A/N:Happy holidays everyone. Please note the changes in my posting schedule on my profile, although most of the Harry fics remain the same. Enjoy and please review.

PS. I do not own Harry Potter

The smell of cinnamon filled the air. The fireplace was lit and it was snowing outside. Redheads in thick jerseys filled the Burrow. A tree stood in the corner of the sitting room, waiting to be decorated. Everyone jumped when the metal bell hit the ground. "James" Ginny scolded, moving the box out of the toddler's reach. Ron chuckled to himself, it was definitely Christmas.

Harry was rather surprised to hear that the house wasn't as crowded as usual; he could barely go to the loo without someone already occupying the room. Apparently Mrs Weasley wasn't in the mood for the entire family and used Hermione's pregnancy as an excuse. Not that Hermione minded; she wasn't in the mood for a lot of people either.

Fred, George and Mr Weasley came through the backdoor, blown in with the snow, carrying a box each. Mrs Weasley called instructions from the kitchen, followed by a scolding about muddy boots. Fred opened his box to reveal all the christmas tree decorations. He picked up a little drummer boy and was about to hang it up, but Ginny's death threat stopped him. "Don't you dare. We already called dibs on the tree. You can hang up the garlands, but if you value your life, you will put little Peter and his drum down" she growled, closing her hand around the ornament.

So Ginny, Hermione and Fleur were decorating the tree this year, and the boys, out of self-preservation, took to hanging up the garlands. The ornaments were truly beautiful. With a little charm-work, the brightly coloured balls shimmered in the candlelight. The little angels, drummer boys, snowflakes and glass fairies were each carefully placed on a branch. This was a very finely planned artistic mission.

However, this was harder than it was supposed to be, because the girls couldn't reach the top properly, and Victoire, Teddy and James had set up an obstacle course for them with all the toys lying around. The men repeatedly offered to help, but they refused, afraid that their masterpiece will be ruined. Ron eventually stepped in when Hermione was about to get onto a ladder to reach the top.

"Hermione, there's absolutely no way I'm letting you do this" he said firmly.

"Why not?" she asked, causing his jaw to drop in disbelieve.

"Why not? Mione, you're 28 weeks pregnant. You can't go climbing up ladders. You're already exhausted and it isn't even noon yet" Ron said. Ginny and Fleur backed him up, and Ron was eventually allowed to help, under Hermione's supervision.

Ron patiently helped place the ornaments exactly where he was instructed to, knowing that today was only the 21st, and that it could quickly turn into a long and miserable Christmas for him if he upset his wife, sister, or sister-in-law. When Hermione handed him the star, the last ornament that had to go at the very top of the tree, he saw the sad look in her eyes. He sighed, stepped down and handed her the star.

Hermione almost never got to put the star on the tree. As a child, she used to spend Christmas with her mother and stepfather, and decorating the tree was something only the grown-ups did. Her father allowed her to help decorate the tree when she came to see him, but there wasn't a star for her to put up. Realising how much this meant to her, Ron decided to let his wife place the last ornament on the tree.

Carefully stepping onto the ladder, Hermione felt her husband's strong hands on her back. She smiled at him before climbing higher, ceremoniously placing the golden star on its rightful spot. Once she was back on the ground, she gave him a quick kiss before covering her mouth to stifle a yawn.

"Tired again?" Ron asked her, pulling her closer and kissing her forehead.

She nodded sheepishly. "You are definitely the father. Only your child could be this exhausting to carry around" she teased, earning her a grin.

*#*#*#*

After dinner, the first few gifts were placed under the tree. They were haphazardly stacked by Bill and Charlie, but Hermione knew it would take some strategic planning to get all the gifts under the tree for Christmas.

Another thing that would require strategic planning was the sleeping arrangements. There were now three married couples, three toddlers, and four single brothers in a house with only six bedrooms. What's more, Hermione's father and brother would also be coming to stay the next day, meaning that the house would become even more crowded.

The placements were relatively easy though, since nobody was picky and Aunt Muriel wasn't claiming half the house to herself. Harry, Ginny, Teddy and James were in Ginny's room, the twins were in their old room, Percy and Charlie were sharing Percy's room, Bill, Fleur and Victoire were in Bill and Charlie's room, and Ron and Hermione were in Ron's very orange room. "We are not painting the nursery orange" was all Hermione commented as she walked into the room where half her teenage summers were spent fussing about the boys.

Luckily Mr and Mrs Weasley didn't have to move out of their room again. It was decided that Mr Granger and Daniel would be sleeping in the sitting room during their stay, and with many yawns and hugs, everyone headed off to bed.