Author's Note: I recommend listening to the Christmas song Step Into Christmas at least once before reading this two-shot. Having it playing on repeat while you read is highly recommended but not necessary XD
Welcome to my Christmas song, I'd like to thank you for the year.
Pippa hummed to the tune of Thank You Santa as she danced around the living room and threw tinsel everywhere.
"You do realise the tinsel is supposed to be for the tree, right?" asked her older brother, Teddy, who was standing in the doorway.
"Joy to the wo-o-orld!" she sang, tossing a bauble at Teddy, who caught it easily and put it back on the tree.
"Pippa, the tinsel is for the tree."
Pippa beamed at him and threw another bauble in his face, this one he didn't catch. It didn't hurt him, however, so he simply picked it up and put it back on the tree, grinning. "I know you're excited about Christmas, but can you calm down a bit?"
Pippa skipped over to the other side of the tree and wrapped tinsel around it, happily pulling it as tightly as if she was trying to strangle the tree.
"Pip, don't strangle the tree," Hazel said, coming into the room while carrying a pile of wrapped presents, which she put under the tree.
"I think it's lucky we got a fake one this year," Quinn contributed, putting her own pile of wrapped presents under the tree. "I don't think a real one would be able to take the rigorous testing that Pip subjected this one too."
So I'm sending you this Christmas card, to say it's nice to have you here.
"It has to be perfect," the youngest child announced. "PERFECT!" she added loudly, glaring at her sisters. "So no messing it up with your weird packages!"
Hazel chuckled as Quinn raised an eyebrow. "Do you mean the Christmas presents?"
Pippa got down on her knees and inspected the presents suspiciously. All three of her siblings were laughing at her "testing". After poking each one, she stood up and dusted off her hands. "They're good," she announced. "Good wrapping. Though Quinn's presents could do with more tape and Hazel's could do with less tape. This one looks like it's wrapped entirely in tape, Hazel."
Hazel attempted to cover up her laughter at her little sister's seriousness and dedication to her self-assigned role. "Okay," she choked through her laughter.
I'd like to sing about all the things, your eyes and mind can see.
At that moment, Priya's voice called from up the stairs: "Pippa! It's your turn to wrap your presents!"
"COMING!" hollered Pippa, causing her siblings to flinch from the loud noise, and bounded out of the room. Almost at the same time, Pippa's twin brother came through the door, shaking his head.
"She's going to crash into something one day," he said.
"Probably," agreed Teddy, retrieving the various baubles from around the room and putting them back on the tree. "All wrapped up?"
"Assuming that's a pun using the phrase "wrap up" to mean "finish" and comparing it with the literal use of wrapping presents…" Anton grinned at his older brother. "Yes. I am "wrapped up"." He made quotation marks with his fingers over the words "wrapped up".
Everyone in the vicinity rolled their eyes.
So hop aboard the turntable, oh step into Christmas with me.
The final child came through the door at that point, using his powers to levitate a giant pocketed banner, which held every Christmas card the family had received. All in all, there must have been about two hundred.
"Where is that going to go?" Teddy asked, amused.
Hermes responded to that by hanging it diagonally across the living room, causing several cards to fall off. The girls giggled as Hermes retrieved the fallen cards and put them back, stepping back to admire his handiwork.
"It's in everyone's way," Teddy said.
"The only other room big enough to hold it is ours," Hermes said pointedly. "Do you want it in there?"
"No way."
"Then stop complaining."
Step into Christmas, let's join together.
Hazel and Quinn sat down on the sofa as Anton went over to the window. "Do you think it's going to snow?" he asked.
"You're the genius, you figure it out," grumbled Teddy from the other side of the room, causing everyone to laugh.
"I hope it is," Anton said wistfully. "I'd love a white Christmas."
"The last time that happened, Teddy was still an egg," grinned Perry, their father, as he came into the room. "Who exactly was it who decorated the tree?"
"Pippa," replied Teddy, Hazel, Quinn, and Hermes at once.
"Because all the purple baubles are on one side of the tree, instead of spread around."
"Okay, well, that was my fault," Teddy admitted, sitting down on the sofa. "Pip was throwing them at me so I just put them back wherever. I didn't realise there was a system."
Perry inspected the tree. "Also, all six candy canes are missing."
"I only had one," Hazel and Teddy both immediately chorused.
"Me too," agreed Hermes, and Anton was also nodding.
"I haven't had any, I'd like to point out," Quinn said, raising her hand.
"Pippa," sighed Perry. "Note to self: next year, buy more candy canes."
We can watch the snow fall forever and ever.
At that moment, the subject of their conversation came running into the room with a pile of presents, which she put under the tree, shoving Hazel's presents out of the way. Teddy laughed aloud as Hazel gave a yelp and raced to stop Pippa from damaging her presents.
"You heathen," she hissed good-humorously.
"I don't think that means what you think it means," Anton said, hopping up onto the windowsill.
"What does it mean, then?" Hazel asked.
"Heathen: a person who does not belong to a widely held religion, a follower of a polytheistic religion, or a person regarded as lacking culture or moral principles." Anton gave a smirk. "Synonyms include pagan, infidel, non-believer, atheist, agnostic, sceptic, and heretic."
"Yes, thank you, Mr Wikipedia," Hazel snapped, making everyone laugh again.
"I don't belong to a widely held religion," Pippa said. "Does that make me a heathen?"
"I don't think that would be what makes you a heathen, Pip," said Teddy, grinning, as he leant on the fireplace. "I think it was the last thing. What was it, Anton?"
"A person regarded as lacking culture or moral principles," Anton said helpfully.
"Yeah, that."
Pippa frowned. "I lack culture and moral principles?"
"It's a joke," Hazel explained frustratedly. "I wasn't being serious."
"Oh." Pippa playfully shoved her sister, causing her to fall over. "Love you, sis!"
"Yeah, yeah."
Eat, drink and be merry, come along with me.
"What time is it?" asked Hermes. "And what time are we going to bed?"
"The answer to both of those questions is the same," Perry said. "Nine o' clock."
"Bed at nine o' clock?" Teddy said incredulously.
Pippa and Anton both obediently got up and left the room. The older platypuses watched them go. "Why are they going to bed at nine?" Hazel asked. "And why do WE have to go to bed at nine?"
"Because Pip and Ant are going to wake us all up at five o' clock in the morning," Perry replied. "When that happens, you'll be glad I made you lot go to bed early."
"True," Hermes said, yawning. "I'm already tired, and waking up at five won't do that any favours. Night, Dad."
"Goodnight, Hermes," Perry said as Hermes left the room. Pretty soon, the other three followed, leaving only Perry in the living room.
Step into Christmas, the admission's free.
Perry had time to fix up the decorations on the tree and began to tidy the cushions on the sofa until Priya came in. "The kids are all in bed," she confirmed. "How'd you get them to go so early?"
"I reminded them how early Pip and Ant are going to be waking us up," Perry replied.
Priya smirked. "Indeed. But I'm glad they're enthusiastic about Christmas. It would be no fun if they don't enjoy it."
"They enjoy getting presents," Perry snickered.
"No, it's more than that," Priya argued. "When I was wrapping presents with Pippa, she was taking the time to personally select wrapping paper with the patterns she thought each of her siblings would like the most. She spent ages writing each label and each card, putting a personalised message on each. Pippa loves giving just as much as she does receiving, which is really how we raised our kids, isn't it?"
Perry nodded. "Yes, it is. We raised our kids well."
There was a pause.
"Wine?"
"Love some."
The chiming of the church bells in the distance woke the two adult platypuses. They both counted the bells: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve.
"Merry Christmas, Priy," whispered Perry to his mate.
"Merry Christmas, Perry."