Ok, I've decided that Nana WASP (Kirsten's Mom) has died now... I just couldn't bring myself to write it, as I knew I'd get all teary. Seth and his parents will still be upset by it though... Anyway, I've decided I'm happy with my Chrismukkah chapter, so here it is!

Seth hated having to go out to play for recess, as he still didn't have anyone to play with. He wished Newport had more rainy days, as on those, he and his classmates were allowed to stay inside and draw, talk quietly or read. Unfortunately, it was almost always sunny, which meant that the girls would go off and play with their jump ropes or sit and whisper in their corner. Either way, he overheard them saying they didn't like him, or they simply glared at him, daring him to come over so they could tell the teacher he was pestering them.

The boys were far worse though. They'd come up and ask him to play soccer with them and then would always knock him over and treat him as if he were the ball. Or, if they didn't ask him to play with them, he'd get elbowed in the stomach or pushed over as they came running past, claiming he'd been in the way. He hated how they called him "Cohen", the tone of it was so insulting, so different from the way his Daddy said it. The boys made it sound like an insult but his dad said it like it was something to be proud of.

He was doing very well in his studies, mostly A's and B's, but gym class was another story altogether.

They'd had gym that morning and had played baseball. Seth, as usual, had been the last one to be chosen to join the team, which was fair enough because a) he sucked and b) he didn't want to play, but still, it wasn't very nice of them. He never had a partner for pair exercises either, so he usually ended up either sitting it out or doing the exercise with his teacher.

Today they'd played baseball and, miraculously, he'd been able to hit the ball (he'd been practising with his dad in the yard, batting, catching and throwing-he didn't mind doing it then, his Daddy made it fun, but it was different here, he got nervous) and had run to second base before falling over. He was fairly sure someone had stuck out their foot at the wrong moment, but he was sure it was an accident. Like his dad, he tended to see the best in people and was quick to forgive and give second chances.

He'd been trying to get out of going to school for a while now, as he really felt like he didn't fit in there. He often pretended to be ill to get out of going, but his parents, especially his dad, were very quick to see through his made up ailments. His father often asked him jokily whether they should rush him straight to the Emergency Unit, just to be sure, or he'd offer him a bagel and juice, which once he accepted was proof he wasn't feeling bad enough to stay home.

His parents always knew exactly what to say or do when he was feeling sad or lonely, which he'd been feeling a lot more recently, since Nana WASP had died. He'd been having nightmares about his parents dying in the middle of the night and would wake up crying for them. Either one or both of them would rush upstairs, having thrown on their robe and slippers and would give him a kiss and a cuddle, get him a glass of water and either stay with him til he went back to sleep or let him come into their bed.

He'd given his mother lots of extra kisses and cuddles to help her feel better and had been sad that he couldn't kiss her better where she was hurting.

He was amazed at how much better he could feel after school just after a short trip home in the car talking to whoever had picked him up that day.

They'd been talking about Christmas in class today, and even though it was a few months off yet, he was very excited about it.

Finally the bell went to announce the end of the day.

Seth packed his stuff away in his Spiderman backpack from first grade that he still liked, but the boys made fun of. They also made fun of the way he still played 'let's pretend' games that were apparently for first graders and stated that reading comic books was silly, as were drawing and writing stories, only girls did that. To be a proper boy, you had to like sport, fighting and just generally be mean to everyone. Luke was by far the worst of the bullies: he'd told him today to hand over his cupcake (chocolate, his favourite) or he'd beat him up. Seth knew his dad didn't want him fighting, so he'd handed it over.

He ran outside and spotted his dad at the gate. He waved at him and his father waved back, smiling broadly at him.

Seth sprinted into his dad's arms and they shared a warm hug. Seth was glad it was Friday, as it meant he got to hang out with his Mommy and Daddy all weekend and he also didn't have to see the kids from school either.

They'd set off in the car before Seth started talking.

"Daddy, the kids in my class at school today were saying we should have a Christmas party... Why didn't anyone else think of a Hanukkah party? And how come lots of people don't know about Hanukkah?" Seth asked, thirsty for answers from the fount of knowledge that he deemed his father to be.

"Well, Setheleh, I don't think anyone else in your class is Jewish and so they probably won't have heard of Hanukkah then, my darling" Sandy explained.

"But Hanukkah's awesome, daddy, why haven't they?" he pressed on, not content with his father's answer and somewhat bemused that parents wouldn't tell their kids about a tradition that involved eight days of presents.

"I tried to explain about being Jewish Daddy, I told them about Moses and the Red Sea and how Moses was adopted by Pharoah, but no-one really understood! Moses is sooooo cool, isn't he Daddy?" Seth enquired, jabbering excitedly.

"And then someone said I can't be properly Jewish, as Mommy has to be too and you can't celebrate Hanukkah AND Christmas, that you have to choose between one or the other, isn't that silly, Daddy?" he divulged, clearly upset at having been told he wasn't fully Jewish.

Sandy wasn't sure what to say for a moment, so he collected his thoughts and then spoke.

"Mommy and I decided that you should know about what both of us believe in because it's important to both of us. We want to celebrate both Hanukkah and Christmas because both are special to us, OK? You're fully Jewish and fully WASP, you always have been and always will be, don't ever forget that." Sandy stated lovingly but firmly.

Seth nodded and then went quiet, a rarity for him. A look of intense concentration crossed his face and he sucked his bottom lip in, like he always did when he was reflecting on a big issue or was upset about something.

Suddenly, a look of jubilant triumphance etched itself on his face. He beamed at his dad happily and proudly, bursting with excitement at his brilliant idea.

"What have you thought of, Setheleh? I'm dying to know" Sandy declared proudly.

"well, Daddy, I was thinking there must be other kids in the world who don't want to have to choose between Christmas and Hanukkah, so I thought we could mix the two words together... Chrismukkah! It's two holidays rolled into one, Daddy, so it's super special, and Jesus and Moses can work on it together! We can still have the eight days of little presents like you do with the Nana and eat take-out and watch movies and then we can have Christmas day straight after and have turkey and all that and have lots of presents to open... Don't you think I'm clever, Daddy?" he asked, looking to his father for approval.

Sandy managed to conceal his giggle and told Seth it was a fabulous idea, that he was his little genius and that he was very proud of him.

"Is Mommy home, Daddeleh? I want to tell her all about my brilliant idea!" he asked as they pulled into the drive.

"I think she's in her office, Setheleh. You go inside ahead of me, I have to get some groceries out of the car that I bought before I picked you up, OK?" he responded, giving Seth a hug before he ran into the house.

When Sandy entered, he heard Seth's excited jabbering as he recounted his new invention and Kirsten's surprised then proud tone in her voice.

This Christm... oops, Chrismukkah would certainly prove interesting, he decided.