300 Words Creative 03/04

Allow me to take you back on a trip that spans time and space.  It was the night of Christmas Eve 1998.  I had just turned eleven years young six days prior, and in my usual last-minute Christmas prep, I was busy cleaning away in my room.  I have to make sure I get the best presents right!? After finishing up in my room around midnight I went to go see what everyone else was up to.  My grandmother was in her bedroom, winding down for the night. The only sister I had at the time was fast asleep in her crib, and my mom was finishing up her Christmas Day cooking in the kitchen.  Being the amazing son I am, I decided that I would give her a hand in finishing up.  Now, it is very important for you all to realize that I had decided a couple years prior that Santa Clause wasn’t real.  What spoiled it for me you ask?  That particular Christmas I woke up in the middle of the night for some reason and could hear my parents in the living room talking about where to place things.  Needless to say, my little nine year old heart was shattered.  But once I saw my amazing presents that morning, I picked up my little ruby shards, put them back together, and marched forward.  So, on this particular Christmas Eve I already knew what to expect.  At some point after I fell asleep my mom was going to get up and set the presents out.  At least that’s what I expected.

            While helping my mom frost the last cake, I noticed the strangest sound coming from outside.  At first I could not tell what it was and I asked my mom if she heard anything too.  We stood there quietly, ears slowly leaning towards the window when suddenly it was clear. Sleigh bells! We were hearing sleigh bells!  I could not believe it!  I went into the den, flung open the sliding glass-door and we stepped out onto the deck.  And sure enough, sleigh bells could be heard!  We walked around the yard to try and figure out if the noise was coming from a neighbor’s house, or if something was playing audio outside of our house, but we found nothing.  The sleigh bell sound stayed true no matter where we walked, always sounding like it was coming from the sky.  I kept asking my mom, “Are you pranking me?! Did you guys hide a tape recorder with these sounds?”  She swore up and down she had not.  Needless to say, my little heart was racing with excitement and highly perplexed.  I ran back in to get my grandmother, and she heard the sleigh bells just like we did.  That was all the proof I needed.  I raced back inside to start getting ready for bed because I was not about to miss my presents being dropped off by Santa because I was still awake!  As I drifted off to sleep, smile plastered on my face, the sound of distant jingles escorted me into the ethers of the dream world, and the next morning I woke up to one of the most exciting Christmases ever.