The Merry Christmas Polka

At precisely six o'clock, the doorbell rang. My younger sisters dropped all their preparations for dinner and ran to answer the door. The arrival of Grandpa on Christmas Eve was probably the most awaited event of the year. His presence on December 24^th was a sign that the Christmas festivities could officially begin.

Although Grandpa wouldn't give us our Christmas presents until the next day, he never comes to our house empty handed. As he hands my sister a huge sack of oranges, I throw my arms around his neck and give him a Christmas hug. Grabbing his hands and pulling him out of the cold, frigid air into our warm house, my little sister shows him our Christmas Eve feast. My parents and brother join us as we make our way to the table. Now that Grandpa is here, we can eat.

Karen Carpenter serenades us as we eat, talk, and laugh together. Even after we've eaten to the point of satisfaction, no one leaves the table. For now, we're content to enjoy one another's company. After a while, we grab our scriptures and move into the living room. It's time to read the Christmas story.

Following the Christmas story, I jump onto the piano bench and start playing requests. My sisters readily comply and sing with gusto, because Santa Claus is watching. About a half hour passes before I start playing the Merry Christmas Polka. My family sings it through once, and requests that I play it again. The second time around, everyone gets up and starts dancing! After a while, my mom and I switch places on the piano bench, and my grandpa grabs my hands and pulls me into formal dance position. As we polka around the living room, the only sounds to be heard are those of music and laughter.

Immediately following the impromptu polka, my mom brings out a few brightly wrapped Christmas Eve gifts-one for each of the kids. On my sister's command, everyone starts to unwrap their gift. The wrapping paper isn't necessary-we all know that the packages contain matching pajamas. Running to our rooms, we quickly change into our new pajamas. One by one, we model them for Grandpa. After the fashion show, Grandpa announces it's time for him to leave.

After kissing Grandpa goodbye, my sisters grab their sleeping bags and set them up in my room. Gathering a bunch of snacks, we bed down for the night. My sisters speculate about possible gifts, but after a time my room grows quiet, and we have a chance to reflect on our evening. No words are exchanged, but without a doubt, we all know we will never forget the night we polkaed with Grandpa.