Not Just A Festive Crystal Ball

***

{~CHRISTMAS DAY~}

Everyone in the house was woken up at the crack of dawn by the ear-drilling screams of Lynn's pure joy.

"SANTA WAS HERE! I SAW SANTA!" She was sprinting up and down the hallway. "HE WAS HERE! I SAW HIM! HE GAVE ME PRESENTS!"

"I thought Santa was supposed to be sneaky?" I put emphasis on the SUPPOSED and looked right at Ray.

"Maybe it's a bit difficult for Santa to see in the pitch black of the night! Who knows!?" He shrugged, pretending to be clueless.

"I know he was here! I saw him during the night!" Lynn continued to jump about, trying to contain the mass amount of Christmas energy she had been accumulating since the start of the year.

"You didn't see Santa because he doesn't even exist. It was probably just-"

"THE COOKIES! DID HE EAT THE COOKIES!?" She was in her own Christmas fantasy land to care what Luka had to say to her.

Off she zoomed to the kitchen and we all know that she found what she wanted when that horrific scream came haunting us once again. One plate with only cookie crumbs left on it and one finished glass of.

"SANTA WAS HERE! SANTA WAS REALLY HERE! MUMMY, DADDY! COME, SEE! THE COOKIES THEY'RE ALL GONE!" There was no sign of Lynn quieting down anytime soon.

"What's all this racket about?"

"Please don't encourage her, Granny…" Luka sighed.

"Santa. Was. Here. He was here in your house, Granny! He gave us presents! I have to open them! He has to have gotten me everything I asked for! Can we please open them!? Pretty please!?"

"You don't want breakfast first, Sweetie?"

"No thanks, mummy, breakfast can wait! This a very important matter!"

Bursting into the living room, the place was illuminated with Lynn's cheerful holiday spirit from the moment she stepped in. She did a graceful little dance and twirled towards the tree before sitting down before it, ready to open the abundance of presents beneath it.

The Christmas tree this year was snowy white, which I felt suited the modest tones in mother's front room nicely. It also made every festive colour that was in the room stand out more, making the feel for the place more striking and appealing.

Fairy lights entangled in between the pearly branches shone brightly, alternating between deep forest green and vivid rose red. Luxurious golden tinsel stretched and circled around the outskirts of the tree from head to toe.

At the tree's top was a star of large scale sparkling in the soft morning light. Baubles that varied in size dangled from the branches and had a range of unique and decorative patterns on them.

"We did a good job on the tree this year." Ray mentioned, probably noticing that I was lost in a daze and admiring the tree myself.

"I-Indeed." I focused my attention back to the task at hand. "Let's see who's presents are who's then, shall we?"

After some rummaging and looking out for labels, we all had our own piles of presents differing in size. It wasn't long before everyone got to tearing apart gift wrap, pulling away delicately tied ribbons and showing off what they got.

"Did you forget about these too?" Ray came down with the extra pile of mixed presents from upstairs. Genuinely forgetting that 'Santa' had brought them gifts during the middle of the night, the kids faces lit up with astonishment which then led to happiness.

"Granny, all of these presents are from Mum and Dad so far… so where are your ones?" Luka stated.

"Hmmmm… what presents?" Mother questioned.

"Our Christmas presents!"

"Christmas!? Is that really what today is!?"

"Don't be silly, Granny!" Lynn giggled, running up to her. "Of course you didn't forget it's Christmas!"

"Oh, so it is Christmas today! That's right! And I have the perfect gift for you two."

"Us two? You mean one gift for the both of us!? Aren't I a bit too old to be sharing gifts with Lynn?" Luka moaned.

"You're not even that much older than me! I'm almost 10, you know!"

"You literally just had your birthday! What are you talking about? And anyways sometimes I question whether you're 9 or still 5." He retorted, mockingly, and Mae-Lynn stuck her tongue out at him. "See, you're being stupid!"

"Heyyyyy! Mummyyyy, Luka just called me a rude word!" She stomped and whined on the spot whilst pointing at him with furious look on her face.

"Luka, there was no need for that. I think you should apologise to your sister." I demanded.

"Not until she apologises for rudely blowing raspberries at me!"

"No! You're a meanie!"

"Must you two constantly be at each other's throats!?" Ray groaned, helplessly.

"Yes, as siblings you should learn to get along together and enjoy each other's company!" I added.

"You wish…" I heard Luka mutter under his breath.

"No one will get to know what Granny Elaine has in store for you all if you can't apologise and be kind to one another."

"Sorry!" The two children said in chorus, abruptly and forcefully.

"Good work. Now. Where was I? …Ah, yes! My present to you both!" Mother clapped and the corners of her lips curled upwards into an endearing smile. "It is placed on the shelf of the fireplace, just below the mirror. Go on, go on. Take a sneak peak."

They exchanged each other the similar confused look before Luka took charge and began shuffling towards the place they were instructed to go. It would've been quite difficult to pinpoint what their gift was from my mother's vague description and the clutter of things on the shelf.

The fireplace was decorated with hanging Christmas stockings with fluffy tips and bobbles coming off them, filled with candy canes and sweet treats. More tinsel was lined on the rim of the shelf just above the fireplace and boarding around it.

Underneath the mirror, which was encased in a foliage wreath with berries sprouting out from it, were candles and fancy statues of reindeer.

"Is it the Nutcracker?" Lynn pointed at the smiling soldier that had rosy cheeks, a neat uniform on with a traditional hat, a drum around his neck and sticks in his hand surrounded by mini plastic trees.

"No, it's not."

"It's not the reindeer?" Mother shook her head. "…It can't be-" Luka picked up something and examined it. "It's not this old snow globe you used to tell us not to touch, is it?"

All he got in reply was a big smile.

"It's so dusty." Lynn blew on the glass dome in Luka's hands.

"This isn't right… There must be more to it!" He shook the object vigorously but nothing happened.

"Lemme see!" Lynn attempted to snatch it off off her brother.

"No! Wait! I wasn't done looking!" They began to pull and tug at the snow globe, fighting over who should look at it next.

"Please, you two, be careful!" I warned, getting ready to intervene; however, it was already too late.

The globe hit the ground with a crash and the glass had shattered, leaving the glittering liquid and bits of artificial snow the spill all over the floor.

Lynn and Luka were paralysed with shock just staring at it for a while before yelling and playing the blame game:

"It was your fault! You were holding it last!" Lynn shrieked.

"None of this would've happened if you didn't touch it in the first place!"

"Ugh! You ruin everything! You're so annoying! I wish you weren't my brother!"

"Mae-Lynn Anastasia Guevara, you take that back right now!" I gasped.

"Good! I don't care 'coz I wish you weren't my sister!"

"Oh dearie me…" My mother mumbled.

"Everyone, look!" Ray was the first to notice that the remains of the snow globe began sparking up.

Immediately after, a huge gust of wind blasted the windows open, causing a swirling force to surround us. All we could see is the white of snow and we were being engulfed by a sea of sparkles. It was crazy to think that this would all be happening again…