Epilogue
|
“R |
ing ding a ling, ring ding a dong, ding dong, ding dong!” Eric strummed the last note of “Carol of the Bells” on his acoustic guitar. Fifty kids, some in wheelchairs, some with casts on their arms or legs, and many of them, wearing scarves or baseball hats to hide their bald heads, started clapping and cheering.
“Can we sing another song, Mrs. Claus?” a little black girl in a pink robe and matching scarf asked me.
“Oh we will, but first, I think I hear my hubby coming.”
“Ho, ho, ho! Merry Christmas!”
“SANTA CLAUS!” Joshua, dressed as Santa, in a very, very padded costume, came through the doorway to the play room with a huge velvet sack over his back. And behind him, Autumn and Rena, in cute little elf outfits, came after him. The kids who could walk rushed up to him, jumping up and down.
“All right, everybody! Attention please!” I clapped my hands. “Everybody, please sit back in the circle! Santa has gifts for everybody! He will call your name, and when he does, come up to one of the elves and get your present.” Joshua pulled out a paper list that dragged the floor. Okay, so we exaggerated a lot, okay! It’s Christmas! He started calling out names. One by one, the kids came up and got their gifts. The ones in wheelchairs, I delivered personally to them. The room was soon filled with ripping sounds and loud squeals of delight.
When all of the gifts had been handed out, Autumn started leading the kids in “We Wish you a Merry Christmas.” Joshua came over to me, pulled down his white beard and said,
“Got a kiss for Santa?”
“Oh, perhaps…can I sit on your lap and tell you what I want for Christmas?”
“Have you been a good girl this year?” He sat in a chair and I sat down comfortably on his lap.
“Oh, I have been extra good this year, so I have a long list of presents that I want.”
“Santa’s all ears.”
“Well, I want a sexy little black chemise that I saw in the window of Victoria’s Secret, and I want some of those sexy lace up hipster jeans, and a white peasant blouse…”
“And Santa would like you, all wrapped up in red lace and a bow…under my tree,” he said, pulling me down to his lips.
“Oooooooooooooooooh!” the kids cried. We pulled away from each other and saw the whole room looking at us.
“Hey kids, let’s sing a new song,” Autumn said. She whispered something to Eric and he started to play.
“I saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus…” they all sang. I was laughing so hard that I almost lost my white wig and my glasses. You had to admit, it was pretty funny!
“Mrs. Claus, why don’t you sit at the piano and honor us with a song?” Rena asked.
“Oh, all right.” I sat down at the old hospital piano and warmed up with a couple of scales.
“Who knows Sleigh Ride?”
“Me, me, me!” About twenty kids raised their hands.
“Great! And those of you who don’t, well, you can clap your hands to the music.” I played an intro, and Eric picked it up along with me.
“Just hear those sleigh bells jingling, ring, ting tingling too…come on it’s lovely weather for a sleigh ride together with you…”
Man, just seeing those children’s faces light up with song, even in the midst of their illnesses, was truly the highlight of my Christmas that year. It was that Christmas Eve that I found out the true meaning of Christmas, giving truly of yourself, totally unselfishly from the heart.
I definitely had all I wanted for Christmas, my mom, my brother, my best friends, my wonderful students, and last, but certainly not least, I had a wonderful future husband who, needless to say, made a very cute Santa Claus! And of course, I had something else to be thankful for.
I was alive and well to celebrate!
“Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! God bless us, everyone!”
And a little ol’ Feliz Navidad!
THE END