"I wanna put the star on!" Zara said happily. The four-year-old bounced up and down, and clapped her hands wildly.
"Alright, sweetie," Han said stooping down to pick her up. He placed Zara on his shoulders so Zara could reach the top of their tree.
Han couldn't remember ever having parents and celebrating holidays. He'd always been welcome to join in the traditional Wookie celebrations with Chewy, but he felt like he was invading. Though he could understand Chewbacca well enough he felt out of place when there were so many Wookies that he couldn't tell one growl from the other.
Leia of course, having been raised by loving parents, did have those happy memories. Yule, a late winter holiday, had always been her favorite time of year. She kept it close to her heart as it was the only thing left of the family whom she spent the first nineteen years of her life with.
"How does it look, Mommy?" Zara asked proudly, when her star placing job was done.
"Oh, sweetheart. That looks perfect," Leia replied smiling. "Thank you, Zara."
Han moved Zara from his shoulders to hold her against his side. "Great job, honey."
Zara grinned. "Daddy, can we bake cookies after this?"
Han returned the smile and rubbed noses with his youngest daughter. "Of course we can. It's a tradition."
"What's a tra-dish-on?" Zara asked, carefully sounding out the word.
"It's something you do every year as a family," her oldest brother Ben replied.
Ben's twin sister, Breha nodded. "And when you get older you teach your kids that so your family always does it."
Ben and Breha were thirteen and had many memories of celebrating holidays with their parents and uncles. Luke had brought the traditions his aunt and uncle had taught him on Tatooine, which seemed to make them more special.
"Daddy, did you have these 'dishins' when you were little?" Zara asked.
The older Solo children looked at each other. They knew, by Han's own admission, that he hadn't had a family growing up. Zara was still too little to understand this though.
"No I didn't, baby," Han answered her smiling weakly.
"Why not?" Zara asked, furrowing her eyebrows like Leia did when she was pondering something.
"Well, I didn't have a Mommy or Daddy to show me stuff like this."
"Oh," Zara said softly. "Did you have an auntie and uncle like Uncle Luke did?"
Han shook his head. "No, sweetie."
Zara frowned. "That's so sad, Daddy. Didn't nobody love you?"
Han chuckled softly. "Well, it wasn't until I met your mother that I was sure I had somebody that loved me, and she gave me you and your brothers and sisters. Now I have lots of somebodies who love me."
Zara smiled. This answer seemed to satisfy her questions about her father's past for now. Han placed Zara back on the ground and she skipped off to grab more ornaments to decorate the tree. Most of the decorations had been made by the five Solo children. A few had been made by Han and Luke who both had a talent for welding.
"Oh, this one is my favorite," twelve-year-old Esme said happily.
She held up a miniature version of the Falcon, carved out of metal, dangling from a red ribbon. Han had made it for Esme the year she was born. Her name and birthdate were on the back. Each of the Solo children had their own ornament made by their father. Ben's was a lightsaber, Breha's was an Ewok, Jacob's was a X-wing, and little Zara's was a taun-taun.
Esme hung her ornament on the tree and smiled. "There's not another one like it in the whole galaxy."
Han ruffled Esme's chestnut curls and kissed her cheek. "Just like you."
Han and Esme had an extra special connection. Luke explained it as the relationship a padawan has with their master. The Force connects and bonds the two. This is how the Jedi choose the ones they'll train. Of course Han loved his all his children.
"Have you kids finished making your wish lists?" Leia asked.
The children all nodded.
"I want a new model ship," ten-year-old Jacob said.
"I want a new doll," said Zara. "One that looks like Mommy!"
"Well, that shouldn't be too hard to find," Han said, winking at his wife.
"I want a speeder bike!" Ben announced proudly.
"You aren't even old enough to fly one," Breha scoffed rolling her eyes.
"I will be next year," Ben defended. "You only have to be fourteen to get your license."
"That's only if your parents consent to it," said Han. "And I have news for you. Yours don't."
"Well, if I had one I could ride it around the lake and practice."
Leia shook her head. "We spend most of the year on Coruscant and besides those things are dangerous."
"Dad, has one," Ben accused, pointing at his father.
"I'm more than forty years older than you, son," said Han. "And I have a ton more flying experience."
"Doesn't stop you from crashing," Ben muttered under his breath crossing his arms.
Leia sighed. "Well, I know what I want this year."
"What's that Mom?" Jacob asked.
"A big helping of your father's homemade dressing."
"Dad's holiday dinners are the best," said Esme. "There's always so much food."
"That's because we have a big family with all you kids and when all your uncles come over there's even more," said Han, recalling how much food Lando and Luke could put away.
"Mommy, how come you and Daddy had so many kids?" Zara asked.
Han and Leia looked at each other and smiled. They thought of all the reasons far too inappropriate to share with a four-year-old.
"We talked about that remember," said Han, moving a box of ornaments and sitting down. "That babies are made when mommies and daddies love each other very much."
Zara nodded remember the conversation she and her parents had had when she asked the dreaded question 'where do babies come from'. She crawled into her father's lap.
"Well, me and Mommy love each other a whole lot. That's why we had so many kids," Han explained with wide grin.
Again this simple answer seemed to satisfy Zara's curiosity. Han could only hope his daughter would remain this way throughout her childhood and teenage years. Curious, but easily satisfied with a simple answer. He knew he and Leia weren't like that so the chances of their offspring being that way weren't too high.
"Come on, honey," Han said standing up with Zara in his arms. "Let's go bake those cookies."
Zara grinned proudly. The cookies were her most favorite part. She even liked them better than the presents.
