I�ll Be Home For Christmas
Staring at the bright, clear lights in his Christmas tree, he sighed. Yup, he admitted it, he was feeling rather sorry for himself. It was Christmas Eve, it was cold, dark and rainy outside and he was alone.
His girlfriend, with whom he was supposed to celebrate Christmas, had left for Scotland the previous day. Her aunt had gotten very ill and the family had decided they should all be together with her for what may be her last Christmas.
It had come fairly unexpected and Ringo hadn�t been able to make other plans on such short notice. Not that he had really wanted to. He hadn�t been about to ask anyone if he could come over for Christmas just because he would be celebrating it on his own. No, that certainly hadn�t been an option.
Instead he�d asked his band mates what they would be doing. Secretly he�d hoped one of them would also be alone so that Ringo could invite him over.
However, he had had no such luck. Paul would be visiting his in-laws with Jane, George and Patti were off to see George�s brother Harry and his family and John and Cynthia had said they would be enjoying a nice and quiet evening together with Julian.
Of course, they�d asked what Ringo would be doing and he�d just told them he and Mo would also be staying at home, which was only half a lie.
As a Beatle, Ringo rarely felt lonely. He was, after all, part of the �four-headed beast� and with all the touring and recording, the four Beatles were almost always together. Often, two of them would even go on holiday together.
But tonight, he did feel lonely.
He got up and switched on the TV, only to switch it off again five minutes later. He decided he didn�t feel like watching television.
Ringo glanced at his clock, it read 9 p.m. Time for champagne, he thought and walked into his kitchen, popped open the bottle and filled a glass.
�Merry Christmas, Ringo,� he said to himself as he returned to his living room. He eyed the Christmas decorations he�d put up only a few days earlier and noted that they didn�t do anything to lift his spirits tonight. Neither did the champagne, for that matter.
Finally, he decided he was going to give John a ring with the excuse of wishing him a merry Christmas. He walked over to the phone, picked up the receiver and dialled. However, after having waited six rings, he hung up again, feeling disappointed. They must�ve gone to visit someone after all.
With a deep sigh, he walked over to one of the windows, champagne in hand, and stared out at the rain that was steadily falling from the sky.
Then, the doorbell rang.
Who the hell could that be? Ringo thought, as he hastily went to open the door.
To his immense surprise, John and Cynthia Lennon and little Julian were standing on his doorstep.
�Happy Crimble, mate!� John said happily.
Ringo simply stared.
�Well, are ye gonna let us stand out here all night?� John inquired jokingly.
At that, Ringo shook himself. �Of course not, come in!� He stepped aside to let his three unexpected guests in and closed the door behind them only to jump in surprise when he heard pounding on his door.
�Ah, yes, those are my elves,� John told Ringo with a wink, as he helped Julian out of his warm coat.
Eyebrows raised, Ringo opened the door again and was greeted with an ear shattering: �Merry Christmas!�
Ringo couldn�t help but smile when he saw Paul, George, Jane and Patti on his doorstep, pressed together to keep warm.
�Come in, come in,� Ringo said happily, opening the door wider to let them in.
After everyone had pulled off their coats and the like, Ringo finally gathered his wits enough to ask what he�d wanted to ask since he�d found John at his door. �What are you lot doin� here?!�
�Mo phoned me earlier and she told me she was away and that you were gonna be alone on Christmas Eve,� Cynthia explained, setting down a tray full of self-baked cookies on the sitting-room table. �I mentioned it to John and he decided to phone Paul and George.�
�Yer a sod, Ritch, ye shoulda told us!� John said.
Ringo chose to ignore that comment. He didn�t feel like going into why he hadn�t told them. �All right, lads�and ladies, make yerselves at home! I�ll get ye some drinks,� he said and disappeared into the kitchen.
They chatted and laughed for hours and near the end of the evening, Ringo felt happy and content. He�d had a wonderful Christmas Eve after all.
�Aye, it�s snowin�!� Paul exclaimed suddenly.
The others quickly made their way over to Paul, who was looking out the window, and pressed their noses against the glass, almost flattening Paul as they did so.
�Aye, he�s right!� George said.
Paul sent him a funny look. �Of course I�m right, you nit, I know what snow looks like.�
George just smirked at him.
They stood there in silence for a while, just enjoying each other�s company and savouring the peaceful and happy feeling.
Then, quite suddenly, Paul�s head bobbed up, nearly bashing John in the nose.
�Aye, watch that!� John said.
�Did you hear that?� Paul asked, ignoring him.
�Hear what?�
�I heard�I heard sleigh bells!�
John whacked him over the head. �Don�t be daft!�
�Well, it�s true, I heard �em!� Paul said, scowling at John.
Ringo grinned, enjoying the banter. Paul was right though, he�d heard them too. He looked up at the sky and raised his glass towards the window.
Thank you, Mr Clause, for this merry evening! A happy Crimble to you too!
The End