Simon didn't understand why Raphael insisted on staying at home on Sunday. He had gotten back home after mass and when Simon asked him if he wanted to go out and do something Raphael had refused. Instead he explained that Raphael already had something else to do.

When in the late afternoon Raphael took out a wreath made of evergreen, Simon was more than confused. Raphael placed it in the coffee table of their apartment's living room.

"What are you doing?" Simon asked, sitting crossed legged on the floor in front of the coffee table.

"I'm going to decorate it" Raphael explained, nodding towards the wreath.

"What is it?" Simon wondered.

"It's a Corona de Adviento" Raphael said in Spanish and then translated into "Advent Crown"

"What is it for?" Simon asked, his eyes wide as Raphael started taking out all the different decorations. There were ribbons and candles and small berries.

"It's a Christian tradition" Raphael explained "I know I'm catholic, but my father used to do this every December. One of the few things I kept from him after everything"

"That's sweet" Simon smiled "Explain it to me?"

"Well...There are four candles in the wreath" Raphael said, pointing at the candles he had taken out "You light up a candle each Sunday before Christmas. One candle for every Sunday"

"So it's like...the four Sundays before Christmas?" Simon asked and Raphael nodded "And what else do you do? Or is it just light up the candles?"

"It depends" Raphael shrugged "Everyone does it differently. My father used to put on some Christmas carols and we would all drink punch"

"That sounds lovely" Simon grinned "Do you need help?"

"Oh...you don't have to help" Raphael shook his head "Don't feel forced to take part of this if you're not..."

"Rapha...shut up" Simon smiled at him warmly "I want to take part of this"

"Okay" Raphael nodded, smiling back "Okay, good"

"So tell me what to do" Simon grinned.

"We need to decorate the crown" Raphael nodded "It doesn't really matter how...Do you wanna do that while I prepare the punch"

"Sounds good to me" Simon smiled widely.

Raphael stood up, pecking Simon's lips before moving to the kitchen. Simon finished taking out all the decorations Raphael had brought and started to decorate the wreath crown. He wasn't much for crafts and projects, but he managed not to mess it up.

Raphael worked in the kitchen, humming softly to a Christmas song. He cut down the dried fruit and started to prepare the drink before putting in the fruit. He added the cinnamon and tasted it a few times to see if it was getting the taste he wanted. He had learned the recipe from his mother when he was a teenager. He remembered helping her do it every Christmas season. There was a special recipe that his grandmother used to make that Raphael's mother adopted and now he used it. The taste and the smell brought memories to his mind.

He had always loved the taste of the punch. The recipe his family used was without alcohol, and he continued it that way. It had a very sweet taste that was just delightful to him. Even though he didn't have much of a sweet tooth, he really loved punch. He knew Simon would love the punch. Simon loved anything sweet. He ususally drank his coffee with a lot of sugar and milk and he loved those season special drinks that Starbucks released. So Raphael was confident that his boyfriend would like the punch.

He had been a bit nervous when he first decided to celebrate some of the old traditions he had. He had done it by himself since he started living alone. He wanted to keep close to his heart what had formed him as a person. Every little thing his mother used to do, the traditions they kepts celebrating...it was all part of Raphael now.

But with the things that came from his father...they were difficult. His relationship with his father had been difficult, which was the easiest way to describe it. There were few things he still kept from his father. He had deleted most of them from his memory, or just tried to ignore them. But there were few things. He only kept the good things. Things that reminded him of the man he had loved as a father once...and the Advent wreath was one. His father had come from a Christian-Catholic home, and he had raised his own kids with some of the two religions. Raphael's life had been more Catholic than Christian, due to his mother being Catholic. But things like the Advent Wreath, those were things Raphael liked to keep celebrating.

"I think I'm done" Simon spoke as he walked inside the kitchen "I'll let you place the candles though"

"The punch is almost ready" Raphael said, stiring the drink with a wooden spoon.

"What do you put in it?" Simon asked, wrapping his arms around Raphael's waist from behind and placing his chin on Raphael's shoulder.

"Just some dried fruits" Raphael explained "Some cinnamon and sugar"

"Sounds delicious" Simon said.

"It's my mom's recipe" Raphael said "Of course, nothing is as good as hers"

"Mmmm I'll be the judge of that" Simon grinned "I'll have to try hers as well"

"Of course" Raphael laughed.

He finished with the punch and then poured it into two mugs. Simon carried them to the living room while Raphael placed the candles and started the music. He had an old CD with some Christmas carols in Spanish that he remembered from his childhood. Simon smiled as the first song started, knowing the version in English but loving when Raphael sang in Spanish.

"So" Simon grinned "Are you going to light it up?"

"Unless you wanna do the honors?" Raphael asked, giving the matches to Simon. He then took a seat in the sofa next to his boyfriend, taking his mug and having a sip.

"Can I?" Simon asked nervously.

"Of course" Raphael smiled kindly "Go light up one of the candles"

Simon nodded, lighting up one of the matches before moving it to one of the candles. It soon caught the fire and Simon put off the match he had grabbed. Sitting back, Simon took his own cup and curled against Raphael's side. They stared as the fire danced swiftly in the candle, lighting up the room with a soft yellow-ish glow. They drank their punch, Raphael humming against Simon's ear the songs every once in a while.