Twelve Days of Christmas,
Supernatural Style
On the first day of Christmas, my brother gave to me
A zombie in a grave yard
On the second day of Christmas, my brother gave to me
Two giant rats
And a zombie in a grave yard
On the third day of Christmas, my brother gave to me
Three black dogs
Two giant rats
And a zombie in a grave yard
On the fourth day of Christmas, my brother gave to me
Four carrion bugs
Three black dogs
Two giant rats
And a zombie in a grave yard
On the fifth day of Christmas, my brother gave to me
Five frightened screams
Four carrion bugs
Three black dogs
Two giant rats
And a zombie in a grave yard
On the sixth day of Christmas, my brother gave to me
Six Imps a-thieving
Five frightened screams
Four carrion bugs
Three black dogs
Two giant rats
And a zombie in a grave yard
On the seventh day of Christmas, my brother gave to me
Seven sirens a-singing
Six Imps a-thieving
Five frightened screams
Four carrion bugs
Three black dogs
Two giant rats
And a zombie in a grave yard
On the eight day of Christmas, my brother gave to me
Eight wraiths a-moaning
Seven sirens a-singing
Six Imps a-thieving
Five frightened screams
Four carrion bugs
Three black dogs
Two giant rats
And a zombie in a grave yard
On the ninth day of Christmas, my brother gave to me
Nine nymphs dancing
Eight wraiths a-moaning
Seven sirens a-singing
Six Imps a-thieving
Five frightened screams
Four carrion bugs
Three black dogs
Two giant rats
And a zombie in a grave yard
On the tenth day of Christmas, my brother gave to me
Ten harpies screeching
Nine nymphs dancing
Eight wraiths a-moaning
Seven sirens a-singing
Six Imps a-thieving
Five frightened screams
Four carrion bugs
Three black dogs
Two giant rats
And a zombie in a grave yard
On the eleventh day of Christmas, my brother gave to me
Eleven vampires vamping
Ten harpies screeching
Nine nymphs dancing
Eight wraiths a-moaning
Seven sirens a-singing
Six Imps a-thieving
Five frightened screams
Four carrion bugs
Three black dogs
Two giant rats
And a zombie in a grave yard
On the twelfth day of Christmas, my brother gave to me
Twelve ghosts haunting
Eleven vampires vamping
Ten harpies a-screeching
Nine nymphs dancing
Eight wraiths a-moaning
Seven sirens a-singing
Six Imps a-thieving
Five frightened screams
Four carrion bugs
Three black dogs
Two giant rats
And a zombie in a grave yard
"I can't believe you still have this after all these years." Sam reached over and tried to eject the ancient tape from the deck, but Dean knocked his hand away.
"I can't believe you recorded it in the first place." Dean laughed, hitting the rewind button.
"Look, you were the one bitching about all the Christmas carols on the radio that year, and besides-- I didn't have any money to buy you a gift," Sam finished sheepishly, slumping down in the passenger seat of the Impala.
"Aww, Sammy." Dean reached over with an exaggerated snigger, ruffling his brother's hair. "I think its beau-ti-ful, cracking voice and all."
"I was thirteen. I can't help it if my voice was changing." Sam exploded, flailing his hands towards the tape deck where Dean was trying to restart the song. "Why do you still have that thing, anyways?"
Dean turned back towards the road, his hands curling reflexively around the steering wheel. The dark gray sky was kissing the horizon that was painted in mottled browns and winter black.
"Remember how dad laughed when he heard it?" Dean asked, still staring at the endless stretch of road, banked by fallow fields.
Sam settled in his seat, watching the scenery go by as he thought back to the Christmas morning so many years ago. He couldn't remember now what town they had been holed up in, but their apartment was only two steps from being on the street. Dad hadn't been able to find any steady work and he was doing a lot of day labor hanging people's lights and raking leaves. None of them had any money, so Christmas dinner had been fried spam and canned cranberries.
Somehow they managed to scrape together gifts for each other. Both Dean and Sam pooled their pennies and bought their dad a new whetstone for his knives. John had managed to find the newest Batman comic for Dean and a nearly brand new copy of Treasure Island for Sam.
Neither of them had the heart to tell their father that Dean had long since outgrown comics and that Sam had already read Treasure Island two years before. What mattered was that John had tried his best and that he loved them.
Dean managed to find Sam a jacket that was halfway cool and only a size too big, which was great because he was going through a horrendous growth spurt that left him with very few clothes to wear that winter.
Sam's gift to Dean was the last one to be opened. They were gathered around their chipped Formica table, each with a steaming mug of cocoa made from water instead of milk, and waited while Sam nervously stuck the tape in Dean's boom box. Just the night before, Dean had been wailing in his typical teenage fashion that Christmas sucked because they took all the good music off the radio and filled the air waves with all that bouncy good cheer crap.
Sam quickly jotted down the lyrics and waited until Dean and his dad went to the store to buy their meager dinner. He scrounged up an old tape that he could record over, and belted out the song at the top of his lungs, ignoring how his voice cracked on the high notes. He even got the crotchety old lady next door to play the cords to the song on her piano, thankful she was half-deaf and couldn't hear the lyrics. Sam was sure that she would have kicked him out with a disapproving pucker to her lips if she could hear the words streaming out of his mouth.
Halfway through listening to the song, John had started to chuckle, until finally at the end he was holding his belly as he bellowed with laughter. Soon Dean and Sam followed suit, hugging their father as their eyes watered with the happiness that they made it another year together as a family.
As far as both Dean and Sam could remember, it was the best Christmas they ever had.
"Yah. I thought he was going to bust a gut, he was laughing so hard."
Sam glanced over at Dean, a grin spreading over his face. He reached over to push the play button, and began belting out the lyrics of the song. Dean groaned, but soon he was laughing.
The two brothers drove down the endless road, knowing that it may be their last Christmas together, but they laughed and sang wholeheartedly as they disappeared into the horizon.