"Mom, why couldn't I go with Dad?" Eight-year-old Katje Frayne asked a she stood behind her mother in the kitchen.

Trixie Frayne let out a sigh as she closed her eyes. Her daughter had been asking the same question for days and she got the same answer.

"Sweetheart," Trixie began as she turned away from the counter. "You had school today and you were not going to miss it to go to the airport with your father."

"But I wanted to go," Katje whined.

"You couldn't have gone because your Dad was in meetings with Grandpa and there wouldn't have been anyone there to watch you," Trixie finished.

"It's not fair," Katje said, stomping her foot on the floor.

"You need to accept the decision," Trixie said. "And if you keep this behavior up, I'm certain Santa will hear about it."

Katje stopped and her eyes went wide. "I don't want to be put on the naughty list."

"Then you need to listen."

Katje ran to Trixie and gave her a hug. "I'm sorry, Mom."

"It's all right," Trixie said returning the embrace. "And don't worry. They should be home in a bit and we can all enjoy the cake I made."

"Is it chocolate?" Katje asked.

"Of course."

"Yippee!" Katje yelled.

"Now, you need to go clean up your room," Trixie said. "When I went by there were a lot of toys out of place."

"Okay," Katje said stepping back. "But you'll let me know when they get home, right?"

"Absolutely."

Katje turned and left the kitchen.

Trixie let out another breath as she turned back to the counter.  She picked up the can of frosting and resumed decorating the cake.

I can't believe I got her to stop by bringing up Santa, she thought as she worked on the cake. I really thought this would be the year she would stop believing. I hate that she's growing up, but I guess we've got at least one more year of magic with her.

She finished frosting the cake and slid it into the refrigerator to harden. Glancing out the window over the kitchen sink, she saw that the snowflakes had resumed falling, creating a thin blanket over the ground.

Trixie hoped the roads had been treated so that Jim could get home safely. It had been rather lucky that Jim had to meet Matthew in the city to deal with some paperwork for the school and that their nephew, Hans Jr., would be returning from Holland for the holiday break.

She was anxious for the entire family to be back together after the trying year they had experienced.

Trixie turned away from the window and glanced around the kitchen. Everything still seemed brand new, even though they had been in the house for two months. It had taken time for it to be rebuilt from the fire that took it down to the foundation. They had been lucky to make it out safely. While their material possessions had been lost, their lives had been saved thanks to Jim and their smoke detectors.

And now they would celebrate their first Christmas in the new house, making new memories.

Lights shined into the house and Trixie knew Jim was home with Hans.

She went to the door and watched as Jim pulled to a stop. A moment later the two of them climbed out and made their way to the kitchen.

Hans set his bag down and immediately gave Trixie a hug.

"I've missed you," Trixie said, holding him close.

"I've missed you too," Hans said. "I've missed everyone. I'm so glad to be home."

"We're glad you're home," Trixie said, leaning back to look at him.

It had been three and a half months since he had been home. She knew his education was important and the scholarship he had earned from the university was an honor. He looked a little tired, but she attributed that to studying for finals and the long flight back to the states.

"How were your finals?"

"I aced all of them," Hans said, slipping his jacket off and moving to hang it on the hook by the kitchen door. "I'm looking forward to the break before next term."

Before Trixie could ask anymore questions, thundering footsteps could be heard coming down the stairs.

Katje led the way with Curtis, Alexander and Betje close behind. The four of them threw their arms around Hans, welcoming him home.

"We've missed you," Katje said. "Dad wouldn't let me come to the airport to greet you."

"I prefer this greeting much better," Hans said. "I should probably take my bags up to my room."

"We've got it," Alexander said as he and his twin grabbed the bags and disappeared upstairs.

"Why don't we go into the living room and catch up for a bit," Jim suggested as he stepped away from the door and up beside Trixie.

"Come on," Katje said, grabbing Hans' hand and pulling him out of the room.

Jim and Trixie followed with Betje.

Hans settled on the couch with Betje beside him and Katje on his lap. Jim claimed the recliner and pulled Trixie down on his lap.

"How was your flight?" Trixie asked.

"It was long, but I'd make the trip every weekend if I could," Hans said. "I'm just glad to be back with family."

"We're glad you're home," Trixie said. "It's not the same without you here."

"The house looks beautiful," Hans said. "The contractors did an amazing job."

"Would you like a tour?" Jim asked. "It might help to get your bearings."

"That's probably a good idea," Hans said. "I don't want to wander into the wrong room,"

"I'll show you," Katje said excitedly, getting to her feet and then pulling Hans up.

Alexander and Curtis returned to the living room. Alexander asked, "What's going on?"

"We're giving Hans the tour," Katje said, tugging on his hand.

"Go ahead and when you're done. I have a special treat for your welcome home," Trixie said.

"You didn't have to go to any trouble," Hans said.

"It wasn't," Trixie said with a smile. "I wanted to celebrate your homecoming."

"Thank you, Aunt Trixie," Hans said.

"Come on," Katje said and tugged her cousin out of the room.

Jim and Trixie watched as the children disappeared from the room.

Trixie let out a sigh.

"What is it?" Jim asked, caressing her back.

Trixie turned and looked at Jim. "Our family is together again. All of us."

"It's amazing."

"I hoped for this moment ever since the fire," Trixie said. "There were so many delays with the builders that I didn't think it would happen."

"But here we are now," Jim said. "All ten of us under our roof for the first time in months."

Trixie leaned in and gave Jim a kiss. "Thank you for keeping your promise."

"I would do anything for you," Jim said, reaching up and cupping her face. "I love you."

"I love you, too." They kissed again.

Over the next several days, they began decorating for the holidays. On Saturday, Jim an the five older children headed out into the preserve searching for the perfect Christmas tree to set in their living room. It was a beautiful pine that fit perfectly.

When the tree was in place, Jim and Hans worked to get the light on while the others hung the stockings by the fireplace. Betje draped a pine garland around the railing to the second floor. Alexander and Curtis hung paper snowflakes in the windows as Katje opened the packages containing the garland for the tree.

The house was quickly turning into a holiday showplace.

Once the lights and garland were on the tree, they all stepped back to look at their work.

"It's beautiful," Trixie said, stepping up beside Jim.

A few weeks earlier they had found a star with white lights that stood on top.

"It looks bare," Katje said.

Trixie felt the same way. They had lost all of their decorations in the fire, but she knew they had something that would help.

"I agree it looks empty, but I think we have something," Jim said.

Trixie went over to the closet in the corner of the room and opened the door. She reached the top shelf and pulled down a shoebox. She turned and moved to the others. She saw the children were watching her carefully as Jim lifted the lid off the box.

"Don't open these until everyone has one," Trixie said.

Jim handed each of them a plain white box except for their names.

"What is it?" Curtis asked.

"Hang on," Trixie said as Jim handed the last box to Hans. "Okay, now you can open them."

The five of them popped the lids off and pulled out an item covered in bubble wrap. The covering was quickly tossed to the floor revealing a ceramic stocking painted each one's favorite color. Each name was written in calligraphy, with the year.

"They are beautiful," Betje said.

"We thought that since we're in a new house, we should decorate our tree with some new ornaments," Trixie said.

"I think it's perfect," Betje said.

"I agree," Hans said.

"And you can put them wherever you want on the tree," Jim said.

The five of them moved to the tree and placed the ornament on in what they each thought was the perfect spot. Trixie unwrapped three more ornaments for the youngest Frayne's. She put them on the tree as Jim put their ornaments closer to the top.

They stepped back and Alexander said, "The tree looks much better."

"We actually have one more ornament," Jim said, handing the box to Betje.

"What is it?" she asked, looking at her uncle.

"When you open it, you'll understand."

Trixie moved back to Jim as she watched her niece open the box. She felt Jim wrap his arm around her waist.

Betje let the bubble wrap fall to the floor and gasped. Her lips trembled as she looked at the two adults with tears in her eyes.

"What is it?" Hans asked, stepping over to his sister.

He glanced down at her hand and saw there was a pair of angels holding hands. Inscribed on the front was Juliana and Hans.

"Mom and Dad," Hans said.

"They are a part of you and deserve to be part of our tree."

"Thank you," Betje said.

"You're welcome."

Betje moved over to the tree and placed the angels so that they were sort of centered between their four stockings.

"I think this is going to be the best Christmas ever," Curtis said.

Excitement seemed to build in the house as Christmas drew near. On the weekend, Hans and Betje took all six of the younger children on a "Christmas mission."

Trixie and Jim didn't ask any questions, but got promises that they would be very careful with the three little ones.

With the children out of the house, Jim and Trixie went up to the master bedroom and began wrapping. Eeven though they had spent the previous nights working they still had a lot to finish by Christmas Eve. Trixie had boxed the gifts per child so they could just pull the boxes out and start wrapping. The tags were already made out and just needed to be attached to the boxes.

The slamming of car doors alerted them that the children had returned.

Trixie looked at Jim. "Go ahead down and I'll clean this all up."

"All right," Jim said and left the room, closing the door behind him.

Trixie quickly repacked the boxes and collected the wrapping paper, tape, scissors and tags. She put the items away in case the children entered the room,

"What happened?" Jim demanded, his voice echoing through the house.

Trixie heard the tone and knew something had happened. She quickly opened the door and heard the cries of the babies. She ran down the stairs to see Jim had a crying Emilee in his arms and Betje had Michael. Both of them were covered in red dye.

"What is all over them?" Trixie asked moving to take hers son from Betje. She felt his clothes, and found they were all sticky.

"Katje, you need to tell them," Hans said.

"It's not my fault," Katje said, stomping her foot on the floor as she crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"Hans, what happened?" Jim asked, cuddling Emilee close to his chest.

"We were at the mall taking care of some Christmas stuff," Hans said. "We finished and were grabbing a snack. Katje got upset when we said couldn't go to the toy store. We saw Emilee and Michael were getting fussy and knew they'd be happier napping at home. And Katje knocked over the cherry slushie Alexander had gotten and it spilled all over the twins."

"Katje," Jim scolded.

"We had time," Katje said.

"You don't behave like that in public," Jim said. "Ever."

"But, Dad."

"No buts," Jim said. "Take your coat and boots off, hang your coat up and go to your room. You will not be disrespectful to those who are older than you."

"But Dad."

"Now."

Katje waited for a moment and then did as she was told.

"We need to wash these two up," Trixie said as she quickly worked to undress their son.

"Is there something we can do?" Betje asked, looking guilty.

"We've got this," Trixie said.

"We were going to get a fire going tonight and watch some of the classics," Jim said, trying to get the sticky clothes off Emilee.

"We can bring in some extra wood and get the family room set up for later," Hans said. "Come on, Alexander and Curtis."

"Thank you."

Jim and Trixie took the twins upstairs and gave them both a quick bath. They were both disappointed in their daughter's behavior. They were surprised she would act that way with her cousins in public.

Once the twins were dressed in clean clothes and down for their nap, Jim went downstairs to help the boys while Trixie went to speak with Katje.

She opened the door after knocking. Trixie slipped cross the threshold and saw Katje was sitting on the window seat, gazing out into the snow covered yard. Trixie moved over and sat down in front of her daughter. After a moment, Katje looked at her.

"I'm sorry, Mom," Katje said, regret on her young face.

"Do you want to tell me what happened?" Trixie asked, wanting to know what made her daughter so angry that she would toss a drink.

"We finished...what we were doing and got some snacks," Katje said. "As we went to the food court, we passed the toy store. I just wanted to go look, but Hans said I couldn't."

"Did he give you a reason?"

"He said it was because the twins were tired," Katje said. "But I only wanted to go look."

Trixie sighed. "Katje, were you told to listen to Hans and Betje before you left?"

"Yes, but..."

"Did you?" Trixie interrupted.

Katje sighed. "No."

"What do you think you should do?"

"I should apologize, but I only wanted to go look," Katje said.

"Sweetheart, Hans and Betje took you all out and promised that you all would be safe. The two of them were in charge and if they decided it was time to leave, then you needed to accept that."

"But, Mom."

"Katje, you know your behavior was wrong," Trixie said. "You have to understand you can't always do what you want when you are out with the others."

The eight-year-old pulled her knees close to her chest and wrapped her arms around them as she put her head on her knees.

"It's not fair," Katje said. "I just wanted to look."

"I'm sorry, honey. It may seem unfair, but if Hans and Betje said no, then I have to agree with them."

"It's still not fair."

"Well, you can stay up here and think about what happened today." Trixie said standing up. "We'll come get you for dinner."

Trixie turned and left the room. Her daughter was stubborn and Trixie felt terrible that Katje had thrown a tantrum when she was in public. Entering the kitchen, Trixie saw Jim was already preparing their dinner.

"What do you need me to do?" Trixie asked, stepping over to the counter.

"We just need the rolls placed on the tray," Jim said. "The stew seems to be just about ready."

"Not a problem," Trixie said grabbing the package of dinner rolls.

"How upset is she?" Jim asked after a minute.

"She's angry she didn't get her way, but I think things will be all right."

"I'm shocked she did that," Jim said.

"She probably saw a new toy and wanted to get a good look at it to tell Santa," Trixie said.

"It's still no excuse," Jim said.

"I know."

"How are we going to punish her?" Jim asked.

"She can stay in her room until dinner," Trixie said. "She can help with the dishes afterward and spend the rest of the night in her room. Hopefully this will teach her a lesson."

"I hope so."

As the days drew closer to Christmas, every member of the family was doing their best to be good. Katje had apologized to her cousins and had taken her punishment without a fight. The incident had been forgotten. The children were putting forth a great effort to do all they could to have a wonderful holiday.

On Christmas Eve day, holiday music echoed through the house. All of their favorite songs came over the radio such as "Sleigh Ride," "Winter Wonderland," "We Three Kings," "O Holy Night," and many more.

Everyone had been caught singing along to the music more than once.

Trixie, Betje and Katje were making a couple more batches of cookies for the following day while Jim and the three older boys worked on clearing the driveway from the heavy overnight snowfall.

The girls were just pulling the last batch out of the oven when the boys came in, stomping their feet to get the snow off their booths and clothes.

"It smells delicious," Alexander said, coming into the kitchen with wide eyes.

"Will we be able to have some of these?" Curtis asked, stepping up beside his twin.

"Later," Trixie said. "Once we get them decorated."

"I can't wait," Alexander said.

"Go change your clothes before you all get sick," Trixie said and ushered them out of the kitchen.

"Can we decorate them now?" Katje asked from where she was drying the dishes.

"After lunch," Trixie said. "Your dad and the others are probably hungry from cleaning the snow." Trixie glanced out the window. "And from what I can see, they'll have to go back out later."

Katje quickly turned a worried look at her mother. "Will Santa still be able to get here?"

"Santa can handle any winter weather," Trixie said. "He has the reindeer and they love the snow."

"But will he still come after I got into trouble?" Katje asked.

"Sweetheart, everyone makes mistakes and Santa doesn't hold that against you," Trixie said. "He looks at your behavior over the course of the whole year, not just the days leading up to Christmas."

"So, he'll still come?" Katje pressed.

"He'll still come," Trixie reassured her.

"Good."

"Now are you two all set?" Trixie asked. "Have you got all your wrapping done?"

"I need some help," Katje admitted.

"I can help," Betje offered.

"Come on, let's go." Katje grabbed her hand and dragged Betje out of the kitchen as Trixie chuckled.

"How are things going in here?" Jim asked as he entered the room.

"Everything's good."

"Is there anything you need me to do?"

"If after lunch you could keep the kids busy, there are a few more gifts that need to be wrapped for tomorrow."

"Sure," Jim said. "Do you need my help wrapping?"

"I think I've got it," Trixie said. "I will definitely need your help tonight once they are all asleep."

Jim stepped up and wrapped his arms around her. "I look forward to it."

Just as their lips were about to meet, the youngest twins cried out.

Trixie chuckled. "They have radar to know when we're about to have a moment."

Jim laughed. "I'll go get them." He gave her a quick kiss and left the room.

Later that evening, the ten of them were in the living room. They had Christmas music playing in the background as Jim read from the Frayne family Bible. The lights of the tree twinkled as Katje, Alexander and Curtis sat on the floor at Jim's feet.

Trixie listened to Jim's voice as he read the story, a feeling of contentment washing over her. He had a way of telling a story that easily dragged one into it. No one could turn their attention away.

As Jim closed the Bible, Trixie smiled at him. "And now, it's time for all of you to head to bed," Jim said. "Tomorrow is going to be a long day."

"What time can we come down?" Alexander asked.

"Not before seven," Jim said.

"Can we leave cookies and milk for Santa?" Katje asked.

"Of course" Trixie said.

Katje scrambled to her feet and ran to the kitchen.

"Do you all need help bringing down our gifts for one another?" Jim asked.

"We brought all our stuff down earlier," Hans said.

"All right," Jim said.

Katje returned at that moment with a plate and glass. She set them on the coffee table close to the tree.

The children said goodnight and headed for their rooms. Jim and Trixie took the youngest three who were already asleep and put them in their cribs.

Returning to the first floor, Trixie and Jim cleaned up the dishes from their evening snack. They went about getting the house organized for the following day as they waited for the children to fall asleep. They had a feeling Katje would attempt to catch Santa in the act.

The two of them returned to the living room and cuddled on the couch as the soft holiday music filled the air. The warmth of the fire added to the atmosphere. Trixie was just dozing off when she heard the soft patter of footsteps entering the room.

"What do you need, Katje?"

Trixie opened her eyes to see their daughter standing at the end of the couch.

"Santa's not going to come," she said quietly.

"Why do you say that?" Trixie asked.

Katje looked at the floor. "I didn't get the chance to apologize to Santa for being bad." She looked at them with tears in her eyes. "He won't come because I was bad."

"Come here," Jim said.

Katje hurried over to them and climbed into Jim's lap. She nestled her head under his chin as he pulled her close.

"Sweetheart, we know you feel bad about what happened and you apologized for it," Trixie said.

"Hans and Betje accepted it which was nice," Jim said. "And I am quite certain Santa knows that you are sorry about it."

"Even if you weren't able to tell him, he knows you are sorry and made things right," Trixie said. "Remember the lyrics - He sees you when you're sleeping, he knows when you're awake, he knows if you've been bad or good, so be good for goodness sake."

"You've been a good girl this year," Jim said. "Sure, you've gotten in trouble a couple times, but overall the good outweighs the bad."

"Are you sure?" Katje asked.

"We're sure," Jim said. "Santa will come."

"I hope so," Katje said tiredly.

The three of them remained quiet as the music blanketed the room.

After a little while, Trixie sat up and glanced at their daughter. She looked like an angel nestled in Jim's arms.

"She's out," Trixie whispered.

"I'll take her up and check on the others," Jim said.

"Okay."

Trixie watched Jim effortlessly stand up with Katje in his arms. He left the living room and disappeared upstairs. She hoped they were all asleep so they could get to work. There was a lot to set up under the tree and they were going to be working for hours.

A few minutes later Jim came back down. He stood on the threshold. "They're all out." He moved toward her. "What should we do first?"

"We might as well start with the gifts for under the tree," Trixie said. "That's going to be the most time consuming."

"I'll start bringing the boxes down," Jim said.

"I'll empty the closets down here."

Jim made several trips up and down the stairs with the presents. Trixie quickly set the gifts under the tree, mixing the kids packages up.

It was after midnight when the two of them stepped back and looked at their handiwork. The mound of presents spilled out from under the tree, filling half of the living room. The stockings on the mantle were overflowing.

"I can't believe we're done," Trixie said, leaning against Jim, exhausted.

"We got everything, right?"

"I think so. If not, we'll have a heat start for next year."

"Sounds good to me," Jim said with a chuckle. "Let's go to bed. I know we told them seven, but I also know we'll hear the footsteps a lot earlier than that."

"But we are sticking to seven, right?" Trixie asked as they made their way to the staircase.

"Absolutely."

Trixie nestled her head against Jim's chest and felt him pull her close. She felt him kiss the top of her head and she smiled.

"Merry Christmas," Trixie said softly.

"Merry Christmas."

"What time is it?" Trixie asked, snuggling in closer to Jim.

"Six-thirty," Jim answered.

"Have you heard any noise?"

Before Jim could answer, they could hear three sets of footsteps moving past their door.

"There they go," Jim whispered. "At least we know its not Jimmy, Emilee and Michael."

"But didn't we say they couldn't go down until seven?" Trixie asked.

"They're probably trying to be sneaky to see if any of their gifts were left unwrapped," Jim said. "I think we were right in making sure everything was covered with paper."

"They're probably surprised at what Santa left and are inspecting the packages to see which ones belong to them."

"They'll probably get a kick out of the fact that I wrapped a gift in multiple layers of paper," Jim said with a grin.

"You didn't." Trixie raised an eyebrow.

"I did," Jim said. "I think it'll be fun to see the look on their faces."

"I hear them."

They heard the soft conversation as Alexander, Curtis and Katje made their way back down the hallway. A moment later they heard the soft clock of Katje's doors as it closed.

"Well, at least they came back up," Trixie said.

"They're probably trying to determine what was in their packages after they shook a few of them," Jim said.

"I'm glad I double boxed packages so it sounds like something else when it's really socks."

"You are devious," Jim said.

"I'm creative," Trixie said with a grin and sat up. "I think I'm going to head down and get breakfast in the oven. We know those three will be pounding down the stairs as soon as the clock hits seven."

"Do you want some help?"

"Thank you for the offer," Trixie said. "But I've got this. Just relax while you can. Today is going to be long."

"All right."

Trixie slid her feet into her slippers and then left the bedroom. As she headed down the hall, she listened at the doors of the nurseries and the older two, but there was no noise.

She continued down the stairs. She took a quick look and the living room was exactly as it had been the previous night when they went to bed.

Trixie went into the kitchen and quickly began prepping the breakfast casserole. If the children wanted, they could start on the presents while the casserole baked. When it was ready they could take a break to eat and then resume the opening.

The thundering of footsteps on the stairs told Trixie it was seven.

"Merry Christmas!" Alexander, Curtis and Katje chorused as they slid on the floor in their sock covered feet.

"Merry Christmas," Trixie said, turning to face them. "Did you all sleep well?"

The boys nodded and Katje said, "Yeah. Can we open our presents now?"

"We can't open anything until your brothers and sisters come down," Trixie said, and saw the disappointment cross their young faces.

"Can we go wake them?" Katje asked hopefully.

"It's only seven now," Trixie said. "We can let them sleep a little longer. Why don't you three set the table for breakfast? We're having the breakfast casserole you all love so much."

"All right," Alexander said and began retrieving the dishes before handing them to Curtis. Katje pulled the silverware out and followed her cousins..

Trixie finished the casserole and set it in the oven. She turned to the dishes as she heard heavier footsteps coming down the stairs. A moment later Jim walked into the kitchen carrying Jimmy, who was cuddled against his shoulder.

"Did they wake him up?" Trixie asked.

"Maybe."

"Are you hungry?" Trixie asked looking into her son's eyes.

Jimmy shook his head and closed his eyes slightly.

"Jimmy!" Katje said, hurrying into the kitchen. "Come look what Santa left.

"Do you want to go see?" Jim asked.

Jimmy nodded.

Double wails came from upstairs.

"Come with me, Jimmy," Katje said. "Then Mommy and Daddy can get the babies."

Jim set Jimmy on the floor.

"Just don't touch anything," Jim warned.

Katje gently held Jimmy's hand and they walked slowly toward the living room.

"I'll go get them," Jim said.

"If you do that, I will check on Hans and Betje," Trixie said. "I think if we wait much longer, the rest of them will be opening all those gifts."

Jim chuckled. "Sounds like a plan."

Trixie followed Jim upstairs. As he continued down the hall, she stopped at the first bedroom and knocked on the door.

"One minute," Hans called out.

He opened the door running a hand through his blond tousled hair that matched both of his parents. "Good morning, Aunt Trixie."

"Morning, Hans. Merry Christmas," Trixie said. "I just wanted to make sure you were up. The others are itching to get at the presents."

"I set my alarm," Hans said. "I'll be down in a minute."

"All right," Trixie said. She turned and moved down the hall to Betje's room and knocked.

"Come in," Betje said.

Trixie opened the door and saw her niece sitting on her bed, brushing her hair.

"Merry Christmas," Trixie said.

"Merry Christmas," Betje said. "I'm just about ready to come down. I wanted to get my hair out of the way first."

"That's fine," Trixie said. "The others are getting a little anxious."

Betje smiled. "I'll be right there."

Trixie smiled in return. She left the room and went to the nursery to see how Jim was doing. As she reached the door, she saw Jim had Emilee changed, allowing her to crawl along the floor.

"And you are all set, little man," Jim said tickling Michael's belly. "Let's go celebrate Christmas."

"Definitely," Trixie said.

Jim turned from the changing table "Are they up?"

"Yeah," Trixie said, leaning down and picking up Emilee.  "With these two, we are all set to turn the living room into a recycling bin."

"Then we should get started," Jim said picking up Michael and settling him in his arms.

They went downstairs and entered the living room. Hans and Betje were settled on the couch, bot holding cups of hot chocolate. Jimmy, Katje, Alexander and Curtis were sitting on the floor, staring at the tree with its brightly wrapped packages that spilled out from under the branches.

"So, do we want to eat breakfast first?" Trixie asked.

"What?!" Katje, Alexander and Curtis asked, as they spun to look at the adults.

"The casserole is just about ready," Trixie said. "I know you're probably hungry."

'Dad?" Katje asked, looking at Jim with pleading eyes.

"She's teasing," Jim said moving over tot he recliner. He set Michael down on the floor next to the chair. "We'll start opening presents and take a break when the casserole is finished."

"Yeah!" Katje exclaimed.

"So how do you want to do this?" Trixie asked, putting Emilee on floor next to her twin.

"Why don't we take turns and each person will put out a gift for the rest of us and we'll go round to everyone to play Santa until all the gifts are gone," Jim suggested.

"Who goes first?" Katje asked.

"Why don't you get started sweetie," Trixie suggested.

"Okay," Katje said and quickly moved to the pile.

She grabbed a gift for everyone, setting it in front of them. They opened their gifts and then someone else repeated the process.

When everyone had a turn, they went to have breakfast. Once done, they returned to the living room and continued tearing paper. The pile under the tree dwindled as the piles around each of them grew.

"They were almost done when Alexander said, "Ummm, Aunt Trixie?"

"Yes?" She looked over at Alexander to see he was holding up a pink box.

"Is...is this really for me?" Alexander asked, turning the box.

Trixie saw he was holding a Barbie doll.

"I got a G.I. Joe!" Katje exclaimed.

Trixie saw that Katje was happy, but Alexander did not look amused.

"I think Santa may have mislabeled those gifts," Trixie said, trying not to laugh. She could see Hans and Betje were covering their mouths to hide their silent laughter.

"Katje, switch gifts with Alexander," Jim said with a smile.

"Thank you," Alexander said.

"This is the one I wanted," Katje said, looking at the doll.

Trixie and Jim exchanged a look knowing one of them had mixed up the gifts.

Once the gifts under the tree were opened, the children then went to their stockings where they found little trinkets and candy.

"All these presents are wonderful," Trixie said. "Thank you everyone for everything."

"There is actually one more gift," Hans said.

He and Betje got to their feet. They left the living room with Jim and Trixie watching them go. They looked at one another wondering what the two of them were doing.

"Why don't we start cleaning up some of this paper?" Jim suggested. "I think some of your presents my be lost in all of this."

As Alexander, Curtis and Katje began cleaning up the paper, Hans and Betje returned, moving over to Trixie and Jim with a large rectangular package wrapped in blue paper that had white snowflakes on it and a white bow. There was a white label on it that said: "To Aunt Trixie/Mom and Uncle Jim/Dad."

"This is from all of us."

Trixie and Jim shared another look curious as to what their children had done.

They slowly pulled the paper away and Trixie noticed that it was a large picture frame. When the paper fell away, Trixie gasped, her hand coming up to her mouth as tears filled her eyes.

Staring back at them was a portrait of all eight of the children in holiday colors. They were pictured in front of a marble heart fireplace. Hans and Betje were in the back. In front of them were Alexander, Katje and Curtis. Alexander had Emilee in front of him, Katje had Jimmy and Curtis had Michael.

"It's...it's beautiful," Trixie said tearfully, looking at the smiling faces that were captured in a moment.

"Thank you all so much," Jim said softly, his eyes never leaving the photograph.

"We thought long and hard about a gift for you and believed a photograph of all of us would be perfect for the new house," Hans said.

Trixie looked up at them. "This is what you did the day you all went out together."

"It is," Betje said. "Hans and I had been talking and thought this was the right gift."

"It's the best gift ever," Trixie said, standing up and hugging her niece and nephew. "Thank you so much."

"You're welcome," Betje said.

"And I know exactly where it should go," Jim said, standing up.

Trixie let go of Hans and watched as Jim moved over to the fireplace. He reached up and set the picture frame on the mantle. He stepped back and Trixie wrapped her arm around his waist.

The area had been made for the frame.

"Perfect," Jim said. "That is the best gift."

After a few minutes of staring at the photograph, Jim cleared his throat. "We should work on picking all this paper up."

"I'll get the garbage bags," Hans said.

It didn't take long with all of them pitching  in to make the wrapping paper disappear. They younger children began playing with the toys they received while Hans and Betje each started reading a book they had been given. The three youngest were napping on the floor.

Trixie made her way into the kitchen to get started on the dishes from breakfast. She had the water running to rinse the plates and silverware before placing them into the dishwasher. She was about to set a plate in its spot when she felt a pair of hands wrap around her waist.

Turning slightly, Trixie saw Jim lean his chin on her shoulder. He kissed her cheek.

"I love you so much," Jim said, giving her a squeeze.

Trixie set the plate down and turned in his embrace, wrapping her arms around Jim's neck. "I love you too." She clung to him tightly. "Thank you for all you did to make sure we had a home again."

"Thank you for sticking by me these last few months," Jim said. "I know this year has been very rocky, but we survived and I know that we made it because we are together.

"We will always be together," Trixie said. "I could never picture my lift without you."

"Nor I you," Jim said. "And I have something for you."

They leaned back. Trixie looked at Jim quizzically. She watched as he reached a hand into the pocket of his robe. He pulled out a small square box. There was a white bow on it.

"I love you so much and this is for you."

Trixie accepted the box and untied the bow. Lifting the lid, she saw a very beautiful, unique, chocolate diamond ring.

"Oh, Jim," Trixie said, her left hand trembling as it moved to cover her mouth. Tears filled her eyes as she looked at her husband. "This is so beautiful."

"You're beautiful," Jim said, taking the ring out of the box. He slid it onto the ring finger of her right hand. "And it's a perfect fit."

"I love you," Trixie said. "You always find ways to surprise me."

"I like that sparkle that appears in your eyes when I do." Jim reached up and cupped her face in his hand. "You make my life complete, giving me four beautiful children and welcoming the other four into our home with open arms."

"They are family and I would do anything for family."

"And I would do anything for you." Jim leaned in and gave Trixie a kiss. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas, Jim."