Small Post MJ one! Hope you like it! Don't miss tomorrow's I think it's my favorite from all the ones I wrote!

Prompt : "Wait, I thought we were going to my parents house this year?"

Organizing Christmas

"Why are the lot of you so obsessed with Christmas…" Haymitch grumbled, absent-mindedly thumbing the book abandoned in front of him on the kitchen table. "I swear you infected the boy and half the District…"

Effie refused to take the bait and placed a steaming mug of peppermint tea in front of him. He took one sniff and made a face, tossing a disgruntled look at the teapot as if it had personally insulted him. Peppermint tea, she knew, was not his favorite but it was Christmas-y and Effie was committed to Christmas. She had decorated the whole house, had helped Peeta and Katniss decorate theirs and, in the six years she had lived in Twelve, had volunteered five times to lead the District's Christmas committee. He wasn't wrong when he said she had infected half the District. She had certainly made sure Twelve got its party dress on…

"You enjoy Christmas." she reminded him patiently, like someone else would have reminded a child about to throw a tantrum.

He tossed her a look that she chose to ignore and take a pointed sip of her tea, sitting down next to him and pretending to examine the book he was currently reading to avoid another argument.

He did enjoy Christmas. He liked the food and, no matter what he claimed, he enjoyed opening the presents under the tree with the children, he enjoyed the hot cocoa on Christmas eve and he enjoyed watching her fall under the spell of the magic that was a white Christmas… He was a just a grumpy old man who liked to grumble at every given opportunity.

"So, what it's gonna be?" he challenged.

"What do you mean?" she hummed, abandoning the book that looked entirely too boring for her tastes.

"For Christmas?" he insisted, rolling his eyes. "The kids can argue all they like between themselves, everybody knows you're the one who's gonna have the last word so…"

She frowned, cradling the warm mug between her hands. "I have no idea what you are talking about…"

He studied her for a minute and then lifted his eyebrows when he realized she wasn't pulling a joke on him. He smirked, clearly enjoying himself. She was usually the one with all the gossip.

"Jo wants to have Christmas in Seven this year, Annie wants us to go to Four and the kids want everyone to come here." he summed up.

"Well, we have been doing it in Twelve for the last six years… And I suppose Johanna would enjoy spending the holidays in her own District for once… As for Annie, she must be wary of traveling with a six year-old…" she pointed out.

Haymitch shrugged, not disagreeing. "So, Princess, what's your verdict? Where are we going for Christmas?"

"Well, we should…" she started only to stop. "Wait… I thought we were going to my parents' house this year. What do you mean where are we going?"

He stared at her, his eyes blank. "Your parents' house?"

"Yes." she insisted. "I told you about it and you said yes."

Her relationship with her family was still very tentative. It was her father who had reached out to her finally and it was him who had slammed his fist down so this ridiculous feud she didn't want any part of would end. Her sister had softened some because she was dating a hotshot lawyer and had eventually agreed to see Effie again. Her mother had been reluctant to the last but they had reconciled. As much as they would ever be able to. They hadn't seen each other much. Twelve was too far but they called each other from time to time. It was very cordial and not at all the warmth she had come to expect of her chosen family.

"Why would I say yes to going to your parents' house for Christmas?" Haymitch scoffed. "I hate them. They hate me."

She pursed her lips. "They do not hate you. Father has grown quite fond of you."

That might have been a slight exaggeration but they had made the trip to the city three times in the last four years and her father had warmed up to Haymitch a little. Their shared love of books had done the rest.

"Your dad ain't the worst. But your sis and your mom hate me." he retorted. "And I ain't going to the Capitol for Christmas. No way."

"Good." she huffed. "Because they are not having it in the Capitol but in their new holiday house in Two. Do you ever listen when I talk to you?" He opened his mouth and she lifted her hand. "Do not answer that, it is a rhetorical question."

He didn't look happy.

She wasn't entirely too happy about the prospect of Christmas with the Trinkets either but their relationship was so fragile how had she been supposed to refuse without making her mother mad at her again?

"So, what you're saying is that we won't even be with the kids for Christmas?" he grumbled. "You tell them 'cause they won't like that."

Katniss and Peeta would not in fact like that.

She pursed her lips. "I should call Mother…"

"Yeah." He nodded with relief. "You do that. Tell her I'm sick and you can't go."

She shot him a look. "I will ask her if I can invite the children. All the children. The house is big enough from what I understood and It will solve everything."

Given the way he was looking at her, Haymitch clearly thought it would solve nothing but living with her for six years had taught him it was easier for him to go along with her schemes rather than object.

Who would have thought sex strikes were still so effective twenty years in a relationship?

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