A Christmas Trilogy

By P.J. McKenzie

The holiday season is about the spirit of giving. Friends and neighbors take a few extra minutes, put aside their differences, and share the holiday spirit through giving and generosity. A Christmas Trilogy is a representation of that same spirit, sharing three Christmas stories that focus on the joy of giving to others.

In The Christmas Gift, youll meet Mike OConnor, a young man from Chicago who hasnt been to visit his family for Christmas in several years because of an argument with his father. But when he finally decides to make amends, he becomes caught in a blizzard on Christmas Eve, stuck overnight at a diner. Will he find a way to make the rest of the journey, or will he head back to Chicago and leave things the way they were?

The Christmas Spirit shares the tale of a boy named Billy who learns there is no Santa Claus when his classmates make fun of him for believing in a fairy tale. Billys grandfather steps in and shows him that theres a way to keep the spirit of Santa aliveno matter how old you become.

The final story, The Christmas Guests, tells of the untimely death of Andrew Hennesseys wife and son, leaving him a lonely and bitter man, oblivious to the Christmas season. Can the arrival of some unexpected guests cause him to rediscover the Christmas spirit?

A Christmas Trilogy will warm your heart and put you in the holiday spiritno matter what time of year it is!

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Nov 10, 2011
• ISBN: 9781462061921

P.J. McKenzie

P. J. McKenzie is a professional engineer who enjoys photography, art, science, golf, fishing, and especially writing. He and his wife of over forty years, Andrea, have three children and six grandchildren.

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Copyright © 2011 by P. J. McKenzie.

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This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

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ISBN: 978-1-4620-6191-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4620-6193-8 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4620-6192-1 (ebk)

Printed in the United States of America

iUniverse rev. date: 11/02/2011

Contents

The Christmas Gift

The Christmas Spirit

The Christmas Guests

To Andrea

The Christmas Gift

M

IKE O’CONNOR OPENED HIS

eyes and stared at the alarm clock. Damn, he muttered as he jumped out of bed. He was going to be seriously late for work. It was almost 9:00 a.m. Why didn’t the alarm go off? Then it registered: today was Thanksgiving and he didn’t have to go to work. Thank you, God, he thought as he flopped back into bed, from where he would try a more gentle approach to the day. As he lay there, he thought of past Thanksgivings from what seemed like a long time ago, even though it had been only a few years since he had been home for the holidays. He was living and working in Chicago, and home was near Baltimore. Between the horrors of traveling during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, the expense of it all, and his heavy work schedule, he just hadn’t been able to make the trip.

The smell of fresh coffee brewing interrupted his daydreams. As always, he had set the coffeemaker to auto-start the night before. He needed to get up soon anyhow because he had a big day planned. He was having Thanksgiving dinner with friends, and this year he was taking Annie. He had just met Annie that summer, and although they hadn’t even come close to discussing marriage, he knew that the only time he was really happy was when he was with her. But first there was the obligatory call home. He needed to do that now because he might not get a chance later that day. His mother answered on the second ring with a sweet hello.

Hi there, he said in his most chipper voice. Happy Thanksgiving.

Mike! she almost screamed. How are you?

I’m good, he said. How about you?

Oh, I’m fine, she said, but I sure wish you were going to be here for dinner today.

Yeah, me too, he answered in his most somber voice and then quickly changed the subject. Who all is coming today? he said. As he had silently predicted, that question prompted his mother to recite the litany of attendees. That would include his siblings, their spouses, and his nieces and nephews, complete with the latest news update on each one.

When she finished her report, she asked, Are you watching the parade?

The parade? he said.

Yes, the Macy’s parade! she answered.

Well, we do have a Thanksgiving parade here too, you know.

Quickly, she replied, And I’m sure it’s a nice parade, but only Macy’s has the real Santa.

Oh, that’s right, and let’s not forget the Rockettes either, he said. And as emphatically as he could, he continued, I’ll turn it on right now. He glanced at the kitchen clock and realized that he was running a bit late. Well, Mom, I have to run. I am having dinner with friends, and I need to get ready.

There was a brief silence before she asked, Will you be coming home for Christmas?

He had been hoping that question would not come up today, but now that it had, he decided he’d better address it. It doesn’t look good. I am still very busy at work and really can’t take the time off. This would be the third year in row that he missed the Christmas homecoming, and it wasn’t because of work. It was because he and his father had not been on the best of terms since he had dropped out of graduate school and moved to Chicago. Mike felt that it was a good career opportunity, but his father felt that he should finish graduate school first. There was then another pause, this time a little longer.

Okay, she finally said. You have a good time and be careful.

He could sense the sadness in her voice. Don’t worry, I’m always careful. Love ya.

I love you too, she said. Good-bye.

Then, as promised, he turned on the television, flopped down in his La-Z-Boy, and tuned to the Macy’s parade. However, he could not focus on the parade. He was still aching a bit over his mom’s disappointment. How did it get to this? he thought. His thoughts returned to that ugly day that he had left home and moved to Chicago. He had received a call a few weeks earlier from his journalism professor, who had been impressed with his writing skills, about an entry-level position at the Chicago Tribune; the professor had heard about it from one of his old friends and told Mike that the job was his if he wanted it. He had been majoring in engineering and minoring in journalism while an undergraduate, and though he liked engineering, his true love was journalism. He had continued with engineering because his grandfather, his father, and recently his older brother were all engineers, and it was expected that he would be one too. But now, as he faced what he considered an opportunity of a lifetime, his decision was a quick one. He accepted the position at the Tribune. His father was furious, and to compound the problem, he did not hold the media in very high esteem. Mike and his father had argued until the day Mike left home, and they had not spoken since. He and his father still had one thing in common: they were both uncompromising hardheads.

Mike’s daydreaming was broken by the sounds of the parade’s grand finale. He watched until Santa completed his grand arrival, and then he placed a call to Annie.

It was around one o’clock when Mike finally finished showering, dressing, and straightening up his apartment. It was time to pick up Annie. As he exited his apartment on his way to his car, he noticed a few snowflakes in the air. Ah, what a perfect Thanksgiving Day, he thought to himself. Mike preferred the cold and cloudy Thanksgivings to the bright and sunny ones. He remembered the past Thanksgivings at home. He thought of the warm fire in the family room, the football games on TV, and the family banter that characterized those past holidays. Then suddenly an anxious feeling gripped his stomach. He had forgotten to pick up the wine. He and Annie were supposed to bring