It had been another eventful Christmas Eve; covering the tower with its usual festoon of lights, giving bags of money to astonished Salvation Army volunteers, and tunneling to Wyoming to go sledding and build snowmen. Not to mention eating enough candy to keep them bouncing around for hours.
But now the tower was rather quiet, except for the cycling Billy Joel record. It was old-fashioned, but who cared. Christmas was a good time for nostalgia.
Yakko sat quietly on the couch, his siblings half asleep on either side of him. He looked down at the card he was holding and grinned; it was a Christmas postcard that Kay had sent from Wisconsin, where she was visiting her family for the holidays. The back contained a lengthy description of what they'd been doing, and was signed by her, along with several other family members. Kay also mentioned that she had written to her dad for the first time in years.
He wasn't sure why, but Yakko was especially glad to hear that. He knew how much that rift bothered her. Even if Kay's dad might not remember her, it would certainly help her. And of course, there was the whole sappy idea of family and Christmas.
Yakko glanced up at the clock; when he saw the time, he set aside the card and turned to his siblings.
"Sibs?" He shook each of them by the shoulder. Both shook awake right away, suddenly fully alert. All three watched the clock, waiting.
Finally, the minute hand ticked forward to hit twelve. Yakko stood, along with his siblings, and stepped up to the table by the couch. Wakko and Dot watched with wide eyes as their brother lit the small candles positioned around a picture frame.
Once all the candles were lit, all three placed their arms around each other and smiled at the picture in the frame.
"Merry Christmas, Mom and Dad."