Elves! - 1. Story

Sharon looked around the kitchen in a panic. Here it was, 5:30 already! The guests were due any minute and there was still so much to do! The tree was only half decorated, there were still gifts that needed to be wrapped, and dinner was running behind schedule. At this rate they might eat right before leaving for Midnight Mass!

Everything was supposed to be perfect. She had it all planned out. Her parents would be coming to their home for the first time since moving south to get away from the snow and ice. They were disappointed they would not be able to arrive earlier, but the only flight they could get on short notice was noon on Christmas Eve. That would bring them in the door around six. Sharon would have loved to have her mom’s help getting things ready, but consoled herself with the fact they would be staying through New Year’s.

Dinner was going to be very traditional; pasta with seven types of fish, sautéed broccoli florets with garlic and lemon, and for dessert, Gorgonzola cheese surrounded by fruits and nuts. That was the first thing to go wrong! None of the local stores carried all the right ingredients. Sharon had to hit every grocery and green grocer for miles around to collect all the different fruits. Finding the Italian blue cheese was not the most difficult. Why on earth would one store carry figs and not dates?

Then there was the food that would need to be started for Christmas Day, right after Midnight Mass. The pasta sauce goes on the stove then, and the meats get started. The meat rolls, called broccolis in Italian, were not so hard, but the pork skin ones were different. Not a single store would sell her pork skins. One meat department manager had the nerve to ask her why she wanted to put a heart attack on a plate! At least she had found a turkey small enough that after feeding six people she would not have three weeks’ worth of leftovers!

Well the shopping was all past now, and food was in process everywhere. There were also gifts all over the dining room table, and stacked on chairs, getting wrapped in between kitchen chores. The crystal and china were washed, dried, and waiting to supplant the gifts on the dining room table. When the time had come to send hubby to pick up the ‘rents, she had declared he would take the two girls, ages four and six, with him. She simply could not deal with the children trying to peek at the gifts, shake the wrapped ones, and snitching tastes from the kitchen.

“If only there really were Christmas Elves to help out this time of year! I used to love grams stories about them when I was little. I loved that they were invisible little critters who did what you didn’t have time to do. Oh jeeze, listen to me! I’m talking to myself now!”

Something had to be done to keep her moving. She set up the stereo with all her favorite Christmas music, cranked up the volume, and danced her way back into the kitchen. Unfortunately, she danced right into an upper cabinet door that had been left open! Sharon staggered into the family room holding her head, and flopped onto the sofa. The last thing she remembered was thinking “Good grief, the tree isn’t ready either!”

***

Sharon came awake slowly. She felt very comfortable considering she had just whacked herself in the head. She realized there was a soft pillow behind her head, and a warm fleece throw over her. As her eyes began to focus, she saw the tree. It was done in all her old crystal ornaments, the ones she had put away when Carla was born. The lights twinkled and reflected from the glass. A moment of panic ran through her, but she settled again. Kayla was four now and well behaved. They should survive.

Sharon shook her head, wondering when she had found the time to finish the tree. She took a minute to enjoy the warmth coming from the fire place. She didn’t remember starting the fire either. Rising slowly, she turned the stereo volume down, and wandered through the house. The wrapping was done and all the packages were stacked neatly under the beautifully decorated tree. There was not a scrap of stray ribbon to be seen. In fact, the dining room table was now set with the good china, silver, and crystal. The centerpiece she had given up hope of finishing had been brought in from her work table in the laundry room.

Her confusion grew when she entered the kitchen. The foods were all in just the right stages for dinner at eight. Someone had washed the pots and dishes not actively in use, and the kitchen sparkled. Her kitchen was never this clean before a big holiday meal! If she was lucky and hubby was feeling helpful, she might get away with a small mountain of dishes left behind to clean up later. Now there was not a single thing out of place, something that didn’t happen on good days, let alone one where so much had gone wrong earlier. Looking at her watch, she decided if this was all a delusional dream caused by a bump on the head, she might as well enjoy it. She poured herself a glass of wine and headed toward the shower. She was going to take full advantage of the twenty minutes her watch claimed she had before her family was due in. If she was lucky the plane was a bit late or traffic was a little heavier than anticipated; she might even get to sit quietly in front of the fire for a bit!

***

Sharon was standing in the doorway smiling when her husband and children arrived home from the airport, the grands in tow. Each girl had one by the hand and was hopping up and down with excitement. Santa would be here soon!

She breathed a sigh of relief. Tom had gotten the girls cleaned up and into their clothes for church before he had left! The last detail had fallen into place.

After greeting her parents, she pulled hubby to the side, whispering in his ear.

“I think I have a problem. Does a concussion cause delusional dreams? You know what the house looked like when you left to pick mom and dad. I smacked my head again on the dang cabinet door that doesn’t stay shut. I sort of passed out on the sofa, and when I woke up everything was done! I think maybe you should wake me up and take me to the emergency room or something. There is no way I could have gotten all this done in the 10 minutes I was out. “

“Sharon, calm down. We go through something similar every year. You get behind, turn on your music, and start rocking the house. The next thing you know you are finished, and swearing you had help from these invisible little creatures. You call them Christmas Elves, for goodness sake!”

‘‘But, hon, I usually remember doing it all, and it takes much longer than all this did. I know I kid about Christmas Elves doing things when I am not looking, but really―this time I didn’t do it all!”

“Let me see where you hit your head. Maybe you hit it harder than you thought and gave yourself some sort of amnesia.” He reached up and sure enough, there was a bump the size of a goose egg on the back of her head.

“I thought you said you walked into the cabinet? How did you get the bump back here? You must have bent down and stood up into it.”

“No, I swear! I turned on my Christmas mix and bopped into the kitchen, right into the cabinet door.”

“Sharon, think baby. How would you walk into a door and get the bump on the back of your head? Were you walking backwards?”

By now the grands had wandered into the dining room.

“Oh my! You have outdone yourself, Sharon! The center piece is gorgeous, and the table is beautiful.”

“Come on, Gramma! Wait till you see the tree! Momma said we are old enough now and put all the pretty crystal ornaments on it!”

“Well then, lead on, ladies! Grampa and I certainly want to see that!” She looked over her shoulder and smiled at Sharon. “Dad and I will keep them busy till dinner. You relax a little. You must have really busted your buns to get all this done. Tom told us to be prepared, that things had been going wrong by the numbers and you would probably not be done before we got here.”

“Of course your momma and I said ‘so what? I’ll keep the munchkins busy while she helps you finish up’, but looks like your Christmas Elves have struck again!”