AN: Christmas is beginning a little earlier than normal. Although, where I am Christmas has been in stores since at least July. This Christmas flashback is pretty long so I'm breaking it down in shorter chapters that will go up twice a week until Christmas Eve.

Prologue and Epilogue post AiP. No spoilers.

It's the most wonderful time of the year.

With the kids jingle belling and everyone telling you "be of good cheer",

It's the most wonderful time of the year.

It's the hap-happiest season of all with those holiday greetings

And gay happy meetings when friends come to call.

It's the hap-happiest season of all!

There'll be parties for hosting, marshmallows for toasting and caroling out in the snow.

There'll be scary ghost stories and tales of the glories of Christmases long, long ago!

-Andy Williams

Christmas Eve 2015

"Hey!" Jamie Turner shouted even though his brother was less than six inches away from him. "How come Santa looked like Grandpa Alan?"

Grayson slapped his face and rolled his eyes. "Because he was, doofus."

Jamie blinked. "So wait-Grandpa Alan took over Scott Calvin's job? When? Why didn't anyone tell me!"

His brother stared at him. "Scott Calvin isn't real, dummy!"

"'Course, he is, stupid. We just watched two documentaries on him last night!"

"Hey!" Jon stepped into between the two, "It's Christmas Eve. Could we save the name callin' until after New Years?"

Shawn grinned as he watched his father attempt to redirect his younger brothers away from the Santa Claus argument. He leaned his elbows against the dining room table and took a moment to survey the flurry of activity that was going on around him.

At the table, the kids: Julia, Maya, Jamie, Grayson, and Bella were crowded around making Christmas ornaments that would be hung on a special tree just for the kids as soon as they dried. Glitter, paint, beads, and other assorted objects littered the table and the floor. Shawn watched them for a while then he added his name in white to the gingerbread salt dough bell he had made and painted.

He hadn't made a Christmas ornament in twenty-one years.

His thoughts drifted to events still to come. Cory and his family, including Eric and their parents, were coming over later to spend the night and Christmas morning with them. Mr. Feeny and his wife would be joining them for Christmas breakfast via Skype.

Shawn sighed contentedly. There hadn't been a better Christmas than this.

Except one.

The house was warm from all the bodies moving around and the breath from those bodies talking and laughing at elevated volumes. The aroma of baking that had gone on just a few hours before still lingered in the air. The snow falling in swirling gusts and the nutmeg and pumpkin, gingerbread and cloves spicing the room made it feel like being in a cozy snow globe that someone had just given a shake to.

The month had progressed at a dizzying rate that Shawn had only experienced once before. Earlier in the day, his family had gone sledding at Pilgrim Hill in Central Park after hours of wandering through the Winter Village in Bryant Park.

Throughout the month, they'd all done so much together with the Matthews and Katy periodically joining them. But everyone in the room with him had barely spent a moment a part; only when school was in session were they separated.

"I'm gonna go up to help Mom with the baby," Jon said putting a hand on his shoulder. He glanced at the kids who were in constant, excited movement. "Don't let 'em eat you alive."

Shawn laughed.

Maya threw her arms around him after Jon left and gave him an impulsive kiss on the cheek before she grabbed a bottle of glitter and skipped off.

Maya was the happiest he'd ever seen her. She'd long held a secret dream to ice skate at Rockefeller Center and that dream had come true earlier in the day. Her skating had come along way since Jon first taught her to skate which made the experience even more imprinted into her memory. She was still talking about it hours later.

Rockefeller Center.

They'd been present at the traditional Christmas tree lightening ceremony in early December and had family photos taken, too.

Shawn shook his head as he thought about everything they'd crammed into the month. He still wasn't sure how they'd managed to plan everything and do it around school, too. But he really shouldn't have been surprised by how things turned out.

After all, Jon and Audrey had done it once before for him

Every night before the kids, including Maya, went off to bed, Jon read a little bit from Charles Dicken's A Christmas Carol. When he concluded that, he went onto A Treasury of Timeless Christmas Tales: Classic Yuletide Stories. Tonight, he was reading, The Night Before Christmas.

The ornaments were barely dry, but the kids couldn't wait to hang them.

This was Maya's first Christmas taking part in the tradition; the tradition Shawn started with Jon and Audrey so many years before.

Strangely enough tears pricked his eyes as one by the kids hung their ornaments with great care on the real evergreen that they cut themselves at Simonson Farms in Cranbury, New Jersey- the place where the Andrews always got their tree from when Audrey was a child.

Audrey, who had joined them now that the baby was sleeping, kissed his cheek. Her damp eyes were alight with deep affection as his turn came to hang his ornament. When he was finished, he stepped back and looked at Jon, who had the very same expression in his eyes.

The family made their way to the mid-level family room to settle in for the night's events.

There was a very special tradition taking place; one he started.

On the way upstairs, Jamie swiped a gumdrop from Grayson's gingerbread house that was on display with several others in the hallway. Every other kid followed suit by snatching candy or icing from one the houses made for the gingerbread house contest that was held the week before.

Julia grabbed onto his arm and grinned as she munched on the chimney from Jamie's roof.

"I can't believe we're finally gonna watch this with you," she said.

"Me neither," he smiled back. Suddenly overcome with emotion, he grabbed her into a hug and kissed her cheek.

Julia grinned.

Just as Jon started to lead the way upstairs, a group of carolers were heard coming down the street. Audrey grabbed his arm with a grin and starry-eyed wonder that made her look twenty again. She entreated him to wait so that they could stand at the door and listen.

Of course, Jon obliged.

Caroling was something else they'd done earlier in the month along with volunteering at a homeless shelter where once again, Shawn played an elf to Jon's Santa and Audrey's Mrs. Claus.

All of that would have been enough for him. But the festivities didn't end there.

They drove out to the Dyker Heights Holiday Lights tour at least six times.

So far.

Then there was the Christmas on Ice performance that both Julia and Maya starred in. For Audrey, they saw the Nutcracker live at the Lincoln Center. With the Matthews they saw the Radio City Christmas Spectacular featuring the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall.

There wasn't an NYC Christmas tradition that went overlooked.

Jon and Shawn spent hours after the others went to bed to come up with Elf on the Shelf antics to entertain the younger kids. They had fallen asleep one night doing this and when the kids came down to the living room the next morning, they thought their elves had knocked their father and brother out and didn't want them anymore. It took two days to convince them the elves were trying to help.

"Okay," Audrey clapped her hands together when they finally made it to the upstairs hallway. "Go put on your pajamas quickly. We have our special movie to watch tonight."

Jon rolled his eyes and groaned, not bothering to hide his displeasure. Audrey pushed out her bottom lip and whispered something in his ear. He shook his head, but, with a small smile did as he was asked.

Sort of.

When the family members reconvened in the hall, everyone was dressed in matching green and red reindeer pajamas. Jon was wearing the top. With jeans.

"Jon, really?" Audrey put her hands on her hips and gave him a put-out look.

"I'm wearin' the top. That's enough reindeer for me."

Audrey responded by making him sit the back of the family photo with the kids crowded in front so that his lack of holiday spirit couldn't be seen.

Shawn was tasked with getting the baby, who was already dressed, before he took his place alongside Maya. His youngest sibling slept through the entire adventure which took twenty-one retakes before Audrey was happy.

She had special pictures of him taken with Jon, with Maya, and with Jon and her.

The tree these pictures were taken in front was the main tree in the family room. Every year since their first year together, which also happened to be his first with them, Audrey and Jon had bought a special ornament to commemorate another Christmas together.

The first one, the one he got so many years ago, still hung in the place of honor in the center of the tree with special care taken to illuminate it:

Our First Christmas

1994

Jon lit the fire in the fireplace. As he stood to take the baby from Shawn and return the child to the nursey, he brushed against several of the stockings that hung from the mantle and made them swing.

Never had stockings been hung with so much care.

Audrey had made each stocking out of lush fabric that would appeal especially to its owner. By hand she had embroidered each name on the cuff.

Three of the stockings were twenty-one years old this year.

Jon, Audrey, Shawn, Julia, Maya, Grayson, Jamie, Bella.

Each stocking was hung in order by age.

The last stocking had no name. It was a very small baby bootie. Next year a proper stocking would hang in its place.

Shawn straightened his stocking as fond memories of the first time he hung it flooded through him.

There was a small table set up by the tree, decorated with a red tablecloth and tinsel. On it set all the goodies Audrey and her little elves had made earlier: hot chocolate, marshmallows, cookies, and fudge. An old-time popcorn machine set just behind it providing the children with an unending flow of hot treats.

When Jon returned from the nursery, everyone was settled into their places, sipping liquid love and munching on edible happiness.

Shawn made Maya move off the couch and onto the floor so he could stretch out and watch the movie with his head on his mother's lap. Maya gave his foot a playful shove and sat on the floor in front of him.

Jon had a DVD in his hands. He walked over to Shawn and held it out to him.

"I think you should do the honors this year."

Shawn smiled and sat up.

All eyes were on him as he made his way to the television. He opened the video case and just before he put it into the player, he paused. Then he turned to face his family.

"What's on it?" Maya asked just before shoving a handful of popcorn in her mouth.

Shawn smiled. "My first Christmas with Mom and Dad."

A surge of emotions: gratitude, love, joy, hope, serenity, awe overcame him as he recalled what the disc contained.

He looked at Jon and Audrey. "A Christmas to last a lifetime."

Shawn slid the DVD into its slot in the machine. As the player whirled to life, he walked back to the couch and took his place. Audrey handed him the remote and slid her fingers into his hair.

With a push of the button, the memories began to play.

It's the most wonderful time of the year.

There'll be much mistletoeing and hearts will be glowing when loved ones are near

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

Thank you for reading. If you want to leave a comment, fav, bookmark, etc. know that I appreciate it :)"