After the dresses were paid for, and alteration marks were made, the group left the dress shop.

“Daddy,” Jessica tilted her head and smiled.

“This isn’t good,” Jessica’s dad looked at his daughter. “Daddy? What do you want Jessica?”

Sammie’s mom laughed, “Protect your wallet with your life. She’s doing the full head tilt and eye flutter.”

“It’s not going to cost you anything,” Jessica responded. “Honest, I just want to go play on the piano, pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease.”

Jessica’s dad looked at his watch and then at the three girls, “Five minutes. That’s it.”

Spinning around, Jessica grabbed Sammie and Cindy’s hands before heading off into the mall.

“Where are we going,” Cindy asked?

“To the piano. You’ll see. This will be fun.”

Jessica weaved her way through the mall to a point close to where they were taking Santa pictures. Just past Lloyd’s Music Emporium, in the center of an intersection, there stood a baby grand piano.

“This, is THE piano. Anyone can sit down and play on it. We can play whatever we want,” Jessica said with the biggest grin on her face.

“So,” Sammie asked? “Cindy and I don’t play the piano, and you can play on lots of different piano’s. What’s special about this one?”

Jessica sat down at the piano and tickled the keys, “But Sammie, you and Cindy have your instruments here. Daddy’s carrying them. Come on, let’s play a song.”

Cindy looked around the crowded mall and then at Sammie, “I guess, we can play a song. What should we play?”

As the girls got their instruments out, there was a discussion on what song to play. They settled on Jingle Bell Rock, as something that might get people’s attention in the noisy mall corridor.

As they started to play, a few people looked over at them, but most just went on their way doing their holiday shopping. But, by the end of the song, a crowd had formed. Everyone clapped when the girls finished playing.

Cindy and Sammie immediately understood why Jessica liked this piano. There was nothing like getting a bunch of strangers to give praise to your playing.

“Let’s do another song,” Sammie said as she looked around at the crowd.

The girls ended up playing songs for forty-five minutes. They probably could have played more, if Sammie’s Mom hadn’t insisted the girls take a break and get something to drink. Jessica was going to protest, until her dad pointed out that it had been much longer than five minutes.

“That was soooooooooo much fun,” Cindy said sitting down with her Strawberry and Banana Orange Julius drink.

While the girls talked about the crowds’ reactions, including those of kids their age and younger, the adults discussed their next move.

“It’s dinner time,” Sammie’s Mom said as she looked over at the girls sitting at the next table. “Any suggestions on where to eat? Or should we just get something here at the food court?”

Jessica’s dad looked around at the noisy and crowded food court, “Let’s go to a real restaurant. One that’s a little quieter than this. There is a nice family restaurant on the other side of the mall from where we parked. A little inconvenient being so far from the car, but it’s probably better than driving to a different place and trying to find parking.”

“That might also allow us to find some of the other things we need for their concert outfits.”

“Other things?”

Sammie’s mom just shook her head, “Tights, shoes, and hair accessories. There is always more than just the dress. I probably have some white tights and black Mary Jane shoes for Sammie’s dress, but for the special occasion it would probably be best if I just get Sammie new tights. There is probably no way Cindy has any shoes to match that dress, so we need to find something. Jessica said she would need heels to go with her dress, does she have any at home that would go with it?”

“You’re asking me? I don’t know. Here, let me send the picture of Jessica in that dress to my wife and ask her.”

Sammie’s mom kept looking at the girls and over to Santa. Although Sammie already did a trip to tell Santa what she wanted for Christmas, Joyce felt that a picture with Santa would help the three remember this day for many years. Pulling out her phone, Joyce texted Cindy’s Dad, asking him if it would be okay to bring Cindy to visit Santa.

“My wife says Jessica might have some shoes to go with the dress, but she isn’t sure if they will still fit or not. If we find anything good, we should get them.”

“They outgrow shoes so fast at these ages,” Sammie’s mom said as she heard her phone ping. “Okay, Cindy’s Dad says we can take her to see Santa.”

“What? Jessica’s not going to go for that. She has told me point blank that she’s too old for Santa pictures.”

Joyce smiled at the naïve father, “It is different if you are going to do it with friends. Watch and learn.”

“Girls, do you three want to go get a group picture with Santa?”

“Really? Can we Mommy?”

“Yes, Sammie Pooh. If the other two are okay with it.”

Sammie looked at the other two who were smiling and nodding their heads.

“Finish up your drinks and then we will go see Santa.”

Cindy took a big suck on her straw and then declared that she was done. It took Sammie and Jessica a little bit longer, but they all quickly finished their drinks. Standing in line to see Santa, the age difference between the girls was very noticeable. Sammie was bouncing around in excitement, repeating that they were going to get a picture with Santa. Cindy was telling about her visit to Santa last year. Jessica was smiling, clearly happy about the upcoming experience, but also silent.

Going over to her dad, “Did I behave like that when I was Sammie’s age?”

“At eight,” Jessica’s dad thought for a moment. “No, that was the year you were convinced that you were on the naughty list. You kept blowing your temper at school and were certain that Santa was going to bring you coal for Christmas. You were petrified to see Santa that year. At age seven though, yes, you behaved much like Sammie is now.”

Jessica gave her dad a slight hug and then rejoined Sammie and Cindy.

“They grow up way too fast,” Jessica’s dad said to Joyce.

“Tell me about it,” Joyce said. “Seems like it was just yesterday that Sammie was running around the house in diapers and little baby pigtails. Now she’s in third grade and reading chapter books.”

The two parents smiled at their children, soaking in the Christmas energy as they got closer to Santa.

After Santa, the group weaved their way through the crowds towards the restaurant. By the time they sat down to eat, all three girls had new tights to go with their dresses. Jessica and Cindy had new shoes, and they had even made a stop at Claire’s to get hair accessories and matching earrings for the three girls.

“We wrap up our six o’clock news with a heart-warming story. Shoppers today at the Tri-City Mall were treated to a 45-minute-long Christmas Concert today by three little angels. The videos of their performance are going viral. No one knows who these three little girls are, but they certainly cheered up several shoppers’ today. Stacey Stillman is on location at the Tri-City Mall.”

“Thank You Karen,” Stacey said. “I am standing here with Mike Lloyd, owner of Lloyd’s Music Emporium in the Mall. Mike, it is my understanding that your music shop donated a piano to the mall and help maintain it so anyone can go up and play it.”

“Yes, Stacey. Here at Lloyd’s Music Emporium, we want to spread the joy of music to everyone. Lots of people over the years have sat down at that piano and played a few songs as a break from the craziness of shopping.”

“The Tri-City mall does bring in a local musician each month to play on the piano. Is that what happened today?”

“The first Saturday of every month, the Mall and the Music Emporium do co-sponsor an artist to come in and play for a few hours. Today’s performance by those three little girls was not scheduled. It was just three people who chose to sit down and play some Christmas music for the shoppers.”

“But Mike,” Stacey objected. “The two youngest were maybe 6 or 7 years old and they brought instruments. Are you telling me this was not planned?”

“That is right Stacey. Neither the Mall nor Lloyd’s Music Emporium had invited anyone to play today. For those two little kids to show up with a violin and a flute, those girls must have planned this on their own. I’ve checked my store video cameras. They did not buy the instruments today in my store. I don’t know who they are, but they certainly were amazing musicians.”

“That they were. Three little Christmas Angels sent from heaven to share their amazing talents with the shoppers today. Back to you Karen.”

“Thank You Stacey. I guess we have a little mystery on our hands. Who were these talented young musicians, and why did they put on a concert today at the mall. As we sign off, we will play some of their music.”

Dinner was as uneventful as it could be with three girls ranging in age from eight to thirteen. Just as the waitress was taking the credit card to pay the bill, the two adults suddenly had their phones go crazy with ping after ping indicating a new text message had come in.

“What is it Dad,” Jessica asked?

“Lots of people are sending me messages about you being on the six o’clock news.”

“Same here,” Joyce said. “Message after message about Sammie being on the six o’clock news.”

“Really,” Cindy looked at her two friends. “What did you two do to get on the news?”

Joyce spoke up, “You’re probably on the news too Cindy. They were probably doing some promo about the upcoming concert. Since the five of you are the stars of the show, they probably included you in the news announcement about the concert.”

“Yeah, that must be it,” Jessica’s dad said as he muted his phone. “It’s seven o’clock. I think we need to get the three of you back to the hotel and ready for bed. You all have a long day tomorrow. And if I remember anything about having an eight-year-old little girl, by the time we get to the hotel and through a pre-bed routine, it will be close to someone’s bedtime.”

Jessica was about to argue but stopped when she saw Cindy yawning.

Weaving their way back through the mall, the girls tried to get the adults to make detours into things like the Disney Store, Build-A-Bear, and the American Girl Store. The parents were sticking to the plan of going straight to the car.

“Look Dad. A Channel 2 TV crew. Let’s go see what they’re doing here.”

“Not now Jessica, it’s time to go to the hotel and settle down for the night,” Jessica’s dad said as he guided his daughter past Lloyd’s Music Emporium.

Cindy and Sammy both fell asleep on the car ride to the hotel. Waking them up at the hotel was easy, but they were both groggy. The rooms were on different floors, so the kids had to say good-bye to each other when Cindy, Sammie, and Joyce got off the elevator on the third floor.

After teeth brushing, hair sorted, and PJs on, Joyce tucked the girls into bed together along with their stuffed animals. Both Cindy and Sammie fell asleep after a discussion about the day and what the plans were for the next few days.

Jessica, up on the tenth floor, also had to get ready for bed after entering her hotel room. Once ready, she got her blanket out of the suitcase and curled up on the couch to read the next chapter in The Secret Garden. At nine o'clock, her dad told her to put the book away and go to bed.

Joyce and Jessica’s dad had both planned on staying up until the eleven o’clock news, in hopes that they might re-run the promotion for the Christmas Concert. Both fell asleep, however, reading a book.

“Good evening. I am Erin Ross, bringing you your local and national news at eleven. Tonight’s top story is a local one about three young girls who conducted a forty-five-minute impromptu concert this afternoon for Christmas Shoppers at the Tri-City Mall. The mystery surrounding who these girls are, has gripped the tri-city area and the internet. A video of their performance is going viral, in just the last six hours, it has gotten over 1.5 million views.”

“Social Media has coined them the Christmas Angels. I am happy to report that we now know who these girls are. They are the three youngest of five musical prodigies that will be performing on December 23rd with the Tri-City Symphony Orchestra. Our Christmas Angels are eight-year-old Sammie on the violin, ten-year old Cindy on the flute, and thirteen-year-old Jessica playing the piano.”

“Many had questioned the Tri-City Symphony Orchestra bringing five children in for the Christmas Concert this year. No one is questioning that now. If the last two children are anything like our Christmas Angels, then this year’s concert will be the event to be at this holiday season.”