~o~O~o~
Ross Moore thought of himself an honest and reputable person, although he would be the first to tell you he had not always been so. Ross’s teen and early adult life was anything but honest, drinking and drug use, petty theft which grew into armed robbery to support his drug habit. But all that was in his past, in the past ten years Ross hadn’t so much as picked up a dime off the sidewalk without handing it back to the person who dropped it. That is why he went straight to his boss when he overheard two coworkers discussing how they had been making good money having specific items, ‘fall off their truck,’ on their deliveries. Working as a forklift driver in a warehouse loading and unloading pallets of TVs, computers and stereo systems for the big name electronics chain of stores was not a prestigious job but with his past, he was grateful to have it.

‘If I had only kept my mouth shut,’ Ross thought to himself as he climbed down the bank onto the ice covered water. Warning signs of thin ice were never needed along the banks of the river, everyone that lived in the area knew the current was too swift to allow more than a thin layer of ice to form and further out in the channel the barge traffic, which would not stop until early January, kept the water in the channel relatively clear of ice. This never stopped the ice fishing, although there always seemed to be one every year that broke through thin ice and drowned. Pilfered fishing pole in hand, Ross continued further out onto the ice hoping that the borrowed fishing pole wasn’t someone’s ‘lucky’ pole and that it would somehow find its way back to is owner.

Ross thought about his situation and how he had come to this point in his life. How if he hadn’t stopped by his father’s and his little sister Suzie’s graves after the mandatory overtime his boss forced on him today, he would have been home when the police showed up. Ross had thought it strange to be told the night before that he had to come in today, but then he realized that if someone had to work on Christmas Eve his boss knew he had no family and no plans, so it made sense to have Ross do it. As it was he arrived in time to see the crowd of people gathered watching the police carrying out the evidence, boxes of ‘stolen’ electronics clearly labeled with the company’s name he worked for. While Ross had made some bad decisions in his past, no one could have ever called him stupid, it was obvious that his boss was in on the theft going on at the warehouse and had the items placed in his apartment while Ross was at work, before the police received an anonymous tip. It wouldn’t matter that Ross was innocent, no one would believe him with his past.

Turning away from his apartment, Ross slipped away before anyone noticed him in the crowd. Hours later Ross found himself walking along the bicycle path that paralleled the river. The last time Ross had appeared in court Judge Myers had told him to clean up his act or the next time Ross appeared in front of him in his court would be the last time Ross would look out a window that didn’t have bars on it until Ross was old and gray. Ross had taken that to heart and cleaned himself up, staying that way for the past ten years. Although Ross knew that wouldn’t make a bit of difference in Judge Myer’s court. Even Ross had to admit that it would look like he had not changed at all. Ross knew Judge Myers would lock him up and throw away the key this time. It wasn’t so much the thought of prison that Ross feared, it was that there was a couple of men already there that had a grudge against Ross. It wouldn’t matter if all the judge gave him was six months in prison, that would be five and a half months longer than those men needed. Spotting the forgotten ice fishing pole on the park bench gave Ross an idea.

The first sign of the thinning ice came to Ross as a loud popping sound as a crack appeared under his left foot that off into the distance in front of him, sounding so much like thunder Ross almost stopped to look up into the sky. Dropping the fishing pole into the ice, Ross continued walking, each step causing the sound of ice cracking under him. Knowing his next step could be his last, Ross wished with all his heart that he could have thought of another way but Ross knew nothing short of going back and changing the past could change how things had turned out for him today. Less than a handful of steps later the ice under his right foot gave way. Falling forward Ross’s left knee hit and broke through the ice moments before his chest hit, knocking the air out of his lungs and bouncing his forehead off the ice.

~o~O~o~
Ross sucked in a quick breath the sight of the woman standing in front of him. Long wavy golden blond hair framed the most beautiful face and striking blue eyes he had ever seen before. Behind the vision of beauty Ross noticed shelves lined with shoes, “what the hell…” Ross whispered.

“No Mr. Moore, I doubt they have need for ice skates there,” The blond giggled.

Looking closer at the shelves behind her, Ross could see that that what he first thought were shoes and boots were in fact ice skates. Glancing around he also spotted a long rack with dozens of hockey sticks lined up in it. Other racks appeared to have what Ross thought of as those tiny dresses girls wore for figure skating while other racks held hockey jerseys. “I’m dying out on the ice and hallucinating,” quietly shaking his head.

“Yes and no Mr. Moore,” the woman stated, “You are dying slowly on the ice but I am not a hallucination.”

“Then what, how…” Ross gulped, “Are you an angel?”

Shaking her head, “No, I doubt this is how an angel would dress do you?”

Looking at the short red dress and hat, both trimmed in white fur, her legs were covered in green stockings that had white snowflake patterns Ross shook his head, “No, you look more like one of those sexy Santa’s helpers at the mall.”

“Close,” while holding out her hand toward Ross, “My name’s Meri Kris Mass and I guess you could say that I am one of Santa’s helpers.”

Reaching up to take her hand, “Meri Kris Mass?” Drawing back his hand while stifling a chuckle, “You can’t be serious.”

Nodding with a smile, “How else could I hear the wish of a dying man made on Christmas Eve? A Christmas wish you might say.”

“Wish? What wish?”

“The one you made right before you fell.” Reaching out to take his hand, Meri’s smile widened, “How you wished you could change something in your past.”

“But, but that’s impossible.”

“What?” Meri’s smile unwavering, “To hear your wish or to grant it?”

“Um, both!” Ross’s voice cracked.

Gently pulling Ross to his right, Meri led him by the hand over to a large snow globe sat on a countertop. “Now you’ll only be able to change one thing in your past and the only change things you have done. You can’t change what others have done or said.” Nodding toward the snow globe, “Think about something you wish you could do differently and place your hand on the snow globe.”

Looking at the snow globe, Ross thought it must be at least two feet across, one of the largest he had ever seen. The overabundance of fake snow inside it was swirling around on its own making it impossible to make out the scene contained within. Looking back to Meri, “But how will I know if it is the right thing, what if I make things worse?”

“The snow globe will give you a vision of what the changes will do before you have to wish for that change to become real.”

‘What the hell,’ Ross thought to himself, ‘I may as well play along. Either I’m dying and this is how I get to see my life passing before my eyes, or I’m already dead and I’ll spend eternity doing this as punishment for suicide.’

“You’re not dead, not yet at least,” Meri tried to still Ross’s fears. “This is a gift, not a punishment, as you will see.”

Thinking back to the day he overheard the two talking about stealing Ross placed his hand on the snow globe.

~o~O~o~
This time Ross didn’t go to his boss about what he had overheard, he went to the police. His life ran past in fast forward until two days after speaking to the police Ross was killed when some heavy crates fell onto him. While the police determined it was a freak accident, the vision Ross saw showed him how the crates had been rigged to fall by those he reported to the police. Ross tried several more times to change the recent event, every one ended with his death or imprisonment. Sighing as he pulled his hand away, “Nothing works, no matter what I do, they get me killed or arrested!”

Placing her hand on his shoulder, “Maybe you should look at something further in your past? Something that would make it so you were never in that situation in the first place?”

Nodding to the beautiful woman, “You’re right, there are a lot of things I wish I had done differently in my past, but do I have time to try each and every one of them?”

“Not all of them, I’m afraid we are limited in time.” Meri’s eyes seemed to sparkle, “Look for something that would make the biggest impact on your life. Something that changed you from the happy child you once were into what you became later?”

“My childhood wasn’t all that happy, not after my sister died,” Ross gazed beyond the snow globe at nothing in particular as the memories of his 4 year old sister running out into the street trying to follow her older brother, who in his haste had not closed the door all the way which allowed the little girl to slip out of the house. If he had only made sure the door was closed Susie wouldn’t have gotten hit by the car and their dad would not have started drinking and died driving drunk. Their mom wouldn’t have had to work two jobs. ‘Yes that was the answer to change everything that ever went wrong in my life!’ More determined than ever Ross reached for the snow globe.

~o~O~o~
Releasing his hand from the snow globe Ross fell to his knees sobbing, “I, I can’t save her. Susie still gets out and gets hit by a car, only its a few days later. How can I save her when I can only make one change? I am in hell and this is my punishment!”

“Mr. Moore, Ross,” Meri knelt down cupping his cheeks in her hands, “You are not in hell, purgatory and any other place like that where you are punished. Sometimes, somethings are not meant to be changed, it’s possible this is something her big brother cannot save her from?”

“NO!” Ross shouted, “It is! I know it in my heart!” Ross’s sobbing continued, “I just need to find a way.”

“Then go back further and try something different.”

“But I don’t know of anything I can change further back!” Ross screamed.

“Ross, you can change any one thing you wish, any choice you have made in your life clear back to the choices all the way back to your conception.”

“How much time?”

“Not much, the current has dragged your body off the ice and under it while you were in the globe.”

Ross’s shoulders fell, “So it’s over, I’m out of time, dead.”

“No the hypothermia gives you a little more time.”

Struggling to his feet, “then please help me up, I’ll find a way even if it kills me.” Reaching for the snow globe even before he was fully to his feet.

~o~O~o~

“Woah!” Rose staggered a few steps backward from the snow globe.

Grabbing her by the arm to help steady her, Meri helped Rose so she was leaning up against the counter, “Hold on the dizziness will pass in a moment, all those new memories can be a bit overwhelming.”

“Mom, Mom!” A small boy of around five years old ran in through an open doorway from another part of the small store. “AuntSusissaidshewouldbuymeandPennyskatesandteachushowtoiceskateatgranpa’s!” Latching onto her leg, “Pleasepleasemompleasecanwehaveskates?”

“This is real?” Looking over to see a bright smile on Meri’s face.

“Yes, you decided on the one thing you wished to change.”

“But I still remember Ross and…” Rose’s eyes grew wide, “You, Oh my god, you, your name, you really are some kind of Christmas spirit, aren't you?”

Shaking her head while grinning, “Let’s just say it’s the most magical time of the year and my favorite holiday.”