"Granny, how does Mommy get presents when she's way under water?"
The child was always full of questions. How was Claire supposed to answer this one? And why did her daughter have to join the reserves anyway? She knew she wanted to give back, but please, she had a husband, a son, and now she'd miss Christmas with them all.
But even as she sighed, she still felt a sense of pride. Her only daughter, Mandy, had always been like that- always giving. She'd even done mission work during her college summers and then joined the Peace Corps for a few years before meeting her husband. So, it really shouldn't have been a surprise when Mandy joined the Navy reserves several years ago. One weekend every month, and once a year for four straight weeks, she relieved a Submarine's full time Doctor. Claire thought it nothing more than a giant tin can, but her daughter and grandson thought it was cool. Still, it scared the daylights out of her knowing how far away, and how far below her daughter was.
"Granny, are you listening to me? How can Santa climb down the chimney when the submarine is under water? I bet they don't even have fireplaces where mom is," the boy continues.
"Jake, honey, let's ask your daddy when he gets here. That sounds like a question for him" says Claire.
"Thanks Mom", says her son-in-law standing in the doorway. "Glad to know you think I'm so wise".
They chuckle together as he sits down for a home-made meal. Once a month dinners have become something of a tradition whenever Mandy is out of town.
This month-long stint would be hard though. Because this trip came during Christmas. He'd never spent it without her- not since they'd married 6 years ago. And he worried that he'd fail miserably while she was gone. His wife was always the one to make the holidays special. She baked cookies, decorated the house, bought all the gifts, wrapped them up, and even ordered a tree every year. But she wouldn't be here this time, and with Christmas fast approaching, he was unsure of himself. That's when his son asked again? "Dad, how will Santa get to mom?"
That's when he got the idea. The way to answer his son's question, and still let his wife know they were missing her over Christmas.
"Son- we need to send Santa a gift with our letter this year. That way we know Mom will still get all the presents she's due, even if she's a thousand leagues under the sea."
The next day, they wrapped up a pair of Scuba fins, a snorkel and one little underwater flashlight. John explained that the snorkel and fins were for Santa, while the light was for Rudolph (just in case his nose wasn't waterproof). Since the Reindeer were magic, and could fly anywhere, on land, above air, or under the sea, these few things were all Santa needed to help find the right sub his mom was on.
That seemed to satisfy his four year old and they wrapped up the gifts with a letter to Santa. Since Jake couldn't yet read or write, John wrote the note, but included some hand-drawn pictures from Jake.
On Christmas Eve, a package several miles under the sea was opened by a mother missing her family. You should have seen the joy in her face as she pulled out the gifts and read her husband's handwritten words.
"To my precious mermaid- We love you and miss you. These fins represent how I try to stay afloat while you are gone. The snorkel is to help you remember that I never take one breath without thinking of you. And the light- that is what you are to our Family! A love so bright and pure, that even in your absence, we shine, steadily burning awaiting your return. These pictures are from Jake. He wanted to make sure his mommy wasn't forgotten by Santa Clause. Merry Christmas! We will be here when you pull back into port!" love, your husband and son.
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