Christmas had never been the most celebrated holiday in the Mitchell house, when Beca was a little girl. But upon meeting Jesse, Christmas had become her favourite. Jesse was all about matching reindeer sweaters and embroidered Santa hats and fairy lights and mistletoe. He was all about Christmas movies every night of December, sitting up late on Christmas Eve with Charlie Brown and It's a Wonderful Life. He loved gingerbread houses and eggnog and adored the fact that he had cookie cutters in the shape of Christmas trees.
(Beca had cookie cutters for every occasion cluttering up her kitchen drawers.)
And with two children, their traditions only grew.
Beca Mitchell took a photo with Instagram: ready for battle #BahHumbug #TisTheSeason #Christmas
"Jesse, we've watched this movie before", Beca reminded him. "Seriously. Let's just watch 30 Rock".
"Watching Love Actually on the first weekend in December is tradition!" Jesse protested.
"Veto, you've already used that excuse", she objected. "Putting up the Christmas tree in the first weekend of December is tradition! We must do it immediately! Not gonna wash with me, weirdo".
"But this is an actual tradition", he protested, pressing play.
"You're ridiculous".
"You're the Grinch".
She smacked him, and he let out a yelp of protest. "Shut up and watch the movie Jesse".
(Just like she had done that first Christmas together, she fell asleep twenty minutes in, her head in his lap.)
"Honey, I'm home!" Jesse called. "What's that smell?"
"Christmas cookies!" Molly shrieked excitedly.
And in the kitchen was Beca, her face powdered with flower, her hair tied back in a messy bun. Molly was wearing an apron twenty two sizes too big for her, and Zac had flower dusting his dark curls.
"You made Christmas cookies without me?" he exclaimed in protest, lifting Molly up with his right hand and Zac with his left. "Hello". He pressed a kiss to Beca's lips, breaking into a grin. "You taste like sugar".
"That's because Mummy was tasting the cookies", Molly informed him. "Guess what we did today?"
"You didn't decorate the gingerbread house, did you?"
"No", Beca said quickly.
"We went to Aunt Chloe's and made special surprises for you and Mummy!"
"Yeah!" Zac agreed. "'Prises!"
"Wow!" he set them down, grinning around. "You're really getting into the spirit of things, aren't you Bec?"
(How could she not get into the spirit of the holidays, with that boy around? Their alarm clocked played Rudolf. She woke up to Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer.)
She gave him the look that he had dubbed the plastic smile in their freshman year of college, and he ginned at her. Motioning Molly closer (who had inched back towards the tray of biscuits on the table, her fingers weaselling towards them), he knelt down to whisper in her ear.
"Hey Mummy!" she said brightly, her eyes sparkling just like her father's.
"Yes?"
"Daddy says we're watching Charlie Brown tonight!"
"No no, that was last weekend. We are not watching Charlie Brown every day until Christmas".
"Its tradition!"
"Christmas is at Jesse and Beca's this year!" Stacie announced brightly.
"It's always at Jesse and Beca's", Chloe reminded her, resting her hand on her six month pregnant belly (whilst Beca had out ruled the possibility of another child completely, she loved when she was about six months pregnant. She wasn't so big she couldn't move, but her belly was big enough to rest things on it. She didn't even need to use a table). "Can't break tradition".
"No, no we can't", Jesse said, cradling Aubrey's one year old daughter in her arms.
"Fat Amy, you've got the suit, right?" Cynthia Rose checked.
"Absolutely!" Fat Amy enthused. "What's Christmas without Santa Claus?"
"Molly's getting a bit suspicious", Donald noted. "Better bring it this year Ames".
"Oh, I will".
"I don't know how to feel about that", Aubrey said uneasily.
"Relax, Bella's twelve months old", Tom said breezily. "If she's gonna scar anyone, it's gonna be Zac".
"Thank you, that makes me really confident about the welfare of my children", Beca said uneasily.
"Relax, flatbutt!" Fat Amy said breezily, and Chloe started to laugh.
"Oh, you'll be laughing next year", Aubrey told her, and Jesse laughed, turning Bella around in his arms so that she was facing him.
"You've got no idea what you're in for, little girl", he cooed.
"Give me back my baby".
"Ready for bed?" Beca checked, as she tied the band on the end of Molly's braid.
"No, Daddy hasn't read the Christmas story yet", she protested.
"Oh no Daddy!" Beca laughed. "Come on Molls, let's go and find Daddy".
"He's downstairs", the four and a half year old predicted. "I hope he hasn't read it already!"
"He hasn't", Beca promised her.
"Hey, there's my favourite girls!" Jesse called, as his wife and daughter made their way into the room. "Look at you two, all ready for Santa to come!"
"We matchy", Zac pronounced, grinning at his green and white candy cane striped pyjamas. Molly grinned cheesily (in the spitting image of her father at that moment), her pyjamas red and white. Zac shoved the book at his father. "Daddy, read?"
"Daddy's gonna read", Jesse confirmed. "Come on baby, its tradition!"
Beca rolled her eyes, taking a seat beside her daughter. Molly wiggled between her parents, resting her head on Beca's chest. Wrapping her arms around her daughter, she traced patterns on her stomach (making the little girl squirm with unshed giggles), Jesse opening their well-worn copy of The Night before Christmas.
"T'was the night before Christmas, when all through the house", Jesse began, resting one hand on Zac's chubby two year old stomach. "Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there".
Their house was just like an image from the storybook. Their stockings were hung, and the presents that had been sent by their parents were underneath the tree. The kids were dressed in their Christmas pyjamas, the embroidered Santa hats (because they were a family who owned matching embroidered Santa hats) sitting on the armchair to their left, waiting for the morning.
(Jesse had warned their family that if they did not wear their embroidered Santa hats on Christmas Day, they wouldn't be allowed to stay for dinner. He'd never carry out his threat and he was sure they knew it, but the threat of removing food from them was enough to make them pose for at least one family photo- even if Beca whined the whole time.)
A turkey was sitting in the fridge, ready to be stuck into the oven the next day for their family dinner.
(Beca had become that mother, everything she had vowed she wouldn't be.)
"He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle, and away they all flew like the down of a thistle. But I heard him exclaim, 'ere he drove out of sight, 'happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!'"
"Come on, time for bed", Beca told her sleepy little son, lifting the two year old into her arms. He rested his head on her shoulder, weaselling his thumb into his mouth. Jesse picked up Molly (who knew that it wasn't worth protesting, and Santa would only come to good little girls and boys), and the husband and wife pair headed towards the stairs.
"Good night Molly", Beca told her daughter, accepting the sloppy kiss that she offered. "See you in the morning baby girl".
"Good night bud", Jesse said to Zac, grinning at the sleepy little boy.
"Bye Daddy".
"Are they asleep?" Jesse checked, as the credits of It's a Wonderful Life rolled onto their television screen.
Beca let out a huge yawn, hauling her head off his chest. "Yeah".
"Ready for presents?"
"Yeah". She nodded, yawning heavily.
It was tradition that once their children were asleep, Beca and Jesse would set their presents out underneath the tree. So, pulling them out from the cupboard under the stairs (Jesse babbling on about Harry Potter the entire time, and as much as Beca loved the books, Jesse's movie trivia was too much for her at that point in the day), they set them out underneath the tree before retreating to bed, waiting for the moment where they would be woken up by their two year old son and four and a half year old daughter.
"Daddy".
"Mmm?"
"Hey, Daddy?"
"Mmm?"
"DADDY!"
"What?" Jesse bellowed, sitting up straight in bed.
"Hi!"
Standing beside the bed were his two children, wearing their candy cane striped pyjamas (because what was cuter than candy cane striped pyjamas on small children? Absolutely nothing). Molly waved cheerfully, tugging on the blankets and hoisting herself onto the bed.
"How did you get out of your room?" Jesse questioned his son, helping him onto the bed.
"I helped", Molly said cheerfully.
(Beca believed that, at two years old and in a big boy bed, Zac should not have a baby gate at his door. But then she remembered that her son was a modern day Houdini, and checked that gate before she went to bed.)
(And even though those baby gates claimed to be childproof, Molly Claire was ridiculously sneaky and overly like her mother, much to Beca's annoyance.)
Jesse shook his head, blinking at the clock. And then the little red numbers registered.
"Molly, sweetie-"
"Its three thirty in the morning, send 'em back to bed", Beca mumbled into her pillow. "Go away kids".
Jesse flicked the back of her head, rolling over. "Kids, it's early".
"Santa, Daddy!" Zac insisted.
"You're ridiculous", Beca directed at her husband. "This is your fault. They're your kids".
"It's Christmas, Bec. Get up".
"No".
"Zacky, tell Mummy to get up, bud, Santa's been!"
"Mummy, Santa!" Zac said urgently, climbing over his father and sister to reach his mother. "Mummy, up".
"Noooo, too early".
"Too bad baby", Jesse said brightly, flicking on the lamp (making her squeak in protest, burying her head deeper underneath the blankets). He lifted Zac onto his shoulders, reaching out for Beca. "Come on weirdo, time for presents!"
"Its three thirty in the morning".
"Three thirty four", Jesse corrected, hauling her tiny body from the warmth of the bed.
"Nooo!"
"Let's goooo!" Molly cheered, and Jesse held her to his hip.
"Let's go!" he agreed.
"Aunt Stacie!" Molly ran to the front door, her messy braids flying.
"Hey punchkin!" Stacie swung her into the air, twirling her around and smacking a noisy kiss to her forehead.
"We wish you a merry Christmas!" Molly started.
"Aw, she's our little Bella!" Lily cooed.
"No, Molly", Zac corrected. "Aunt Bee's Bella".
Cynthia Rose laughed, scooping up Zac. "Merry Christmas baby boy".
"Hey, where's Benji and Donald?"
"They're unpacking the car", Stacie said brightly, plopping down on the lounge. "And Aubrey and Michael are running late".
Beca started to chuckle. "I'm thoroughly enjoying the time where she's got an infant, that's twelve months of Bellas practice where she abused me for being late".
"Be nice", Chloe scolded gently, coming in the door. "Hello familia!"
"It is not taco night", Cynthia Rose told her, bouncing Zac up and down in her arms and making him giggle.
"She's acting like its taco night again", Stacie complained.
(Beca didn't know what Stacie was talking about; taco night was Stacie's favourite night.)
(On taco night, Chloe cheerfully passed around sombreros and referred to them as her amigos. The first time Beca had experienced taco night at Barden, she had almost walked out.)
"Tacos?" Zac said hopefully.
"No, turkey", Benji corrected. "We are having turkey, right Bec?"
"The turkey is ready to go", Jesse confirmed.
Fifteen minutes later (in which Molly and Zac bounced around, taking photos with each of their aunts and uncles and asking when they were going to open their presents), Aubrey and Michael, balancing their daughter and a stack of presents, arrived.
"Merry Christmas!"
"Merry Christmas!"
"Hey, you're late", Beca accused.
"Drop it shortie".
"That is so rude, did you hear that? Chloe!"
"Aubrey", Chloe scolded, reaching out for Bella. "Hey there baby girl, merry Christmas! Merry Christmas guys!"
"Merry Christmas", Aubrey laughed, hugging Beca quickly and pecking a kiss to her cheek, before taking note of the bags under her eyes. "What time were you up?" Aubrey asked Beca, as she yawned again.
"Ask your niece and nephew".
"Molly-" Michael tried, before Jesse cut him off.
"Three thirty", Jesse supplied. "Apparently you wired them up, Benji, when you said Santa was coming".
"Sorry about that guys", he said guiltily, and Molly scrambled up into his lap.
"Presents?"
"Santa?"
"Ho ho ho, merry Christmas!"
And with those words, Fat Amy almost broke the door down.
"Santa!" Molly hollered.
"Santa!" Zac shrieked, following his sister's footsteps.
Fat Amy settled herself down on the lounge, accepting Bella in her arms, and motioning Molly and Zac closer.
"Merry Christmas!" she cheered.
"Mummy, Daddy, open the presents that Zacky and I made with Aunt Chloe!" Molly said excitedly, thrusting a messily wrapped gift towards her mother.
"Daddy!" Zac agreed, throwing a matching present at their father.
"Wow, did you guys make these?" Jesse said with enthusiasm, carefully unwrapping his gift.
"Yeah!" Zac enthused. "Me an' Molly!"
"And Aunt Chloe", Molly nodded, looking to the redhead for confirmation, and Chloe nodded enthusiastically. "We made something for everybody!"
"Really?" Fat Amy cooed.
"Yeah!"
"Oh wow, I can't believe you made this all on your own!" Beca said, tears gathering in her eyes. "Wow!"
Beca and Jesse had unwrapped matching cardboard macaroni photo frames, with photos of their kids, wearing Santa hats and matching cheesy grins (Jesse all over), painted green and red. It was obvious that Chloe had incorporated her elementary teaching art skills into the play date, and Beca loved it.
"Wow, thank you guys!" Jesse held his arms out, and Molly tugged Zac by the arm towards their father. "I love it, thank you so much! This is my favourite present".
"Mine too", Beca agreed.
"I am so full I'll never move again", Aubrey moaned.
"I need something sweet", Fat Amy decided.
"Your kids sleep the same", Tom chuckled to Beca, and the tiny brunette grinned.
"They do, they really do". Beca nodded, glancing into the living room. Zac and Molly had conked out half an hour earlier, amidst their presents, watching a Christmas special on the TV (which had become tradition on Molly's second Christmas, where the little girl wasn't quite eighteen months). "Can't believe Bella slept through their noise".
"She can sleep through anything".
"She is not Aubrey's daughter", Lily whispered, and Beca broke into a grin.
(Aubrey was the lightest sleeper in the world, as they all found out the night before finals in Beca and Jesse's freshman year.)
"I think this is the best Christmas yet", Fat Amy said cheerfully, as she cut herself a large piece of chocolate pie.
"You say that every year", Stacie yawned, stretching back. "I think I might go and take a nap".
"Can't you nap at your own house?" Benji questioned.
"It's Christmas!"
"Its tradition!"
(And that was the excuse they used every year.)
"Best Christmas ever", Jesse declared, as Beca snuggled up beside him. "Now, time for Four Christmases".
"Jesse, no!"
"Come on, its tradition!"
(Every single year.)
