Title: Santa Left Me Under the Tree. Really!
Summary: The family finds James sleeping under the tree this year because he stayed up all night waiting for Santa, unbeknownst to the family.
See Author's Note at end. Another Challenge Fic. Mulder Residence
As with every other year, the advertisements were all over the radio, crammed into mail boxes, playing on any and all television stations, excluding PBS, of course. The stores and malls were decorated with ornaments, Christmas trees and garlands. In some neighbourhood people were on ladders putting up the lights, wondering if it was really affordable in this day and age, with the price of electricity. Of course, Mulder always waited as long as possible. Yes, Mr. "Wait Until the Last Minute", well, that went for shopping as well. Meg and Samantha Ann were writing and rewriting their "Dear Santa" letters. Mandy was arranging the room she shared with Alison, knowing she would be back in town for two weeks. Mandy had to do it after work. As for little pre-schooler James, he couldn't write, only hint constantly, just like big brother William. William was doing well at University, and making money through snow shovelling and his paper route. At supper, James just couldn't wait any longer to ask when the Christmas tree would be found and set up. "Please, Mommy and Daddy? Can we go pick out a tree?" "Be patient," Mulder told him, "I have a lot of work to do. We'll see. Maybe next week, and the house lights and tree lights go on on Christmas Eve. We have to save on electricity. "Saturday would be good," James insisted. "It is Saturday.That's my day to do the lights. Please, just wait. We'll do it. I promise. So what would you like for Christmas?" Maybe changing the subject would put an end to the nagging, which had started three days previously. "Aww..." Scully tried to help Mulder out. "Hey, you inherited your Daddy's pout! Don't worry, just color a Christmas picture for us and don't worry." "Yeah, Meg advised her baby brother. I'll help." Samantha Ann played interference, "You can't color a straight line." "That's enough," Mandy told her. "It's always the same. You two fight and you're flesh and blood. It's almost Christmas, the store I work at is making me work so hard, I try to sleep, and I hear the bickering just when I try to relax, even after your bedtime. I'm going to work and doing overtime on my day off." Mulder was trying to calm down. "I'm down to my home office. This is like a Chipmunks Christmas." His wife's patience was wearing thin as well. As she cleared the dinner table she muttered something that sounded like "Chipmunks Christmas in repeats." William snickered. "I have a physics paper to finish. So much for 'Peace on Earth, Good Will to men.' Best bet was to get out of the line of fire and up to his room. By Saturday the 17th, Mulder took James into the woods to choose the tree, but then thought better of it. James couldn't make up his mind. Mulder was at the boiling point. "Okay, we're going to Target for an artificial tree, and don't look at me like that. It'll save your Mommy from constantly cleaning up the darn needles." "Aw, rats." Pouting did not do the little guy any good. "Get running to the car. I don't have time. The store closes soon, and it's close to your bedtime. Oh, before you get started, the tree goes up tomorrow." Sunday, December11, 2016 The tree was set up and decorated by 3:00 PM, and James glanced at is as Scully decorated it. The others were playing music, building a snow fort (Samantha Ann and Meg), and Will was out with his buddies playing road hockey, since the roads had been cleared. Mulder and Scully started going through the wish lists by 4:15, occasionally shaking their heads, then nodding. As for William's wish, it had been granted already years ago. James decided on a train set, after hearing Mandy playing the Grass Roots version of the song and learning the meaning of 'locomotion'. How he loved watching freight trains and passenger trains. "Okay," Mulder decided. "A passenger train." Meg wanted a sewing machine, as she had see her grandmother making a dress for her. "Manual sewing machine," Scully decided. "Maybe at "Toys R Us. By the way, Mr. 'Last Minute', Have you even started?" "This may come as a shock, my dear lady, so brace yourself, I began after work yesterday. What does Sammy Ann want?" "A cactus." "A cactus. Yes, low maintenance. I already have Will the physics tutorial CD. He needs it." Mulder knew it. "Yes, he most certainly does. He may be brilliant, but his professor called last Wednesday and sees the grades slipping and told him so." For several days on end, Mulder, Scully and even Mandy had to pick James up from beneath the tree and tuck him into bed. However, Christmas Eve, for some reason it was not necessary. Everybody laid their gifts underneath the tree and retired for the night. December 25, 2016 As usual, Scully was first up even after doing Christmas Mass. She and Mulder showered and dressed. The rule was breakfast before opening gifts. Much to their chagrin, there was a surprise they never thought of. Fast asleep, under a blanket was one James Charles Mulder. Even the other offspring were surprised. "Hey, I thought you finally learned to stay in your bed! How did you manage to do this?" Scully had to giggle. Stretching and yawning, young James told his family, "Santa Left Me Under the Tree, Really!" END Authors Note: Written for the Nursery Files' Picture It Challenge, Christmas Edition picture 8C.
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