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Mom was in the kitchen cooking a Christmas Eve breakfast when I woke up. Through the aroma’s I could make out the smell of fried bacon, buttermilk biscuits, and Moravian sugar cake. As I drifted into the kitchen, still half asleep, Mom turned and smiled as I did the same.
“Good morning, Charlie. Are you ready for breakfast? I cooked some blueberry pancakes for you and your brothers,” came cheerfully from Mom’s mouth.
“I was going to wait for James and William to get out of bed.” Then I turned to Dad who was reading the paper in the den, “Dad, have you eaten yet?”
“I ate a piece of sugar cake, but other than that, no.”
“Oh, ok.” I then looked back at Mom and responded with, “I can wait, so we can sit down together to eat.” I proceeded into the den where I took a seat on the couch with Dad. I sprawled out with my head on my father’s lap, trying to go back to sleep, but he wanted to play. As he tickled me and I would try to fight it, but I never had any luck because of his strength compared to mine. “Quit,” I yelped with agonizing despair. “MOM! Get Dad off of me!”
“Jimmy quit bothering him. He just woke up and I don’t want you to wake up the boys.”
“It’s time for them to get out of bed, anyway,” Dad said with a stern voice (trying to make it sound that he is the man of the house. “Charlie, why don’t you and I go wake up William and James.”
“Ok, but I’m not waking James because he will beat me up,” I said to my Dad to make sure that my oldest brother wouldn’t get angry with me. As we walked up the steps I was astounded with the joyful fulfillment of waking my brothers. It was as if it was the highlight of the day. Dad and I walked into my brothers’ room, anticipating that they might wake up. As Dad crept up on James, I was closing in on William. Dad signaled to me, 1, 2, 3, and we both hurled ourselves on top of them. James had no chance of wi...