After a good half hour or so of eating, everyone sat in their chairs, full and content, even if some felt like they could enter a food coma from that much food. "Geez," Lynn Jr sighed, "and I thought lunch was a big meal."
"You're complaining now," Carlota said from across the table, "yet it's Christmas day tomorrow, so there'll be the turkey as well."
Lynn's face paled a little. "Looks like I'm doing crunches before bed."
Lincoln chuckled, before turning to Ronnie Anne. "You know, this is nice, isn't it?" He asked.
She raised an eyebrow to the boy. "What do you mean?" She asked in return.
"You know, just… being able to sit here and talk without everyone fighting."
A dry laugh escaped her lips. "Yeah, I guess Thanksgiving was kind of a disaster. Still, at least we learned to get along in the end."
"I know. Still, shame we can't do this every year. This is one of the best Christmas Eve's I've had."
"Don't jinx yourself, lame-o, you've still got the evening and tomorrow yet."
"Who wants dessert?" Everyone heard Rosa call as she returned to the dining table, carrying a tray with glasses of fruit and juice, covered with a sprinkling of a red powder. While the Santiago's and Casagrande's quickly accepted theirs, the Louds were less eager.
"I doubt I could push it to the limit," Luna sighed, with many of her sisters agreeing.
"Come on, lame-o," Ronnie Anne taunted, "have a try."
"I think I'm too full," he argued.
"Too full, or too afraid?"
Seeing the cocky grin on her face, he steeled up. "Okay, fine!" Ignoring the giggles from the girls, he took a drink from the glass, then waited a second. "You know, this isn't too- woah!" His eyes lit up as he felt a burning on his tongue. "Hot, hot, hot!" Grabbing a glass of water, he took a swig before panting as his tongue cooled down. "What's in this?!"
"Those are my mangonadas," Rosa explained. "It's frozen mangoes and lime in fruit juice, topped with chamoy and chilli powder."
He blinked, before suddenly beginning to lick his lips. "Actually, it's… kind of sweet." Grabbing at the dessert again, he tried some more, a smile appearing after. "This is actually really good! You guys should try it!"
Hearing that their brother enjoyed it, his family all decided to try the dessert themselves, and while some had the same initial reaction to the spiciness at the first taste, they all seemed to enjoy it, which warmed the heart of the Casagrande matriarch.
"It's so good to see you all enjoy my food," she said, wiping a tear from her eye. "It means a lot to me."
"Well, it wouldn't be fair if we didn't even try it," Lori commented, "after all, you must have worked so hard at it."
"Thank you, Lori. And the rest of you, too. Now, those of you who are done can go and relax for about thirty minutes, as we leave for the carol service at quarter past six."
"Wanna head to my room and play video games?" Ronnie asked the snowy-haired boy.
"Sure, because we haven't done THAT at all," he quipped.
"Shut up," she retorted, trying to sound irritated with a light punch on his shoulder, but failing as the laughter came out, the two fifth graders walking away from the table.
"Lori, can we PLEASE tease them a little?" Luan begged her eldest sister.
"No, Luan," Lori quickly replied. "We promised him."
"But they're so CUTE together!" Lola argued.
"To be honest, I haven't seen Ronnie Anne that happy since she moved in here," Carlota pointed out. "Lincoln seems to bring out the best in her."
"True, but Lincoln brings out the best in MOST people," Lori pointed out in response. "Besides, we said we wouldn't make him uncomfortable, and that's what we're going to do." She took a quick glance towards the hallway, before showing her sisters a mischievous grin. "Of course, we didn't say anything about talking behind their backs."
As the eleven girls giggled amongst each other, Rosa smiled at the sight before her- the two families, together in harmony. "That's what Christmas is all about."
It wasn't long before everyone was back outside, coats, hats, scarves and gloves on as they made their way down the quiet, evening streets. The winds had settled, and though the cold was still there, the gentle snowfall made everything seem just a little bit magical. The two families walked alongside each other towards a fairly traditional looking church, a yellow glow emanating from the light behind the glass doors as people young and old, male and female, and from all sorts of backgrounds made their way inside.
"Here we are, everyone," Rosa announced. "This is the Santa Maria church of Great Lakes City, the oldest church within the city." As she led the families in through the double doors in the front, she smiled. "Pastor Jonathan!"
Upon hearing his name, an elderly man with dark skin, short black hair and glasses, wearing a pastor's robes, smiled and walked up to the elderly woman. "Mrs Casagrande," he greeted, shaking her hand. "It's lovely to have you hear, as always. How have you been?"
"You know me, just looking after my family."
"But, of course." He turned to Hector. "Welcome, Hector."
"Thank you, Pastor Jonathan."
He then turned to the rest of the Casagrande's. "And of course, Frida and Rosa, and your wonderful children."
"Thank you, Pastor Jonathan," Frida told the man, while her husband and children all waved.
"You are most welcome." He then saw the Loud family, and despite his surprise at their size, he maintained his smile. "And who do we have here?"
"Pastor Jonathan, my name is Lynn Sr., and this is my wife Rita," Lynn said, shaking the pastor's hand. "These are our children- Lori, Leni, Luna, Luan, Lynn Jr, Lincoln, Lucy,
Lana, Lola, Lisa and Lily."
As their names were called out, the Loud children gave a wave, though Jonathan noticed that Luna's wave was slightly smaller than the others, but he ignored it for the time being. "Well, it is lovely to meet you. Are you new to the city?"
"Actually," Rita explained, "we're spending the holidays with the Casagrande's."
"It was the least we could do, since they hosted Thanksgiving for us," Rosa added.
"Now, that sounds truly wonderful. I hope you enjoy the service- as God's children, you are always welcome here."
"Thank you, Pastor Jonathan." Rosa then turned to the two families. "We should go find our seats."
The families agreed, following after her into the church. Jonathan, however, noticed that Luna hesitated, standing still with a conflicted expression. "Excuse me, miss," he said, getting her attention. "I'm sorry, that was a lot of names, and my mind isn't what it used to be. Could you remind me of yours?"
"Luna," she told him.
"Luna, forgive me if I'm speaking out of term, but you seem troubled. How come?"
She looked down at her feet. "It's… I mean, it's probably nothing."
"Luna, you can confide in me." He gave a small smirk. "If it's the carols that worry you, I'm not that good at singing myself."
"It's not that, though I might need to make sure I don't sing out of sync with the rest." She looked back up and saw the sincere look in the holy man's eyes. "It's just… this isn't really my crib, you know? I'm not that sure if I… belong here, I guess."
"I take it then that you're not a religious person."
"Not especially, but it's more than that. It's just that… well…"
"Luna. We are all God's children. No matter where we come from or who we are, that will not change, and so, we are all welcome in God's house." Luna didn't respond, his words having an oddly soothing affect on her inner turmoil. "I'll let you think about that, if it helps."
All she did was nod, before she turned to head where her family had gone. As she put a hand on the wooden door, she turned in time to see the pastor greet two men, who were arm in arm and hand in hand, both with a golden band round their ring fingers. She heard the pastor speak warmly to them, like they were close friends, and seeing this brought a smile to her face, before she turned again, pushing through the wooden doors. She walked through the well-lit, pristine room, walking past the rows of wooden seats along the red carpets, to where her family were sat in the second room which had a good view behind the Casagrande's in the row ahead of the pulpit and the choir and orchestra.
As Luna shuffled along to sit next to Luan, the comedienne looked at her older sister. "What kept you?" She asked.
"Nothing, bruh," she replied, "everything's alright."
It wasn't long before the benches were filled, and the pastor made his way to the pulpit, placing his speech in front of him. Looking out at the crowd that had gathered on this night, he smiled. "Welcome, everyone," he addressed, the chatter from the crowd hushing down as he began to speak. "I thank you all for joining me here tonight, on this festive occasion. Looking out among you, I see many regular faces, as well as more than a few newer faces as well, but it does not matter whether you are new or old, for you are all welcome in the eyes of the lord." More than a few members of the crowd responded with "amen". "Let us open our service with a hymn."
For about forty-five minutes, Pastor Jonathan led the sermon, with a selection of hymns interspersing his telling of the Christmas story. As he looked out at the crowd, he was happy to see not a single person not taking part in each hymn. As he wrapped up the Christmas story, he paused for a moment before smiling. "You know, there is something about this time of year that always makes me reflect, upon my own life as well as the world around me, and whenever I do, I must admit that it can be bittersweet. For every step forward, our society makes a step back in a different direction. There will always be dark times, to test our resolve. But even when there is darkness, there will be lights that shine. Sure, there will be some who are willing to turn their backs on others because of what they see on the outside- sadly, at least one of those people is in power." A wave of chuckling laughter ensued from the crowd. "But for every person who does so, there will be someone who can look past that and see them for the person they are inside." He stepped around from behind the pulpit. "Take me, for instance. There will be those who look at me, and their mind will be made up instantly, whether for good or for bad. But there are those people, like all of you gathered here today, who can look past this and accept me for who I am, just like how you can do that for each other," he looked up to the ceiling, "and how the lord will do that for you."
"Amen!" The crowd of churchgoers replied, causing him to smile.
"Amen. Now, we have one last hymn before our final prayer, but before we do so, there's something I'd like to ask. Some might say that a flock is determined by the shepherd that guides them, but it is my belief that it is the shepherd who is determined by his flock, so I would like to ask one of you to lead us in this hymn."
He waited for a moment, hoping to hear someone speak up or raise their hand. While he did so, Luna felt a nudge on her shoulder from Luan. "You gonna do it?" she asked.
Luna frowned a little. "I dunno, bruh," she replied, surprising the comedienne.
"I thought you'd love to do this! How come?"
"Well… I'm not…" Luan waited patiently for a response. "I'm not… from here, am I?"
"So?"
Luna tried to think of a response, but nothing came to mind. "Do not fear, no one has to do so," Pastor Jonathan stressed, "but if there is someone who would like to do so, then we are all willing to hear you, no matter who you are."
Luna looked to the Pastor, then back to Luan who was silently encouraging her, before standing up hesitantly. "May I, Pastor?" She asked, trying to tune out the attention she now received.
Jonathan smiled. "Of course you may," he told her, gesturing for her to approach. Luna slowly and quietly passed her family and walked up to the front, where a sheet of music was on a stand by the orchestra. The director handed her a microphone and told her, "whenever you're ready."
She nodded, before standing behind the stand and facing the crowd. She displayed a certain nervousness that those who knew her were not used to seeing- Luna Loud, the Royal Woods rocker who could play any instrument imaginable and could perform on any given night, almost looked shy. She looked over at her family, seeing Luan give her a thumbs up, before closing her eyes, taking a deep breath, and holding up the mic so she could begin to sing.
"Silent night, holy night,
All is calm, all is bright,
Round yon virgin mother and child
Holy infant, so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace
Sleep in heavenly peace"
Her voice was quiet in comparison to her usual style, and much more gentle, yet still carried throughout the church, bringing smiles to all. Looking back at her family, she could see they were smiling even more, with some of the Loud's and the Casagrande's wiping away tears. As she began the second verse, the orchestra kicked in, with the choir and everyone in the church singing along, allowing Luna's fears to disappear. Once the song was over, she returned to her family so Pastor Jonathan could deliver his finally prayer for the night, before allowing everyone to head on home. He stood their in the entryway, shaking hands and bidding goodnight to everyone who passed him bye.
As the Casagrande's and Louds approached, he smiled and turned to them. "Thank you all for coming," he told them.
"No, thank you for having us!" Rita replied. "This was such a wonderful service!"
"You flatter me. Still, if you ever come back to the city, these doors are always open to you and your family." He then turned to Rosa. "I'm sure you can attest to that."
A soft laughter came from the Casagrande's. "Well, thank you, Pastor Jonathan," she told him.
"You are always welcome. I wish you and both your families a good night and safe travels."
The two families all said their goodbyes as they walked towards the exit, though Luna turned around before she could leave. "Pastor?" She asked, getting his attention again. "Thank you."
"For what, my dear?"
"For making me feel welcome. I know I was pretty antsy before, but… you really know how to make someone feel welcome."
He chuckled. "That is never a bother for me. I am happy to welcome anyone who comes to my church, regardless of who they are, where they came from, who they love."
Luna blinked. "Who they love?"
"I happened to spot you glancing when my brother and his husband arrived." Luna chuckled sheepishly, rubbing the back of her arm. "Don't worry, it's okay. I take it that is why you were nervous about being rejected before?"
"Yeah…"
"Well, you needn't worry. There may be some who would, and that some teachings of the bible would suggest they were right, but times have changed and I would never allow that. You are one of God's children- that is what matters."
She nodded. "Thank you."
"You're welcome. Goodnight, Luna."
"Night, Pastor Jonathan." And with that, she turned around and headed back into the snow-capped streets to catch up with her family.