────────── ❆ ❄️ ❆ ──────────

After dinner, the Calvins headed back home and Charlie was feeling less festive then before. Noelle held Charlie's hand as she lead him up the stairs and towards his room, she left him to change into his pyjamas while she slipped into her own Christmas themed pyjamas; snowflakes and snowmen. She made her way into Charlie's room and spotted their father settling onto the chair by his bed with a book. "A story?" Charlie asked. "A poem," Scott corrected as Noelle leaned against the wall. "T'was the night before Christmas. While out on the lawn, there arose such a clatter, I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter--" Scott stopped as Charlie spoke, "What's that?"

Noelle smiled as Scott furrowed his brows, "What's what?" Charlie looked from Noelle to their dad, "A rose suchak ladder. What is it?" Noelle grinned at Charlie's misunderstanding, she raised her brow at their dad expecting an answer. "Not a ladder. A clatter, a big noise. It means, there came a big noise," Scott explained to Charlie who frowned as he processed the words. "Time for you to go to sleep, Sport," Scott told him. "But how do reindeers fly? They don't have any wings," Charlie asked in wonder. "Fairy dust," Scott answered shortly. "That's peter pan, Dad," Charlie replied to him with a huff.

"Horns," Scott said before Noelle spoke up, "Antlers!" Scott looked at her before shaking his head, "Whatever. Their antlers give them... You know, there's a slipstream effect. The air goes... they move... they're weightless." Noelle laughed as she moved to sit on the edge of Charlie's bed. "They fly with the magic of Christmas, Bud. With every believer of Christmas, the power is stronger. No one knows why this magic lives but it does," Noelle explained to her brother the same thing their grandmother told her when she was young. "But if Santa's so fat, how did he get down the chimney?" Charlie asked next, he was satisfied with Noelle's answer.

"He sucks it in like grandpa," Scott answers him making Noelle roll her eyes with a smile. "What about people who don't have fireplaces? How does he get into their house?" Charlie asked next. "Charlie, sometimes believing in something means you... Means you just believe in it. Santa uses reindeer to fly because that's how he has to get around," Scott explained to him. "But you do believe in Santa, right, Dad?" Charlie questioned him with doe-like eyes. "Yes, Sport, I do," Scott answered him with a firm tone. Charlie's eyes fall shut, "Then we'd better leave some cookies and milk for him. Just in case..." Noelle giggled, "I'm already on it, bud." Charlie grinned at that while Scott left the room.

"Noelle... can you sing something for me?" Charlie asked, he had grown up listening to his sister sing. "I can sing a little something," Noelle whispered before she moved to sit beside him. "Have yourself a merry little Christmas. Let you heart be light. Next year all our troubles, will be out of sight. Have yourself a merry little Christmas. Make yhe Yuletide gay. Next year all our troubles, will be miles away~" Noelle sang softly, Charlie slowly falling asleep while Scott listened from the doorway, a small smile on his face listening to his daughter sing. "Good night, bud," Noelle whispered, kissing Charlie's head before leaving the room.

────────── ❆ ❄️ ❆ ──────────

Later that night, the only sounds in the house are the hum of the refrigerator and the rumble of Scott's snoring. Charlie was fast asleep until a loud thump from the roof awakens him, he stays still while focusing on the sound, and there it is again. Charlie gets out of bed and rushes into Noelle's room, he climbs up onto her bed and begins shaking her. "Noey!! Noey!!" Charlie was quiet but stern in his actions. "Wha--What?" Noelle groggily said before opening her eyes to see Charlie panicked. "Are you okay, Bud?" Noelle asked him. "I heard a clatter!" Charlie exclaimed and before she could say anything, there was another thud on the roof.

The two Calvin children looked up at the roof before they rushed out of Noelle's room and into their fathers room. "Dad?" Charlie spoke as she shook Scott. "What is it?" Scott asked sleepily. "I heard a clatter," Charlie told him as the thud sounded again, "There! Don't you hear it? A clatter. A big noise. Coming from outside. Dad! I'm afraid!" Noelle walked over and pulled the covers off of their father. "Dad, this is serious," Noelle told him. "It's nothing. Probably just the wind. Go back to sleep," Scott told the two wanting to go back to his slumber.

Then the noise comes again. This time it sounds as if half a dozen heavy barrels are dropping onto the roof, the house shakes prompting Scott's eyes to fly open and he jumps out of bed. He motions for his children to be silent, the ceiling creaks and the three share glances. "Perhaps its Santa," Charlie said making Noelle smile, she had been so startled from her sleep, she didn't take a moment to realise that it was Christmas which meant that Santa was a possibility. "Not now, Charlie," Scott tells his son before moving towards his door, "You two stay here, and if you hear anything funny, dial nine-one-one, alright?"

Noelle and Charlie nods, the eldest of the two moved closer to the youngest. They listened to their father walk downstairs and onto the back porch. For a moment, there is total silence before they heard their fathers voice, "Hey, you!" Noelle furrowed her brows as she heard a slithering noise from the roof followed by a soft thud. "Let's go!" Charlie said before grabbing Noelle's hand, the two rushed downstairs and out the front door with their coats. "Woah..." Noelle breathes out as she spots her father standing next to a body in a red Santa suit, she frowns as she and Charlie move closer.

"Stay back, kids," Scott warned them before he gently nudges the man's foot but recieves no response. "You got him!" Charlie spoke up. "Kids, stay where you are. Charlie, would you listen to me? Stay up there!" Scott told to Charlie who moved closer with Noelle following. "It is Santa! You killed him," Charlie accused making Scott wince. "Did not! It is not Santa," Scott replied to his son. "Well, he was," Noelle commented recieving an unimpressed look from her father. Noelle looked down at the old man, the red suit and the fat belly were all signs of him being Father Christmas and he had just fallen off of their roof; Would she end up on the naughty list for this?

"He's got some ID on him, I bet," Scott told the two before he leaned down, "Fella, if you can hear me, I'm just looking for identification." He searched Santa's pocket and found a card, pulling it out. "Once I figure out who you are, I'll give you a lift back to the mall. "If something should happen to me, put on my suit. The reindeer will know what to do," Scott read out causing Noelle's eyes to widen, she stepped back and turned her attention to the roof to see a large sleigh harnessed with eight reindeer next to their chimney.

"Oh my snowflakes," Noelle breathed out catching her father and brothers attention, they followed her gaze while she turned to the Santa. Her eyes widened more seeing the Santa wave slightly before he vanished in a poof of sparkles leaving the Santa suit behind. "Uh, Dad..." Noelle breathed out gaining her father's attention, he turned to see the suit but no man. "He's naked somewhere," Scott exclaimed but Noelle was too stunned to correct him on what she had witnessed. "You gonna put on the suit like the card said? Are you?" Charlie asked their father with hopeful eyes.

"No, no!" Scott answered him. "Come on, Dad. I wanna go, too," Charlie pleaded before glancing at Noelle for help. "I mean... would it be so bad?" Noelle asked her father with a shrug. "Stop it, kids. We're not going anywhere," Scott scolded them. "You never do what I wanna do!" Charlie shouted at him, Noelle grabbed his hand and pulled him closer to her for comfort. "Would you please be quiet for a minute so I can figure this out?!" Scott asked before sighing, "Reindeer up on the roof. Santa suit laying on the ground. Guy fell. Not my fault. Reindeer on the roof. That is hard to explain," Scott rambled to himself.

"It's the ladder," Charlie exclaimed as he spotted a ladder against the home. "Where the hell'd this come from?" Scott asked after bumping his head against it. "Look here, Dad. The Rose Suchak Ladder Company," Charlie read out as he stepped up onto the second step. "Huh?" Scott muttered. "Out by the roof there's a Rose Suchak Ladder. Just like the poem!" Charlie exclaimed before he began climbing up to the roof. Noelle ignored her father's calls for them to get down, she followed her brother up the ladder and stared in awe at the reindeers. She slowly approached one, resting her hand gently on its snout.

"Hello there... Dasher," Noelle grinned as the reindeer leaned into her palm making a sound she could only call a purr. "Kids! Stay away from those things! They're reindeer. You don't know where they've been. They all look like they've got Key Lime disease," Scott scolded as he had climbed up the ladder with the suit in hand. Comet lets out a fart causing Dasher to nudge Noelle away from the danger zone. "Easy, Rudolph," Scott said to the reindeer who grunts, "Excuse me. Comet." Charlie grabbed Noelle's hand and lead her over to the sleigh, the two climbed inside and admired it. "Dad! Check out Santa's sleigh!" Charlie called out.

"There's no such thing as Santa's sleigh," Scott told him making Noelle scoff and raise her brows at her father. "You are currently standing next to the real thing and you are denying its existence?!" Noelle asked, exasperated. "Sure there is. You said you believed in Santa," Charlie said to Scott who turned his attention to his son. "I did? I do!" Scott exclaimed. "What about the reindeer? These are Santa's reindeer, aren't they?" Charlie asked their father. "I hope not," Scott answered before clearing his throat, "These are a gift. Probably from the cable company. We're getting the Disney Channel now. Merry Christmas."

Noelle shook her head noticing Charlies crestfallen face as Scott lays the Santa suit on the seat of the sleigh and steps in to lift Charlie out. "Now, hop out of there, please," Scott told his son, Noelle frowning from the back-seat, she wanted to go too. "C'mon, Dad, why not have an adventure?" Noelle asked their father, she stared up at him with doe eyes. "Not gonna work, Ellie. Listen, Charlie, I'm not kidding!" Scott told them, he held his hand out to Charlie. "Let's go!" Scott shouted. As if on cue, the reindeers stepped into place before they rushed forward causing Scott to fall into the back of the sleigh, Noelle and Charlie cheered ready for the adventure.

────────── ❆ ❄️ ❆ ──────────

────────── ❆ ❄️ ❆ ──────────

Rosemary Speaks

Bernard shows up in the next chapter, how do you think Noelle and Bernards first impression will go?

See you in the next chapter!