The Nebraska sky unleashes endless snowflakes just as the bus squeals to a stop. Their last day of school before the winter break has just ended, and Jayden Blue and Raylene Hawkins begin the welcome vacation by leaping over all of the bus's steps down to the walkway, much to the chagrin of the patient driver.

Raylene's Christmas tree is already set up and ready to go, but Jayden's is still scattered throughout their garage in cardboard boxes. Mr. and Mrs. Blue have been too busy all week, but the entire family plans to have a good dinner, ignore the blizzard with the help of hot chocolate, and team up on the decorating.

Jayden's cats, Hex and Halo, are having their own kind of fun. Or are they? Could he just be imagining their odd antics? But they share his surprise when he unwraps an unexpected present-the last one that he opens on Christmas morning.

It's a gift that he might never have imagined. But it's just the gift that he needed.