"Wake up! Wake up Aunt Krissy! Santa came!"

I looked at my clock. 7:27am. Had I really slept that long? Well, Dinah dragged me downstairs, where all my little nieces and nephews, and teenage cousins, were sitting in a circle, on the living room floor. She pulled me over and we sat down in our spots in the circle. None of the other grown-ups were awake yet. Or, if they were, I didn't know where they were.

"So," started Vance,"It's been about 3 years since we all got together. Let's share one big thing that happened to us during those years. It can be good or bad."

Brant stopped him, "Hang on a sec. Can we at least get some time to think about it first?"

"Okay," Vance agreed,"I need to have a word with Kristene anyway."

Being the eldest cousin there, (after me of course) Vance is more responsible for the others. We got up and went out into the kitchen. He explained to me that all the other grown-ups weren't there.

"Joseph burned the turkey. So, they went out to get a new one."

I was confused. "But, why did they ALL have to go?"

"Some of them still had some last minute shopping to get done. They said they'd be gone a good portion of the morning."

I suddenly felt frantic. "Why didn't they wake me up? I still have shopping to do!"

"No you don't."

"What?"

"Rachel took your list with her and is going to finish your shopping for you."

"Which list?"

"The kids' list."

I felt a surge of relief. I couldn't have her knowing what I got her, or accidentally taking the wrong list! We went back into the living room and sat on the circle. Brant started. Then, we went around the circle until everyone had shared.

Most of their big events were A)Going to the hospital, B)Winning a sports championship, and C)Getting in a real relationship. Mine was graduating college. (I had been in college about 2 years when I left.)

"What did you major in?" asked Damian.

"I majored in theatre."

"That's so cool!" Dinah exclaimed, a sparkle in her eye. "Are you going to be in any movies?"

I laughed,"Not yet, Dinah. I haven't auditioned for any yet. But, there is a movie coming up that I'm going to audition for."

"What is it?" asked Damian.

"I shouldn't tell."

They all protested in unison. I thought it was cute; Vance found out annoying.

"Well, okay. I'm auditioning for Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. That's all I can say."

They all looked quite interested, but they didn't push me any further. We played Monopoly while we waited a little bit more. Brant won, and Bonnie came in second place.

Once the other adults got home, we all hit the kitchen. As we prepared Christmas dinner, we took turns playing with the kids or telling them stories. Finally, everything was in the fridge or the oven, and we could all open presents. All of the kids got a scrapbook with their name on top. They were to pick something about themselves and make a scrapbook out of it. Joseph and Judah each got a brand new hunting knife. They went hunting together all the time, so these were the perfect gifts. After that, there was a knock at the door. I went to answer it. Benjamin was there. I brought him in and he joined our Christmas, his family wasn't in town. No one minded, except my father, of course. Rachel and I each got a new dress. They were blue with some feathery trim. We both knew it was a joke. Our family was giving us matching Hanes sisters dresses. My siblings and I had pooled some of our money and got our parents a new blanket. It's a large fleece blanket with a picture of all of us when we were kids. My mother absolutely adored it. My father probably wondered why we didn't get him something 'useful', but he didn't say anything.

After a bit, the kids got restless so Joseph, Benjamin, and I volunteered to take them to the park. We packed up the sleds, bundled up, and were on our way. Once we got there, the younger kids had a blast sliding down hills, over and over. The teenagers engaged in a snowball fight. Joseph, Benjamin, and I sat on a bench by the river.

"So, Joseph," I said,"where's Dinah's mother?"

"Leah went somewhere else for Christmas. Her parents needed her. Neither one of them likes me very much. And because I'm the reason Dinah is alive, they don't like her either. It's dumb, but it's just the way it is. So she and I came here. Say, when are you gonna settle down with someone?"

I was silent for a while. Benjamin looked at me, somewhat expectantly.

"Well," I began,"I'm just waiting to be asked by the right person."

Benjamin smiled. Joseph put his arm around me.

"Kristene, you were the best big sister I ever had. Rachel was too 'practical' to hang out with me, and Judah was always hanging out with his friends. You weren't so serious. Well, Judah eventually gave me a chance, but I'm sure glad you're back."

"Then, why do you want me to settle down so quick?"

"So you can move in nearby." I had to laugh. Joseph was just acting like this to make me feel better. I hugged him.

"I'm gonna go join the snowball fight," I said. "Anyone want to join me?"

"I do!" said Benjamin and Joseph in unison.

They started making snowballs. Joseph handed me one. I put it in my pocket and sauntered over to where the teens were attacking each other.

"Hey guys."

"Hey," replied Bonnie.

Then, she got hit in the face with a snowball.

"Gotcha!" yelled Damian. Then, I pulled my snowball out of my pocket and got HIM in the face.

"Gotcha!" I yelled.

Then, Benjamin and Joseph ambushed the kids. They ran over yelling and they just pelted us all with their snowballs. We were there throwing snowballs for a good 20 minutes. Then, I heard what I thought was someone crying. I turned around and, sure enough, there was one of the littler kids on the ground, crying. The other younger kids were around him. I ran over to see what what happened. It was Jackson. Apparently, his sled had flipped over, and then he'd gotten run over by Rikki. He,Tessa, Nikki, Talea, Michael, and Risha were sitting around Jackson, trying to comfort him. That's when we decided we should go home. We packed into Joseph's mini van and headed back to the house. When we got there, hot chocolate was waiting for us. We all sat down to watch "Mr. Magoo's A Christmas Carol". Then my dad walked in.

***

The picture is of Nick Holmes (Benjamin in my story). He is a singer/dancer and has only been in two films, to my knowlege. That's what IMDb says. They were both musicals and both of those musicals were written by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Nick played "Benjamin" in Joseph and the Amazing Tachnicolor Dreamcoat, which is where I got the idea for my character in this story. I hope to show you videos of both him and Ketharaine Hepburn in action.