'Tis The Season: A Wattpad Christmas Countdown

Mommy's Kissing Santa Claus

Day 16
{written by @GracelynCate}

December 1955

Christmas.

A season filled with endless joy and laughter, melodies and songs of good cheer, warm mugs filled with liquid chocolate, and frosted sugar cookies decorated delicately with small candies and sprinkles. Friends and family come to town and gifts and smiles are exchanged, children play underneath the great pine tree, and the world becomes one white wonderland. Snowflakes dust rooftops and porches and these dancing white whirls of grace fall onto the tongues of giggling children. Houses gleam red, green, blue, and orange in the chill of the night, fireplaces are lit, baked hams are cut and served, and champagne is popped open and poured. The spirit of Christmas engulfs every soul and the ease December brings relaxes even the most stressed...

...that is, it relaxed all in the Williamson household except for Mrs. Williamson.

It was Christmas Eve and a quarter to ten, and Mrs. Eleanor Williamson was still throwing food together for the celebrations that would ensue the following day. There would be glazed ham, parsley potatoes, spiced peaches and cornbread, green beans and asparagus, candied sweet potatoes, eggnog pie, cranberry relish, an olive tray, fruitcake, plum pudding, and champagne, hot spiced cider, punch, and coffee. The feast would be delicious and much enjoyed by her family, but the cooking itself was worrisome. There was much to accomplish in so little time, and as a mother who not only had two energetic young ones but was expecting a third, Eleanor Williamson was far past stressed out.

"Susan!" Daniel yelled from the second floor as his little sister bolted down the stairs and in a noisy fashion, "Get back here!"

Susan giggled and ran into the living room, her fawn colored locks bouncing on her back. Daniel came next, thundering down the steps in record speed as Susan crawled under the couch to hide from her older brother. He entered the living room and groaned. "Susan! Give me my matchbox cars back right now!" Susan giggled softly and Daniel eyed the couch angrily. "So help me I'll straggle you!" He threatened before diving onto the floor and yanking his sister out from under the sofa.

"Ouch!" Susan exclaimed as she attempted squirming out of her brother's grasp, "Let go, Danny!"

"Not until you give me back my matchbox cars," Daniel bargained, tightening his grip on her arms.

Susan began to scream in protest and Danny released. She then, being the little pest he believed Susan was, dashed into the kitchen and the two began to chase each other around the island counter.

"Children!" Eleanor called over their boisterousness. The baby leaped in her belly at the sound of its siblings, which came as a surprise to Mrs. Williamson, being as the baby usually lay relatively still, minus a few kicks and punches here and there. Eleanor took a deep breath, exhaled, and then placed her dainty pale hand to her unborn child and rubbing her baby bump back and forth, tried to sooth her eight month old baby. "Children!" She repeated, this time a little louder, which caused the game of tag to cease immediately.

Eleanor wiped her forehead and sighed. She eyed them in a disappointed fashion and then asked in a calm and steady tone, "Now, what is going in? One at a time."

Daniel took the liberty of talking first, much to Susan's irritation. However, she kept her mouth shut and allowed for her brother to over exaggerate the previous fight. "Well, Mom, we were up in my bedroom playing a game of cards and Susan gets up all of the sudden, grabs my matchbox cars, and just...takes them. She ran downstairs and tried to hide them from me for no reason!"