"A Christmas Surprise" by Annette L. Brown

 – “Sweetheart, wake up! Santa’s here!”  

“But what I really want, Santa, is a flashlight.”

Annette L. Brown is a personal essayist and creative nonfiction writer who has pieces reflecting her love of nature, family, beauty, and humor in several publications including Flash Fiction Magazine, Every Day Fiction, Bad Day Book (Parenting), and several volumes of the Personal Story Publishing Project (Randell Jones). Annette is grateful for the support and friendship of her writing group, the Taste Life Twice Writers. 

Author’s Talk

Annette L. Brown

Kids are funny. I recently babysat my toddler grandson for a week while my son Matt and his lovely wife took a much-needed vacation in Hawaii. As I changed my grandson’s first diaper each day, he would sing his rendition of “Baby Shark,” then punctuate his “doo, doo, doo-doo” by grabbing his toes and giggling, just delighted with himself. How could I not laugh with him? Of course, I did.  

I laughed with and at both my sons as well. They said and did so many funny things growing up. I catalogued much of that comedic history in computer folders titled with their names. Many of those recorded events focus more on their unexpected responses to a moment than on their sense of humor, e.g., trying to sneak in a fishing pole as we packed for our first trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium.  

Sometimes my husband and I planned so carefully, we were convinced our desired reaction would play out—in truth, not so much. It took us many years to realize that there were no guarantees regarding how our kids would respond to the adventures we planned—no matter how meticulously we attended to details—and that perhaps we should just enjoy the day-to-day moments that textured our lives, especially those flavored with laughter.  

“A Christmas Surprise” takes place before our second child was born, long before my husband and I had learned any lessons about the futility of overplanning.  

Hope my retelling brings you a smile. Cheers!