Trouble down the Stairs ©20/12/2021

Trouble Down the Stairs by Donna Page ©20/12/2021

 Ding, dong, ding, dong, ding, ding, ding, ding, dong.

Suddenly I was awake, surely that music was in my head. What was I dreaming about?

Ding, ding, dong, dong, ding, dong, ding, ding, ding, ding, dong.

No, I was awake and there was definitely music. Who plays music at 3 am Christmas morning? I sat up in my bed. Where was it coming from?

Was it coming from downstairs, in my house? I reached across in the dark to check that my husband was beside me.  Unless that lump was a bear, there he was. Snoring as usual, and definitely not dreaming of sugar plums, more likely mountain bikes or basketball.

One of the kids must have decided to arrive early for Christmas lunch, was not expecting anyone till about 10am but you never know in this family. He was going to cop it when I got down there, waking me up at 3 in the morning. Stumbling around in the dark wasn’t my favourite thing to do.  The music continued whilst I searched blindly for my slippers. Why were they not in their normal place?

As quietly as I could, I walked out of my room, no one wants to wake a bear. I was going to sneak up behind him. He woke me up, I was going to frighten him in return. 

Tiptoeing down the stairs, I thought it was odd that there was no light on. The only sign of light was coming from the Christmas tree. Beautifully twinkling in the darkness. I swore I had turned them off before bed.  I loved our tree, seven foot tall, plush and green, the best tree we have ever owned.

The music was getting louder, I could even hear voices now, tiny shrill voices. What had he been drinking? There was giggling too, as I rounded the bottom of the stairs. I could see the couch clearly.  No one was on it. He must be in the recliner.  

Creeping along the hallway, I could hear paper rustling, and what sounded like sticky tape coming off the roll. He must have been wrapping up Christmas presents. A bit late but at least they will be wrapped.

Steeling myself for the surprise, he was going to jump through the ceiling. I rounded the corner and stopped in my tracks. The look on my face changed from glee to shock.

There was no son in the lounge room. I couldn’t believe my eyes. Elves, tiny little people dressed in red and green. They danced around the tree, they laughed and rolled. Some were wrapping and taping. Others were putting on ribbons and bows. There were extra presents under the tree. Not just the ones I had put there.

What a truly amazing sight, I blinked, I pinched myself to make sure I was actually awake. But most of all I just watched.  There was pure joy surrounding my Christmas tree, dancing, singing, laughing. 

The lifelong belief I had held in my heart about the magic of Christmas would be cemented there forever now. As I turned to creep back up my stairs, a smile on my face, I heard another sound.

“Ho ho ho, Merry Christmas.”