JAKEY'S DREAM COMES TRUE

Everyone waited with barely suppressed excitement,as the children opened their Christmas presents.

It was six in the morning.We couldn't keep them in bed another minute.Sammy had awakened at two-thirty a.m. and yelled out, "MERRY CHRISTMAS".A chorus of sleepy voices yelled back,"BE QUIET AND GO BACK TO SLEEP."

He woke up again at four and yelled,"I GUESS I CAN"T GET UP,HUH??"

"NO!"yelled his dad.

So,Sammy read a book and,most annoyingly,sang Christmas songs in a soft but perfectly audible,off key voice.No one ever really got back to sleep,except the men who could sleep through a four alarm fire.

The women got up around five-thirty and tidied themselves and started making coffee.Sammy was told he could come down stairs when Jakey woke up.In the mean time he was allowed to look through his stocking up in his room.That kept him quiet.

I'm pretty sure Sammy poked his brother a few times to wake him,because,the next thing we knew,Sam was dragging a sleepy Jake down the stairs.

It didn't take Jakey long to get in the spirit of things and pretty soon they were ripping up paper like a couple of tornadoes.

They got some great gifts and Sammy was jumping for joy.Jakey was smiling,but I saw the expectant look on his face every time he opened a rather heavy box.When it turned out to be a Transformer or a Star Wars game,I imagined I saw a shadow in his eyes.

When we all got down to the last few gifts,Jakey didn't look so hopeful any more.A hush settled over the room.All we could hear was the fire crackling.

I handed Jakey THE SPECIAL GIFT.He smiled,but he didn't seem too excited.

He opened it so slowly,I almost grabbed it and ripped the paper off.

When he saw the camcorder,his dream come true,he was speechless.He stood completely still for a few moments and said not a word.Stupidly,I tried to fill the void."You see Jakey,Santa would never disappoint a good boy like you."

Suddenly,he was all motion.He ripped the box open and held the camera reverently, like it was the crown jewels or the Dead Sea Scrolls.

He was grinning from ear to ear,and he started asking questions so rapidly,his Grandpa couldn't get the answers out.Good thing Guppa(Grandpa) had read the manual.

He never put the camera down for the rest of the day.They had to wrestle it out of his hands to get him to the dinner table.

He filmed me setting the table.He filmed his mom running around the kitchen,like she had a wasp in her knickers.He filmed Aunty Elsie trying on her new jewelry.He filmed his dad yawning and scratching himself.He filmed Guppa snoring after dinner.He filmed the toys, scattered on the floor and Sammy laying among them,sound asleep at last.He filmed the dog chewing up paper and ripping it to shreds.He conducted interviews with all of us.

Did we get tired of the damn camera in our faces?Yes.Did we get tired of looking at his radiant little face?Never.

And,we have a wonderful video of Christmas 2008,that his dad labeled and put in a case so that we'll always remember this day and Jakey's first movie.

When we were all dressed in coats and boots,ready to leave that night,

Jakey hugged Brian and I very hard and said,"Thankyou,Gunny

and Guppa, for my camera."Not for a moment,had he believed that Santa had brought it.

We both left with tears in our eyes.