A Christmas Story

6:30 a.m. the alarm went off. Brother and sister jerked awake, threw off the covers, and made their plans quickly.
"You get Mom and Dad, I'll get Matt and make the coffee." Mom never let them start opening presents until she had her coffee and Matt could always wait until later to get to the gifts. He needed encouragement.
Emily ran downstairs, but not without throwing one warning shout to her oldest brother, "Matt get up, it's Christmas!"
Brian followed her and went to Matt's room. "Matt, get up. It's time to open presents!" Matt slowly opened his eyes. Brian made sure they stayed open, then dashed to the kitchen, averting his eyes so not to get a peak of the presents, to start Mom's coffee. Dad came into the living after Emily sat beside her pile of wrapped boxes, looking as if he stayed up late, didn't go to bed when he said he would, with a tuft of hair rising from the back of his head.
The coffee brewed and Brian put two Equals into Mom's mug before she made it in. The milk sat next to the pot, which dripped too slow for the anxious children, but they had waited this long since last Christmas. They could wait another couple of minutes.
Dad got excited for the kids and, to Emily, sounding like a ghost from A Christmas Carol, exclaimed, "Emmy, look at all the presents! Are all those for you?"
"No, just these," she replied.
Mom came in for her coffee, which Brian finished preparing. The four sat at their places, Emily still beside her presents, checking boxes and the few larger items Santa never bothered to wrap, Brian sitting beside his, Mom and Dad on the couch. Dad shouted, "Matt! Come open presents!" Matt came  into the living room, eyes half covered by their lids.
"Can we start now?"
"Sure," Mom said.
"Tear into that sucker Brian!" Dad encouraged.