Cal (A Little Christmas Season Three)

Epilogue

Simon

I couldn’t remember a time being this excited about Christmas since I was a small child. I went to sleep knowing that when my Little Cal woke up, he would celebrate in his favorite way. That was everything to me. I couldn’t wait for him to see the surprises I had for him.

Last night, we had our “big” Christmas. We exchanged gifts and had a nice dinner, the typical things many families did on Christmas Eve. But today was about letting him indulge in his Little side and me as his Daddy—giving him the day that he longed for all year…and truly needed.

I should’ve known he was gonna wake up before me. That was what happened when you were excited about a holiday the way he was. But the feeling of joy that flooded me as I heard him calling out, “Santa came! Santa came! He really came!” from the other room was unexpected and amazing.

Last night, he went to bed in Little clothes, Christmas jammies decorated with all his favorite holiday items. There were elves, Santas, reindeer, presents, and candy canes. He looked so damn adorable all snuggled up against me as he fell asleep.

When I went into the living room and saw him staring at the tree, he’d already slipped deep into his Little headspace, bouncing on his toes and staring at the gifts that I left out for him.

“Good morning, little one.”

Cal ran over to me, threw his arms around me, nearly tackling me to the ground.

“Daddy! Daddy! There are presents! Look at all of them! I want to open that one.” He pointed to a large box that unbeknownst to him was filled with a stuffie family of otters.

I slipped my arm behind his back and kissed the side of his head. “What did Daddy say about presents?”

“Stockings before breakfast.” He stuck out his bottom lip to pout, even though I knew he was just as excited about his stocking. “Big presents later.”

“That’s right. So let’s go see if Santa left you a stocking.” Of course he had, but not where Cal would first expect to find it.

He looked around the room and sighed. “Maybe I was a bad boy, and I’m on the naughty list this time…”

Yikes. I hadn’t thought he’d jump to that conclusion. I tickled his side to bring back his joy. “Or maybe Santa put it somewhere else so a certain little boy wouldn’t be tempted before Daddy got up.” I waggled my eyebrows then took him by the hand to the workshop.

Downstairs, I’d set up a Christmas train that went on with the light switch, and just beyond the train was his stocking—and another surprise. The miniature world that was a recreation of the Christmas Village at the mall. It took me weeks of stealthy working to get it done, but the effect was that Christmas magic seemed to have exploded in the workshop.

“It’s a real Santa’s workshop, Daddy!” He wrapped his arms around my neck and hopped up, peppering kisses all over my face. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

I chuckled and held him tightly. “Thank Santa.”

The scene was all wreaths on the buildings, and candy cane walkways, and little elves making snowmen. I was proud of the display but more proud that the Christmas wonderland made my boy so happy. He deserved every smile, giggle, and gasp of joy he experienced.

And there was more to come. “Okay, let’s sit down and see what you have from Santa.”

When I was a kid, stockings mostly held tangerines and walnuts. Maybe a few candies. That’s not how this Daddy rolled. I used Cal’s stocking to hold all the physically small items. And since I went big on the stocking itself, I was able to fit a lot inside.

So that was enough to keep him busy for a while.

The first thing he opened up was a pacifier with a train for the handle. It was adorable. He didn’t need one often, but he’d become so used to sleeping on my nipple that if I wasn’t beside him, he didn’t rest well. That’s how we discovered a paci would hold him over until Daddy was back. It was a cute reminder of how special this holiday was for us and a great way to set up the vibe.

Next he unwrapped some socks that matched his favorite onesie, a video game I knew he would like even though it was more Middle than Little, and a few other little treasures. Beneath those were the special miniatures I made just for him.

“Daddy! Daddy! He looks like me!” He held up the figure that I had painted to look like a Little version of him. “Can I put him on the display? Can I? Can I? Can I?”

I rarely stopped smiling around my boy, but he was especially sweet when he was Little. “Absolutely, my sweet boy.”

He found the perfect spot and then went back to opening his remaining gifts. The next one looked like me, then there was one that looked like his car, and one that looked like our house. He carefully placed them on the display but said he’d decide on the real spot for them later.

Cal stood back and looked at everything for a long time before he wrapped his arms around my waist and pressed his cheek against my torso. “Daddy, this is the best Christmas ever.” He looked up at me, his eyes wide.

“I think so too.” I kissed him softly. “And this is only the beginning. There are more surprises after we eat.”

“I’m not hungry.” His voice was serious as he tried to convince me that he could skip breakfast. I might have bought it if not for the rumble in his tummy.

“Good boys need to eat. It keeps them from getting cranky.” Nobody wanted that on Christmas.

“But Daddy, I’m thirsty, not hungry.” He licked his lips. “Can I have milkies first?”

I should have known he wouldn’t miss out on his morning milkies. “Yes, sweetheart. You can have anything you want. It’s Christmas, and Daddy loves you.”

“I love you too, Daddy. Merry Christmas.”

Read all the A Little Christmas books for more sweet and little fun.