An Unexpected Gift

It was just another relatively quiet Christmas. The snow is slowly piling higher and higher, causing chaos with the unprepared commuters who slip their way to see family or friends. The cold air seems to penetrate your thick Parker coat no matter how tightly you wrap yourself inside it.

"Only another five minutes", you tell yourself as you stride purposefully towards your goal, a house right at the other end of the street. You've made this journey hundreds of times, though you rarely walk it. There wasn't a chance you were taking a car out in this weather though, you wouldn't have made it any further than a few metres before getting stuck in traffic, or sliding off the road.

In freezing gloved hands you clasp your Grandfather's Christmas present - an expensive bottle of whiskey. He's incredibly difficult to buy for so it quickly became a tradition that you would buy him a nice bottle of Scotch. It clinks lightly with every step, a harmony with the constant crunch of snow beneath your boots.

"Two minutes", you count down, estimating the time it will take you to get there. You can see it now, the weird and wonderful home made Christmas lights that criss-cross the red roof and hang off the guttering. You can't help but smile to yourself nostalgically as it reminds you of coming here as a child. In fact, your Grandfather never seemed to change, not since you've known him. He's always had the large red face, the cheeky grin and bleach white hair. You would always make sure that you had time in the week to visit, which was easy since you lived so close, and he would always appreciate the time you gave him.

With a deep breath, you finally reach his front porch. A glowing Santa made of some kind of holographic light turns in your direction and silently waves at you as you ring the bell. Your eyes are still following its mechanical movements as your Grandfather answers the door with a huge grin.