The magic of a childhood Christmas

[Stephen Hunter King]

Inside the tent some adults and children were busy decorating. Miniature statue of Rudolph greeted Stephen at the doorway as the boy stepped in, around the walls hung red and gold strings that had been left over from the tree, and snowflakes children had cut out of paper. Short strings of Christmas lights were currently being hung around as well. Stephen gave the Rudolph statue a pet, wishing that magic could be used here to make him come "alive". The boy headed straight to the table on the left where a small group of children of different ages gathered around a large gingerbread house. He noticed everyone was decorating gingerbread people and animals for the house, so he sat on the last free chair at the table and took off his gloves.

"Oh, sweetie, you want to help with the gingerbread home? Wash your hand with this before you start," said an elderly woman who was likely someone's grandmother as she hurried over to the new little helper with a fresh hand wipe packaged and opened it for him to take one. After properly cleaning his hands he picked up a bunny shaped gingerbread and snatched the black ready-to-use icing tube the second the older boy using it put it back on the table.The boy completely forgot that he wasn't supposed to stay in the tent and began to colour in the bunny, completely, as he loved a ton of icing on gingerbread cookies. Last year he'd become a bit of a horror fan. Even innocent Christmas cookies weren't exempt from the theme when he was in the mood. Tongue in cheek he created his cookie art. This cute little bunny quickly grew a white vampire fang and a red eye in addition to his black fur icing. After all this was done he eyed for a Christmas tree shaped cookie to break and make a cute elf hat for his ferocious vampire bunny, even if it couldn't be attached to the already baked creature. Every home should have a vampire bunny. He most certainly would love one for a pet, but according to daddy they did not exist.