Tidings of Comfort and Joy
"Mommy," seven year old Artemis called as she came barreling into the kitchen, "can we open our presents yet?"
Ali turned as she was whisking some eggs into a bowl to see the little girl tugging excitedly at the end of her mother's sweater. Andi was in the process of pulling a baking sheet of stuffed mushrooms from the oven and couldn't immediately respond. She was just laying the pastries on top of the burners when Ali's own seven year old, Andrea, came barreling in as well. She ran over to throw her arms around her mother's waist in a tight hug.
"Can we, Mommy? Please? Pleeeeease?" Andrea begged, though in a much quieter tone than her cousins.
Andrea was, without a doubt, the most reticent of Ali and Uncas' five children. A trait she shares with her father, Ali thought as she looked down into her daughter's big blue eyes. Perhaps the only one, she amended with a faint trace of amusement. Temperament aside, Andrea was all her mother. She stood 3 feet, 10 inches tall, with pin straight blonde hair (though it was of a darker in shade than Ali's) and delicate, almost doll like features.
"You know the rules, sweetie." Andi replied, reaching out to ruffle her daughter's dark, curly hair. "We eat dinner first, then we clean up and THEN we open presents. Why don't you guys go play videogames with your brother and Izzy? Dinner will be ready soon enough."
Arte pouted and crossed her arms over her thin chest. Standing at 4 foot, 2 inches tall, she was definitely the tallest girl in her class. How could she not be, with Andi as her mother? Standing there as she was now, with her little lip jutting out ever so slightly, she looked like a mini clone of Paul. Out of his and Andi's two children, Artemis definitely was the most like her father.
"They're building forts out of their presents and said we couldn't play unless we convinced you to open presents." she responded sullenly.
"Well, Than and Izzy don't control the presents, regardless of what they want you to believe." Ali told the girls, giving Andrea, or Andy, as she was affectionately called within their family unit, a kiss on her dark blonde head. "What's under the tree will keep, I promise you. Why don't you go play in the loft? There should be plenty of toys there to keep you busy for the time being."
"Oh, alright," Arte sighed dramatically before walking over to take her cousin's hand. The two had been inseparable since they were toddlers. Arte spent more time at Ali and Uncas' house than she did her own sometimes.
"Where are your brothers, by the way?" Ali called as they scampered away, headed for the staircase.
"In the living room crashing their cars into each other!" Andrea called over her shoulder before the two girls disappeared upstairs.
Ali turned back as Andi covered the leg of lamb with tin foil. Soon she would pop it into the oven and it would only be 20 minutes or so until they got to enjoy the fruits of her culinary labors.
The kitchen already smelled heavenly, of everything from sage and thyme to cinnamon and nutmeg. Andi had been slaving away in the kitchen since earlier that morning, getting all of the items that required a longer time in the oven out of the way before moving onto the easier ones. The leg of Lamb alone had taken a good portion of the day. She had set it to marinating in salt, pepper, and olive oil for as long as she could get away it and had spent the rest of the time cooking more food than they could all reasonably finish.
Now that she had cut the four parallel slits on the top and bottom of the leg, all that was left to do was place a sprig of Sage and Thyme in each one. When the leg of Lamb was done, Ali's pecan pie would go in to bake while everyone was eating Christmas Eve dinner. With any luck, it would be ready to eat after the main dishes were finished.
"Do you need help with anything in here?" Ali queried, cheerfully.
The truth was, she really wanted to check and make sure her sons weren't setting the hand towels on fire in the bathroom. They were good kids most of the time but, when left to their own devices, they could be a bit destructive. Andi smiled as she closed the oven and set the timer before righting herself and palming her glass of wine.
"Nah, we're set for now." Andi said back, taking a sip. She gave the kitchen one of many appreciative glances.
" Have I told you today how much I love this kitchen? I think I cook more here than I do at our place."
Ali had to laugh because it was true. Andi was way more savvy in the culinary department than either herself or Cora, though Ali suspected that Uncas could give her a run for her money these days. Being a stay at home dad for the past ten years had given him more than enough practice in the kitchen. Who knew that he could turn those artistic skills of his to a culinary avenue as well.
"Seriously, I love this open design!" Andi gushed as she looked around it. "It's so big! And this island!" She sighed wistfully as she ran her hand over the smooth counter top. "I could stay in here forever!"
Ali laughed again.
"Well, your husband was the one who designed it! You should have him redo the kitchen in the old place." She suggested.
Ali and Uncas had sold the house he inherited from his Aunt to Andi and Paul around the time Andrea had been born. They had made enough money over the years to build the hunting lodge style home they lived in now. Besides, Andi and Paul had been quickly outgrowing their tiny apartment and were looking to expand so the arrangement had worked for everyone.
Ali had to admit that their kitchen was pretty impressive, with it's large L shaped counters and marble tops. Another large, marble topped island sat in the middle and there was enough cabinet and pantry space to feed their large family. The large convection oven that Andi was lounging next to sat in a stone enclave that was a work of art unto itself, all multicolored stones in a spanish style arch. Ali was in love with her kitchen too, even if she didn't get to utilize it as much as her husband.
"Oh, it's on the list!" Andi replied, "right after the bathrooms, and re-painting the kids rooms, and building the porch in the back, and…"
"We left you with a lot to fix up didn't we?" Ali said, wincing a little. Her two older children, Izzy and Paul, had not been kind to the walls of the old house. She was a little embarrassed that Andi and Paul bought something that had been scribbled on by a pair of over enthusiastic monkeys.
"Nah! Paul loves it! Where you and I might see a mess, he sees an opportunity. Speaking of, what are our husbands up to?" She asked with an amused smile.
As if on cue, a bark of laughter sounded from the den.
"Watching a rerun of Mystery Science Theatre 3000, by the sounds of it." Ali replied. "I'm gonna pop over and see if they want any refills while I make sure my boys aren't flushing toys down the loo. You ok in here?"
"Oh, I'm fine! I'll just stay and continue enjoying your kitchen."
Ali shook her head and smiled before making her way out into the entryway and finally into the formal living room. Her two boys, Paul and Nathan, were indeed crashing all manner of cars and trains into each other. She breathed a sigh of relief that, for once, they weren't getting into mischief.
They didn't even take notice of their mother at first, they were far too busy making whooshing and booming sounds. It wasn't until she was right next to them that five year old Nathan glanced up.
"Hi, Mommy!" He greeted in his cheerful, still slightly babyish voice. He grinned up at her and pushed his little spectacles back up his nose. The glasses combined with the absence of two front teeth made him look so much like one of the Little Rascals that she couldn't help but smile. He had developed a bit of Astigmatism and the glasses were working to correct it. Ali just thought they made him that much cuter.
"Hi, honey, having fun?" She asked as she knelt down next to them on the cream colored carpet.
"We're playing ice truck smashers!" Her nine year old son, Paul, declared excitedly.
Paul was such an even mix of herself and Uncas that it was hard to tell who he looked more like. His and Nathan's hair was more of a dark brown and both of them had hazel toned eyes. They could almost have been twins save for the fact that there was an obvious 4 year gap between them. More they looked like small and medium sized versions of one another.
"Really! Are the ice truckers fighting for dominance again?" She asked amusedly.
"Well, the Ice truckers wanted to pass on this side of the track," Nathan said, pointing to his left, "but the twin tornados wanted this side," now he pointed to his right, "So, they're having a monster truck rally to figure it out."
"Oh, I see." She responded though she really didn't. Still, It was easier than asking him to elaborate. The explanation would probably take a long time and she wouldn't understand any better at the end of it. Besides, she wasn't going to discourage their game as long as it kept them out of trouble.
"Well, let me know who wins, ok? I gotta go see if daddy and Uncle Paul need anything." She stood up and looked around.
"Where's Aya?" She asked when she didn't see the baby anywhere.
"Oh, she's playing with Papa in the den." Paul replied distractedly.
Ali smirked at that. Her children had taken to calling Magua 'Papa' pretty much from the beginning. As they didn't have a living grandfather on either side anymore, Great Uncle Magua had been elevated to the position. She thought he was rather tickled by the arrangement.
"Dinner will be soon, ok!" She told them as she continued her journey towards the den. The boys mumbled a response, their dark brown heads pressed together, as they resumed crashing vehicles into each other. She walked the few remaining steps down into the sunken den and smiled to discover Magua sitting comfortably in his brother's old arm chair. As she watched, her barely two year old daughter, Aya, toddled over to him.
"We outs burgers." Aya chirped in her sweet baby voice. She pronounced 'burgers' more like 'buggahs' and it was the most adorable sound in the world.
"No Burgers?!" Magua declared in mock indignation, making his face comically shocked. "What kind of establishment is this?"
Little Aya giggled and patted his knee with her chubby hand. She looked about as angelic as the came with her head full of white blonde curls but she was also ornery as hell and could throw down with the best of them.
"I think I need to speak to your manager." Magua told her, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Aya mamimger." She replied with a big grin. Her babyish mispronunciations of words were always amusing.
"You doing ok there, uncle?" Ali asked, grinning as she leaned against the wall.
"Mommy, Papa play me!" Her daughter told her excitedly.
Aya played the game of 'restaurant' several times a day, usually with anyone who was willing to put up with it. As most of her siblings lost interest in the game after about five minutes, it was usually her father who got stuck playing.
"I see that." Ali replied back, grinning. "No burgers, huh?"
"We outs burgers." Aya repeated, shrugging. Ali chuckled then turned her attention back to Magua.
"You don't have to play, you know? She'll have you at it for hours."
"Ah, I don't mind." He replied with a smile.
At seventy two, Magua was finally starting to slow down. He had retired from the reservation police two years before and now spent most of his days tooling around his empty house, not knowing what to do with himself. When Aya hit her toddler years, Uncas found he couldn't paint and watch the baby as easily so Magua had stepped in to babysit. It had worked out well as Aya adored him.
"Might as well enjoy the attention before she's old enough to lose interest." He added, smiling indulgently on the little girl who had gone to the toy box and was currently digging in it. Her little diapered behind stuck up in the air as she leaned over the side of the toy bin.
"Can I get you anything to drink?" Ali offered while her daughter was distracted.
"Wouldn't mind some of my daughter in laws Eggnog, if you get a moment?" he requested. Aya took that moment to toddle back over with whatever it was she had found.
"Papa juice!" She declared and put a plastic container with a plum on it in his hand.
"Be right back with that." Ali told him and gave her baby a little wave before she finished her journey to the other side of the den.
Once there, she discovered Paul and Uncas laughing uproariously at whatever was going on on the tv. She glanced at the screen long enough to see a comical looking puppet/alien/thing flying about a room. In the bottom of the screen were the silhouettes of two robots and a man who pointed at the screen and gave commentary.
Ali chuckled before turning her attention back to take in the image of her magnificent husband. She still couldn't believe that they had been married for ten years. To her eyes, he was still the same tall, handsome man who had come into her diner all those years ago...albeit a slightly more mature version.
He still wore his hair as long as he always had, though right now it was pulled away from his face to keep it out of Aya's ever searching fingers. He had just the barest hint of stubble on his upper lip, the beginnings of a beard and mustache combo he was determined to try out. The verdict was still out on how Ali felt about that.
Paul, on the other hand had already gone full beard several months ago. He kept it nicely trimmed and was still handsome but the years of Andi's good cooking had put a slight paunch on his belly. He sat on her couch in a ridiculous christmas sweater that read 'I find your lack of cheer disturbing'. Above this was an image of Darth Vader wearing a christmas hat. Paul laughed again and then noticed her standing there.
"Hey, Odette!" He greeted, genially. "Cora and Nate get here yet?"
"No, I suspect they're still struggling to load their brood into the car." She replied with a laugh. " You boys need anything?"
"Well, I'm good!" He answered then turned to tap his cousin on the shoulder. "Hey, Ade, you want anything?"
Uncas looked up from the show and smiled happily to see his wife. She was impressed that, all these years and five kids later, he could still look so amazed to see her. As if he still couldn't believe she was his. They grinned dopily at one another for a minute longer before he held up his mug of peppermint mocha.
"Could I get another one of these, Baby?" He asked then added somewhat sheepishly "The kids aren't driving you nuts, are they?"
"Only Arte and Andy have bothered us so far. Strangely, Than and Izzy have been relatively quiet. Where is our first born by the way?"
She glanced in the corner at the twinkling twelve foot tree and its massive pile of gifts but saw no sign of either Thanatos or Isabel. Their present fort was still there but neither one of the children appeared to be in it.
"Oh, I set them up with my old Super Nintendo in the playroom." Paul interjected, looking quite proud of himself. "Than really wants a Playstation 6 for christmas but I told him he has to master the old systems first. He and Izzy ought to be fighting to prove who's better at Mario Cart."
That sounded like Izzy, always the competitive one! She and Uncas used to joke that their daughter must have been switched with someone else's at the hospital because she was nothing like either of them.
Isabel, named after Cora and Ali's late mother, was a complete tomboy. She loved anything and everything related to sports. Her entire side of the bedroom was decorated in sports team posters. It was always funny to walk into the room she shared with Andrea because it was all 'sports, sports, sports' on one side and Disney princesses on the other.
"My wife cooking up a storm back there?" Paul asked with a cheeky smile.
"And thoroughly appreciating our kitchen," Ali added with a little smile of her own, "I think I see a kitchen renovation in your future."
"Hey, if she keeps cooking for me like this, I'll build her whatever she wants." He responded, patting his paunch proudly.
Ali opened her mouth to respond when the doorbell suddenly sounded.
"Oop! That will be Nate and Cora!"
Ali hurried back out to answer the door and pulled it open to reveal the cold and smiling faces of her sister and brother in law. Nate held a baby carrier in one hand while Cora held the hand of their two year old daughter, Nuttah.
"Gimme that baby!" Andi called out from the kitchen.
Nate laughed as he laid the carrier in the entryway. Cora followed slowly with Nuttah and began helping the little girl out of her coat. Behind them came the two boys that Nate and Cora had been fostering and were about to adopt. They each held two large bags of gifts in their hands.
"Nuttah, Nuttah! Aya squealed from the den, followed by an exuberant "Daddy, carry!"
Andi came out to hug the new arrivals but mostly to lean down and peer at the sleeping infant in the baby carrier. He was only about two weeks old and wore an adorable little reindeer onesie with a matching hat. He had a head full of dark hair and the longest lashes in the free world.
"Those lashes are to die for!" Andi gasped.
Paul, Uncas, and Magua made their way into the entryway as well, with Uncas carrying an excited Aya. He kissed her little cheek and blew a raspberry on it, eliciting an excited laugh from her.
"Bleh, you taste like jam and boogers." He commented as he wiped his mouth with one hand.
"Sorry, we're late!" Cora apologized as she slid out of her coat. "We were all ready to go and then Gabe needed a nappy change."
"First shit of the season!" Paul joked and then covered his mouth when he remembered the toddlers were present.
"Baby, daddy!" Aya declared, pointing. "It's a baby!"
"Yeah, it is." Uncas replied quietly. "Wanna go see him? That's your new cousin, Gabriel."
He walked over with her and set her down while Nate busily undid the straps holding him in the carrier. Aya leaned in to peer at his sleeping face, curiously.
"Aya's baby?" she asked, looking back up at her father.
"No, Aunt Cora and Uncle Nate's baby." He corrected her softly.
Aya was at that age where she assumed anything small or low to the ground was her's. That applied to dolls, tea cups, stuffed animals, and now, apparently, newborns. Lifting his two week old son out, Nate let Aya reach out and stroke his head with gentle fingers.
"Baby seeping. Shhhhhhh!" Aya said loudly, putting her little finger to her lips and shooting the gathered adults a serious face. The group chuckled and Nate stood up again. Andi immediately made 'gimme' hands at him so he deposited his son in her arms. The infant made a little snuffling sound at the sudden change of hands.
"Oh my god, my ovaries literally just exploded," Andi gushed as she held the sleeping baby against her chest. "Paul, we totally need one of these!"
"We already have two little heathens and a large dog, babe." Paul reminded her, though even he looked a little wistful as his wife kissed the top of the babies dark head.
Ali gave an amused eye roll before turning back to Nate and taking his coat from him.
"Sinopa here yet?" Nate asked her as he handed it over.
"No, I think she and Ivy had a thing at Hurits first. They should be here after dinner." She reached out for her sister and niece's coat next. Once she had them all collected, she carried them up the winding wood staircase and deposited them on her and Uncas bed. She took a brief moment to glance out the big windows and admire the houses lit up across the street. She loved the view these windows afforded them, a clear view of the mountains in the distance and a veritable sea of trees spreading out behind the neighboring homes.
The sound of her daughter's voice yelling 'Go, go, go' at whatever videogame she and Than were playing interrupted her reverie. She decided that maybe it wouldn't hurt to check and make sure the kids weren't killing each other.
Making her way out of the bedroom and down the hall, she opened the door that led to the loft. She climbed the carpeted staircase and peered around the corner, taking note of Andrea and Arte playing with a couple of barbies in one corner. Coming further up, she saw the two foster boys, David and Jason, had also made their way to the playroom and were now gathered behind Than and Izzy.
"Agggggh!" Than gripped as he mashed at the buttons on the controller. "How do you always manage to get the blue shell?"
"'Cause I'm just that good!" Izzy replied, confidently. She certainly didn't have any issues in the self esteem department, Ali would give her that.
"You kids doing ok up here?" Ali asked them. Isabel glanced over her shoulder and smiled at her mother.
"I'm winning, mom! Look!" Izzy declared excitedly and pointed at the screen. There wasn't much of note on it save for a 'Player One wins' on a rainbow background.
Isabel looked so much like Uncas that it hurt. She had inherited his straight black hair and brown eyes, though she had her mother's lighter complexion and nose. The onset of puberty was looming and neither Uncas or herself was quite prepared for her to exit childhood.
Izzy had been their 'honeymoon baby', conceived immediately after they had married ten years before. Ali was fairly certain a lot of people thought she was the reason they had married so quickly. The truth was though, they had simply been ready to do it. Isabel had just been an added bonus.
"Can we get one of these?" her oldest begged, holding up the controller.
"That thing is older than daddy and I, baby girl." Ali laughed. "Maybe Uncle Nate will let you borrow his old system sometime, hm?"
"No way!" Jason scoffed. "He barely lets us touch his old games!"
"You mean he doesn't let you touch them." David corrected, rolling his eyes. "You break everything you touch."
The two boys began slapping at each other good naturedly and Ali laughed at the brotherly banter. They reminded her so much of what Uncas and Nate must have been like as children. She could see why Nate and Cora were so keen to adopt them. Besides, they were already part of the family, having been with them for the last five years.
"Ok, well, dinner should be ready soon." She told the kids who mumbled a slew of 'alrights' and 'got it's' back at her.
She wandered back down and was just exiting the loft when Uncas came upstairs with Aya held under his arm like a sack of potato's.
"Mommy, I poops!" The little girl declared proudly.
"I smell that." Ali replied, fanning in front of her face as they drew closer.
"Andi says dinner is in ten, so I'm gonna change the poop monster here and then we should be all set to go."
"Sounds good." Ali said as she stood on her toes to give him a kiss.
"Daddy, I poops!" Aya reminded him when they lingered on the kiss for too long.
"Ok, ok, Ms. Poop Monster!" He responded before giving her a little toss in the air. "Let's get you changed and then you can play with Nuttah for a bit."
He carried her down the hall to her room and Ali meandered back downstairs to where Cora and Andi were hanging out in the kitchen. Andi no longer held the baby so she had to assume he had been turned over to another member of the family.
Cora, she noted, was moving about just fine considering she had just had a baby two weeks prior. Her labor with Nuttah had been so long and arduous that Ali thought she and Nate would never have another baby again. Though neither of them had said it, Ali suspected that Gabe had been a surprise.
"How you doin', mama?" Cora asked when her sister walked over.
"Well, I feel like I'm losing my mind most of the time so... I guess I'm good." She replied cheerily.
She made jokes but she really did love their crazy, chaotic life. The house was always loud and there was always something going on but she wouldn't have had it any other way.
"What about you?" Ali said, turning the question back on Cora. "How's life with an infant and two prepubescent boys?"
"Oh, well," Cora laughed, taking a sip of her sparkling grape juice, "it's definitely interesting! They're good kids though and they've been really helpful in keeping Nuttah occupied while I contend with the baby."
"You have four kids in the house now, trying to give me a run for my money?" Ali joked.
"Ha ha!" Cora rolled her eyes. "No, I think we're done for real this time. The boys could eat us out of house and home and with two in diapers...no, I think we're good."
"What about you?" Andi asked Ali with a little, amused smile. "You an Uncas ready to call it done yet?"
Ali let out a bark of laughter. The family liked to tease them about their large brood but, the truth was, they had never planned on having five children to begin with. It had just sort of worked out that way. Izzy had been unplanned but Paul had not, neither had Andrea. Once they moved to the new house they had decided on at least one more baby and that had resulted in Nathan. Aya, though, had been a surprise. Uncas had gotten a vasectomy shortly before she was conceived so they thought they were alright to resume their bedroom activities. Apparently, all the viable swimmers hadn't vacated the premises yet because she found herself pregnant with Aya soon after.
"You already know the answer to that." Ali responded and slapped her friends arm affectionately.
"Yeah, well, that's what you said after Nathan was born and look at you now." Andi laughed and, winking, took another sip of her Merlot.
"No, no, no! No more babies for me. I'm passing that torch to you." Ali told her with a wicked grin.
They laughed and chatted a few minutes more and then discovered it was time for dinner. She and Cora set the table while the guys rounded up all the kids. Once everyone was seated around the festive table, Andi brought in the starter plates.
In true Greek fashion, they had four courses not including the sides and cheese plate on the buffet. Andi had prepared stuffed mushrooms for everyone to munch on while dinner was cooking but to start off, she brought in a tureen of Chicken and rice soup. This was shortly followed by Beet and Garlic salad and then, finally, the Lamb was served. It was so tender that the meat almost fell off the bone. Even the kids ate with gusto and at least a quarter of them were picky eaters by nature.
'It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas' played merrily from the IHome in the corner and Ali glanced around the table at her family, smiling at the picture they created. Even with all the chaos and the sibling rivalry, the constant flux of parent teacher conferences, field hockey games and permission slips, this was her world. She couldn't imagine it any other way.
Once the dinner platter was picked clean, Andi brought in the Pecan pie and everyone prepared to tuck in again. Ali knew she was going to slip into a veritable food coma before they even got to opening the presents at this rate. She looked over at Nuttah and Aya who were merrily smearing pecan pie on their faces and wondered if they could get away with bathing them before the carnage began.
Of course, that never happened. The very second the last dish was deposited in the dishwasher, the kids all but dove into their piles of gifts. They only emerged long enough to run and hug Aunt Sinopa and her partner Ivy when they arrived about five minutes later.
"You guys are in for it," Ali whispered as she hugged the two women, "they're hyped up on sugar and christmas. No one is leaving here alive!"
Ivy laughed before dragging her and Sinopa's pile of gifts over to join the others that the kids had already stashed into their own seperate present forts. Ivy was a tall, slender, African American woman with dusky dark skin and curly black hair. She was just the kind of woman who could keep up with Sinopa's erratic work schedule and it looked like they were in it for the long haul. Even Hurit, who still struggled to accept her daughter's lifestyle choices, liked the woman and that was saying a lot! Ivy was vivacious and witty, with a sense of humor that could brighten a room. All the kids loved her too.
Soon the present carnage began and it was nothing but a chorus of 'Oh cools' and "I really, really wanted this', and 'thank you's' from the kids. Christmas Eve's had gone the same way for years, even when it had only been the adults and one or two small children. The kids took turns opening their gifts, which was a feat unto itself as they were all impatient to see what they got. The adults waited for all the kids to finish opening their gifts before they started in on their own. By that point they would be too busy getting into their new toys and games to care what the adults were doing.
Ali glanced over to see Aya dozing lightly on Magua's lap, her arm wrapped around a new princess doll and her thumb jammed in her mouth. She was amazed the baby had lasted this long. Magua looked perfectly content to hold her while her opened a mug that read 'shut up and give me some coffee' on it.
Uncas laid a hand on her leg and she smiled at him as he held out a nicely wrapped package to her.
"From Andi and Paul." He said as he settled next to her on the long couch.
"You really think we can keep all the kids in check at Disney so soon after the present carnage?" He laughed, draping an arm around her waist and giving it a squeeze while she gently pulled the sides open on the gift box. Inside was a soft, beautiful, red scarf.
"Well, we can't back out now. They already know we're going." She said back, turning to give him a warm smile.
They had started taking the kids to Disneyland after christmas about five years before. This year would be the first time Aya would be aware of what was happening. Ali could already hear the ear piercing shriek she would let out when she saw someone in an Olaf costume.
Once all the presents were opened and the wrapping paper cleaned up, the adults sat around chatting and sipping coffee. Ali excused herself to get Aya ready for bed. Usually bedtime was an event unto itself but, on this night, she barely struggled as Ali pushed her little arms and legs into her christmas footie jammies.
She laid the baby in her crib and kissed her sweet little face before shutting the door quietly and heading back downstairs. She caught Nate and Cora at the door, pulling on their coats with Nate holding a fully asleep Nuttah against his shoulder.
"Leaving already?" she queried.
"Yeah, this one is dead to the world." Nate replied, pointing at the toddler who was drooling on his coat.
"David, Jason! It's time to go!" Cora called as she buttoned up her coat and checked to make sure Gabe's blanket was firmly in place. "Don't forget your stuff!"
"Coming!" The boy's muffled voices chorused from the playroom.
"You coming to Samoset's tomorrow?" Cora asked as she leaned in to give Ali a hug.
"I doubt it." Ali told her softly. "It'll be utter chaos here in the morning and then we have to pack for the roadtrip to California."
"Ok, well, have fun! Bring us back something cool."
Ali and Uncas waved goodbye from the doorway once everyone was settled in the car and watched them back out of the long curved driveway. Once they were gone, they closed the door and retreated back into the den. Magua headed for home soon after and about thirty minutes after that, Paul began migrating all the gifts to their car.
"Mommy, can I spend the night with Andrea?" Arte begged quietly, pulling on her mother's arm. They had been waiting for this. The girls asked to spend the night at one another's houses about every time they saw each other.
"Well, yeah, I mean... if you wanna miss out on santa and presents at Yaya's and Papús tomorrow." her mother replied nonchalantly. She shot Ali a secret smile over Arte's dark head.
That got her attention.
"See you later, Andy!" She called to her cousin as she ran off to get her coat.
Andi and Ali laughed.
"I'd be really surprised if she chose skipping christmas morning to stay here." Ali commented as they carried their cups and glasses to the sink. Ali pulled out a bottle of merlot from the wine cabinet to pour another glass for Ivy and Sinopa.
"The day that happens is the day I give up dancing for good." Andi replied, smirking.
"How's that going, by the way, rehearsals for Cigale?"
"Oh, about the same. There's always the diva's who feel they're owed a better part. What about you? I heard the children's Nutcracker recital went well."
They traded banter about work a little longer and then it was time for Andi and Paul to secure their own brood in the car. They wished Merry Christmas to one another and then had tea with Ivy and Sinopa until they too headed for home.
As Uncas worked on herding the rest of their children to bed, Ali stood on the porch, wrapped in a blanket in her house slippers. She watched the softly falling snow and breathed in the cold air, thinking that there wasn't anything quite like snow on christmas. There was something magical about it, it seemed to sparkle more, and with the christmas lights shining in the distance it looked perfect.
She smiled when she felt Uncas arms wrap around her from behind, his chin coming to rest on the top of her head.
"Kids all in bed?" she murmured quietly, snuggling back against him.
"Yep. Christmas eve is the only time it's easy to get them there." he said back.
"They'll be up before dawn, you know? They always are." She responded contentedly.
"Then Santa better be getting his butt down that chimney in due course!" Uncas replied, chuckling.
They stayed there like that for awhile, with his arms wrapped around her shoulders and her hands resting lightly on top of them. The sweet strains of 'God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman' came drifting out through the door that Uncas had left open behind them.
Oh, tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy! Oh, tidings of comfort and joy!
"Tidings of comfort and joy." Uncas sighed happily, placing a gentle kiss on the top of her head.
"Merry christmas, Uncas." She said back and kissed the hand that rested below her chin.
"Merry christmas, baby."
Authors Note:
As promised, here's the Mine Christmas Oneshot. I wrote it before I wrote Bounty and Grace and it's pretty much every happy Christmas memory I have. The whole 'Eating, cleaning up, bullding forts out of presents then opening them' shtick was my childhood LOL
Obviously, this takes place about 7 years after the events of Thanksgiving story. Ali and Uncas have a household filled with children, their lives are crazy but they seem to enjoy it. I really enjoy writing the baby, Aya. She's hilarious and partially based off my friends daughter. (The restaurant/burgers thing is a game she plays). Maybe I'll come up with a few other little oneshots based on their children in the future.
I am currently on vacation myself but wanted to take the time out to get this story uploaded. I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as i enjoyed writing it! Thank you all for reading and I wish you all a very merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!