quick turn, he opened the door and
quickly closed it behind him.
Jonathan’s mother opened the red envelope
and stared at the letter. It was written by the manager of the department store
they had visited in the large city. What was in it was brief. It said; “Please
visit my office between December 27th and the 30th as I wish to offer you a
position in our store, one I feel that you can handle well. While you are
living in our city, I will see that you and your son have a nice house to live
in.”
She ran to the door but before she opened it,
she heard the old man outside yell,
“On, Cupid! On Donner and Blitzen! Away!”
She opened the door and both she and
Jonathan looked outside in every direction.
Not only was there no sign of the old man
in the red suit, but strangely enough, there wasn’t any sign of footsteps on
the snow-covered sidewalk leading to the street or any signs that there had
ever been a vehicle on the street that night that had just been driven away.
Jonathan was confused. He knew that Santa
Claus had been in their house otherwise how else could the tree and the
presents been brought into the house? But if he was there and it wasn’t all a
dream, then how did he disappear so quickly? He didn’t come into the house
through the chimney so his sleigh couldn’t have been on the roof.
The boy turned and faced his mother and
asked, “Was he really here? Is Santa Claus for real or did I just imagine that
he was here and he really doesn’t exist?” His mother thought for a moment while
she stared at the snow flakes falling to the ground as they reflected the
various colours of their Christmas tree lights shining through the window and
then said,
“Jonathan. Santa Claus represents the
hopes and dreams of everyone who believes that no matter how bad things may be,
life can always be better for all of us. My son. Santa Claus is for real.”
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