a/n: merry christmas to all of my wonderful readers and friends :)
The holidays had never been an extravagant affair growing up, nothing out of the ordinary classical Christmas that every kid desired. They hung lights and decorated the tree while Cooper sang dramatically along to the carols pumping through the radio while telling Blaine to stop being so pitchy, their mother smiling at them before kissing the top of Blaine's head and refilling her wine glass while their father watched on in mild amusement as Cooper attempted to teach him how to do the dance he was planning on showcasing in the winter talent show for the fifth grade.
It was full of love, of course, happiness and tons of presents, and Blaine had never had a bad Christmas.
The first holiday season he spends as Rachel's boyfriend, he's stuck wondering if they celebrate Hannakuh or Christmas or somehow both, prepared with a small gift every day leading up to Christmas to give her the ring, small but enough of a promise that her entire face lights up when she opens the little blue box, her exclamation of 'I love you' enough to warm his heart all the way into the blizzard trapping them in her apartment for the weekend.
Three Christmas's later, the ring on her finger is a simple silver band and the biggest present isn't the new TV she's somehow kept hidden from him, or the tickets to go see the newest revival of Rent uptown. It's the simple news that the next year, they won't be alone, her hands falling to her stomach and tears springing to her eyes even as he closes any distance between them, kissing her hard and deep with a pure joy floating through him, despite how terrifying the news that they're going to be parents is.
Elliot's first Christmas is spent in Ohio, cooing on one of his grandfathers laps while his mom helps Blaine's mother bake pies in the kitchen, Cooper sitting on the floor making funny faces while Blaine watches on. It's surreal, almost, the curly dark hair and wide dark eyes that shine as bright as Rachel's, how when Elliot laughs-which is often, fortunately-his eyes crinkle in the corner just like Blaine's. He's part Blaine, part Rachel, and while it's exhausting and new to realize an entire human being depends on him and his wife, Blaine knows that the accident turned into a blessing.
The one after Elliot finds out he's getting a sister.
Lillian Barbra Anderson makes her presence known bright and early Christmas morning, just as she had every morning since she was born right before dawn, screaming and crying until Rachel can pick her up and feed her, Elliot waiting patiently for them to finish before they can all open presents.
As the two grow older, Rachel introduces Hannakuh, a celebration she's put on the backburner save for a menorah that came as a family heirloom when she first moved to the city, both listening in avid fascination underneath their favorite fleece blanket while Blaine sets up the tree in their apartment for them all to decorate together.
There are few things Blaine grows to love more than watching his family grow together. Cooper flies in to visit every holiday season, bringing gifts and stories about life in California, dragging Sugar of all people with him the year Elliot turns three and shares their evident elopement by introducing her to the kids as 'Auntie Sugar'.
Rachel drops a bowl of mashed potatoes and Cooper and Lillian burst into laughter at the shocked expression on her face.
Lillian shares her parents love of music, Rachel brimming with pride the day Lillian decides she's going to become a Broadway star just like her mother. Elliot sticks to quieter things, and while Blaine suspects he has just as much talent as his sister, he doesn't like to broadcast it as much, keeping it inside until the day Blaine and Rachel decide to splurge and buy a piano, Elliot trailing soft fingers across the ivory keys with a look of pure adoration, Rachel setting up lessons before he can even ask her for them.
It makes the holidays an even more special time for all of them, with Elliot learning how to play songs on the piano while Lillian sings along in keys she shouldn't know how to hit just yet but somehow instinctively does. Blaine films the whole thing to send to their friends, all with their own kids by now, though Rachel brags quietly to him that their two are far more talented than any of the rest. Blaine wishes he could be surprised, but he honestly agrees with her.
The winter after Elliot turns ten, Lillian trailing on his heels at seven and a half, Cooper and Sugar move to the city to be closer to them, their own pregnancy the news to celebrate over cider and wine. Cooper organizes a show with the kids, the three of them hiding away in Lillian's bedroom to organize, while Sugar regales them of time spent in Italy, Greece, England and Australia. It's a life of fun, Blaine knows, and there's the slight desire to do something like that with Rachel, to run off across the world and take the time they had thought they'd have for themselves, explore the world before carving out their niche in New York, but their home had been made before they even had a chance to say otherwise, and despite how hard it is to raise two children-especially children as dramatic and stubborn as Rachel is, as competitive as he himself is-Blaine doesn't regret it for even an instant.
They'll have time when Elliot and Lillian run away to college, after all, if their plans go how they want them to for now.
Until then, Blaine's content to sit on the couch with his wife and his sister-in-law watching his brother direct his children through an elaborate holiday skit, complete with costumes and dancing, Rachel giving them a standing ovation as they finish before they run and hug her, her eyes watering with pride even as Blaine chuckles and sits Elliot in his lap.
While Christmas isn't the only time he loves watching his family interact, playing on the floor with his kids while Rachel yells at them to clean up for dinner and sipping wine with her underneath their tree while the kids sleep on waiting for Santa, it's his favorite. There's something about the snow falling outside and watching nothing but joy on his family's faces that makes everything worthwhile, fills him with love and he knows that the next year will always be even better.