Christmas Writing 26: The Fireplace

 

The Fireplace

December 6, 2024

The Reilly family had bought a really old farmhouse. The fireplace and chimney were quite huge as was all the rage when this house was built in the 1800’s. The fireplace would have been used for cooking. It was also used to heat the building in the winter. Through changes wrought over the years the old fireplace was now in the dining room after a kitchen was built as an addition.

The fireplace had not been used in years, the real estate agent assured them.  For Christmas they placed their Christmas tree next to the fireplace. The children danced around singing Christmas carols as they decorated the tree. The excitement was rising in each ensuing day.

On Christmas Eve their children asked if they could sleep next to the tree. The parents thought about it carefully. They had no objections to this request. 

“Leave the presents alone,” they admonished their children before turning out the lights. The children were excited but very tired. Quickly they fell asleep.

When the parents came down the stairs in the morning they found their children curled up in the hearth waiting for Santa to arrive. They were snuggled close together, wrapped in their blankets. The parents thought it was cute to say the least.

Santa had been there and had left their presents under the tree. Santa had also left them a note.

“It’s not a good idea to sleep in the hearth. You could get hurt,” he wrote

The parents looked at the rather large sooty footmark next to their daughters head and quickly agreed.