Advent Calendar, Day 6

Here is another Christmas Story for you!!
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Don shuffled his feet boredly as he stood in the long line of children. His little sister was chattering away endlessly about something or other, but he wasn't listening. He was instead brooding over getting stuck taking her to see Santa while his mother shopped. He had only come along to the mall today thinking he would get to go to the arcade; he didn't know he was going to get saddled with his little sister.

 

"Don! DON!" Samantha, his little sister, was tugging on his arm.

 

"WHAT?" He looked down, and realized they had finally reached the front of the line. "Oh. . ." He let go of her hand and she rushed to get into Santa's lap. 

 

"Aww - she's so cute," a female voice near him said. 

 

"Huh?" Don looked into the face of a very pretty girl, dressed in an Elf costume. He felt his entire 15 year old body go tingly as he stared into her eyes. She looked about his age, maybe slightly younger, but he knew that couldn't be because you had to be at least 16 to work at the mall. Maybe this whole day wasn't a TOTAL loss after all. He prepared himself to flirt with the girl.

 

"And YOU are a good boy to bring her to see Santa, Donnie," the girl went on. Don felt his ears burn with shame - she thought of him as one of these CHILDREN! She even called him "Donnie" - he made sure NOBODY - even his mother - called him that  ever since he was 8!

 

"Now see here. . .!" he started, then stopped himself. He was trying to be angry, but she was so pretty it was taking the anger right out of him, it seemed. And her outfit, he looked her over in it, then blushed as an uninvited thought entered his mind - he wondered how he would look in it.

 

Don didn't know why he had thoughts like that. Ever since he could remember they were daily occurrences. When he was six and had seen girls going to a party, he wanted to wear their party dresses. When he was eight on Halloween he was a cowboy, but what he really wanted was the cowgirl dress. When he was in a school play at 11, he had wished he had the part of one of the girls in his class, since she wore a ballet tutu for her part. And even this year when he had seen the dress she had picked out for Samantha's Christmas Dress - OH! He had been so jealous of Samantha then. 

 

Now, here he was in front of a pretty girl in a somewhat revealing outfit, and all he could think about was what it would look like on him?? These thoughts often made Don feel guilty, and afraid that maybe he was gay. He didn't like boys, though, he liked girls. 

 

"Yes - a VERY good boy, Donnie," the girl said. "I bet you're right at the top of Santa's  'nice list'. Not like a lot of other little boys – they end up on the 'naughty' list so often. Usually around Christmas time they remember and are good enough at the end to squeeze in on the bottom of the 'nice list', though."

 

Don somehow kept himself from rolling his eyes. This conversation was getting ridiculous. "It's DON," he corrected her. "And I'm NOT a little boy. I'm going to be 16. . ." It wasn't a total lie. He had another ten months to go, but he was GOING to be sixteen. He trailed off as her green eyes seemed to probe deep into his mind.

 

"Not a little boy, Donnie? No - I guess you're not. . ." she said, a small smile coming to her lips. "But still on Santa's nice list. And I bet I know what you want!" she finished in a sing song voice.

 

Normally Don would have taken this as an invitation to ask her out, but he had had about enough of this batty chick. He looked to see if Samantha was done yet.

 

"Oh, Don. When did you stop believing in Santa?" the girl asked. "Was it when you were seven?" Don looked at her and his mouth dropped open. She couldn't know about that! No one did! "When you were seven Don - Santa couldn't give you what you asked for. It was a mistake - the letter never got to the right department. You see, Santa brings toys and dollies and teddy bears to all the good little boys and girls, but he doesn't do what you asked."

 

Don turned his back on the girl, disbelieving what he was hearing. She had just made a lucky guess, that was all. He knew for a long time that Santa was just a fairy tale! He reached out and grabbed Sam's hand as she was coming back, wanting to make a fast getaway.

 

"Don! Don! Did you hear? Santa said we've BOTH been really good this year, and we're both gonna get what we wanted. And he said I can have a sister!" Don wasn't listening, he was making his way to the exit. He turned for one last look at the nutty girl, and found she was right behind him.

 

"Didn't you know, Don?" she asked. "Santa brings TOYS. It's Santa's ELVES that grant WISHES." She touched his arm, and that was the last thing he remembered as he thought he was passing out.

 

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Santa smiled as he looked around the toy factory. Everything was running smoothly it seemed. He chuckled as the newest little elf ran about, checking everything out herself. She was such a cute little girl - and she had the cutest name too - "Christmas DAWN".

Merry Christmas, and may all your dreams come true. - Sparkles