Love for Christmas
By CQB (with my sons, AMB (12 yrs. old) & SJB (10 yrs. old)
Joey Hardy smiled as he saw his mother’s blue station wagon pull up in front of Bayport’s Oak Street Elementary school building. The 5-year-old blue-eyed blond boy had just finished his morning kindergarten class and was anxious to get home.
“Hi Sweetheart,” Laura Hardy greeted her youngest child as he climbed into the back seat of the car. She had the same deep blue eyes as her son and blond hair a shade darker. “All buckled up?”
“Check!” Joey grinned, giving his mom a thumbs-up sign. He liked to pretend he was a racecar driver and put his hands on the imaginary steering wheel. Laura smiled at him and started for home.
Joey’s purring and revving engine sounds disappeared after a few minutes so Laura glanced in the rearview mirror to check on her suddenly silent son. Joey was a very exuberant child and was seldom very quiet. She bit her lip as she saw the serious scowl on Joey’s face.
“Mommy,” he suddenly spoke up, “Ritchie Wills says that we get our Christmas presents from our mom and dad. He says Santa Claus is a fake. Is it true?”
Laura looked into Joey’s eyes for just a brief moment, but she saw the apprehension and the unshed tears. Joey’s year older brother, Frank, had asked the dreaded ‘Santa question’ just the year before. It had been easier talking to Frank about it. Even as a child, he had his father’s logical mind and he could easily see the reasoning in what Laura had explained to him. But Joey was different. He thought Christmas was a magical time. He still carried within him the wonder of all that was Christmas. Laura knew she would have to tread much more carefully around the Santa issue with Joey.
“What did you say back to Ritchie?” she asked, knowing Joey wouldn’t have remained silent.
“I told him he was just too bad to get any presents from Santa!” Joey answered with a cross expression, remembering the conversation in the back of the kindergarten room.
“Joey, do you think Santa brings your presents?” Laura asked carefully.
Joey sat quietly for a minute or two, and then answered, “I think so. There sure are lots of presents under our tree on Christmas morning and I don’t think Daddy has enough money to buy all of those. Aunt G says money doesn’t grow on trees.” Laura hid a chuckle as she thought about her husband’s unmarried sister, Gertrude. She lived with them and was quite opinionated, though she deeply loved them all.
“But Mommy,” Joey continued a few minutes later as the car pulled into the family garage, “how come there’s presents already under our tree if Santa doesn’t come ‘til Christmas Eve?”
Laura turned off the car and closed the garage. “Come on in the house with me, Sweetie. I’ll tell you about the gifts under the tree.” Sensing that this was something important, Joey eagerly climbed out of the car and followed his mother into the house.
After hanging up their coats in the hall closet, Laura sat down on the floor near the huge Christmas tree that filled the corner of their family room. Joey hesitated at the doorway until his mother smiled and motioned for him to come and sit on her lap. He pressed his small body close to hers and snuggled there, feeling very loved.
Laura picked up one of the brightly wrapped packages from under the beautifully decorated tree and placed it gently on Joey’s lap. Joey glanced expectantly up at his mother’s pretty face.
“Look at the little card in the corner of the gift, Joey.” Laura said, pointing it out with her finger. Joey looked carefully at the candy cane shaped tag. He was just learning to read and didn’t know all the words on the card, but he knew one word was his own name and two other words he recognized were “Mom” and “Dad”.
“This little word says ‘to’,” his mother explained, “Who is this gift to?”
“Me!” Joey replied excitedly.
“That’s right,” Laura continued, “This other word says ‘from’. Do you know who this gift is from?”
“It’s from you and Daddy,” Joey answered, wondering why his parents would buy him something when Santa could just bring him everything he asked for instead.
“At Christmas time, people who love each other often buy special presents for each other,” Laura said softly, choosing her words carefully. “There are presents under the tree for you from Daddy and me. There are presents from Aunt Gertrude. There is even a present under there for you from Frankie.”
“Because you love me?” the child asked. Laura wrapped her arms tightly around Joey and kissed the top of his blond head.
“We all love you very much,” Laura replied, releasing him.
“So I get presents from everybody who loves me and from Santa, too?” Joey asked, his eyes wide.
“That’s right,” she answered. Joey sat quietly and she realized that he was probably tired. She stroked his silky blond hair and held him close.
“Laura! Joey!” called out Gertrude Hardy from the kitchen, “Lunch is ready.” Joey scrambled off of his mother’s lap, but then turned to face her, “Race ya to the kitchen!” he challenged, taking off in a run. Laura laughed and followed her son.
After he’d finished his grilled cheese sandwich, Joey had to take his nap. He tried to talk his way out of it, but finally gave in and climbed upstairs to his room. Joey kicked off his shoes and jumped on the bed. He was pretty tired. ‘Kindergarten is a lot of work,’ he thought.
Joey smiled as he thought about all the gifts under the tree downstairs. ‘Christmas love gifts!’ he decided to call them. Suddenly his smile turned into a frown and he sat up on the bed.
Everyone had love gifts under the tree to give except him! Joey jumped from his bed and went to his dresser. He picked up his bank and looked through the clear class. There were a few coins but certainly not enough to buy a bunch of presents. He looked around his room at all of his precious things. Maybe Daddy would like Joey’s favorite Matchbox car? How about his bestest baseball glove for Frankie? Joey sighed. What would his dad do with a stupid Matchbox car anyway?
“I’ll ask Frankie to help me,” Joey decided, “He’s really smart and he’ll help me find presents for everybody.” With those thoughts, Joey drifted off to sleep.
“Hey sleepyhead! Wake up!”
Joey opened his eyes and grinned as he saw his brother’s big, brown eyes staring back at him. “Hi Frankie!”
“Hurry up!” Frank smiled, “Mom says we can play outside ‘til supper. Biff is comin’ over, too.”
“Frankie?” Joey questioned, “Can I ask you something?” Frank nodded and frowned at his little brother’s suddenly serious expression. Joey explained his dilemma to his brother. Frank knew from the look on Joey’s face that this was important to him.
“Joey, you draw real good,” Frank suggested, “Maybe you can make some pictures of Santa or Rudolph or Baby Jesus. I bet Mom and Auntie Gertrude would put theirs right up on the ‘frig for everybody to see. Dad would prob’ly put his in his office.”
Joey pondered his brother’s suggestion over. He was a pretty good drawer, if he did say so himself. He was sure Frank was right and his pictures would be displayed for all to see. Joey smiled. “That’s a good idea! I better get started right away though. You and Biff will have to play without me today!”
Frank said he’d tell Biff that Joey was too busy to play. Joey spent the rest of the afternoon working on his pictures. When he was done, he had four very nice, colorful Christmas pictures laid out on his bed. Though every one of the pictures was very nice, Joey began to cry.
Deep in his young heart he knew that the pictures couldn’t possibly show his family how much he loved them. They just weren’t special enough. Joey put the pictures on his desk and lay down on the bed. There had to be something. Something he could give that would tell his family everyday how much he loved them.
He began to think about ways he showed them his love when he had an idea. He sat up and laughed out loud. He dashed to his closet and pulled out an empty shoebox. He quickly began filling it with the most special, most precious thing he could think of to give his family! When he was finished, he closed the box tight. He went down to the hall closet and found some fancy Christmas gift-wrapping paper. Joey picked out the shiny gold paper with big shiny, red flowers on it. He grabbed scissors and tape from the hall table drawer and raced upstairs. By the time Frankie came in for supper, Joey’s gift was all ready to put under the tree. Joey hid the gift behind all the others under the tree, and then hurried into supper.
Both Frank and Joey had a hard time falling asleep that night. They decided to sleep in the same room so they would wake up together in the morning. Both waited and listened intently for Santa’s footsteps on the roof. Twice their mother had to poke her head in the door and tell them to go to sleep. Finally, they both drifted off into deep slumber.
Joey opened his eyes when he felt someone kissing his forehead. He peered into a pair of warm, brown eyes, much like Frank’s. “Daddy!” he cried, wrapping his little arms tightly around his father’s neck.
“Come on my little man,” Fenton Hardy said, “Everyone is waiting for you downstairs.” Fenton lifted Joey from the bed and carried him down to the family room.
Though very busy as a private detective, Fenton had never missed Christmas with his family, no matter if he was in the middle of a big case. His family came first.
As was their family tradition, Fenton pulled one gift at a time from under the tree and handed it to the recipient. Each gift was opened and admired before the next one was passed out. This took quite a while and usually, Joey got quite fidgety. But not this Christmas; He knew his special present to his family was way in the back and it would be the last one pulled out from under the tree.
Joey and Frank were both pleased with all the great toys, games and clothes they received from Santa and their family. They were careful to say ‘thank you’ for everything. Finally, it looked as if all the presents were gone.
“Guess that’s all, folks!” Fenton said with a chuckle.
“Not quite,” Laura amended, “I see one more in the back.”
Fenton got down on his hands and knees and peered beneath the branches. “Well, what have we here?” he asked, pulling the package out.
“Gracious!” Gertrude Hardy gasped, “That’s where all the expensive wrapping paper disappeared!”
Joey bit his lower lip. He thought he’d get in trouble now for using the good paper, but it was the prettiest and he wanted his gift to be extra special.
Fenton and Laura had already surmised that the gift was from their baby and ignored Gertrude’s outburst.
“This must be something pretty special to be wrapped up so beautifully,” Laura said sweetly, gazing into Joey’s deep blue eyes. Joey smiled.
“It says on the tag, ‘From Joey’,” Fenton read. “It’s for all of us.”
“Frank,” Fenton handed the gift to his oldest son, “Why don’t you open it for us?” Frank smiled and carefully began removing the abundance of tape that held the paper together. He expected that Joey had put all his special drawings into the box.
Finally Frank lifted the lid. Much to his surprise, the box was empty. Frank looked at his brother, perplexed. “It’s empty,” Frank said softly.
“Oh, what nonsense!” Gertrude huffed, “He wasted all that paper to wrap an empty box?”
Laura looked crossly at her sister-in-law, and then looked at her younger son. Tears were falling down his cheeks as he listened to his aunt’s harsh words.
“I-it’s n-not empty,” Joey said softly. Laura immediately moved to Joey’s side and pulled him onto her lap.
“Honey,” she smiled warmly at him, “Why don’t you tell us about this present?” Joey looked at his mother and then reached around to hug her tightly.
“It’s full of a hundred, zillion kisses,” he whispered in her ear, “So every time you open the box, you get a kiss from me. Then you’ll know I love you.” Fenton had been near enough to hear the words of his son and felt tears come to his own eyes.
Frank was quite perceptive at 6 years old, and figured, at least to his little brother; kisses were more special than any Christmas pictures, no matter how good Joey could draw them.
Gertrude Hardy, duly reprimanded by the sweet innocence of her nephew’s priceless gift, gently kissed the top of the boy’s head, before going out to fix breakfast for the family.
“It’s a wonderful gift, Joey,” Laura said, holding him tight, “We’ll all treasure it forever.”
17-year-old Joe Hardy carried his wrapped gifts down the stairs to the family room. He began arranging them under the tree with the other ones already there.
“Hey baby brother,” Joe’s year older brother Frank, called out, bringing his own armload of packages into the room, “Save some space for mine.”
“We could get rid of this and we’d have more room,” Joe commented, picking up an old shoebox. Faded gold paper clung precariously to the box by pieces of cellophane tape, brown and curled with age.
“Ah-h-h!” grinned Frank, “The famous shoebox. I don’t think you’ll see the last of that for a long time to come. Bet Mom will be showing it off to your kids someday!
“Good grief! It was 12 years ago!” Joe sighed, flushing red with embarrassment.
Laura Hardy entered the room, having heard the conversation between her sons. She smiled at Joe and took the tattered box from his hands. Without a word, she lifted the lid, closed her eyes, and then replaced the lid.
“Just as I suspected,” she said, a twinkle in her blue eyes.
“What’s that?” Joe asked, thinking her actions were a bit strange.
Frank watched his mother and brother and chuckled softly, knowing exactly what his mother was up to.
“When you gave us this gift 12 years ago, you said there were a ‘hundred, zillion kisses’ in it,” Laura replied, her eyes filling with tears as she remembered Joe’s fervent whisper that Christmas day so long ago, “and until they are all gone, the box stays.”
This was based on a true story from my own childhood. - CQB