Summary: Christmas at the Pontmercys

Christmas was always a very special time in the Pontmercy household, for Marius having grown up without siblings or many playmates and Cosette having only her father for company they both always tried to make Christmas time one of the most wonderful events of the year. They would have an elaborately decorated tree of course, and they would always throw a festive party so all their friends could come and celebrate with them.

It really was one of the most wonderful times of the year for the Pontmercys, especially once their children were old enough to enjoy it with them.
Like all children at Christmas though the Pontmercy youngsters looked forward to their visit from Pere Noël and the presents they would receive most of all. The cheeky little rascals were often caught trying to find a hidden stash of gifts their parents had secreted around the home, but they never succeeded! Not even once!

Just this year in fact Cosette had found her two oldest boys in her bedroom snooping around for gifts. Jean had turned nine this year and Courfeyrac seven, and at that age the two of them couldn't help acting like mischievous little boys sometimes, so it was no real surprise to Cosette that she caught them once again looking for hidden presents.

"I can't find anything Jean!" Courfeyrac announced as he crawled out from under his parents bed

"Well keep looking!" Jean said as he came out of his mothers wardrobe, and then gasped as he locked eyes onto his mother who had just entered the room, hands on hips and looking very stern.

"Uh oh" Courfeyrac said, scrambling to his feet.

The two boys looked sheepishly at the floor, knowing they had been caught red-handed. But Cosette couldn't stay mad at them even if she tried.

"Were you two looking for presents again?" she said, trying her best to look mad, all the while stifling back a smile.

"Yes mama" Jean said, "We're sorry"

Instead of being cross with them Cosette just smiled at them and said "Go on you two, run along. But don't let me catch you in here again!" And they sped out of the room like madmen. She could understand their excitement, after all Christmas was always a very special time in the Pontmercy house.

Christmas Eve was Cosettes favourite part of the festive season; she had loved it ever since she was a little girl. Although sometimes it was a little bittersweet to her as it made her remember her parents, Christmas seemed to make her realise all the more how much she missed them.
When she was a child her father would always take her to church on Christmas Eve to light a candle for her mother, as it was the day on which he had told her about her mothers passing. She loved spending Christmas with her father though, they were some of her happiest memories from her childhood.
The convent she grew up in wasn't always the warmest of environments, but the nuns would permit her to be with her father at Christmas and she was always so grateful to them for that. She remembered how it would often snow at Christmas back then, much like it still did actually, but she would never be cold when she was with her father because he would always make up a fire for them. They would make snowballs in the garden of the convent and throw them at each other until they were both out of breath and would go back inside to eat hot soup in front of the fire.

She could never forget that feeling she had of such warmth being with her father and her "uncle" all alone in the small gardeners house they share. She remembered Uncle Fauchelevant was always such a kind man; he took a shine to her instantly and was always as pleased to see her as her father was. Cosette remembered one Christmas Eve when she was still small when she was sat on her uncles knee as her father read to her from the bible about the birth of Jesus. That had always been her favourite part of the bible, especially when the angel came down to earth to tell the shepherds not to be afraid.

Cosette never had to say it to him, but she knew that her father realised the importance of those words to her. She would ask him every Christmas Eve to read to her that passage from the bible and he always would. It was at Christmastime more than any other time that she missed the sound of her father's voice, but she took solace now in knowing how much her own children loved to hear the story of how Christ was born.

They had spent many Christmas eves together as a family, Marius and Cosette could never forget the first they had spent together after their first baby was born, and now ten years later they had six children to celebrate with which just made it all the more special. They would always light candles and drink mulled wine and gather around the piano to sing carols. Later on after the children were asleep in their beds Marius and Cosette would always go to midnight mass at church before coming back to put presents under the tree. But there was one other tradition in the Pontmercy house that always had to be done before anyone could even think about going to sleep.

"Wonderful, just Wonderful my dears!" Marius announced after the last carol had been sung, "But now I think it's time for the children to go to bed don't you Cosette?"

"But papa" Isabel interrupted, looking up at him with her doe like eyes. "Maman hasn't told us the story of how Christ was born yet".

"Oh that's right my dear" Marius said "How could I forget?" He cast his eyes towards Cosette, winking at her; he hadn't really forgotten he was just teasing the children.

"Alright children, gather round and I'll begin, Cosette said, getting up from her seat at the piano and settling on a chaise. "And then it's really time for bed otherwise Pere Noël won't be able to come will he?"

The children gathered around excitedly at Cosettes feet to hear their favourite Christmas story, she needed no bible to read from as she knew it off by heart, especially her most beloved passage.

She began by telling them about Joseph and the Virgin Mary, about the angel Gabriel telling Mary she would give birth to Gods child, about their journey to Bethlehem where they could find no room, about the stable and the manger Jesus was born in.

And then Cosette recited to her children her most favourite passage, the same one her father had read to her when she was a child.

"And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were so afraid. But the angel said unto them, do not be afraid: for behold, I bring unto you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.' And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace and good will toward men."

The children applauded when Cosette had finished, and she felt her heart leap in joy to hear them. She was so grateful that her children loved to hear that passage as much as she did, it meant so much to her and to know it meant so much to them made Christmas all the more special to her now.

"Now…" Cosette said happily "To bed with you all my dears or Pere Noël won't visit us. Merry Christmas to you all, and to all a goodnight!"

Like it? Hate it? Leave a review if you dare and send me ideas of things you'd like to see. Oh and thanks to all my readers for all your support, this series has been my most consistently popular fic ever since I first posted it. xxx