Author's Note: Sorry it took me so long to update. I planned to post one story a day, until college finals got in the way. Don't worry though, there will be twenty five of these. Anyway, I hope you enjoy.
Summary: The Charming family decorates their tree together, with David and Mary Margaret explaining the significance of their ornaments to Emma and Henry.
Characters: David, Mary Margaret, Emma, Henry, and baby Neal
David took a step back to get a better look at the tree. "What do you guys think?" he asked, turning around to get his family's opinion.
"It looks perfect," his wife reassured him from where she was sitting on the couch, gently rocking baby Neal back and forth. "It's ready for the ornaments."
"Yeah, it's ready," Henry agreed. They all turned to Emma, who'd just appeared at the bottom of the stairs with the final box of ornaments. "What do you think of the tree, Mom?"
Emma looked it over for a second. "I think it's ready for a splash of color." She opened up one of the three boxes, and stared at its contents. Henry came over to help, but also froze when he saw exactly what his grandparent's ornaments looked like.
"Cool!" he exclaimed, gently removing a carved snowflake from the box. "Did you guys make these?"
"Yeah," David said, walking over to join them. "My mother and I would make a few new ornaments every year to add to the tree. We didn't really have the money for any fancy ornaments. Anyway, the tradition stuck. Even after I married your grandmother, we would each make an ornament to add to our homemade collection."
"That's so cool!" Henry exclaimed as he examined the box of unique ornaments. Emma felt a twinge of sorrow as she thought about what it would have been like to make an ornament every year as a child, and hang it with pride for everyone to see. She wished she could have done that, instead of trying to ignore the joy everyone else felt around the holidays. "Are we going to make ornaments this year?" Henry asked.
David laughed, and ruffled his hair. "Of course! Come on, I have some supplies in the closet that we can use." David and Henry went to get the supplies while Emma sat down next to her mother, who was still rocking Neal.
"Did you make any of them?" she asked.
"Yes, mine are the ones that look like a five-year-old did them," Snow said, chuckling. "Why?"
"Just wondering."
"Hey Emma, you're going to make one, right?" David called over.
"Sure," Emma said, although it felt like the last thing she wanted to do. She didn't want to disappoint her father. Soon, she was sitting at the counter, watching David expertly carve a piece of wood, something she didn't know he knew how to do. When she finally forced herself to look away, she saw Henry was also starting on a project, doing something with clothespins that Emma didn't know her parents had.
She sighed, trying to sort through all the material and find something that she could use to make an ornament. Unlike Henry, she lacked the creativity necessary for this project. Soon, however, her mother was sitting next to her. Neal had fallen asleep, and was in the crib nearby. "So, what are you thinking?" Mary Margaret asked her, surveying the supplies they had.
"Honestly, I have no idea," Emma admitted, causing her mother to chuckle.
"Well, that makes two of us."
"You could help me," Henry suggested. "That's alright, right Gramps?"
"Of course it is, Henry. In fact, that's the best way to make ornaments."
"Alright kid, what are you doing?" Emma asked.
"Turning the clothespins into little soldiers; kind of like nutcrackers without the nut-cracking part."
"Alright, how can we help?" Mary Margaret asked. Soon, with only a little paint, they'd created a tiny clothespin army, each soldier looking snazzy in a red uniform.
Emma discovered that she'd actually had fun making them, despite her lack of creativity. Her son had plenty to share, and she found herself wishing she could make more ornaments.
"David, you should see what we did," Snow informed him, and he looked up from where he was carving.
"Wow, those guys look great!" he exclaimed. "You know, I might be a little while longer. Why don't you start decorating the tree without me?"
"Not a chance! I know how much you enjoy that," Snow objected. "Emma, Henry, and I will simply wait for you." David smiled to show he appreciated and accepted the offer, before continuing to carve whatever it was he was making. At this stage, Emma honestly couldn't tell. "Alright guys, who wants hot cocoa with cinnamon?" Snow questioned.
"Yes please!" Henry exclaimed. Soon, the three of them were sipping the cocoa on the couch in comfortable silence, listening to David carving the wood off his soon-to-be masterpiece. Eventually, Henry got bored, and he pulled out his phone, and started to play with it.
"Hey Emma, would you help me check on Neal?" Snow asked, and she agreed, following her mother into her bedroom. However, as soon as she entered, she realized that her mother had an ulterior motive. "What's wrong?"
"What? Nothing," Emma tried to bluff. Mary Margaret gave her a disbelieving look, and Emma found herself telling the truth. "Well, maybe I just wish I could have made ornaments with you guys while I was growing up." Sadness instantly sprung into Snow's eyes. "This is wonderful. I'm really having fun," Emma tried to cheer her up.
"Emma, I'm so sorry," her mother exclaimed. "I wish you could have done this as a child, too."
"Well, at least I get to now." Snow nodded, and pulled Emma into a hug.
"You can come over and do art projects whenever you want," she offered, and Emma nodded into her shoulder. "And don't worry, your father is going to make sure you make at least one ornament every year."
Emma giggled at that, accidently waking up her baby brother, who gurgled to let them know. Snow walked over and picked him up, gently rocking him again. "And don't worry Neal, you'll make ornaments when you're older." He gurgled again, as if in response to what his mother said, causing both women to laugh.
"Alright, it's done," David called.
"Cool penguins, Gramps," they heard Henry say as they walked over to join them.
"Each penguin represents one of us," David explained. "I thought we could let everyone paint their own. See, that's me," he said, pointing to the tallest. "That's you, Snow," he said, pointing to the one wearing a scarf. "This one's Emma, that's Henry, and this is Neal." Emma's was wearing a beanie, Henry's earmuffs, and Neal's was the smallest, and by far, the cutest.
"Cool!" Henry exclaimed, and Emma wondered when he'd started to use that word so much. "Can I paint mine first?"
"Sure," David agreed, and soon, they were watching each other paint, trying not to laugh at the interesting color choices. Henry painted his a dark blue, and Snow chose white, saying that way everyone would know that one was her. Emma chose red, the same shade as her favorite jacket, and Charming painted his yellow, saying he really liked the color. They chose green for Neal, since he couldn't pick, and painted his penguin for him.
"Great, but what's the box below the penguins for?" Henry questioned.
"I thought we could put 'The Nolan Family' there."
"I have a better idea," Henry told him, grabbing a black paintbrush and carefully forming the letters. When he was done, he leaned back to let his family see. 'The Charming Family' was neatly inscribed there.
"That's perfect," David agreed. They all looked at the perfect ornament for a little, and Emma decided that she felt like a part of a family now, not just because of the ornament of course. That was just a symbol of the love they all had for each other, but it helped her to see a sign of it. "So, who's ready to decorate the tree?"
Mary Margaret ended up just watching, since Neal became fussy and wanted his mother to hold him, but David, Henry, and Emma easily picked up the slack. Soon, their Christmas tree was filled with ornaments, the most prominent being the clothespin soldiers and the penguin family. They all stood back to enjoy their hard work, and Emma found herself already looking forward to making ornaments and decorating the tree next year. Perhaps not celebrating Christmas that much as a child wouldn't hinder her from enjoying it now.
