There was less than two weeks to get ready and they all worked hard to make the upcoming Holiday Parties memorable. Ryan and Collin called on their friends to help with the local invitations and delivering them to each house. Ryan also asked some of the girls in his class if they would work the parties as Hat Checkers, Santa's Helpers, general clean-up and whatever else needed to be done. The guys were also asked to help as busboys and general clean up, too. That group of high school teenagers also cleaned and straightened up the backyard and patio and put the dining room chairs up in an empty bedroom to give more serving space in the Dining Room.
Mary helped Ken on the Special Invitations to the Governor, local politicians and other dignitaries the young man wanted to attend. She did the hard work of getting addresses and stuffing envelopes, while letting the local printer prepare the embossed invitations.
Mr. Ken called the caterers and contracted for both parties to include everything, down to and including the toothpicks. He didn't want to leave anything out that could be expected at these 'Social Events of the Year' as he tended to call them. He selected a 'family friendly' menu for the Friday night 'family' party as that's the night they expected the majority of children to attend from the surrounding homes. He also made sure that Saturday night's party was going to be 'over-the-top' due to the High Society people who would be attending. For that particular night, Ken also contracted with a couple of freelance bartenders to serve the adult beverages.
Ken also talked to Deputy Fischer about crowd control and security. Deputy Fischer said he would take care of the necessary security and he recommended the Police Explorer's, a teenaged group who are interested in police work, to help with parking. Ken readily agreed to everything, as long as the same police officers and/or deputies and explorers did both nights, for consistency.
Ken and Mary, and the boys, discussed and agreed the busboys and hat checkers should have a distinguished attire, but not overly flashy. Mr. Ken suggested a holiday colored vest over a white shirt and dark pants for the boys. He said the girls could do the same but he wanted Santa's Helpers to be better attired. Ken suggested he rent green elf type clothes for two girls for both nights. Everyone liked that idea, so Ryan quickly called two girls he thought would like to do that and quickly got their OK's. The last detail yet to be discussed – was pay. Mr. Thomas worked out generous pay scales for everyone who would work, as the parties would require a good amount of the teens' holiday time. The four of them discussed it and thought the pay was fair, as Ryan then reminded Mr. Ken that he could always give a Christmas Bonus, if he so chooses.
It appeared the Holiday Parties were on track, but they now needed to quickly focus on the upcoming New Year's Eve Parties. It was decided that one New Year's Eve party would be for the adults and one NYE party would be for the teenagers, 15 and 16 years of age. Numbers attending also needed to be decided as well as refreshments and then, of course, the appropriate music for each group. Ryan knew of a couple of bands who were made up of high school kids and he began to call some of the members he knew, telling them they had an opportunity for a gig. He asked them to be ready for an audition if necessary, and to set up a meeting with Mr. Thomas later in the week.
Mary knew some people who knew some people and the adult entertainment was a bit iffy, right then. Ken and Mary agreed to work together and see if they could find an available four or five piece ensemble who was not working that evening. They had a few weeks to search, as it was a bit more than three weeks until New Year's Eve.
The weeks leading up to the parties and Christmas itself was like a whirlwind for Collin. His parents always had other people do this for them and he never got involved, so he never knew what was it took to make it all happen. On top of that, he also had his tutored lessons for six hours a day, plus four hours on Saturday, and he also had to meet with his psychiatrist every Wednesday for an hour each time. Even with all he was involved in, he was as happy as a lark.
Collin felt he was contributing to the effort and he was also learning about family again, and sharing, and the togetherness it fostered. Sure, Mary Taylor wasn't his mom, but he began to call her 'mom' anyway, as she was always so nice to him, and because he no longer had a mom of his own. Nor was Ken Thomas his real 'big brother', but he called him 'Bro' or 'Big Bro' as Ryan did. And even though Ryan wasn't his 'real' brother he called him 'Bro' just as Ryan called him that, too. Collin considered them all 'his family' and he delighted in their being there with and for him.
Before they knew it, the Friday night before Christmas came upon them. They were all so busy checking and double checking on all the arrangements the time just flew by for them. Now it was time to see if their last minute planning would bear fruit.
The Police Explorer's set up traffic cones for the expected overflow of vehicle traffic, even though the invitations said parking would be limited. Even the boys' gang of high school friends all arrived an hour early, in order to be instructed on what they would do. They also needed to get dressed in their appropriate vests or elf's clothing or whatever the case might be.
The caterer's also arrived more than an hour early, and set up starting inside using the Dining Room and then outside in a white tent set up just in case of inclement weather. For music, Mr. Ken had decided on using his entire house speaker system to pipe light Christmas Music, throughout his estate, using his state of the art, electronic multi-channel stereo system. This was going to be the first time he ever used it in this manner and he was anxious about its performance.
At 6 PM, the first Holiday Party was on. The first guests arrived ten minutes early and they were an elderly couple. The wife was in an electric wheelchair and the man was using a cane. As they entered the home, it was apparent to them the whole house was ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant. The reason they gave to why they got there so early was because they said they've known people to say they can accommodate disabled persons, but usually it is a couple of rickety ramps and hastily installed grab bars.
After being welcomed by Mr. Thomas, they began to wander about the house and were amazed how everything was laid out and was indeed able to wholeheartedly handle anyone's disability. As more and more local residents arrived to the festive Holiday Party, it was apparent it was going to be a huge success. The many neighbors mingled and greeted old acquaintances and some made new friends as well, all throughout the evening. Everyone commented about the light finger foods and refreshments and how well they had enjoyed everything
The night turned out to be a night of 'firsts' – the 'first' Holiday Social at Three Finger Cove, and the 'first' that many of the locals had ever been inside the huge estate home. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves, but the ones who had the most fun were the toddlers and younger kids. They couldn't believe their luck that they were indeed inside 'the huge house by the lake' as they called it. They were truly enjoying themselves, but especially the view off the balcony looking over the Great Room and its 21 foot gaily decorated Christmas tree. [Is it hugs house by the lake or huge house? HUGE, Thanks!]
Mr. Ken had Collin and Ryan mark the personal areas of the estate with No Admittance signs, but some people thought it didn't mean them. The people who went past the signs and ropes found it did indeed mean them, and thus they were cordially asked to leave.
Mr. Thomas gave strict instructions to the policemen, who provided security, to escort those people who went past the signs, to be shown the exit and be told they could not return. Mr. Ken figured he could get a reputation for being a 'Grinch' for doing that, but he wanted people to know he would protect his privacy, and was not going to be walked over for any reason, no matter who they were.
At 8 PM, Santa and his two elves arrived, and took up residence at the base of the huge Christmas tree. The Jolly Elf called for all the little girls and boys to gather near, and he began a short Christmas Story that enthralled everyone, including the adults. Then he reached into his bag and began to give out small gifts to all the children. There must have been over 125 children there, but only those kids 6 and under received a present.
Some of the packages that kept appearing out of Santa's sack were fairly large which caused the smaller kids to start asking their parents, "How did he get all those presents in such a small red bag?" Seeing he could produce presents over and over from a seemingly small satchel the younger boys and girls all began to 'believe' in Santa Claus.
What only a few key people knew, though, was that Ken had one of the boys stationed under the platform the tree sat on. When the bag was laid down, there was a false bottom and the lad kept handing the gifts up to Santa. The ruse worked, and even some parents were excited at the 'magic' Santa had in his bag. They were all thankful for the new found excitement in their small children's eyes.
The night turned out to be a huge success, to say the least. The 'gestimate' was that over 150 families, of the more than 225 families who responded to the invitation, actually attended. Sure there were a few spills and dropped food stuffs but overall the evening went well.
As the local residents began to depart, the majority sought out Mr. Thomas and personally thanked him for inviting them, and for his generosity in allowing them to participate in such a wondrous Holiday event. They all added they hoped he would continue to make his Holiday Party a tradition for Three Finger Cove in the years to come.
By eleven PM, the entire work crew was beat! Deputy Dan Fischer thanked his patrol officers and Explorers for their enthusiasm and wished them a safe journey home. He also jokingly reminded them he would see them 'the next night at the same time, same place'.
Dan then went to talk to Mr. Ken, but seeing he was dragging, he just told the man to have a good night and he left, too. The busboys, hat checkers and elves also said their good nights and went home dragging as well, and thankful it was over and that they only had to do that one more night. The catering crew cleaned up their stuff as they went, so by midnight they were also ready to leave and get back for the next evenings 'Special Holiday Party.'
Mary and Ryan both spent the night. Mary went to the Guest Suite, which had its own personal bathroom, and fell directly asleep as soon as she lay down. Mr. Ken went straight to bed and he, too fell directly asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. Ryan, of course, used the second bed in Collin's room before they went to sleep.
The two giggled some as they stripped naked and together got into one of the beds. The two lay there enjoying the closeness and what one did to one the other did the same. Light touching and the occasional stroking on their bud's hard member for over a half hour had both of them on the verge of an enormous climax. Then, with nothing said between them, they soon fell into an embrace that had their erections sliding along each other's sweaty stomachs, adding greatly to their excitement. Collin then took the lead and lightly brushed his smooth subtle lips along Ryan's equally soft lips. Not getting a 'no' signal, he leaned in a bit more and kissed his best friend. That initial kiss became the catalyst that brought the two teens into a more heightened and serious kissing frenzy.
The lads then began to move about more and more. They slid their hardened members up and down along their sweat stained stomachs, all the while trying to pull the other one onto them as hard as they could. The continual close-in movements ultimately had the expected effect and suddenly, and as never before, they both exploded out copious amounts of hot boy juice. Their mutual climax brought their mouths tightly together causing them to kiss each other furiously as their mutual hug pressed their bodies as close as possible.
Before long, the two found themselves basking in the after-glow of their shared sexual encounter. The teens remained still as they held one other and listened intently to each others soft breathing.