Kissing Santa Clause

Seperation and Adjustments

        Telling dad about the kiss didn't turn out as well as Hermey would have hoped. He thought his father would laugh along with him because the encounter was so out of the ordinary. His mother and Santa ending up under the mistletoe at the same time. It's tradition to kiss whoever you end up underneath it with so Santa and his mom had to kiss. Hermey didn't understand why it was such a problem, especially when he witnessed his dad doing it with his mother when they end up under there as well.
     His parents called him and his sister downstairs because they had to talk to them. Was he in trouble? He doesn't remember picking on his sister at all and he didn't think telling his dad was bad. Hes supposed to tell the truth, and the event was funny! 

      His father looks at his wife, who is looking at the ground, and then at Hermey and his sister and sighs. "Your mother and I won't be together anymore. She wants to be with Santa." Hermey and his sister look up in surprise. "What??" They exclaimed simultaneously. "Why dont you explain, Vanessa" his dad hissed. Without looking up, she says "I want to live with Santa and make him your new father." This didn't help the confusion so his dad chimes in with "we're getting g a divorce." The shock on the kids face made him backpedal with "its not your fault! Dont worry, I knew mommy loved Santa before you guys did! However, we just won't be living together anymore! We know this will be hard on you, but we want to give you the option on who you want to live with..." He trails off not knowing what to say next. Thats a big decision for these young kids to make. However, the kids still look shocked and confused.

     "What about Mrs. Claus?" Hermey chimed in. His mothers head shot up and his dad raised an eyebrow. That was not the response they were looking for. "I'll become the next Mrs. Claus" Vanessa said, slightly proud. His dad made a face before saying "the other Mrs. Claus was like your mother, not magic like Santa, so she passed on." The kids looked down in thought for a bit. However, Hermey looked up with determination and stated "I'm living with Santa!" 

     Both his parents were speechless. Neither thought the kids would make a decision so fast. His father looked a little upset and quietly brought up the facts that "its cold up there" to which Hermey replied with "I'll bring a jacket! And the elves could probably make me a new one!" However, his dad was equally determined to keep his son and said "well, you want to be a dentist when you're older? How will you do it while so far away from people." Hermey was silent and was in thought. His dad leaned back with a triumphant smirk. His mother glared at their father. 

     "I'll clean the elves teeth! And Santa's and mommy's! I'll have the elves make me the supplies and the books to learn!" Hermey exclaimed. "B-but you're just going to be using the elves for favors, isnt that unfair?" His dad tried to argue while sitting up. "I'll make friends with them! And since they love Santa and Santa will be my dad, they'll love me and want to do it for me!" 

     Vanessa smiled at him while his dad looked at his hands. He didn't know what to say. His kid wants to live with Santa. Heck, what kid wouldn't? He was emotionally preparing to lose his kids, when his dautghter piped up. 

     "I wanna live. with daddy..." She mumbled, looking down. Vanessa looked shocked. "Why sweetie? Dont you want to go to the North Pole?" Sarah shook her head. "I'm gonna miss daddy a lot. And its cold up there, and I dont like the cold. Besides, I can always see Santa every year anyways, but I dont know if I'll see daddy....and I love this house and my room and my friends and I just dont want to leave." 

     Her dad looked up so happy but Vanessa hissed "what if it means you're on the naughty list every year?" Sarah looked sad for a moment. 

    "Hey! Thats not fair-" her father started."I dont care, I dont wanna leave."  Sarah interrupted.

     Vanessa sunk back pouting. "She was always a daddy's girl..." she mumbled.

      In the next few days, Vanessa packed hers and Hermeys stuff while their dad took them out of the house to distract them. The divorce was easy because Vanessa just wanted to leave so she didn't request anything but hers and Hermeys stuff.  Afterwards, they came back to spend one last night as a family by the fire. Vanessa cuddled with Sarah on the couch and Hermey sat on his fathers lap. It was mostly quiet except occasional slurps from the hot cocoa they were all drinking. It was peaceful, while they enjoyed each others company one last time. The parents didnt know when they would see the other child next and the siblings didnt seem to care about when they would see the other. They never actually discussed it much further than they will try and set up meetings. They both didnt tell the kids that they didnt know how though, since trying to get from the North Pole to Kansas wasn't going to be easy. Santa can't always lend the sled and the father can't afford to go there. They decided to leave that part silent so the kids wouldn't be more upset than they already are. 

     The next night, Hermey and Vanessa took their bags and waited outside. Sarah and her dad waited by the front door to see them off. They already said their good byes and waited for the big man and the red sleigh to arrive. Hermey was practically jumping he was so excited. What kid is lucky enough to see Santa, let alone live with him! His mom smiled at him. Next thing they know, reindeer rush past them and a sled pulls up. "Ho ho, I see you guys are all ready! Hop on in!" Hermey dove straight in while Vanessa put his and her bags in the sleigh before settling in next to Santa. Hermey looked at his father and sister one last time before they sadly waved at him. He waved back while Vanessa just looked forward. Santa smiled and waved at the two at the door before summoning the reindeer to go.

     Sarah and her father walked back into the house and decided to take down all the Christmas decorations. Both were silent, Sarah occasionally sniffled. Her dad tried to comfort her but it was no use. They both quickly took down the decorations and threw out the tree. Santa wasn't a hero to them anymore so they threw out all the decorations, that he was pictures on, out as well. Same with all the mistletoe. Whether or not they'll celebrate Christmas next year is up in the air. They decided to order pizza and watch movies for the rest of the night.

     On the other hand, both Hermey and his mother were smiling. The sleigh went really fast and Hermey was having so much fun in the air. Vanessa cuddled up on Santa while Hermey did his own thing in the back. He tried to catch clouds, stuck out his arms, and looked down to observe all the buildings below. They looked so small and he felt on top of the world. He was glad Santa's sleigh is magic so he doesn't fall down there though. He  was just so happy and excited. The rest of the ride, he just pictured how great his new life with Santa was going to be.