Growing up, Anne was raised with both Western and Japanese traditions. Her mom was raised in Japan—and so she grew up with Japanese traditions. But her dad was actually raised in America—New York City to be exact. His parents wanted to raise him with traditions of both sides of the family. And he wanted to continue that, when Anne was born.

Anne remembered waking up as a little girl on Christmas morning. There was always a plate of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies, the bits of chocolate oozing out, waiting for her.

And of course… there was a huge pile of presents waiting for her underneath the sparkling, beautifully decorated Christmas tree. Anne always found it a shame that it wasn't really a thing to put up a tree in your home in Japan. She always loved decorating the Christmas tree with her family.

But it continued as Anne got older; even when she started dating Ren, her Christmas list had been extensive. Even though her first Christmas with Ren wasn't exactly the happiest, it was a small consolation to make her friends smile with her gifts.

However, Christmas remained a mostly romantic holiday for Anne.

But things were different now though. Less than two months ago, Anne had given birth to an adorable baby boy that she and Ren had named Tatsuo. And a few months before that, they had adopted the cutest little girl in the world.

She was a mom now, so she wanted to bring all the joy that she had enjoyed as a little girl to her children.

Of course… Tatsuo being a week shy of turning two months old, he wouldn't be the most aware of the celebrations.

Akari, on the other hand… She had just turned six. Not to mention that she didn't have the most stable upbringing before Ren and Anne had adopted her. That just made Anne even more determined to make it a wonderful celebration for her.

"A yen for your thoughts, my lady?" Ren's voice suddenly interrupted Anne's thoughts.

Anne smiled at her husband before rolling over to face him. For once, it was quiet in the house. A miracle, given how fussy Tatsuo could be. Thankfully Akari was an angel and had an instinct on how exactly to entertain Tatsuo. It made Anne very happy to see Akari take to her little brother so much.

"I'll give it to you for free," Anne said with a giggle. She then scooted closer to him and draped an arm around his waist. She gave him a little squeeze while doing so.

Ren chuckled before lifting one of Anne's hands and pressing a loving kiss against it.

"I'm waiting," he said teasingly.

Anne just peeked at him. "So, I was thinking… Christmas is coming up next week."

"It is," Ren said with a smile. "What about it? Sojiro's acting all grumpy about it, but I know he's looking forward to taking the kids."

"I know that we've been mostly celebrating Christmas the Japanese way. But we have Akari-chan and Tatsuo-kun now," Anne explained before she moistened her lips. She was a little unsure how Ren would react to this. "I was thinking… it'd be great to introduce them to some of the holiday traditions that I grew up with."

Ren blinked at that. "So you want to do it like the West?"

"Not entirely," Anne hastened to correct, her pulse suddenly growing fast. She wanted to honor both kinds of Christmas that she's celebrated. "I thought… maybe divide it up? Christmas Eve can be our romantic date night. And Christmas Day can be our more family-oriented day."

Ren's expression turned thoughtful before he smiled up at her.

"I love the idea. I think it'd be great to introduce Akari and Tatsuo to some of your family traditions," Ren said.

Anne beamed at him before giving him another squeeze.

"Thank you, Ren!"


As always, Ren had a wonderful Christmas Eve date planned. He found this new restaurant with delicious food. They had enjoyed that dinner while enjoying the jazz band that the restaurant hired every night. Ren then whisked her off to go dancing.

As always, it was a wonderful time.

They had dropped off Akari and Tatsuo at Sojiro's in the morning. While Sojiro got to play Grandpa, Ren and Anne were busying themselves with setting up the Christmas tree. They had found an artificial Christmas tree; it wasn't exactly what Anne had, growing up but they would have to make do. But Anne had to say that they did a pretty good job. Beautiful ornaments were strategically placed, silver tinsel wrapped around the tree, and the Christmas lights glittered beautifully. The presents would be tucked underneath the tree after they tucked Akari and Tatsuo in bed.

Ren squeezed into a tight space, about a block away from Sojiro's place, before finally parking. Then they got out.

"Good Christmas date?" Ren asked, arm around Anne's waist.

"The best," Anne confirmed with a smile.

She laid her head against her husband's shoulder with a content sigh. Ren just gave her a loving squeeze in response.

When they reached the door, Ren pressed the doorbell. Sojiro answered the door. He had a knowing smile on his face.

"Did you kids have fun?"

"Hey, we're parents of two, I think we're not exactly kids anymore," Ren said.

Sojiro snorted. "You'll always be a snot-nosed punk to me."

"Were Akari-chan and Tatsuo-kun any trouble?" Anne cut in before Ren could sass Sojiro.

She elbowed her husband, shooting him a look. Ren just loved teasing Sojiro but there was a time and place for it.

Sojiro nodded. "Futaba and Sumire-chan came over, they played with Akari-chan so much. She's knocked out now."

Anne tilted her head. "I'm surprised… I thought they'd have their own date tonight."

Futaba and Sumire had started dating about three years ago, though a lot of their relationship had been long-distance. But since Sumire had claimed the gold medal in the Summer Olympics earlier this year, she had relaxed on her regime a bit and was spending the holidays in Tokyo. They had been pretty joined at the hip because of that.

Sojiro shook his head. "Nah, Futaba said they'll have their special date the next day. Apparently, she's cooked up something pretty good."

"Better than their first Christmas," Ren commented. "Sumire was panicking so hard about that."

"Futaba wasn't much better," Anne giggled. "They both running to you for advice was funny though."

Sojiro grinned. "But anyways, ready to collect your rugrats?"

"Absolutely!" Anne said.

She had fun tonight but… she also missed her babies.

They followed Sojiro into the living room; Futaba and Sumire were sitting on the couch. Akari was, as Sojiro said, fast asleep, her head resting in Futaba's lap. Her dark curls were spilled all over Futaba's lap. It made Anne smile, seeing the contented smile on Akari's face. Meanwhile, Sumire had Tatsuo cradled in her arms, the baby snoozing in her arms. A bit of drool had escaped Tatsu's mouth, soft puffs of air passed through his lips.

"Hey guys!" Futaba exclaimed, waving at Ren and Anne.

Sumire lightly bounced Tatsuo in her arms as he began to stir. "Futaba, don't be so loud. You'll wake up Tatsuo-kun. And Akari-chan for that matter."

"Oops." Futaba smiled sheepishly.

"Thank you for entertaining them," Anne said before taking Tatsuo from Sumire. "You didn't have to."

"It's fine, Akari-chan was an angel," Sumire insisted with a wave of her hand. "She's so cute!"

"And Tatsu?" Ren asked, eyebrow quirked.

Sumire fidgeted. "Uh well…"

"Your kid's gonna grow up to be a menace," Futaba said flatly. "Though, I wouldn't expect anything less."

Sumire let out a nervous laugh. "I hope my kids are a little more behaved."

Futaba's face suddenly whipped back to Sumire, before it went pink. "K-Kids?"

Sumire froze for a moment. Then she turned redder than her hair. "A-Ah, I meant in the future! I know we haven't really talked about it but—!"

Futaba grabbed her hand, giving it a squeeze.

"It would be nice," she admitted before giving Sumire a small smile. "One day."

Sumire gave Futaba a bashful smile before she seemed to freeze once more.

"O-Oh! Sorry, Ren-senpai, you probably want to take Akari-chan and Tatsuo-kun home, huh?" Sumire said, rubbing the back of her neck.

Ren laughed. "You're fine."

He bent down, grabbing the baby bag at Sumire and Futaba's feet. After he slung it over his shoulder, he scooped up Akari in his arms. Akari snuggled in close, letting out a little sigh as she rested her head against Ren's shoulder.

Anne couldn't help but smile at the sight. She loved watching Ren with their children. He always held them like they were the most precious treasures.

"Good night, guys!" Anne said cheerfully.

As they walked to the door, they heard Sojiro say, "So… are you planning on giving me a time frame on when you'll have kids?"

Anne shut the door with her foot before they could hear Futaba or Sumire retort.

"Hey, I wanted to hear," Ren complained.

Anne huffed before nudging him with her foot. She would've normally bumped her hip against him but she didn't want to jostle Tatsuo.

"Don't be so nosy," she chided, frowning at her husband.

"Hey, I'm not the one to bet over a honeymoon baby happening," Ren argued.

Anne rolled her eyes. Ryuji had been so sure that she'd get pregnant with a honeymoon baby. She had been more annoyed than embarrassed when she had found out that Ryuji and Futaba had bet over that.

"Come on, let's get home. We have a long day tomorrow," she reminded him.

Ren just grinned. "Lead the way, my lady."


Anne peeked into Akari's bedroom. She was hugging her favorite plushie—a red panda—to her chest, her rounded cheeks flushed with sleep. Akari remained knocked out completely during the entire car ride. Ren had carried her inside and they had tucked her in. So, it made too easy for them to do their preparations.

Ren was cooking in the kitchen. He claimed that he would cook them a feast, so he'd have his hands tied for a while. Anne couldn't help but feel giddy. She was so excited for today!

She crept inside, slowly closing the door behind her. She then snuck over to Akari.

"Sweetie, wake up," she encouraged.

She tickled Akari's sides. Akari scrunched up her face, rolling over so that she pressed her face into the plush pillows.

"Come on, Akari-chan," she encouraged before leaning down and gently rolling Akari on her back once more. "Open your eyes for Mama?"

Akari let out a little moan before slowly blinking her eyes open. She just looked too adorable, with the way she was rubbing at her eyes.

"Mama…?" she asked, stifling a yawn.

"Morning, sweetie." Anne then crouched by her bed. "Do you know what today is?"

"Christmas, right?" Akari let out a yawn this time. "Did you and Papa have good special time last night?"

"We did, sweetie, but today's not about me and Papa." Anne sat on the edge of the bed, scooping the little girl.

Akari curled into her embrace, resting her head against Anne's chest. She took the moment to smooth away Akari's curls from her face.

"In Japan, Christmas is a holiday for couples to celebrate their love for each other," Anne began. "But in countries like the United States, it's different. It's meant for family. So your papa and I have agreed to celebrate both traditions."

"What kind of traditions?" Akari twisted around to look at Anne, her brown eyes wide with curiosity.

Anne chuckled. "Why don't we find out?"

Akari's head bobbed. "Okay!"

Akari crawled out of Anne's arms before jumping to the ground. Then she ran to the bathroom, leaving Anne to follow. Anne watched Akari drag the stool over to the kitchen sink to start brushing her teeth. She ruffled Akari's hair for a moment.

"I'm going to get Tatsu up. He should be up s—"

She was suddenly cut off with a loud wail. Anne sighed softly. At least he was starting to develop a schedule. She leaned down, kissing the crown of Akari's head briefly.

"I'll see you soon, sweetie," she said before hurrying to tend to her son.

Tatsu was wailing still as she entered the nursery.

"Shhh… I've got you, Tatsu," Anne cooed before lifting her son in her arms.

She cradled Tatsu in her arms before settling in the rocking chair. She undid her top enough so Tatsu could latch on and start feeding. She started to hum as she rubbed soothing circles in Tatsu's back. Tatsu quieted down as he got his breakfast.

"No need to be grumpy," she said with a chuckle. "Today's going to be a good day!"

Tatsuo stared at her for several seconds before grabbing onto her hair and giving a hard yank. Anne winced at his strong grasp.

"Sweetie, come on, that hurts," Anne said, gently untangling her hair from her son's grip.

She carried Tatsu to the changing table before picking out an outfit. She had just finished dressing him and was lifting him back into her arms when she heard a tentative "Mama?"

Akari had peeped her head in, looking hesitant. "Can you help me with my hair, please?"

At the sound of her voice, Tatsu suddenly brightened at the sight of his sister; his mouth formed a gummy smile.

"Someone's happy to see you," Anne said in a sing-song voice.

Akari giggled. "Good morning, Tatsu!"

She ran over to them, and Anne knelt down so Akari could give him a kiss on the cheek. Maybe it'd be best to do Akari's hair in Tatsu's room.

"Watch Tatsu for a second, sweetie. I'll grab the supplies to make you more beautiful than usual," she said with a wink.

Anne set Tatsu in the crib. He laid on his back, kicking his little feet. Akari giggled before sticking her hand through the crib's gap, stroking Tatsu's arm. As her hand neared Tatsu's, he quickly latched onto Akari's finger. Anne couldn't help but smile at the sweet sight. But then she quickly shook her head. She needed to get the hair supplies for Akari.

She came back, with the hair supplies in hand, before coaxing Akari to sit down. She brushed out Akari's hair, careful to not let it snag. She then plaited it into twin braids, tying bright red ribbons at the ends.

"All done, sweetie," Anne said. "What do you think?"

Akari giggled, rubbing her hands over her hair. "It's so pretty!"

"I'm glad you like it!" Anne said with a smile. "Let's get some breakfast, hmm?"

"Okay!"

Anne picked up Tatsuo again before heading for the kitchen. Akari gasped in delight at the ensemble Ren had laid out.

"French toast!" she exclaimed, her brown eyes brightening.

Ren had also cut up some fruit. A glass of orange juice was poured out for Akari, while Ren and Anne got coffee. Akari climbed into her seat.

"Is this part of Christmas?" she asked curiously.

"That's right," Ren said with a laugh. He then winked at Akari. "Good food always comes with the holidays!"

They sat down together. Ren dabbed on some butter on the French toast before placing it on her plate. He added the fruit next. Akari watched eagerly as Ren expertly drizzled syrup all over her French toast.

"So pretty, Papa!" Akari gasped out.

"I've had plenty of practice," Ren said with a laugh.

"Ah, yes, latte art trained you well," Anne teased.

"Don't diss the latte art," Ren said gravely.

Akari grabbed her fork in the meanwhile and took her first bite. Her eyes grew big with delight, and she eagerly dug in.

"This is so good!" she said with her cheeks bulging slightly.

"Ah, ah, don't talk with your mouth full," Anne chided, looking at Akari sternly. "We don't want you to choke."

Akari chewed before swallowing. "Sorry, Mama."

Ren smiled. "I'm glad that it gets two thumbs up from our guest of honor. Haru gave me the butter. It's a new recipe apparently. She's experimenting with vanilla bean butter."

"I can't wait to try it," Anne said with a laugh.

Ren raised an eyebrow. "I could always hold him while you—"

"No, it's fine. Besides, you worked so hard on this, you deserve to enjoy it, Ren!" Anne insisted.

She had to admit that her mouth was watering a little, especially after Ren mentioned that he had gotten some vanilla bean butter from Haru. Haru's recipes were always top notch. It took a while for Haru to figure out how to create recipes but once she nailed it… she really knocked it out of the park. Yusuke was more than happy to be her taste-tester anyways.

Once Ren finished, he took Tatsuo, letting Anne dig into her breakfast. It was still a little warm and Anne felt at bliss. It all tasted so good!

After Anne finished breakfast, she rose to her feet.

"Now, Akari-chan—ready for the next part?" she asked, winking at her little daughter.

"There's more?!" Akari gasped out.

"This is the main event," Ren said, passing Anne Tatsuo so he could scoop Akari in his arms.

Akari shrieked with laughter as Ren swung her around for a moment. Tatsuo clapped his hands together, watching Ren and Akari. They then walked out to the living room. The curtains were drawn so they would have the room a bit darker.

"Watch this, Akari," Ren said before flicking on the Christmas lights.

Akari gasped in delight as the Christmas lights flared to light, all colors of the rainbow making the Christmas tree positively glow. Tatsuo gurgled at the sight too; apparently, he approved.

"This is so pretty!" Akari gasped, clasping her hands to her cheeks.

Her brown eyes glowed with excitement, the sight of it making Anne's heart grow warm.

"I'm glad you like it, sweetie," Anne said. "I used to set up a similar tree with Nana and Granddad every year. But now the best part… presents!"

They had done their best to fit everything under the tree but with the combined efforts of Ren and Anne's parents… it was all but impossible. It was bad enough that her parents got in it but Ren's parents too?

Dad had claimed that it was only right.

"Poor Akari-chan hasn't had Christmas gifts for six years! We need to catch up!"

And of course, there were plenty of gifts for Tatsu too.

Ren drew out the largest package, pulling it in front of Akari.

"And for our darling beautiful daughter," Ren said with a wink.

Akari stood up. She tried to pull it off neatly but ended up giving up and tearing off the paper. Anne giggled as the paper made such a satisfying ripping sound.

A box sat on the floor, with the image of a little girl poking her head out of a white tent with pink drapes facing them. The top formed a roof with stars stamped on it.

"A play tent," Akari read. "This is so pretty!"

"You can make your own hideaway," Ren said with a chuckle.

"Will you help me set it up, Papa?" Akari asked hopefully.

"Of course," Ren said. "But later, okay? We have so many presents to go through!"

He selected another package, this one smaller. He jokingly held it out to Tatsu.

"Here you go, buddy."

Tatsu blinked at Ren.

"I don't think Tatsu can open presents yet, Papa," Akari said, her brow furrowing together.

Anne had to fight back a giggle. Ren could be so silly sometimes.

"Oh, silly me!" Ren gasped. "But you're a big girl… why don't you open it?"

Akari giggled before ripping off the paper. It was an outfit, with overalls and a red shirt. There was even a little gray beanie with a small pom on top.

"Aww, this is so cute!" Akari exclaimed.

She picked up the beanie before crawling over to Anne and Tatsu.

"Here you go, Tatsu!" she said cheerfully before carefully fitting the beanie over his head.

It was a perfect fit but Tatsu's blond curls still partially spilled out. He blinked at them but didn't try to yank it off.

"Can't tame this mess," Ren said with a chuckle.

Akari reached up to touch her hair, her brow wrinkling with concern. "Is my hair messier than Papa's?"

"Don't worry, sweetie," Anne said. "We've all seen Papa's bedhead."

"Hey!" Ren exclaimed.

Tatsu smile in response and Anne smiled smugly. "See? Tatsu agrees!"

"Just you wait, Tatsu… it's coming for you too," Ren grumbled. "And I thought you liked my hair, Anne."

"Doesn't mean I can't tease you for it," Anne said with a giggle.

"Hmph…" Ren pretended to pout, making Akari giggle herself.

It wasn't hard to figure out who had given which presents. Her parents had selected clothes, which was no surprise. Mom had mentioned to Anne the other day that they were thinking of starting a baby clothes line. Anne wouldn't be surprised if Dad had started doodling designs with Tatsu in mind.

Ren's parents, on the other hand, had picked toys.

At least they should be good for toys and clothes for a while…

"And this is for you, Anne," Ren announced suddenly.

Anne blinked. "Huh? But Ren… we already gave each other presents yesterday!"

"Just humor me," Ren said before stealing Tatsu from Anne. "Open it up!"

Anne blinked at her husband once more before reaching for the present. True to Ren, the present was artfully wrapped. He really excelled at everything.

She tore off the paper and lifted the lid of the box. Anne couldn't help but gasp.

There were several glass ornaments, each featuring a photo. The first was a picture of them when they first started dating. It was a selfie of them in Hawaii, when they had stolen a moment—just the two of them. The Hawaii sunset was a gorgeous backdrop, and their hair was tousled by the wind. They beamed at the camera, looking deliriously happy.

"Is that you and Papa?" Akari gasped. "You look so young!"

"Hey!" Ren huffed. "I don't like that sass coming from you, young lady…"

Anne stifled a laugh at the indignation on her husband's face. Ren was honestly too cute when he got like this.

"We were still in high school then…" Anne mused. "We've come a long way though, haven't we, Ren?"

Ren's expression softened as he looked to her.

"Yeah… we have."

The next picture was of Ren and Anne, for their wedding photoshoot in Inokashira Park. They had an arc set up with blooming red roses. They had lucked out and the cherry blossoms were in full bloom. Petals swirled in the air as Ren dipped Anne in a sweet kiss.

"You look so pretty, Mama!" Akari exclaimed. "And Papa!"

"I don't know what I should think about me being pretty…" Ren mused, shifting the now asleep Tatsu in his arms.

Anne just smiled teasingly. "Well… Ryuji sometimes did call you a pretty boy."

"Is that your wedding though?" Akari asked. "I thought brides wore white!"

"Well, your mama always looked best in red," Ren said with a chuckle. "And brides are stepping away from that tradition. Maybe if you get married… you'll pick a red dress too."

Akari blushed, looking down at her lap. "Maybe… but I dunno if I'd be as pretty as Mama."

"That's because you'll be more beautiful," Anne quickly interjected, smiling at Akari.

The third ornament featured one of Tatsu's baby pictures. They had gone to a photo studio for that. The one Ren had used showed Akari leaning down to kiss Tatsu's cheek.

The fourth ornament showed a family picture of all four of them.

Anne swallowed. All of these showed the steps they had made, as a couple. Them as a new couple when their relationship was all butterflies and giddiness. Them as newlyweds. And now… them as parents.

Ren never stopped shocking her when it came to thoughtful gifts.

"Ren, this…" Anne looked to him. "Where did you even get these?"

Ren grinned. "I made them. They used to be lightbulbs."

"You made them?!" Akari gasped. "You're so smart, Papa!"

"And I was thinking… of making an ornament every year. Because… family is important and I want to celebrate that with you all," Ren said. "I made four because well… our family expanded in an unexpected but wonderful way this year and I wanted to convey that."

"And there are four of us now," Anne mused.

Ren smiled. "Exactly."

This was really too perfect. She looked to her husband, with their son sleeping contently in his arms. Then to Akari, whose face was glowing with happiness.

She couldn't imagine how well today would've turned out, but she was not complaining about the results.

"Merry Christmas, Ren," Anne murmured, looking at Ren once more.

Ren smiled, his eyes aglow with love as he gazed at her. "Merry Christmas, Anne."


Happy Throwback Day! This fic used both the prompt of "Holiday" and "Future". I like to think, as a biracial couple, Ren and Anne would LOVE to celebrate Christmas both ways. As mentioned in White Christmas, Anne and Ren decided to do this when they started to have kids. They do celebrate Valentine's Day the Japanese way though. I have one more fic scheduled to be posted on the 16th, for the prompt Children/Parenthood. I hope you'll look forward to it!