The magic of a childhood Christmas

[Stephen Hunter King]

Only slightly disappointed Stephen let it go as he was always fully aware that getting literal magic to happen on purpose on a muggle area wasn't likely.
"Here, daddy, I made this for you," he stated and handed the heart shaped cookie with a D to the man.
"Thank you, darling, it's lovely," Jacob commented with a warm smile and gave his son a little hug as he looked at the gift. He almost didn't want to eat it because it was art by his child, but then again he would likely be making more at home. "I need to go back to the messy Christmas lights, but you boys keep making your wonderful cookie art," he said as he rose to his feet.
"Stephen, when you leave this tent come straight to me. You remember where I was?" he instructed, looking down at the boy.
"Yes, daddy," Stephen confirmed with a smile until his attention was drawn to the scent of fresh gingerbread cookies the old lady arrived with.
"Okay, kids, I noticed last time everyone didn't get their share. This time come have them one by one so no one's left out," she instructed as she laid the fresh patch of cookies on the side table. "Fours for each."
Despite of this rule most of the kids dropped what they were doing and got in line. Stephen remained seated, thinking of how to hang the star until he decided they would look nice fallen on the roof and put his finished one on the right side. Then he took a look at Sam's snowman.
"It looks like it will be a perfect guardian for my vampire bunny. Thank you for making a protector for him," he said, enjoying this little competition type play.
"I wish there was snow. I want to make a real snow vampire bunny and you could make a real snowman to guard him..." he dreamt, inspired by Sam's invention.

[Samuel Connor Rees]

Sam pretended he was watching some other kid doing their decorating. It was nice how Stephen interacting with his dad, it looked like they really cared about each other. Sam's dad was probably still busy talking to his partners. He knew that once he is finished he will find time to do something together, but it sucked to be always on 2nd place. 
He was glad when the next batch of sweets arrived, he quickly went to the nice old lady to get his share. He waited a moment for few who were faster before he picked his four pieces of gingerbread. 
"Thank you." he smiled sheepishly and returned to his place quickly.
"No problem, even vampire bunnies need some friends. And guardians." he said while stuffing his face full of gingerbread. 
"Whant whone?" he muffled offering him one of his cookies. 
When he finally swallowed the food he smiled at Stephen. 
"The snow will come eventually. And since you're here you must live close, right? We can always build snowmen then." he said like it was no problem at all.

[Stephen Hunter King]

"Thanks," Stephen saidd as he accepted the cookie. He didn't bother queueing for his share because mum and little sister were surely baking some at home right now.
"Yep, we live really close. Will you come build them with me even if the snow comes at night? Vampire bunnies can't be built when the sun is up." He was genuinely excited about playimg in the snow with a boy his age rather han just his younger sister. His old friends didn't live that far away but too far to drop off just because of snowfall, according to their parents anyway. He bit a mouthful of his cookie and eyed one of the heart shaped cookie a three years old girl next to him had snacked for herself.

[Samuel Connor Rees]

"That's good." He said happily. He really didn't have that many friends and having one so close would be really neat. Even Stephen's offer sounded really neat. Building snowman in the night surely was a blast. 
"Makes sense to me." He said happily, before realisation hit him like a flaming semi-truck. 
"I don't know if dad allows it, though...he doesn't know you and he worries a lot." though not enough to check on him apparently. Though there could be some trick to make their fathers meet each other and perhaps they could become friends? Or something? Sam wasn't exactly a master planer. 
"We can solve that... right?" he wasn't quite sure, but hoped that his new friend will have some solution to this problem.

[Stephen Hunter King]

On second thought he doubted they would allow him to play in the middle of the night...but then again this time of year sun set well before his bed time. However, Sam did brng up another problem Stephen knew well. Though his parents didnt need to be downright friends with his friends as long as they'd met and visited their home a couple of times before allowing him and his sister to someone's house alone. So he didn't think it was that much of a problem to solve really.
"Will he come here tomorrow? My parents and little sister will. They could meet then. Or maybe your mum can make him not worry? Or maybe he wants to build them with us?" he came up with a bunch of suggestions, looking at Sam bright-eyed and certain that one of them would work.

[Samuel Connor Rees]

Sam looked sad for a brief moment. He always was when he was thinking about his mum. But he quickly shook his head to vanish the thought. "Dad is helping to prepare this thing so we will be here. But he never has time. He is so busy all the time. Just working and working..." no matter how many times he was speaking about it he was still quite annoyed by it. He couldn't imagine his dad to have time for snowman building. It would be just "Just go and play Sammy" or something around that lines.
"But I will get him to agree. I can't loose a friend when I finally make one." he said very adamantly. It was quite uncharacteristic for him to be so determined, but Stephen seemed like a good kid and he felt like they will become great friends.

[Stephen Hunter King]

Stephen trusted that Sam's dad would be here tommorror if he was here today, and did not give it another thought. Pleased with the gingerbread scene he decided it no longer held interest to him and remembered today's main attraction for him.
"Let's go decorate the tree before they're all done with it," he suggested as he hurriedly left his seat and ran to the tent's flap. As the boy arrived by the tree he saw there indeed was very little to do anymore due to,a large group of children working on it. Stephen observed his options and noticed the star was still waiting to be placed on the top. It wasn't fair that one group of kids had done all of the decorating, he thought, and felt like he - and Sam if he wanted to - should get to do the finishing touch that was the huge and beautiful star to the top.

He looked around but did not spot the woman who had talked about the star earlier nor did he locate any ladders. But this was exactly what he wanted. He fixed his eyes at the star lying in the pile of remaining decorations and thought it out carefully. The more he thought the more certain he was of succeeding in his plan, because his five years old mind did not see all there was to it.

[Samuel Connor Rees]

Sam wouldn't mind playing with gingerbread for some time, but Stephen pointed out, that they will probably finish decorating the big tree without them. That would be a shame. 
"Oh, that's a good idea." he simply nodded and followed him outside. As he was leaving the tent he felt the cold air outside. Inside the tent it was quite warm, but outside? Well it was winter, after all. But even bigger shock was, that they really did finish the tree without them. Or very nearly finish it at least. It was a bit disappointed. And from what he noticed his new friend wasn't happy about it either. But there was something else - he saw a spark in his eyes.
"What are you thinking about?" he asked carefully. He didn't know Stephen, he only knew he was friendly and creative. But he felt like he had some sort of plan...

[Stephen Hunter King]

The boy pulled Sam by a coat's sleeve a bit to the sidde so no one of the other kids could steal or ruin his plan before it even started. He spoke excitedly but quietly, pointing at the star on the decoration table.
"Let's put that star on the top. We could sneak in when no one's looking because a lady said that its too high and a grown-up should place it there. We could climb up the trr itself. It looks harder than climbing a maple tree but I believe we can do it. A little like squirrels," he explained. Of course only one person was needed to execute the plan but he didn't want Sam to miss out on the decorating either as he appeared to be disappointed too.

[Samuel Connor Rees]

He probably should've asked since Stephen brought him sideways to share his idea. He wanted to put the star on the top. It seemed a bit dangerous, but not that much. He himself was pretty good at climbing trees a this Christmas tree had nice branches all over. The needles looked a bit unpleasant, but they were both in winter coats, which would protect them.
"I think we could do it." he said. He wouldn't do that on his own, but he wanted to look brave and didn't want to disappoint his new friend.
"The tree isn't that tall and I am good at climbing trees." he added. He even had a tree house on his garden and he was climbing on the three a lot, never falling down. Dad told him not to do that... but he wasn't here right now.