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"Will you pick your things off the living room floor?" Mom yelled across the house. "Please?"

"Who are you talking to?" Dad called back, sticking his head inside from the garage.

"All three of you!" she yelled. "The rest of the family is going to be here in an hour, and I'm the only one that seems to be making any effort to make this place look presentable!"

I sighed, put down my controller, and headed downstairs. I stared around the living room.

"Mom, I don't have anything out down here," I said. "This is all Riley's stuff."

She rushed past me with a broom, looking exhausted. "Then clean your room!" she barked.

"Christ, mother," I said. I rolled my eyes and bent down to pick up my baby brother's toys. "It's not like anyone is going to be in there during Christmas dinner," I muttered under my breath. "I swear, your anxiety multiplies tenfold during the holidays."

I scooped up the rest of Riley's things off the floor and carried them to his room. I glanced in his playpen. He wasn't there. "Huh," I said, and I moved to his toy box.

Upon opening it, I started to dump my armload, and with a cry, stopped myself. There was my little brother, Riley, staring up at me.

"Oy, how did you get in there?" I said, dumping the load onto the floor. "You don't belong in there!" I said, reaching down and plucking him out of the box. "Hiding from Mom, then, are you?" I asked, bouncing Riley on my hip. "Can't say that I blame you. She's always this way around this time of year. But this is your first one, isn't it?" I carried him out of the room and to the living room. "You haven't heard her singing Christmas carols at the piano while the rest of us sleep."

At that moment, I heard the piano from the front room. Just a light tinkling at first, and then it evolved into a joyous arrangement of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. I grinned and looked at Riley, who was smiling.

"You too, huh?" I said. "This is the one thing that helps her calm down whenever she gets in this state. It's impossible to get her to relax otherwise."

I carried Riley up to the front room and stood behind my mother, whose eyes were closed, her fingers flying gently over the keys. I smiled at my brother, whose head drooped onto my shoulder, his eyes still wide, staring at Mom. The tiniest muscles twitched on his cheeks, right above his lips.

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Thanks to Jenny Cutter, Julian Bonilla, Stephanie Doo, Jeri Birdwell, Jayda Whiddon, Cyndi Prachar, Renee Beasley, Rikki Arndt, Lori Whitley, and Susan Reifert for their input on this week's blog.

For next week and the new year, let me know what resolutions you have! What will you add to your life in the new year?

Merry Christmas to all of you and your families, and have a very happy holiday. And don't forget to subscribe.