2006 Advent Calendar Story Day 1 by krystal

Isaac is 9

Taylor is 6

Zac is 4

In Line to See Santa Claus…

“Mom, I’m too old to see Santa Claus!”  Isaac exclaimed, crossing his arms across his nine year old chest.

“Ike,”  Taylor retorted, “people don’t get too old for Santa!”  He looked up at his mother, “Daddy asked Santa for a boat last year!  Didn’t he?!”

“Yep.”  Zac stated calmly, pulling his thumb out of his mouth.  “But he got a yukky old girly baby ‘stead of a boat.”

Diana took a deep breath and looked at her watch, “Well, sometimes, Santa brings us things much nicer than what we ask for.  Daddy loves Jessica much more than he would have loved a boat.  I mean, we don’t even live near the ocean, what would he do with a boat anyway?”  She said, absentmindedly.  “Now, Isaac, you stay here with your brothers and make sure they don’t wander off, okay, baby?  Mommy’s gotta run over to the baby aisle.  I should be back before it’s your turn though, alright?” 

“Alright.”  He said, disgustedly.  He huffed as he watched her rush away from them and duck around a corner, disappearing from sight.  He turned to Zac, “Stop sucking your thumb, it’ll make your teeth stick out.”

Taylor looked up at him, “You suck your thumb.  I saw you last week.”

“Shut up, you little twerp.  I do not.”  Isaac spat.

“Uh-huh.”  Taylor said.  “And you had your teddy bear too, ‘cuz you was mad at Mom ‘cuz—“

“Shut up.”  Isaac said, flicking him in the shoulder.

“Then how come your teeth sticks out?”  Zac asked.

Isaac rolled his eyes, wanting to be anywhere but where he was.  “They don’t stick out.  Mom says when I get bigger, they’ll get closer together by theirself.  The more teeth you get, the closer together they get.”

Taylor was now studying his older brother, “I hope she’s right.”  He said thoughtfully.

“Mom’s always right.”  Isaac said, moving to the side of the line a bit so he could see how far they had to go.  “Gee whiz, how long does it take these little baby’s to tell some old man what they want for Christmas?”

“Santa’s not a man, he’s a jolly old elf!  That’s how he gets down chimneys and stuff!”  Taylor howled.

“Santa ain’t a elf.”  Zac stated, pulling his shiny, white thumb out of his mouth.  “He just gots elfs that works for him.  Like Herbie.”

“It’s Hermie.”  Isaac corrected him.

Taylor placed his hands on his hips.  “Then why does the poem say he’s a elf?”

“Cuz it rhymes.”  Zac answered.

Taylor studied his little brother for a moment, then shrugged his shoulders.  “Well, you might be right.  Prolly, God wouldn’ta let Mary be his wife and stuff if he was really a elf.”

Isaac raised one eyebrow, wondering if he should ask his brother what he was talking about.  With Taylor, there was always a chance of a long, colourful answer that took the listener in a twisted circle of six year old logic.  He looked around him and saw nothing but miles and miles of department store nothingness;  boredom as far as the eye could see.  In a moment of uncertainty, he went for it.  “What the heck are you talking about, Tay?”

Taylor gave a tiny shake of his head, letting his listeners know how ridiculous they were before going on.  “Santa and Mary.”  He answered. 

“Mary who?”  Isaac asked, his brow crinkling.

“Mary Christmas!”  Taylor blurted out.  “Gee, don’tcha even know what Christmas is about?!”

Isaac turned his dull eyes to a rack of brightly coloured ski jackets, “Yeah, but you don’t.”  He muttered.

“I do too!  It’s Jesus’s birthday!”

“That’s right.”  Isaac agreed.  “And Santa has nothing to do with it.”

Taylor rolled his eyes.  “God told Santa to marry Mary.  Him and Mary had a baby, and that’s why he’s called Father Christmas.  But anyways, the North Pole was too cold and all the hotels there was full, so they got’em a donkey and headed to Jerusalem where it’s warm and they went to The Manger, that’s kinda like the zoo, only—“

“Taylor, you are such a freak!!!  That’s not the Christmas story!”  Isaac exclaimed, throwing his hands out.

“Uh-huh.”  His smaller brother said.  “Miss Lauren said so in Sunday School.”

“That’s not what she said!”  Isaac admonished him.  “Jesus is the Son of God.”

Zac nodded and looked up at Taylor.

“Well, duh.”  Taylor smirked.  “Just like you and me is.”

Zac arched an eyebrow and looked at Isaac.

Now Isaac was the one to roll his eyes, “Don’t listen to him, Zac.  He’s got it all mixed up.”

“I do not!”  Taylor cried, “Ask Mom!”

“Don’t worry, I will.”  Isaac said.  “Tay, Santa is not Jesus’s father.  Besides, Mary was a…”  Isaac looked around him.  In front of them was a very fat lady and her son who was fatter than she was.  He was busy crunching on a large candy cane.  Behind them was a small girl in a fairy princess dress accompanied by her father who had his nose stuck in a book.  Isaac leaned in towards Taylor, “Mary was a virgin.”  He whispered.

“What’s a virgin?”  Taylor questioned him.

“Sssshhhh!!!”  Isaac shushed him.  “It’s somebody that…”  He looked around again.  “It’s somebody that’s never had sex.”  He hissed.

“Oooooh…”  Taylor said, his eyes taking on a faraway look.

Isaac let out a sigh of relief.  Finally, he’d shut his brother up.  He looked down at Zac and was met with large brown eyes and a fist curled up over full lips, still sucking his thumb.  “What?”  He asked.

“Nothin’.”  Zac replied around his thumb.

“What are you gonna ask Santa for?”  Isaac asked, quickly changing the subject. 

“A puppy.”  Zac stated.

Isaac rolled his eyes again, “You better think of somethin’ else.  We got too many babies to have puppies in the house.  I asked for one a few years ago and Mom said we got you instead.”

“I comed in October.  Santa comes in December.”  Zac reasoned.

“I know.  Me and Tay told Mom and Dad we wanted a puppy though, and they said we didn’t need a puppy ‘cause we got a new baby brother already that year.”  Isaac explained.

“I know what sex is!”  Taylor’s voice rang out over the other conversations.

Isaac whacked him across the shoulder, “Shut up, Tay!”  He snarled.  Around him, he noticed glares coming from parents and ears perked to hear from their children.

“But, I do.  Kevin Brown’s big brother told me.”  Taylor pleaded.

Isaac snorted, “Yeah, and he’s what?  Ten years old?”

“He said it’s when two people hug and kiss and roll around on each other.”  Taylor reported.

“Whaddya get then?”  Zac asked his obviously knowledgeable older brother.

“Cavities.”  Taylor said.

Isaac gazed longingly across the store, praying his mother would come back very, very soon…

                                      The End (more or less…)