Santa and St. Josef - PG

[MoonlitRose]

Wonderful St Josef story, PNWgal! I laughed and cried and found peace in knowing that Josef will always have a connection with Mick and Beth, through their family.

I'm very happy to know that Josef made Santa's nice list!

Thank You for sharing.

Happy Holidays.

[PNWgal]

Awwwww, MoonlitRose...thank you so much!

While Josef will mourn when he loses Mick, he'll always have a piece of him. That is a wonderful and peaceful thought. And LOL, it is nice for Josef to finally end up on the nice list!

Happy Holidays to you as well, hon.

[MickLifeCrisis]

Still makes me tear up - and smile at the same time.

Little Alex is already looking like his Daddy, so for at least the next generation it will be just like having Mick by Josef's side again.

This is lovely and worth a reread every December.

[librarian_7]

I'm embarrassed that I haven't commented on this before. It's just so great.

And I would read the hell out of anything featuring your Santa Claus. He's wonderful!

[allegrita]

So happy to have a chance to reread this classic story again!

[PNWgal]

I always grin like an idiot when this one comes up. I loved writing this and kinda cringe, too, cuz wow...I've learned alot since I wrote this!

Thank you ALL for leaving me feedback - my readers are the BEST!

[allegrita]

This is my Christmas Eve choice for a classic fanfic to revisit. I love this story so much. There's much more to it than one would expect from a fluffy Christmas story. It's all about love when you come right down to it.

Good old Santa. He gave Josef a few home truths when he really needed them.

Thanks, Pgal--I will always love this story!

[librarian_7]

Excellent choice, Alle! I love this one, too.

[HotMicks]

Oh, PGal, this one is really a treat! Thanks for bumping it, Alle.

Everyone has pretty much covered everything at this point, but let me just add that it made me, too, laugh and (nearly) tear up. If I weren't in such a jolly good holiday mood it would have probably had me sobbing.

Your Josef is spot-on, and I really liked the 'voice' you gave to Santa... sorta like a wise Buddha. He didn't let Josef cheat his way through his dilemma. And I have to admit, whether you intended it or not, for a couple of paragraphs there, I thought Santa's wish-granting was going to involve Sarah. Nice bit of misdirection if you intended it. Loved that Mick's kid is named "Alex."

My favorite line?

“Let’s see…alright, here we go. For the first time in many, many, MANY years, imagine my surprise to see your name appear on the nice list. The missus almost passed out cold when she noticed the addition."

Brilliant! ('coz I can just see it)

Thanks so much for writing this; I'm glad I finally got around to reading it!

[MickLifeCrisis]

Let me grab a tissue...

Okay. So glad this got bumped, especially on Christmas Eve. Thank you again, Pgal, for sharing this with us. Such a lovely story.

[PNWgal]

You guys.

I love all of you.

This was probably one of my favorite stories to write. Someone like Josef needed a strong character to give as good as he got, so Santa got a strong backbone. I figured Santa's been around at least as long as vampires and he's seen it all. So he knows what everyone needs - including Josef.

I love to see this one come to the surface around the holidays!

[allegrita]

Gosh, it's been too long since I reread this bittersweet story. Mick will live on in his children and their children, and Josef will always guard and protect them.

Hmm... all of a sudden I am reminded of the end of "Charlotte's Web"...

[MickLifeCrisis]

Let me finish blinking...

Thank you for bumping this, Alle! I had forgotten all about it. It really does need to be a Christmas tradition here. Such a lovely story. I hope Josef and his family have a wonderful Christmas morning!

[allegrita]

Man, nobody tugs the heartstrings while simultaneously tickling the funny bone like my dear PNWgal. I think this story has become a Christmas tradition for me!

[MickLifeCrisis]

Glad you bumped this, Alle! What a wonderful story Pgal gave us! I've made several comments over the years, but I stand by my first one, from 2010:

This is really a lovely story. Josef the softy with the children, then drinking to convince himself he doesn't deserve the "family" of Mick and Beth and their little ones. Santa convincing him otherwise. And the gift is really for all of them: Josef will always have a part of Mick's lineage as his family, and Mick and Beth get the knowledge that their family and progeny will always have a benefactor to look out for them. A wonderful Christmas tale! Thank you!