My Christmas Gift… is YOU!

“Baby,” Ben whispered in my ear. “Guess what time it is.”

“Bedtime.”

“No! Come on, look at the clock.”

I shifted under our covers, still half asleep. I looked at the clock on my nightstand and groaned. “It’s seven in the morning,” I sighed, closing my eyes. “I have at least three more hours of sleep left.”

“Oh come on!” He slid his cold palms around my waist. “Look at the date again.”

“Are you serious?” I didn’t even open my eyes.

“Please?”

I lazily opened my eyes to read the date. December 25th. Christmas. Christmas! My eyes widened and suddenly, all my nerves came alive with energy. I turned to face Ben, still lying down. 

“Christmas!”

He smiled at me. “Yes, my love. Christmas,” he sat up. “Are you ready for a day filled with magic?”

“Yes!”

I got up, moving as slowly as I always did in the mornings, despite my excitement. Ben, on the other hand, was as energetic as ever. He definitely handled mornings better than I did, even Christmas morning. I pulled on a white t-shirt and jeans.

“I’m gonna go downstairs,” Ben called from the hallway. 

“Sounds good. I’ll meet you down there,” I pulled on my favorite red flannel and went to brush and pull up my hair. It took a little while, but I was finally ready for the day. I walked downstairs where a cup of black tea was waiting for me along with my husband cooking breakfast. 

The smell of bacon and blueberry pancakes filled my nose and left my mouth watering. I knew I was going to eat a lot today, and this was a great way to start. 

“Do you need any help?” I asked, walking up to the stove. 

“Um,” he flipped a pancake on the griddle. “Could you cut vegetables for the omelet?”

“Omelets too, huh?” I smiled. 

“Yes, ma’am,” he turned to me. “That’s why you married me, isn’t it? For the omelets?”

“Oh please,” I rolled my eyes. “First of all, I taught you how to make an omelet without burning it,” I chuckled. “And second of all, I married you for many more reasons than just the omelets.”

“But the omelets were part of it?” He smirked and his pale blue eyes lit up.

I shook my head and gave him a peck on the lips. I cut onions, peppers, scallions, some ham, and threw it all into a bowl. As Ben was finishing up the omelets, I set our table for two. We sat and prayed over the meal before digging in. 

Our Christmas tree sat near the window across the room, adorned with lights and ornaments. I smiled as the warm morning light illuminated the branches. 

“So,” Ben finished up and licked some peanut butter off his lips. “Are you ready to head over to your parents’ house?”

“Yep,” I said as he grabbed my plate and walked to the sink. “When did we say we would be there?”

“Around ten.”

“Awesome. Let me get the dishes done and then we can head out.”

Ben got everything ready while I threw the dishes in the dishwasher and I grabbed my coat.

“Oh wait!” Ben rushed up to our room. I wasn’t sure if he forgot something or what. He came rushing down with a smile that spread from ear to ear. He held two gifts, one small rectangle, wrapped with penguin wrapping paper and another bag stuffed with red tissue paper. “Sit down.”

“Okay,” I smirked as I went to sit on our plush brown couch. “What is this?”

“Well, your gift of course.”

I smiled and shook my head. He sat on the couch beside me and handed me the gift. I ripped into the wrapping paper, careful not to damage whatever was inside. As I revealed what was inside I smiled at Ben. It was a hardcover copy of one of my favorite books; “Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief”. It held a special place in my heart because it truly was the first book that got me to love reading. Since I had read that book, I had spent hundreds of dollars on books over the years. That book was part of the reason why Ben and I had so many bookshelves in our house. Although, I had never owned a hardcover copy. I finished unwrapping it and carefully took off its dust cover. Under the cover, the title was engraved into the book in beautiful sea green. It also had other small, intricate designs of waves, lightning, and even silhouettes of satyrs in the same color. I ran my finger along the eches, admiring the beautiful book.

“Open it,” Ben whispered. I looked at him and furrowed my eyebrows. 

I opened the cover and my jaw dropped when I saw what was inside. A signature from Rick Riordan, the author, and a handwritten note that read: Thank you for letting me be a part of your journey. 

“How did you get this?” I asked, still gawking at the book.

“I have my ways.”

I carefully set the book to the side and practically tackled Ben in a bear hug. He laughed as he kissed the top of my head.

“There’s more.”

“Really?” I beamed. 

He handed me another gift. I took out the tissue paper and in the small bag were a bunch of bookmarks and a brand new reading light. There was no card, but there was a poster, about the size of a piece of notebook paper. On it was a forest with a beautiful night sky, filled with stars. The text on the poster said, “You made me believe I could dance among the stars, but I only want to if it’s with you.” 

“I had a buddy of mine put that together,” Ben admired the poster.

“It’s beautiful and cheezy,” I told him. “I absolutely adore it.”

“It’s true, you know.”

“Well,” I giggled. “I was going to save this for later, but I suppose I should give it to you now.”

“What?”

“Your gift, you dork.”

I went to the basement where I had hidden his gift and brought it up to him. “It isn’t wrapped but I thought you would really enjoy this,” I handed him a small instrument. It was a wooden box, with different lengths of metal attached to it. Each bar made a different note.

Ben beamed as he took the small box in his hand. Of course, he immediately knew what to do. He plucked the keys, producing notes that made Carol of the Bells, one of my favorite Christmas songs. He wasn’t very good with words, but, boy, did he know how to make music. Although, being a music producer, that was kind of his job.

“Thank you, Scarlett. I love it.”

“I thought you would,” I looked at my watch. “Although, it looks like we may be late now!” I pulled him up from the couch. “Let’s go!”

We jammed out to Christmas songs the whole ride over, bobbing our heads and singing way off-key. When we got to my parent's house, we enjoyed the company of family. We stuffed our bellies with ham, ribs, and brisket that my dad had made, along with some other foods. We unwrapped other gifts as a family, smiling and giving hugs as thanks were exchanged. Different people filed in and out throughout the day to say hi. Some I had never met before (my dad probably invited them from work or our local Walmart) and others I had grown up with. We enjoyed company, good conversion, and games.

Time passed quickly and before I knew it, I was giving goodbye hugs to my parents.

Light snow fell as I drove home with Ben in the passenger seat. We stumbled into our house, exhausted from the long day. He flopped onto the couch and closed his eyes. I took my shoes off and hung up my coat before curling up next to him. My head rested on his chest. He threaded his fingers through my long, brown hair. 

“One more thing,” he said as he shifted to grab something off the coffee table in front of us. It had green leaves and white berries, wrapped with a small ribbon bow. Mistletoe. I wasn’t sure how I hadn’t noticed it this morning. He grinned as he held it above our heads. “You know what this means.”

“Yes, mister, I do,” we both leaned in, sharing a tender kiss. I could feel all of his love at that moment. He gently pulled away and rested his forehead on mine. 

“I thank God every day for the blessing he gave me in you,” he whispered. 

I smiled and kissed him once more. “I cannot wait to spend the rest of eternity with you and my father in heaven.”

I rested my head back on his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart. “Are you ready for bed?”

“Oh yeah,” He sighed and pulled me up to our bedroom. Before I could say Merry Christmas, I was tangled in his arms, fast asleep. 

Note from the Author:
Christmas truly is one of the most wonderful times of the year. Remember to take time to spend with family as Christmas approaches and truly remember why we celebrate this time of the year. We celebrate the wonderful gift God has given us in the form of his one and only son, Jesus Christ. King of Kings, Prince of Peace. Remember to love those around you, at all times (even if it’s not Christmas) and know that you are loved by the creator of the universe. Merry Christmas!

Until next time,
Peace Out Lovers!