All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth

It was at times like this, Winona missed George the most.  He’d always been so good with their older son, though the time together had been all too brief. When George and Winona had been assigned to the Kelvin, they’d made the reluctant decision to leave their son George behind with her parents. Winona had expected to depart the Kelvin when it got closer to her time for Jim to be born, but the Kelvin had been destroyed by a rogue Romulan ship, Jim had been born prematurely, and all her dreams of happily ever after with George and their two sons had been destroyed with the starship.

Of course, George hadn’t been able to spend time being great with little Jimmy. He’d barely been alive long enough to know their son had been born.

But it was Christmas and Jimmy was six now. After the new year, fortunately after his seventh birthday in January, Winona had to leave Riverside on an assignment to a science vessel. She hoped it wouldn’t be long. A few months up to a year. Maybe.

So this Christmas was important to all of them.

And unfortunately, Jimmy was outside avoiding his grandparents and brother. Sam, as most everyone called her older son, had gone out to try to coax hid brother inside with promises of hot chocolate and cookies.

He’d returned inside the house a short time ago without Jimmy.

Winona grabbed her six-year old’s coat and scarf and headed outside.

She spotted him huddled on a row of old pallets she probably should have had removed a long time ago. No doubt they were warming with spiders.

“Jimmy, those are all dirty!”

“I don’t care,” he said sullenly.              

“You’re gonna catch a cold out here in this weather.”

“Don’t care about that neither.”

“Either. And I do. Put your coat on. Come on. Stand up and put it on.”

He looked vaguely defiant, even as his bottom lip trembled and his little eyes seemed unnaturally shiny. No doubt the tears he was attempting to hold back. But he rose from the pallets and shrugged on his coat. She wrapped the scarf around his neck as he reseated himself.

She wrinkled her nose and decided to stay standing.

“Everyone misses you inside.”

“Even grandpa?”

Winona sighed. She could have kicked her dad for his careless teasing joke at her all too sensitive son’s expense.

“He was just teasing you. Everyone loses their baby teeth you know.”

“Both front teeth at the same time?”

It all came out lispy.        

Both teeth had managed to become loose at the same time and then an ill-timed ball thrown that hit her son in the face took care of them both at once. They were growing back but too slow for Jimmy.

When her parents arrived in Riverside for Christmas, her dad teased Jimmy about not having his two front teeth.

“It happens. It did to you. But it’s temporary, honey. Your grandfather’s really sorry he upset you. You’re named after him, you know.”

“I know. The kids at school make fun too.”

“Kids are like that. But it’s Christmas and the whole family wants you to be inside with us. You’ve got lots of presents to open.”

“All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth!”

Winona smiled. “I’m not even sure Santa could make that happen.”

“Mom, there’s no such thing as Santa.”

“Maybe not but the spirit of Santa endures in all of us. Come on.”

She reached down and pulled him to his feet.

“Hot chocolate and presents await.”

She put her arm around his shoulders and was relieved when he finally went with her toward the house. She’d make sure the rest of the day was magical.