Silent Heartbeats 23: Silent Night
By Maureen
standard disclaimers apply. Isn't it about time I got some more chapters out!?
***
The Christmas tree was wedged in the corner of the living room between the entertainment unit and the sliding glass door that led to the patio. It hadn't yet been decorated and looked naked to Brooke.
Jamie and Alex were hauling boxes of lights, ornaments, and tinsel out of the storage closet while Catie worked on her Christmas baking. Every year she made coffee cakes for her friends and family instead of buying them presents. It was delicious and much cheaper than gifts. However, she was forced to do it all at Jamie's apartment because her mother was busy in the kitchen.
It was weird, they had already decorated the station for Christmas, but Jamie and Alex hadn't begun to decorate their apartment and Christmas was only a week away. At Jamie's insistance, Alex had invited everyone over to help them decorate, the only restriction was that no holiday music be played.
Alex felt that it was strange having the kids he worked with over at his house decorating for Christmas. It had never seemed strange having Jamie live with him. Once they got over the initial awkwardness of having to adapt to living with another person they got along great.
"You have a nice place here, Alex," Hank commented from where he and Tyler were untangling lights. Hank had been home from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, for nearly a week and spent almost all of his afternoons and evenings at the station, just hanging out. He had also volunteered to man the recruiting booth at the high school while he was in town.
Alex grunted a reply as he put the boxes of ornaments down carefully. Jamie put his box of tinsel down next to Alex's boxes. He looked at the tree for a minute before looking at Val and Brooke, "Where do we start?"
*Haven't you decorated a Christmas tree before?* Brooke asked, being much more adept at sign than Val.
Jamie didn't reply, flushing scarlet. No words were neccessary as four sets of eyes stared at him in disbelief. Catie and Alex both knew that he never had.
"Right, well, lights always go first," Val said, taking charge. She signed *lights first* to Jamie, pointing at the lights Hank and Tyler were brandishing.
Much goofiness and stupidity ensued with Brooke and Val trying to direct everyone with how the tree should be decorated and no one paying any attention to them.
Finally the tree was finished. Or, more importantly, Alex had run out of tree decorations. While her cakes were baking Catie had taken pictures of the antics, capturing the tinsel in everyones hair.
***
Christmas Eve Jamie and Alex headed back over to his sisters house, bringing their presents with them. Everyone would open their presents Christmas morning.
Jamie was much less nervous about facing Alex's family than he was at Thanksgiving, but he still wasn't really looking forward to it. They had some family tradition to buy a person a gift as a 'secret santa' drawing. Jamie had drawn his so-called 'cousin', Jenna and had gotten her the movie 'Ever After', but he wasn't sure. He had barely met her when he had to buy her a Christmas present.
For Alex he had bought a set of new cufflinks with his initials engraved on them and he bought Catie a bath and body gift basket in her favorite smell, apple. With the basket he included a sticker he had found that read 'I look weird, but I'd kick your ass on jeopardy'. He had also used the money child protective services had given him to buy presents for Hank, Tyler, Val and Brooke, although he bought them more generic gifts with Catie's help. For Hank and Tyler he bought magnetic gyroscopes of the solar system in silver. They would spin in circles forever or until they ran out of inertia, whichever came first. He included two stickers with the presents, one for each. Hanks said 'Let's get one thing straight, I'm not' and Tyler's said 'variety is the spice of life', both were on rainbow backgrounds. For Val and Brooke he bought them smaller gift baskets like he had bought for Catie in wild orchid for Val and spring rain for Brooke.
Alex pulled the car up in front of his sisters house, once looking forward to seeing everyone again.
"Is your mom going to be here again?" Jamie asked, pulling his bag out of the backseat.
*She should be here already.* Alex replied, heading up the front stoop. They would be staying for two nights, before Jamie and Alex had to go back to work.
"Hey Alex!" Melissa cried, coming out of the house to greet the duo. "Hey Jamie," she said, turning to Jamie and waving.
"Hello," Jamie replied, politely. Even if no one knew sign except for Alex and his mother, a wave was an improvement.
Inside was almost an attack of sights, smells, and for Alex, sounds. Erika and Grandmother Freeman were both in the kitchen where Melissa joined them and the little kids were running around the living room, while Doug tried to keep rein on them so they would not hit the Christmas tree.
After giving everyone the cursory hello, Jamie headed upstairs to where the other teens were. It was a bit awkward, but they were better to hang with than the little kids or the adults.
***
The next morning dawned too early for Jamie's tastes. Because there were so many people staying overnight in the house, Jamie was sleeping on the floor of Jenna's room with Karl next to him with Ashley and Jenna in Jenna's bed. It wasn't the worst place he'd ever slept, his bedroom at his father's house being that, but it wasn't very comfortable either.
Alex nudged Jamie awake before waking the other teens up. "Alex, it's only 8:00am," Jamie growled, staring blearily at the clock, "Go away."
*It's Christmas, presents.* Alex signed back, making sure everyone else was up and moving.
With a start Jamie realized that some of those presents were for him. He rarely got anything for Christmas and really hadn't been expecting anything despite going Christmas shopping for his friends. This had actually been the first time he'd ever really gone Christmas shopping too, since his father had never thought his kids were worth presents.
Glancing around, he saw that the others weren't getting dressed and that he was fine wearing his flannel pajama pants and a black t-shirt. He liked black t-shirts.
***
"Do we have to open them one at a time like in the movies?" Jamie asked Grandmother Freeman, as everyone got settled around the living room, glasses of orange juice in hand.
*No, but we usually let the little kids tear through their gifts first that way we can relax a bit later.*
Jamie sighed, both anxious and annoyed, Christmas was a joke to him and sleeping was not.
***
Two hours later, Jamie sat on the floor watching The Truman Show with his...well...he didn't know what to call them really. They had treated him well, bought him presents, didn't ask anything in return...they had treated him like family.
Family. More and more Jamie was being to understand this once alien concept. It was kinda scary.
They had given him more clothes than he had known what to do with. His...aunts and uncle had given him gift certificates to Old Navy, Hot Topic, Gadzooks and Barnes & Noble. From Alex's mother he had received two new gameboy games and his secret santa, Doug, had given him the collectors edition of Lord of the Rings. The best present had come from Alex though, a brand new skateboard. He admitted later that Catie had told him what to buy though.
All in all, it had been a very rewarding holiday and not just in presents.
***
A/N: I have never decorated a christmas tree. my mom would say that b/c were jewish we had a hannukah bush and whenever I asked where ours was she'd reply that it was in the backyard growing. I always thought that was a stupid answer, but appearantly a lot of jewish parents tell their kids that there are hannukah bushes. I also found a picture of my mom as a kid with a christmas tree and when I asked my mom about it she said that one year Grannie had bought one for the kids. my grandmother claims that my mom and my uncles whined so much about not having one she finally gave in. that sounds much more believeable.
By Maureen
standard disclaimers apply. Isn't it about time I got some more chapters out!?
***
The Christmas tree was wedged in the corner of the living room between the entertainment unit and the sliding glass door that led to the patio. It hadn't yet been decorated and looked naked to Brooke.
Jamie and Alex were hauling boxes of lights, ornaments, and tinsel out of the storage closet while Catie worked on her Christmas baking. Every year she made coffee cakes for her friends and family instead of buying them presents. It was delicious and much cheaper than gifts. However, she was forced to do it all at Jamie's apartment because her mother was busy in the kitchen.
It was weird, they had already decorated the station for Christmas, but Jamie and Alex hadn't begun to decorate their apartment and Christmas was only a week away. At Jamie's insistance, Alex had invited everyone over to help them decorate, the only restriction was that no holiday music be played.
Alex felt that it was strange having the kids he worked with over at his house decorating for Christmas. It had never seemed strange having Jamie live with him. Once they got over the initial awkwardness of having to adapt to living with another person they got along great.
"You have a nice place here, Alex," Hank commented from where he and Tyler were untangling lights. Hank had been home from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, for nearly a week and spent almost all of his afternoons and evenings at the station, just hanging out. He had also volunteered to man the recruiting booth at the high school while he was in town.
Alex grunted a reply as he put the boxes of ornaments down carefully. Jamie put his box of tinsel down next to Alex's boxes. He looked at the tree for a minute before looking at Val and Brooke, "Where do we start?"
*Haven't you decorated a Christmas tree before?* Brooke asked, being much more adept at sign than Val.
Jamie didn't reply, flushing scarlet. No words were neccessary as four sets of eyes stared at him in disbelief. Catie and Alex both knew that he never had.
"Right, well, lights always go first," Val said, taking charge. She signed *lights first* to Jamie, pointing at the lights Hank and Tyler were brandishing.
Much goofiness and stupidity ensued with Brooke and Val trying to direct everyone with how the tree should be decorated and no one paying any attention to them.
Finally the tree was finished. Or, more importantly, Alex had run out of tree decorations. While her cakes were baking Catie had taken pictures of the antics, capturing the tinsel in everyones hair.
***
Christmas Eve Jamie and Alex headed back over to his sisters house, bringing their presents with them. Everyone would open their presents Christmas morning.
Jamie was much less nervous about facing Alex's family than he was at Thanksgiving, but he still wasn't really looking forward to it. They had some family tradition to buy a person a gift as a 'secret santa' drawing. Jamie had drawn his so-called 'cousin', Jenna and had gotten her the movie 'Ever After', but he wasn't sure. He had barely met her when he had to buy her a Christmas present.
For Alex he had bought a set of new cufflinks with his initials engraved on them and he bought Catie a bath and body gift basket in her favorite smell, apple. With the basket he included a sticker he had found that read 'I look weird, but I'd kick your ass on jeopardy'. He had also used the money child protective services had given him to buy presents for Hank, Tyler, Val and Brooke, although he bought them more generic gifts with Catie's help. For Hank and Tyler he bought magnetic gyroscopes of the solar system in silver. They would spin in circles forever or until they ran out of inertia, whichever came first. He included two stickers with the presents, one for each. Hanks said 'Let's get one thing straight, I'm not' and Tyler's said 'variety is the spice of life', both were on rainbow backgrounds. For Val and Brooke he bought them smaller gift baskets like he had bought for Catie in wild orchid for Val and spring rain for Brooke.
Alex pulled the car up in front of his sisters house, once looking forward to seeing everyone again.
"Is your mom going to be here again?" Jamie asked, pulling his bag out of the backseat.
*She should be here already.* Alex replied, heading up the front stoop. They would be staying for two nights, before Jamie and Alex had to go back to work.
"Hey Alex!" Melissa cried, coming out of the house to greet the duo. "Hey Jamie," she said, turning to Jamie and waving.
"Hello," Jamie replied, politely. Even if no one knew sign except for Alex and his mother, a wave was an improvement.
Inside was almost an attack of sights, smells, and for Alex, sounds. Erika and Grandmother Freeman were both in the kitchen where Melissa joined them and the little kids were running around the living room, while Doug tried to keep rein on them so they would not hit the Christmas tree.
After giving everyone the cursory hello, Jamie headed upstairs to where the other teens were. It was a bit awkward, but they were better to hang with than the little kids or the adults.
***
The next morning dawned too early for Jamie's tastes. Because there were so many people staying overnight in the house, Jamie was sleeping on the floor of Jenna's room with Karl next to him with Ashley and Jenna in Jenna's bed. It wasn't the worst place he'd ever slept, his bedroom at his father's house being that, but it wasn't very comfortable either.
Alex nudged Jamie awake before waking the other teens up. "Alex, it's only 8:00am," Jamie growled, staring blearily at the clock, "Go away."
*It's Christmas, presents.* Alex signed back, making sure everyone else was up and moving.
With a start Jamie realized that some of those presents were for him. He rarely got anything for Christmas and really hadn't been expecting anything despite going Christmas shopping for his friends. This had actually been the first time he'd ever really gone Christmas shopping too, since his father had never thought his kids were worth presents.
Glancing around, he saw that the others weren't getting dressed and that he was fine wearing his flannel pajama pants and a black t-shirt. He liked black t-shirts.
***
"Do we have to open them one at a time like in the movies?" Jamie asked Grandmother Freeman, as everyone got settled around the living room, glasses of orange juice in hand.
*No, but we usually let the little kids tear through their gifts first that way we can relax a bit later.*
Jamie sighed, both anxious and annoyed, Christmas was a joke to him and sleeping was not.
***
Two hours later, Jamie sat on the floor watching The Truman Show with his...well...he didn't know what to call them really. They had treated him well, bought him presents, didn't ask anything in return...they had treated him like family.
Family. More and more Jamie was being to understand this once alien concept. It was kinda scary.
They had given him more clothes than he had known what to do with. His...aunts and uncle had given him gift certificates to Old Navy, Hot Topic, Gadzooks and Barnes & Noble. From Alex's mother he had received two new gameboy games and his secret santa, Doug, had given him the collectors edition of Lord of the Rings. The best present had come from Alex though, a brand new skateboard. He admitted later that Catie had told him what to buy though.
All in all, it had been a very rewarding holiday and not just in presents.
***
A/N: I have never decorated a christmas tree. my mom would say that b/c were jewish we had a hannukah bush and whenever I asked where ours was she'd reply that it was in the backyard growing. I always thought that was a stupid answer, but appearantly a lot of jewish parents tell their kids that there are hannukah bushes. I also found a picture of my mom as a kid with a christmas tree and when I asked my mom about it she said that one year Grannie had bought one for the kids. my grandmother claims that my mom and my uncles whined so much about not having one she finally gave in. that sounds much more believeable.