Christmas music is playing around the streets. The town is lite up full of red and green lights and happiness around every corner. Well… almost every corner a homeless child walks out of a thrift shop Christmas Eve. The childs name was Charles Nashtin a ten year old boy who stayed in the thrift shop most of the day to keep warm. Charles had a jacket way too small for him, very ragged and dirty jeans, and shoes that had large holes in the front of the shoes. Charles walks down the brightly colored streets with his hands in his pockets trying to stay warm. While walking Charles thought about his family and how he used to celebrate Christmas Eve. It was his favorite time of the year and the boy lived a pretty normal life. A single child with two parents and a huge log house in the middle of the country there wasn’t much more he could ask for.
Charles life with his family was great for the most part until her mother became extremely ill. Charles mother had cancer and it was discovered in the heart when she passed away November 26th a little over a year ago. Charles and Mr. Nashtin were devastated and both had their own ways of expressing their sadness. Charles would cry all the time especially at night when his mother would tuck him in and read a bedtime story. Mr. Nashtin decided to live his life on the bottle and spend most of his time drunk. When Charles really thought about it he could not remember a time where his father wasn’t drunk. Mr. Nashtin took a turn for the worst and pulled Charles out of school to “homeschool” him. Mr. Nashtin went insane and deposited every penny he had saved up in the bank and cashed it to put in his wallet. Then use that money to go to the bar every day and get as drunk as he could before he came home. Mr. Nashtin would come home and educate Charles and by educate I mean beat him at least three times a day. Mr. Nashtin called Charles a curse and a burden to the world as he beat him. Charles suffered deep depression and believed that he was nothing but a curse. Charles took the beating without complaint.
Christmas showed up, the first Christmas without Charles mother. Charles ran downstairs to open his presents Santa had left for him, but when he got downstairs his father was sitting on the couch with twelve pack of beer at his side.
“Where are the presents?” The boy asked as he looked under the Christmas tree.
The father put his beer down and said, “What are you fucking three? Grow up Santa doesn’t exist and I wish I could say the same for you.”
The boy started to tear up a little and didn’t know what to do other than stand and cry.
This angered his father, “Stop crying and get the hell out of my face.”
Charles cried ran upstairs to his room and locked his door behind him.
Mr. Nashtin got off his couch and chased after him, he came up to his door and started bashing on the door yelling, “Come out you little s***, and stop your crying.” Mr. Nashtin continued to bash on the door screaming nasty insults out as Charles sat in the corner of his room crying and wishing this nightmare would be over soon.
Charles continued to sit in his room when suddenly his father stopped bashing on the door and started to cry. Charles was scared and stayed in his room and decided to lay in his bed. Charles ended up crying himself to sleep until he heard a loud gunshot. Charles woke up and noticed his room was smoky, he got up and slowly went to the door. Charles opened the door and noticed the house was on fire and it started to fall apart. Pieces of debris were falling everywhere and the roof was slowly losing support as the fires ragged hotter and hotter. Charles ran out scared dodging the burning debris and as he ran as fast as he could to get outside to safety he noticed something terrible. His father had shot himself through the head with a shotgun. The flames were getting larger and the house was coming apart Charles had no time to stick around so he ran out and grabbed his father's wallet on counter before going outside to safety. Charles grabbed it and jumped through the open window in his living room and as he left the house he turned around and saw his beautiful `country house fall to the ground.
Charles ran away with his fathers wallet believing he was nothing more than a burden to the world. Nobody ever searched for Charles because everyone believed he was killed in the tragic fire along with his father. It has been a year now Charles has been wandering around with his fathers 5,000 dollars in cash to survive. The boy avoided people as much as possible and almost never got questioned as he walked from town to town. There has a been a few times where people have asked if he was lost or needed help.
Charles would simply reply, “No I am fine my parents are…” He would usually just name some place he had just passed and every time they would believe him.
Now here he is Christmas Eve almost out of money about 2,000 miles from home. Charles was hungry on this cold december night and a empty stomach made him very desperate for food. Like a Christmas miracle the boy saw a place full of food, he ran quickly to this huge cabin like structure and snuck in line. Charles soon found out that it was a Christmas Eve wedding reception, people were dancing, lights were a light blue hanging all around, everyone was bundled up and a Christmas spirt filled the room. Charles got a plate and shoved food down his face as fast as he could then noticed the Bride and Groom sitting in a sled.
The groom was in a nice white tuxedo and the bride was in a beautiful slim white dress. The first man to the right of the groom began to tap his glass and others followed. Charles confused grabbed his glass and began tapping his glass like everyone else. Charles kept an eye on the couple as they set their food down and kissed. Charles realized that he had never attended a wedding before and took in all of his surroundings. Families laughing, cousin being loud playing card games, uncles complaining about the world and how it could be better and grandparents relaxing and telling stories of their past lives. Though all of this was happening Charles always kept at least one eye on the Christmas like decorations and the wedding couple.
Charles stared and the longer he stared the more he realized the bride reminded him of his mother. Charles thought she was beautiful and couldn’t help but to tear up a little. Massive cake was brought up, it was white with a red velvet center. The outside of the cake was a artistic history of the couples life wit ha artistic prediction of the wedding day on top. As everyone in the wedding reception got in line to get a piece of cake Charles continued to observe this bride who so closely resembled his mother. She was really short with a beautiful slim complexion. She had curly hair and her eyes… they were beautiful just like his mothers eyes by just looking at them Charles felt his mother was with him again.
Charles sat down tearing up and a DJ suddenly came up and congratulated the couple, then started up the music for everyone to dance to. The selection was very mixed old and new music playing so not matter what age anyone would have their song to dance to. The boy sat there awkwardly watching with tears of happiness flowing down his cheeks. The song Baby it’s cold outside played and the Bride and Groom went to the center of the dance floor and danced to the song. Charles watched as the two looked into eachothers eyes and the Bride kissed the groom and put her head on the grooms chest and continued to dance. The DJ told everyone else to join the couple and everyone got a dance partner and danced to the song.
Charles was overfilled with happiness that he had not felt in a very long time and decided he wanted to dance. He walked towards the dance floor and the Bride saw the tears running down Charles face. The Bride smiled and grabbed Charles hand and asked if he had wanted to dance. Charles lost his breath and he couldn’t speak so he stayed silent and grabbed onto her other hand. The Bride pulled Charles to the dance floor and the song All I want for Christmas is you played. The two of them danced and the Bride had this beautiful smile on her face. A smile Charles had not seen in a long time and could trust and dance to without a worry in the world.

They continued to dance together hand in hand until the Bride started to softly sing the song.
“That voice,” Charles thought to himself.
The Brides voice was just like his mothers it was so sweet and comforting. It wasn’t a perfect million dollar voice but it was a beautiful and comforting voice.
Charles started to cry and let go of the Brides hands and ran away. Charles ran outside where the snow filled the town. The snow was falling light and smooth as Charles ran away and fell to his knees crying. The Bride ran out in her white dress getting mud all over it. The Groom followed behind her exclaiming.
“Sweetheart, where are you going?”
The bride catches up to Charles, kneels beside him and asks,”Hey what’s wrong?”
The groom caught up to her Bride and Charles.
“Who is this?” The man asks as he kneels beside Charles.
The bride looks up at his husband. “I was hoping you knew.”
“Well he isn’t on my side of the family.”
The bride puts her hand on Charles shoulder and asks. “Where do you live and do you need a ride back home?”
Charles looks up with his eye’s bright red and say’s, “I have no home and I have no family the only thing I have is these clothes I wear and empty pockets.”
Charles continued to cry and he told his story about how his mother died, his father went crazy and burned the house down and how he has been wandering around for a year.
Charles just cried looking down as his tears hit the snow below him and said, “I was a burden to my parent’s and I would rather run away forever and die than become somebodies burden…. The Bride gave Charles a hug and started to cry before he could say another word, “You are not a burden you are a sweet and brave young man who needs a family.”
The groom got up and moved in front of Charles and said, “A family, if you so choose, you are more than welcome to be a part of.”
The snow continued to fall and Christmas music faintly played in the background and the couple continued to wait for Charles answer.
The groom looked at his wife and then looked back at Charles and said,”By the way what is your…”
Charles interpreted him in mid sentence and said, “My name is Charles and I would love to be a part of your family.” Then gave the groom a huge hug.
“Well,” The groom said as he picked the boy up with one hand and held his wife in the other , I never thought in a million years I would marry somebody so beautiful and hold a young man I wish to call my son on the same day. This truly is a Christmas miracle.”
The groom held on tightly and looked up in the sky as snow continued to fall. The groom realized this was the quickest and biggest decision he has made in his entire life but when he looked at Charles hanging on to him tightly he knew this was what he wanted. He brought his new family back to the reception singing in a really cheesy voice, “Cause baby it’s cold outside.”