Disclaimer: I don't own The OC or its characters etc.
Summary: Kirsten/Seth. Set during Chrismukkah in season 3 – Kirsten and Seth share some memories while decorating the Chrismukkah tree.
A/N – I know I have another Chrismukkah fic which needs to be finished (cruelly nicknamed the "stepkid" of my fic family!) – I'll be working hard over the Chrismukkah period to finish it:)
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Seth came bounding down the stairs, two at a time as usual. He was on his way to meet Summer, who had commandeered him into helping her pick a Christmas tree. He wasn't sure why he was in such a hurry to meet her – he wasn't looking forward to the manual labour – but the thought of seeing his girl put a spring in his step.
He reached the bottom of the stairs and paused when he saw his mom in front of the Chrismukkah tree, surrounded by boxes overflowing with decorations. She had already strung the lights around the tree. There was no sign of Ryan or his dad. He started to tiptoe towards the front door, hoping to get past her before she called for his help, but something stopped him.
As he stood in the hallway, his nose filled with the smell of gingerbread and he knew his mom had been cooking again. He still wasn't used to seeing her in an apron, stood at the stove like it was the most natural place for her to be. For seventeen years of his life, they had fought to keep her away from the kitchen, and most of the time Kirsten had willingly complied. But now, they couldn't stop her from cooking and experimenting. It felt strange to him – different. But different was ok as long as she was home.
He watched her as her forehead wrinkled in concentration, picking out various decorations. She paused every now and again, her face lighting up with a smile as her eyes wandered over the colours and sparkles.
"Hey mom."
Kirsten looked up, surprised to find that she wasn't alone.
"Hey," she greeted Seth warmly. She noticed the scarf wrapped around his neck. "You going out?"
"Yeah, I'm meeting Summer. We're shopping for Christmas trees," Seth answered unenthusiastically.
Kirsten laughed. "Well, have a good time. Don't strain any muscles."
Seth turned on his heels but stopped again, looking back towards his mom. "You know, I have ten minutes. You want some help?"
Kirsten let her delight show as a big smile spread over her face. "Yeah, I'd really like that."
Seth wandered towards her, manoeuvring among the decorations. Something caught his eyes and he reached his hand into one of the boxes, pulling out a small wooden tree that had been painted haphazardly.
"I remember this!" he said excitedly. "I made this when I was, like, seven!"
"You were six," Kirsten corrected.
Seth looked up, amazed at how she always remembered the smallest details. He laughed to himself. "It was our first Chrismukkah in Newport. Grandma bought me the tree and she sat with me while I painted it. I got paint everywhere – all over me, all over Grandma, all over the table. Grandpa came home from work and I thought his head was going to explode."
Kirsten laughed with him, imagining her father's face at the sight.
"Can we hang it on the tree this year?" Seth asked shyly.
"Seth, we hang it on the tree every year," Kirsten answered.
"We do?"
"Of course," Kirsten smiled.
Seth took a step towards the tree and hung it on a branch, admiring it for a moment, before turning back to his mom. "What next?"
Kirsten pointed to a box that was full of gold and red decorations. "That one, I think."
"These were Grandma's," Seth commented.
Kirsten nodded sadly. It was at Christmas that she missed her mom the most. Her happiest memories were from the Christmas holidays and the time she had spent helping her mom wrapping presents and organising parties.
They started pulling decorations from the box, working in silence as they hung them on the tree.
"This was your Grandma's favourite," Kirsten said as she pulled out a large gold bauble which was covered in tiny stars from a cushioned box. Some of the paint had started to chip away, but apart from that it looked in perfect condition. "She bought it from a shop in New York when she and your Grandfather were on their honeymoon."
"Wow," Seth said, taking it from her hands. "It doesn't look that old."
"She took good care of it," Kirsten smiled.
Seth handed it carefully back to her and Kirsten hung it on the tree. She went back to the box quickly, avoiding the sentimental feelings that were creeping up inside of her. It didn't work as she looked through the other decorations. So many of them had memories attached to them.
Behind her, Seth started to chuckle. "Where did this come from?"
Kirsten turned to see him holding a plastic reindeer. It was tacky and didn't match the rest of the decorations, but the Christmas tree would be empty without it.
"That is Hailey's. She bought it from a market stall when she was about twelve with the money she'd earned babysitting. It was the first thing she ever bought with her own money and she was so proud," Kirsten reminisced. She raised her eyebrows. "Shame it didn't last."
Seth put it on the tree slightly behind a large bauble so that its garishness was hidden. Kirsten laughed and turned towards another box, pulling out streams of tinsel. A small crystal dreidel fell out.
"Dad's?" Seth didn't really need to ask.
Kirsten nodded. "I bought it for him for our first Chrismukkah in Berkeley. He was working late and I decorated the house for Christmas. Your dad got home and started complaining that there was no room for any Chanukah decorations – not that he had any, but it was the 'principle'. So I bought him that to hang from the tree."
"We have a lot more Chanukah decorations now," Seth commented.
"Well, things changed when you were born. Your dad wanted Judaism to be as much a part of your life as Christianity. And the Nana was adamant that you would be a good Jewish boy," Kirsten winked at him.
The continued to decorate the tree, comfortable in each other's company.
"Do you have a favourite ornament?" Seth asked suddenly.
Kirsten looked at him and smiled. "Yeah, I do."
She started to search through the boxes until she found a silver star.
"That?" Seth asked, surprised. It was old and rough around the edges. He had expected it to be something small and delicate.
"I was holding this the first time I felt you kick," Kirsten explained.
She looked at her son and smiled, reminded of the nine months she had carried him. She thought about how quiet the house had been last summer with the boys gone and how it would be the same when they left for college next year. She tried not to think about it too much, supporting Seth's decision to apply to Brown but wishing it wasn't so far away. She nudged him playfully, grinning and pulling another box towards them.
"You know, we need to find a favourite ornament for Ryan," Seth said, hunting through the decorations.
"Don't you think you should let Ryan decide that?" Kirsten smirked, pulling the box away from Seth. She stopped suddenly and Seth saw sadness creep over her face.
"Mom?"
Kirsten slowly picked out a small pine cone, covered in silver glitter with a red ribbon attached to the top from which to hang it. It was simple and classy. "This was your Grandpa's favourite," Kirsten said quietly.
Seth was silent for a moment. "I miss him."
Kirsten nodded. "Me too. It's going to be strange this year without him."
"Are you…are you going to be ok with that?" Seth asked cautiously. Her drinking was always present, but she didn't speak about it any more. "I mean, are you scared you might be tempted?"
Kirsten looked him in the eye. "It's hard," she admitted. "Chrismukkah is going to be hard. But I'll get through it."
She smiled resolutely.
"I believe you," Seth said.
Kirsten reached out and squeezed his arm. "Thank you."
Seth's cell phone started to ring, interrupting them. He answered it to Summer's screeching.
"Cohen? Where the hell are you? I've been waiting for the past ten minutes!"
"I'm on my way," Seth promised before hanging up, disappointed that he had to leave.
Kirsten smiled. "You should go. You don't want to keep Summer waiting."
"We have one more decoration to put on first," Seth said, pointing to the top of the tree.
Kirsten nodded, handing him the star that linked them. Seth pulled a chair closer to the tree and climbed on it, reaching up to put the star on the top.
"Perfect," Kirsten smiled.
Seth climbed down and stood next to her. "The tree looks good."
"Yeah, it does. Thank you for your help," Kirsten said warmly.
"Any time," Seth said. Impulsively, he reached out and embraced her in a hug. Kirsten smiled and reciprocated, squeezing him tightly.
"Have fun," Kirsten instructed as they pulled apart.
Seth groaned at the thought of lugging a Christmas tree to and from Summer's car. Kirsten laughed, before turning back to the tree. Seth started towards the door, pausing to look back at his mom as she started to tidy away the left over Chrismukkah decorations.
Yes, he was glad she was home.