Found the song 'Bring Him Home, Santa' on Youtube today, sooo sad, after a while, I thought of this. Home you enjoy..

Kelly laid in her bed, eyes fighting for sleep. It was too late for her to be awake, but she couldn't fall asleep.

She looked over at her clock; it was almost midnight. She sat up to keep sleep at bay. She had to stay awake. It was almost Christmas, and she wanted to make sure she got her wish.

A few weeks she had changed her list. The Barbie doll and the soccer ball had been crossed out with blue crayon, and she had written a single request at the bottom.

Bring him home, Santa.

Beneath the words, she had drawn a picture of her father in his dress blues.

Sleep edged closer to the girl, until she finally broke down. The last thing she heard was bells jingling in the distance.

Kelly's eyes flew open. It was Christmas.

She threw her covers to the foot of her bed, and jumped to the floor. Tiny feet pounded on the floor as she ran down the hall.

She stopped cold when she saw the tree. Santa had done it.

"Daddy!" she screeched, sprinting into his arms.

"Hey Kelly" he whispered.

She clung to his uniform, her face buried in hid neck. Tears rolled down her cheeks. She was so happy, he was back. He was back. Was she dreaming? No, she could remember waking up. He was really back.

"I missed you so much" she whispered.

"I missed you too" he replied.

They stood their, holding each other. She felt her father kiss her head. A drop of liquid hit her neck. She looked up at him to see him crying.

"Why are you crying?" she asked. "Marines don't cry."

"They do when they get to hold their little girls again" he smiled.

"Merry Christmas, Daddy" she told him.

"Merry Christmas, Kells" he replied.

I want to take this time to thank the troops who are serving to keep our country safe, and the families who stand behind, just as strong, but not as celebrated.

I hope I got the emotions right. I've been supprised by my dad coming home, and it's so hard to get the emotion onto paper.