It was December 3, a special day for families who have been waiting to reunite with their loved ones. It was the school's Christmas Day Celebration; though the event was far from the actual day itself.

As part of the event, all the students from Grade One to Grade Twelve sang Christmas songs, from Christian Classics such as The First Noël and Angels We Have Heard On High to Traditional Carols such as We Wish You A Merry Christmas and Jingle Bells. The audience clapped and cheered after every performance, proud parents showing how much they appreciate their children when they sing.

The show ended at 10:45. When it was all over, the students rushed to their families, sparking a reunion. Philip searched high-and-low for his family, but was unable to find them. Maybe they couldn't attend. But still, if they couldn't they should've just notified him. Oh, how heartbroken he felt! Philip returned to his dormitory to pack up his luggage, so when they've arrived he was already prepared.

When Philip had finished packing up his belongings, he heard someone knocking on the door. He opened it to see the headmistress.

"You're still here, Philip?" asked Headmistress Diane.

"Yes, madam," Philip replied.

"Why?"

"Because my family's not here yet."

"Really? How sad. Don't worry, you can wait at the lobby, where it's more airy."

The headmistress helped him in carrying his bags to the lobby, where he waited. When they reached the place, the headmistress returned to her office to process more paper work. Philip was the only one there, for not even the front desk ladies remained. Philip sighed as he watched other children being with their families.

"What's wrong, Philip?" asked a familiar, soothing voice. It was the man.

"Nothing's wrong, I'm okay."

"It's okay, you can tell me."

"My family's not here, and I'm all alone!" he cried. The man empathized with the young boy and comforted him.

"You're not alone, Philip. I, too, know what it feels like to be alone. But your family is here, you just can't find them," he said.

The man beckoned at the empty space between the gate and the lobby. Suddenly, the gates opened and a car parked in front of the lobby. They had arrived!

"Philip! We're so sorry that we were late, it was just so traffic and we thought we couldn't make it!" his mother apologized.

"It's okay, mommy. At least you three are here now," the young boy told his mother. He tilted his head to the left to see a pair of familiar faces popping out of the car window.

"Butter!" the twins exclaimed, pointing at their elder brother. Philip rolled his eyes at them.

"It's brother, not butter." Philip corrected them.

"It's okay," said his mother, "they're still two years old. Later when they're older."

The mother and son climbed into the car as their driver placed the baggage in the trunk.

The car then left the school and they continued their journey home. During the journey, Philip told his mother and twin siblings stories of his time at boarding school. He told them about his best friend, Louis; he told them what it felt like; and he told them about the things he and his classmates would do at school. They listened attentively as he spoke.

When they had arrived at their home, safe and sound, everyone (including the two servants and the butler) began decorating the house for Christmas. The children and their mother decorated the Christmas trees; the two servants hung the lights and the butler hung the stockings and wreaths. When all was done, the children made invitations for their Christmas Family Reunion. On their list were their Auntie Annie, their father's younger sister; Uncle Jack, their mother's elder brother; Auntie Jane, their mother's sister-in-law; and their cousins, James, John and Jennifer (often called the Triple J's).

When they had finished, Philip was led by his younger siblings to the lounge, where they played instruments and watched movies on their TV. Their mother couldn't join them, for she had work to do.

"Big brother," asked Catherine, Philip's younger sister, "did you miss us when you were at school?"

"Well of course," he replied, "I missed you guys so much that it bothered my for the first week!"

"Really?" said Aaron, Philip's younger brother, "I thought you loved being without us!"

"Well Aaron, I do feel like that sometimes. But after a while, I just want to be with someone. But not with a large group, it terrifies me."

After chatting, it was time for dinner. Mother served them a bowl of her signature spaghetti carbonara: Philip's favorite dish. And for drinks was a mixture of fruit juices served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream: a fruit float, they dubbed it. They brushed their teeth afterward and went to sleep early, for they felt tired.

And while they slept, the snow continued to fall.