- Text Size +
Story Notes:
Disclaimer: Scarecrow and Mrs. King and its characters belong to WB and Shoot the Moon Productions. No infringement is intended. This is written for entertainment purposes only. Please do not redistribute or reproduce this story without my permission.

Thanks: Rita and Miss Edna, you make my stories readable by catching all my grammar and other errors. A special thanks to Lisa who helped me brainstorm parts of this story. And many thanks to those who gave me information about horses.

Notes: This story is a prequel to “Christmas Dreams.” It takes place two weeks prior to that story.
A Letter to Santa

“How about this one?” Lee stood next to a six-foot Scotch pine. The entire family had trudged all over the forest, looking for the perfect tree. Each one he’d found, Amanda had vetoed. Too small. Too large. Too fat. The only saving grace was the fact that it wasn’t snowing. But, damn, it sure was cold. He stomped his feet on the ground, in an attempt to keep his circulation moving.

“Perfect.”

“Okay, you two stand over there.” He led them far away from the tree. “We don’t want you getting hurt.”

“Okay, Daddy. I’ll stay way over here with Mommy. I promise.” Alisha grabbed Amanda’s hand.

Lee tweaked his four-year-old daughter’s nose. “Good girl.”

He couldn’t help but be amazed every time he looked into his little girl’s eyes. She was the spitting image of Amanda. Although Amanda would say she was the spitting image of him. One thing he knew for sure--she had the same zest for getting into mischief as her mother. He never knew what Alisha would do or say. She kept him on his toes, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

After he returned to the tree, Phillip handed him the saw. “Here, Lee.”

“Thanks.” He crawled underneath the branches and began to saw the trunk.

Once the tree had fallen, Jamie and Phillip helped him carry it home. Amanda and Alisha followed, singing Christmas carols. As soon as they crested the first hill, he realized they really hadn’t wandered very far from the main house after all. He’d been tempted to send Phillip back to the barn to saddle one of the horses and bring a rope to drag the tree.

Later that evening, the tree stood majestically in the den, waiting to be decorated. A fire crackled in the fireplace. Soft sounds of Christmas carols, playing on the radio, filled the room. Amanda perched on a stepladder, arranging strings of twinkling lights on the tree.

“Watch out,” Lee warned as he came into the room with several cardboard boxes filled with ornaments. “You don’t want to lose your balance and fall.”

“I just finished with the first string.” Amanda slipped the last wire over a branch and stepped down from the ladder. “I won’t have to use it for the rest.”

“Did Phillip and Jamie leave for the Christmas party at school?” Lee placed the boxes on the floor.

At first, Amanda had been disappointed that they wouldn’t be there to help decorate the tree, but they’d told her they’d help find it and that was enough for them. After the boys went up to change, Lee explained to her that Christmas didn’t have the same meaning for them as when they were kids. Now that they were growing up they wanted to be around kids their own age. Especially girls. They really wanted to see how many pretty ones they could kiss under the mistletoe.
Understanding reached her eyes, and he noticed they just happened to be standing under some of their very own mistletoe. He’d leaned down and kissed her lips lightly.

“They left about fifteen minutes ago. Mother is helping Alisha string some popcorn.” She nodded to the two sitting at the breakfast table. “I don’t want her trying to help string the lights. After I have all of them strung, she can help put the ornaments on.”

“Good idea, but will that give you enough time?” Lee glanced at the strings of lights still waiting to be placed on the tree.

At that very moment, Alisha came skipping over to them. “Grandma and I are all done.”

“Wow, that was fast.” Amanda took the popcorn string from her daughter.

“Well, I think more of it ended up in her tummy than on the string.” Dotty laughed. “Oh, I see you’re still not ready for us. Maybe I can find some more popcorn to pop.”

“We don’t have any more, Mother. I have it on my grocery list.”

Lee placed several boxes of ornaments on the couch. “I know something that you haven’t done yet, young lady.”

“What, Daddy?”

“You haven’t written your letter to Santa, have you?”

“No. I can’t write good.” Her little face pouted.

“I’ll help you write your letter, while Grandma and Mommy finish the lights.”

Alisha jumped up and down. “Okay, Daddy. I’ll go get paper.” She ran out of the room.

“Good idea.” Dotty sat down on the couch and picked up a string of tangled lights.

“A very good idea. I’ve been meaning to help her write her letter, but time just got away from me. Thank you, sweetheart.” Amanda kissed him.

“I don’t know why these get tangled every year.” Dotty fiddled with the lights. “It never fails. I think there are Christmas gremlins who go from house to house all year long, just to see how many strands they can tangle to frustrate everyone.”

Amanda laughed and plugged a string of lights into the outlet to see if all the bulbs were working. “I think we need to make sure Phillip and Jamie aren’t the ones who take the lights off the tree.”

“Ready.” Alisha bounced back into the den, holding a paper tablet.

“The Christmas ads are on the coffee table.” Amanda pointed to them. “Why don’t you cut out pictures of the toys you want Santa to bring you? Then daddy can help you glue them to your letter.”

Lee picked up the papers. “You know she’s going to cut out everything,” he whispered.

“It doesn’t mean Santa has to bring them all,” Amanda whispered back.

“Come on, Daddy.” Alisha placed her small hand in his and pulled him toward the kitchen.

He picked her up and settled her in a chair. “Now we need to find your plastic scissors.”

“In there.” Alisha pointed to a drawer.

Lee crossed to the junk drawer and opened it. The paraphernalia he found nestled inside was amazing. Tools, pencils, pens, crayons, batteries, oven mitts, duct tape, and keys that he had no idea what they fit. He piled it all on top of the counter and continued his search for the elusive scissors. Various-colored balloons, pieces of broken toys, screws, nail files, a half rake, barrettes, and rubber bands followed suit. He picked up a fluffy, purple thing and eyed it. What in the world was this? He gave up and tossed it on top of the pile.

Ribbons in every color of the rainbow were tangled around what he thought was an old tube of Amanda’s lipstick. He pulled off the top and saw a blob of bright red. When had she worn this color? Maybe she’d bought it for a special occasion. He sure would love to see her wear this and nothing else.

‘Hold your libido, Stetson. You have a mission to complete. And your four-year-old daughter is only a stone’s throw away.’ He tossed the jumble of ribbons to the side.

Now where in the heck were those blasted scissors? He smashed his fist down in the drawer and felt something ooze over his fingers. What the hell? He pulled his hand out of the drawer. It was covered with sparkly pink goo.

“Daddy, you broke my lip gloss.” Alisha stood with her hands on her hips, in perfect imitation of her mother. “You buy me a new one.”

“Why don’t you ask Santa to bring you some more?” He went over to the sink to wash his hands.

Alisha handed him a towel. “Santa doesn’t bring presents that daddies break. Daddies have to bring them.”

Lee looked up at the ceiling as he dried his hands, then down at his little girl and said the only thing he could. “Daddy didn’t mean to break your make-up, and I’ll buy you some more tomorrow.” He’d ask Amanda where she’d bought it later.

“Did you find the scissors?”

He tossed the towel on the countertop. “Not yet.”

“I can find them.” Alisha rummaged through the drawer. Within seconds, she looked up at him in triumph. “Here they are, Daddy.” She held up a pair of plastic red scissors.

They looked so tiny and flimsy in her hand. It boggled his mind that they could cut anything. “Good girl. You go cut out the pictures while daddy makes some hot chocolate.”

“Don’t forget the marshmallows.” She looked up at him, her wide eyes sparkling.

“Now would I do that?” He gasped in mock horror.

“No, Daddy.” Alisha giggled.

From his vantage point in the kitchen he could see into the family room. While he kept Alisha occupied with her letter, he could keep abreast of Amanda and Dotty’s progress, and he could also tell if they needed his help.

In fact, this huge kitchen/family room combination was one of the reasons Amanda had fallen in love with this old house. Well, that and the fact that the property had a barn and corral. She’d told him she wanted him to fulfill his dream of one day owning horses.

Now that barn was home to three horses. Not long after the move, he’d heard about a horse rescue farm in the area. He’d gone there every free moment he could find, checking their temperament, riding them, getting a feel for them. All the animals were available for adoption. After several months, he’d settled on a beautiful bay-roan mare that reminded him of the one he had when he was ten, and a midnight-black Quarter Horse gelding. The third horse, or he should say filly, had been a complete surprise. The mare had been in foal, unknown at the time of the adoption.

He smiled as he recalled the naming of the horses. That had been an adventure in itself. Of course, they’d both had names already, but it didn’t make any difference. They’d come, no matter what they were called. It all had to do with a person’s tone of voice.

The boys had wanted to name the gelding Darth. Lee had been thinking of Midnight, so they’d compromised. Darth Midnight answered to either one. Now the mare had been a bit of a problem. Amanda came up with all types of cutesy names. Sparkles. Princess. A dozen others he’d forgotten. Finally, she’d decided on Sparkle. He could live with it.

After the birth of the filly, they’d spent hours proposing possible names for her. Since the boys and Dotty knew about the Agency and his code name, they’d suggested Munchkin. Amanda had smiled and said perfect. At least they hadn’t suggested Dorothy. That was one name he would’ve vetoed immediately.

He fixed the hot chocolate just the way his little girl loved it, making sure he placed four marshmallows in her cup. She counted every time, and if one was missing, her lips trembled and her face scrunched into a huge pout.

“Here ya go.” He placed a large plastic mug on the table in front of her. “Now remember, it’s hot.”

“It’s not cold chocolate, Daddy.” Alisha laughed.

Lee laughed with her. “I’m going to take mommy and grandma some. Then I’ll help you glue your pictures.”

“Okay.” She blew on the chocolate, then poked the marshmallows floating on top with her spoon.

“Would you ladies like to take a short break and have some hot chocolate?” Lee set the tray down on the coffee table.

“You read my mind, sweetheart.” Amanda kissed his cheek as he handed her a mug.

“Mine, too.” Dotty arranged a swag of garland on the fireplace mantle, and then took the mug he offered her.

Lee picked up his own mug and took a sip, glancing over at the kitchen table to check Alisha’s progress. She was bent over the paper, carefully cutting.

“How’s my granddaughter’s letter coming along?”

He sat down on the couch. “We haven’t started yet. She’s cutting out the pictures now.”

“We should be ready to put the ornaments on when you two are done.” Amanda set her empty cup on the tray and opened another box of decorations.

Lee leaned back and sipped his hot chocolate, watching his wife and mother-in-law sort through the boxes of silver and gold ornaments. The activity around him triggered an occasional childhood memory. When Dotty unveiled an exquisite silver angel, he pictured his mother gently unwrapping the angel for the top of their tree. Mom had carefully peeled away the layers of white tissue paper to reveal the delicate angel underneath, turning it in her hands, inspecting it to make sure nothing had damaged its gossamer wings during storage.

“Daddy. I’m ready. I need the glue,” Alisha yelled across the room.

“Looks like I’m needed.”

“Don’t let the same thing happen that happened last time.” Dotty took a sip of her chocolate.

“Where did you put the glue?” Lee asked his wife.

“On top of the refrigerator. And make sure the cap is secure.”

As he took the glue from its hiding place, he recalled the now famous glue incident, which had resulted in the need to keep it out of Alisha’s reach. Jamie had been working on a collage for a school project, and Alisha decided she wanted to make one, too. She cut out different pictures from magazines and glued them to a piece of construction paper. The cap came loose, and glue poured all over her hands. But that wasn’t the problem. The problem occurred when she ran her hand through her hair. A trait she’d inherited from her father. The result had been a tangled mess of hair and glue.

Amanda had tried everything to get it out. She washed it several times. Then she tried methods she’d used to remove gum. Peanut butter, cooking oil, even ice cubes, in hope of freezing the glue and scraping it out. Nothing worked. The only alternative was to take Alisha to the salon and have her hair cut and styled. Now her hair was back to shoulder length, and he intended for it to stay that way.

“Why don’t I put the glue on for you, and you paste them to the paper?”

“Okay.” She turned her pictures over. He dribbled a medium drop of glue on each, and she placed them on her paper, smoothing them out and making sure they stuck by pounding her little fist on them with a final flourish.

Lee began to write on another piece of paper. “Now we start by saying ‘Dear Santa, My name is Alisha Stetson, and I’m four years old. I’ve been a good girl this year, and I want you to please bring me . . .’” He leaned over and whispered, “You have been a good girl, haven’t you? Your name is on Santa’s nice list and not his naughty list, isn’t it?”

Alisha stared at him, her eyes wide, and nodded vigorously. “Nice list, Daddy.”

“Okay then. Let’s see what you want Santa to bring you.”

When she handed him her papers, he couldn’t believe what he saw. He quickly scanned the other sheets. He didn’t understand. She had some unusual presents on her list.

“You want Santa to bring you an airplane?” He pointed to a picture of a remote control plane.

“No, that’s for Captain Kurt.”

“And the camera?”

“For Jamie.”

Her next picture was a model car. “Who’s this for?”

“Phillip. A silver car just like yours.”

“The books?”

“For Grandma.”

“A briefcase?”

“For Jamie and Phillip’s daddy.”

“Carrots and peppermint candy?”

“And hay, but I couldn’t find a picture. Sparkle, Darth, and Munchkin need presents, too.”

“Yes, they do. We shouldn’t forget them. Who’s the pretty dress for?”

“Mommy.” Alisha giggled.

“The cowboy hat?”

“For you, Daddy.”

At last he saw a picture of something she wanted. “The snow princess Barbie is for you?”

“No, Daddy, that’s for Aunt Francine.”

“The Superman doll?”

“Uncle Billy.”

There were pages and pages. Presents for everyone she knew. She’d even picked out something for his uncle. Not a single one for her.

He couldn’t help but be amazed by his child. She wasn’t thinking of herself, she was thinking of others. A trait not found in most adults, let alone someone so young. At four years of age, she knew the true meaning of Christmas. That giving was the most important.

Lee stood and knelt by her chair. “Isn’t there anything you want for Christmas?”

Alisha cupped her hand to his ear and whispered, “A kiss from Daddy.”

“You can have that present right now.” Lee pushed a curl from her forehead and kissed it.

“Now you have to sign your name to the letter.” He handed her a pen.

She leaned over the table and began to write her name in huge block letters, just the way she’d been taught. He smiled as he watched her. She stuck out her tongue as she concentrated on making the letters perfect.

“All done.” She held up her letter.

“Why don’t you give this to Santa when you go see him at the mall.” He folded it up and put it in an envelope.

“Okay. You know what I’m gonna ask Santa?”

“What?”

“I’m gonna ask Santa if I can have a ride in his sleigh.”

“If he says yes, ask him if your daddy can come, too.”

“We’re ready to put the ornaments on the tree,” Amanda called from the den.

Alisha ran to Dotty, sitting on the couch with a box of ornaments.

Lee followed and stood in the background, watching the two of them as they gently took the fragile ornaments out of the boxes.

“What’s wrong?” Amanda asked.

“Nothing.”

She looked at him quizzically.

“I’ll tell you when we’re alone. For now, Let’s just say we’ve made one amazing little girl, Mrs. Stetson.” He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly. He looked over at the kitchen table and saw the letter to Santa. He’d show it to Amanda tonight. His little girl deserved a special present from Santa this year, for being generous of heart.

Amanda touched his cheek lovingly. “I knew that from the moment she was conceived because she’s the best of us.”

“Come on, Mommy and Daddy.”

“Our daughter calls.”

“Wait a minute, you two. You gotta kiss first,” Dotty said, looking upward.

Lee glanced up. They were standing under the mistletoe Amanda had hung earlier.

“Merry Christmas.” His lips descended to hers in a light kiss.

“My turn.” Dotty kissed Lee on the cheek, then Amanda.

“Mine.” Alisha reached up her arms.

Lee and Amanda knelt on the floor, one on each side of their daughter. Simultaneously, they each kissed a cheek.

“Now let’s do some tree decorating.” Lee stood and clapped his hands. “Who wants to put the angel on top?”

The End
You must login (register) to review.
Terms of ServiceRulesContact Us