The Hitting Zone

"Why do you guys get the dining room?" Kyle complained.

"Because I'm in charge." Zeke answered with a smirk. He moved to the dining room and I followed.

We definitely had the easiest job. The dining room table was already cleaned. Zeke instructed me to do the vacuuming while he reorganized the table and chairs. Three on each long side and one at each end of the table. I maneuvered the vacuum as he moved them back and forth. Then he had us move the China dishware from the glass cabinet to the sink in the kitchen. He washed and I dried. The twins had it tougher. Kyle was scrubbing the oven on the inside while Dave cleaned out the fridge and reorganized it so a few shelves were empty.

Zeke and I finished first, putting the dishes back in the glass cabinet, ready to be used for tomorrow. The only reason the twins finished before Mom came home with the groceries was that she had taken hours. It was practically time for dinner.

"We don't need dinner." Noah told me when I asked about it. He raised the bags he was carrying. "We have this! Come on!" He went to the table and dumped the bags. Candies and cookies of all kinds were spread out and covered most of the table. Noah started to organize it by sorting what went together and what didn't.

Mom wasn't too far behind. She brought in a few boxes of pre-made gingerbread house cutouts. Noah was quick to push one in front of me and one if front of himself. Then he ran to get plates and knives. I followed his lead in building a gingerbread house, using the icing as glue to keep the four walls together. Then the roof. Then it was time to decorate. The twins and Zeke showed up and made their own.

Grampa came in to check our progress. He made comments and suggestions while sneaking in a handful of cookies.

Mom caught him in action. "Stop snacking so much. Pizza will be here soon, Dad."

Grampa waved his hand carelessly. "I'll still have room for pizza. Don't worry about it."

"Dad." Mom stressed.

"Mary, I'm old. Let me a little before I leave this world." Grampa said.

Dad came in and steered Mom away from the mess on the dining table. And from saying any more to Grampa about his eating habits. I knew where Noah got it now. It's hereditary.

The pizza arrived as Noah and I finished our houses. We took our food to the living room and started a Christmas movie. Grampa joined us. Then Zeke. Then the twins. Dad and Mom. At the end of the movie, instead of staying up late to watch another, Mom sent us to bed.

"Why don't we just do gifts now, Mom?" Noah said, stealing looks at the presents under the fake Christmas tree.

"Too late." Mom rubbed the top of Noah's head. "I already bought everything for tomorrow. You know what though? I give you permission to wake up everyone if you're the first one up."

"Mommmm." Kyle groaned. "He's going to wake us up at like 5am now."

"Jake is getting his first taste of a Noah Christmas." Dave laughed.

I made a face. "I'm not waking up at 5am." Not even for presents.

"I'll drag you down here, dead or alive." Noah raised his fists. He laughed. "Well, awake or asleep."

Noah was true to his word. But so was I. Early the next morning, he ripped my comforter off me. Before I could hug the pillow tighter, that too was ripped away. I went to the next best thing: acting like a plank of wood, eyes shut.

Noah didn't give up. He grabbed me under my arms and someone else grabbed my ankles. I was officially off the bed. I groaned and peeked to see who had my fight. Dave. I guess his finger didn't hurt enough now that it's 'Christmas'.

Noah dragged me downstairs, talking a mile a minute. Once in the living room, he pushed me onto the big couch, between Zeke and Kyle. I eyed Zeke's blanket across his lap. He had slept down here so he must have been Noah's first victim.

Zeke generously tossed the blanket off of himself and onto me. I wrapped myself up like a burrito and rested with my eyes closed. I could here Mom coming down, yet she didn't come to the living room. Dad did. Then Grampa. Noah and Dave didn't even let the elderly off.

Mom came in to the full living room and smiled when she caught me opening one eye. "Merry Christmas, Jake."

My lips twitched. I didn't want to smile. I wanted to sleep.

Noah and Dave completely controlled the morning. They started to pass out the gifts, making smaller piles in front of everyone. Then as soon as Mom gave the word, they started to tear into their gifts. Kyle also moved with speed. I tried to imitate Zeke, opening the paper softly at the tapped corners and then seeing what it was, but soon I was infected by the excitement.

I got so many presents, I couldn't imagine how much time Mom and Dad put into it. They gave me all kinds of clothing from shirts, sweatshirts, sweatpants, joggers, and even funny socks. I had expensive items like wireless headphones and some kind of handheld gaming console. I was given a baseball blanket with the A's logo on it. New cleats. New glove.

I looked around constantly to make sure I wasn't special. I wanted the boys to get good gifts too. And if Dave and Kyle's raised voices were any indication, it was all good. Noah kept showing me every new gift he would open.

"Look at this hoodie!! I'm going to wear it to school on our first day back!"

"This bat is the best one for high schoolers right now! If you would just use aluminum, I bet you would hit homers every at-bat!"

"The new Nike's!"

Almost through the gifts, I started to smell...cinnamon. I looked at Mom, the only one who would be cooking right now.

"The cinnamon rolls must almost be done!" Kyle jumped up. "Stay where you're at Mom! I'll do it!" No matter how mature Kyle pretended to be, he still had a sweet tooth as well.

"Put them on the stove, then put the icing on." Mom instructed. "Make sure to let it sit for awhile. And please, do not eat the icing by itself. That's just gross."

"No promises!" Kyle was already gone.

Mom and Dad seemed to be having a small moment of their own as they each opened gifts that the other got them. Noah didn't want to watch them kiss so he pulled me out with the excuse that Kyle would probably eat all the icing and put none on the cinnamon rolls. He wasn't totally wrong. We came in as Kyle was eating the icing and only half the rolls were covered.

The morning was full of laughs and I almost didn't want it to end. We ate the cinnamon rolls and talked about the gifts we got. Mom wanted us to take some pictures after despite all of us being in pjs. Gifts were put away and played with. We took turns showering and getting dressed.

Near noon, Mom placed snack food on the table for us to eat freely. Apparently Christmas dinner was going to be early like at 4pm. I didn't understand and Noah didn't know the reasoning either. Mom recruited Dad's help and it wasn't long before we were called to set the table.

Honey glazed ham. Mashed potatoes. Green been casserole. Cranberry sauce. Toasted rolls. It was similar to thanksgiving, but with a few replacements. Mom also brought out homemade cookies and we all reached for that first. Mom laughed and let it go.

This is how I imagined Christmas would be with the Atkins. Just so much joy. I appreciated the gifts but the unconditional love and laughs is what really made it.

"Your Gramma would have wanted to be here. To make it to this moment." Grampa said mid-dinner. He smiled. "I'm glad I got to see it too." He looked at me. "Jake, what do you think of your first Atkins Christmas?"

I swallowed the food in my mouth, almost choking. Noah gave my back a heavy pat. I coughed, feeling a little embarrassed. I looked around and sat up straight. "I don't have any attachments to holidays, but being with you guys is the best feeling. Holiday or not, I'm happy to be here."

Noah pulled me sideways and we started to sway as he started to sing, "Have a holly jolly Christmas. It's the best time of the year." The twins jumped in quick and soon it was all of us, even Grampa was clapping along.