Disclaimer: This story is based on characters copyrighted by Warner Brothers and Shoot the Moon Production Company. It is meant for enjoyment purposes only.  I retain the right to the plot and not the characters.  Do not copy, print, or repost without the author’s permission.

Special thanks to my beta readers who took time out during this holiday season to help me get this story finished and posted.

Christmas Eve 1988
 
 

Lee Stetson unlocked the door then held it open for the family – his family.  They rushed into the house to get out of the cold night air.  Inside, the scent of pine welcomed them; he took a deep breath and enjoyed the fragrance.  For a moment, memories of Christmas long past flooded his mind.
 

Although they were now teenagers, Phillip and Jamie rushed into the family room excitedly  and investigated the wrapped gifts under the tree.   There was some commotion, which their mother couldn’t see, but obviously heard.
 

“Boys, you can’t open a present until everyone is in the room!” Amanda Stetson admonished her ever-eager sons.
 

Amanda’s warning snapped Lee from his reverie.  He peeked into the family room then chuckled silently as he observed Phillip and Jamie, still dressed in their church clothes, on their hands and knees closely inspecting the packages.
 

The Christmas tree in the Stetson-King family room was twinkling with multicolored lights.  They had spent an entire day traipsing through the Virginia countryside until the perfect tree was found and cut down.  Festive ornaments, many handmade by the boys when they were younger, hung proudly on the tree and the added tinsel made the tree shimmer even more.  Brightly wrapped presents were waiting for the inevitable assault that would soon come.
 

“I’ll heat up the apple cider,” Dotty West said as she rubbed her cold hands together.  “It’s rather brisk out there tonight.  I need something to warm me up.”
 

Lee Stetson took his coat and gloves off, and helped his wife out of hers.  After he hung them up in the closet, he replied, “I’ll get a fire started in the fireplace.  That will warm this place up in no time.”
 

“Oh, man!” Jamie groaned in dismay.  “It’s gonna be midnight before we get to open presents.”
 

“Then it’ll be Christmas day and we can open all the presents!” Phillip suggested with a delighted grin.
 

“How about you two help me get the fire started,” Lee recommended to his stepsons.  “The sooner that’s done, the sooner we can all open a present!”
 

Amanda smiled appreciatively at her husband and mouthed a silent, ‘Thank you.’
 

Despite being relatively new at step parenting, Lee had taken on the role with relative ease.  The transition the family had gone through since they’d announced their marriage and he’d moved in had gone reasonably smoothly.  Sure, there were a few bumps along the way, but for the most part, Phillip and Jamie had welcomed him into their home with open arms.
 

“I’ll help you with the cider, Mother,” Amanda announced, heading for the cupboard to get down some mugs.  “It sure was chilly outside.”
 

“It’s cold enough that we might get some snow this Christmas,” Dotty remarked.
 

“That would be awesome!” Phillip shouted as he helped Lee arrange some kindling in the fireplace.  “Then we could go skiing this week.”
 

“You’re assuming you’re getting new skis for Christmas.  I don’t see any long skinny boxes under the tree!” Jamie was quick to point out with a smirk on his face as he surveyed the many boxes scattered under the tree and around the room.
 

“Well, maybe Dad got them for me,” Phillip answered, sticking his tongue out at his brother and giving him a slight shove.  “He is the one I asked in the first place, so there!”
 

“Fellas,” Lee warned with his deep voice.  Then he turned and gave them each a brief glare before lighting the match and tossing it into the middle of the fireplace.  A flame arose from the kindling; the fire grew and soon began to crackle.  “It’s Christmas Eve – remember ‘Peace on Earth’ and goodwill towards men?”
 

“Yeah, Lee,” they both replied with sudden angelic faces.
 

“We were only teasing, right Jamie?” Phillip gently elbowed his brother.
 

“Yup, just fooling around.”
 

The beeping microwave signaled the cider was hot and ready to be poured into the mugs.  Amanda filled the colorful Christmas mugs, carefully adding a cinnamon stick to each.  Soon, they were relaxing in the family room, enjoying the cider and a rare, peaceful moment.
 

“Delicious,” Lee replied after sipping his cider.  He leaned over and kissed his wife before glancing at Dotty.  “My compliments to the chefs.”
 

“You’re more than welcome, Lee,” Dotty replied with a happy grin.  “I don’t know about you all, but I’m feeling warmer already.”
 

“So… can we open a present now?” Jamie asked impatiently, staring pleadingly at his mother.
 

“Yes, sweetheart, you can,” Amanda acquiesced.
 

Phillip and Jamie exchanged quick glances with each other.  Each of them visually searched the pile when Jamie reached down and picked up a present.
 

“Me first!” Jamie called, but instead of opening a gift, he handed one to his stepfather.  It was a small rectangular box wrapped clumsily in red holiday paper with a Santa Claus print and a big gold bow.
 

“Thank you, Jamie,” Lee said, obviously taken by surprise that he would be the first to open a present.  He took the small box from his stepson, assuming at first it was a scarf, but the box weighed a bit more than he expected.
 

“I hope you like it,” Jamie said with a mix of anticipation and nervousness.
 

“I’m sure I will,” Lee replied as he began to rip the paper.  He opened the top of the box, and moved aside the tissue paper and found a decorative brass photo frame.  Lee lifted it out of the box and realized it opened up to hold three pictures.  “Jamie, it’s very nice.”
 

“You like it?” he asked shyly.  “Really?”
 

“Yes, I do.  It’ll go perfectly with the other picture frames your mother has on the mantel.”
 

“I was hoping you’d want it to go up there!” Jamie replied excitedly.
 

“Now we just need to find the right pictures to put in there,” Lee stated with a wink to his stepson.  “Think you could take a few family photos today?”
 

“You bet,” Jamie answered with a confident nod and bright smile.
 

Lee stood up, gave his stepson a hug, and carefully placed the frame up on the mantel.
 

“My turn!” Phillip replied, swiftly picking up a small square box, wrapped in green foil paper.  He studied the tag for only a second before handing it to his stepfather.  “Lee, this is from me.”
 

“Well thanks, Phillip,” Lee answered somewhat surprised and perplexed.  “But I thought the rule was that we only open up one present each tonight.”
 

“Yeah, that’s true, but this is the first Christmas you get to spend as part of the family.  Jamie and I couldn’t agree which one of our presents you would open first, so we decided to amend our family rules so you could open more than one present tonight!”
 

Lee glanced at Amanda for a moment, and she nodded for him to open it.  Without further hesitation, he unwrapped the present, and opened the small box, carefully extracting a fragile Christmas ornament.  The glass ball sparkled a bright blue and had silver glitter spelling out the name ‘Lee’.
 

Phillip was staring at his stepfather, waiting for a reaction, but Lee didn’t say a word.  All he did was gaze at it while the lights from the Christmas tree reflected on it.
 

Eventually, Lee looked up, realizing all the eyes in the room were watching him.  Trying to shake off a self-conscious look, he grinned before he cleared his throat.  “I don’t know what to say…  Phillip.”  He paused for a moment, gathering his wits and thoughts before he continued.  “Do you know how old this is?”
 

Phillip shook his head signaling he didn’t, and silently waited for the explanation.
 

“My mother made this for me when I was only four years old.  She gave it to me the last Christmas we shared together…” Lee explained with a quiver in his voice.  He looked at his wife, knowing she had something to do with locating this once lost treasure.  Blinking back tears in his eyes, he gave his stepson a heartfelt hug.   “Thank you, Phillip, thank you very much.”
 

“You’re welcome,” Phillip replied, his face shining brightly with delight.
 

Lee stood up, walked over to the blue spruce Christmas tree, and studied it attentively before selecting the perfect bough for his cherished ornament.  Without a word, he hung the decoration on the tree.   Stepping back, he tilted his head slightly before he nodded to himself and returned to his seat smiling joyfully.
 

“I think I’d like to go next,” Dotty West announced, getting up from her chair. Slowly, she bent down and selected a thin box, wrapped in silver foil with a blue ribbon and matching bow.  She picked up the box, turned, and walked over to her son-in-law.  She handed it to Lee and instructed him, “For you, son, open it carefully.”
 

“I will,” Lee nodded hoarsely, as he nodded to his mother-in-law, before glancing over at his wife.   She grinned jubilantly at him, but didn’t say a word.
 

The thin box was as light as a feather.  Lee removed the ribbon and tore gently at the paper revealing the box.  Lifting the lid, the white tissue paper covered his present.  With great care, he pushed it aside and saw a photograph that he hadn’t seen before.  His hands shook slightly as he lifted the picture out of the box.  The photograph was of his mother, father, and himself taken only weeks before his parents were killed.
 

Swallowing hard, he tried to keep his emotions at bay, but the warm and happy memories were flooding his mind.  With difficulty, he finally explained, “I um, I don’t think I ever saw this picture, but I remember the day it was taken,”  Lee held the picture up, letting everyone in the room see it.
 

“You were such an adorable little boy!” Dotty remarked.
 

“My parents might not have agreed with you that day,” Lee admitted ruefully, recounting the day the photograph was taken.  “It had rained all week and we finally had a sunny day.  I wanted to play football outside, in the yard, but instead my mother dressed me up in that suit and dragged me to this stuffy photographer’s studio.  I wasn’t being the most cooperative kid until my father warned me, if I didn’t smile and behave for the photograph, he would tell Santa.”
 

There was a chuckle in the room.  “I think every parent uses that line at some point in time,” Amanda admitted.
 

“Can I look at it, Lee?” Jamie asked.  “I promise to be careful with it.”
 

“Sure,” he nodded, passing the picture to his youngest stepson.  “Thank you so much, Dotty…”
 

“You’re welcome, son, but there’s another photo…”
 

“Really?” he asked eagerly, as his attention immediately returned to the box in front of him.  Pushing the tissue paper again, he removed another 5 x 7 photograph.  This one was of him and an overstuffed Santa.  A big grin flashed across his face.  “I remember this photo.  I asked Santa for a race car that year.”
 

“Some things never change,” Amanda teased her husband.
 

“Did you get it?” Phillip inquired with interest.
 

“I sure did!  There was a shiny silver Porsche 550 Spyder under our Christmas tree that year,” with a look of joy on his face, Lee reminisced.  He leaned back on the sofa and continued his recollection.  “It was one of those hand controlled cars – but not like the ones you guys have today.  This had a long wire cord, so it didn’t go very far.  My dad and I played with that car all day until the batteries wore out.”
 

“Santa didn’t bring extra batteries?” Jamie asked.
 

“It was probably a good thing,” Lee admitted, with a chuckle.  “Otherwise we would have never eaten Christmas dinner that day.  It was the coolest car…  Thank you, Dotty.  I hadn’t thought about that Christmas day in a long time.”
 

With tears in her eyes, Dotty replied.  “I’m glad you liked it.”
 

“Hey, Jamie, how about we put these pictures in that frame right now, before either of them gets damaged,” Lee suggested.
 

Jamie bolted out of his seat like a flash of lightning, grabbed the picture frame, and gave it to his step dad with a proud smile.
 

Lee placed the two cherished photos in it, and turned to Jamie, “Why don’t you get your camera so we can take that family picture in front of the tree?”
 

Jamie glanced at his mother for approval, and she spoke up.
 

“Before we take a family picture, how about you open up one more present,” Amanda commented, now getting up off the sofa herself and sorting through the packages under the tree.  Reaching towards the back, she pulled out a box wrapped in gold foil paper.   Holding it delicately, she brought it over to her husband.  The box was over a foot long, but less than half the width.  “Open it carefully,” she warned.  “It’s fragile.”
 

“Too short for skis,” Lee announced to his wife as he took the package from her. Weighing it in his hands, he observed, “too light, too!”
 

“Will you please just open it!” Amanda insisted, rolling her eyes at her husband and shaking her head.
 

Lee gently ripped the paper, and tried to open the box, but it wouldn’t budge.
 

“It’s taped,” Amanda explained.
 

“Ahh,” Lee mumbled, as he picked at the tape with his fingernail, only to realize both sides of the box were taped.  He glanced briefly at his wife in frustration, and continued to work diligently on the tape.
 

The family eagerly waited while Lee fussed with the tape, until finally the top of the box yielded and opened.  Pushing past the tissue paper, Lee gasped. He stared at his wife in disbelief.  “Oh my gosh!”
 

Amanda, her mother, and the boys all smiled at each other, pleased that their surprises for Lee had been so well received.
 

Lee removed the gold glass Christmas star from the box and inspected the tree topper meticulously.  “Amanda!  This was the star on top of our family Christmas tree.  Originally, this was my mother’s, and because it was so old and fragile, I wasn’t even allowed to touch it.  After the tree was fully decorated, my mother got out the box with the Christmas star, and my father would place it on top of the tree.”
 

“So what are you waiting for, Mr. Stetson?” Amanda urged her husband as her eyes glanced from Lee to the top of the Christmas tree.  “The tree has been decorated for days now…”
 

“I love you, Mrs. Stetson,” Lee whispered as he leaned over and kissed his wife.  Then he got up holding the Christmas star in his hand and placed it upon the top of the tree.
 

“It’s really beautiful, Lee,” Amanda replied, joining him next to the tree.  “Look at how it glistens with the tree lights.”
 

“Thank you, sweetheart,” Lee said, reaching his arm around his wife’s waist, and pulling her in close to him.  “This is the best Christmas ever.”
 

“Hey, Mom, can I take that family picture now?” Jamie asked.
 

“Yes, sweetheart,” she answered, turning to her son.  “I think now’s the perfect time to take that picture.”
 
 

***
 

It was after midnight when Amanda and Lee retreated to their bedroom.  Lee came up behind his wife, wrapped his arms around her waist, and whispered huskily into her ear, “Thank you, very much for my gifts.  They mean… so much more than I can ever explain.”
 

“I understand, sweetheart,” Amanda replied leaning back and nuzzling into his muscular body.
 

“Tell me though, where did you find them?” Lee queried, turning his wife to face him. She remained silent.  With a face that he knew she wouldn’t refuse, he prodded, “Please?”
 

She hesitated only a few seconds, before nodding.  “All right,” she conceded, stroking his face tenderly and looking into his loving eyes.  She padded the bed and sat down.  Lee sat down next to her.
 

“I called your uncle a few months ago and asked him if there might be something packed away from when you were little.  He didn’t make any promises, but a couple of weeks after my request, he sent a box with what we just gave you.”
 

“I wonder where he stashed them all these years?” Lee speculated aloud.  “Whenever we moved, it was my job to unpack everything.  I thought I’d been through every single moving box we had - at least a dozen times.”
 

“I think you’ll have to chalk this one up to the magic of Christmas,” she answered wisely.
 

“The magic of Christmas, huh?” he repeated with a shrug.  “I guess you’re right.  I’m starting to understand why you love Christmas so much,” he replied moving closer to her lips and finally capturing them with his.  The impassioned kiss lingered, and deepened before they broke apart ever so slightly. He whispered to her, “Merry Christmas, Mrs. Stetson.”
 

“Merry Christmas, Mr. Stetson,” Amanda Stetson replied as their lips searched out each other’s once more…
 
 

The end
 
 

Merry Christmas to all, and best wishes for a Happy New Year...

If you enjoyed the story, brighten my day...   Robin
 
 

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