Hi! I know I've been slacking on the writing on Vampire Witch, but I really wanted to get this up before the Holidays. It would have been up sooner, but I'm awful with deadlines.

This idea was not mine, I was PMing with IntoTheLiquidTopaz, and she mentioned that it would be cool to see how the Cullen's celebrated Christmas, and I had an idea that she gave me the go ahead to write! Check out her stories, she's an amazing author.

I also want to thank my incredible beta, faerie kitten! I give her a very highly recommended as well!

This is for both you guys!

"C'mon Bella, I need your help!"

I sighed. There was no way Alice could need me that badly, not with the way she had with getting things done. The men had gone hunting, and the rest of us were decorating the house. Christmas was only two weeks away.

Regardless, I left my spot by Edward's vast music collection and dashed down the stairs. Outside, I came to an abrupt stop, and my eyes widened.

I had known Alice would go overboard, but I had not expected this. Lights, wreaths, and decorations of every description littered the lawn. Alice was on the roof, hanging the thick multi-colored lights while Renesmee stood below, feeding the line to her while making sure it didn't drag or get caught. She glanced up when she heard me and beamed, showing her dimples. I couldn't help but smile back. It was her second Christmas, but the first alone with the family, without her life being threatened and a bunch of vampires packed into this relatively small space. She now resembled a five or six year old, but had lost more baby fat than most children that age. Her body was lean and well proportioned, her bronze curls now falling to her waist. I had convinced Alice to let me cut them before they grew so long that she could step on them and fall. She had a considerable amount more grace than the average human, but my mortal clumsiness had shown itself every now and again, and I didn't want to tempt fate. We had done enough of that.

"What's this all about?" I inquired of Alice, not bothering to raise my voice. She would hear me, even three stories up.

"Well," she stated matter-of-factly, not looking away from her work. "As we didn't have much opportunity to celebrate last year, I figured we might as well make the most of this one."

I rolled my eyes, but secretly I agreed. Christmas had never been a big thing in my family, but I didn't want it to be that way for Renesmee. She deserved the happy memories, and we had to make the most of her short childhood.

"And what do you need me to do?" I was still doubtful of my use here. I should have known better, Alice always had something planned.

"Rosalie and Esme will be back in exactly twenty-seven seconds. Rose'll want help decorating the tree, and Esme wants to try to bake cookies." She wrinkled her nose at the thought of the raw ingredients, but I thought it was a good idea. Between the werewolves and Nessie, who was trying to like human food, it was nice to have snacks around. It also saved wasting the food we bought as part of the human charade.

Ten seconds after this exchange, and I could hear the other women returning. True to Alice's prediction, they were in the yard seventeen seconds later. They were each supporting either end of a huge pine tree, a good ten feet tall, with a wide trunk. I knew one of them could have carried it home alone, but balancing a thick tree while running at vampire speeds was no simple task. It was possible, but a slower process than simply running. It was easier just to have someone else come along. And we got a better selection by choosing our own, straight from the forest.

"Sorry," Rose apologized, gesturing to the tree. "There wasn't much to chose from."

I couldn't find anything wrong with it, but Alice was already comforting her. "Don't worry, it will look perfect once you decorate it."

Rosalie accepter this, her face lit up and she turned to me. "Ready Bella?"

I smiled back and nodded. "Let's go."

Esme laughed. "You girls have fun. Wish me luck with these stubborn recipes!"

We giggled with her and obliged. Rose grabbed the trunk of the tree and I lifted the top so it wouldn't drag all the way. Our first challenge came in getting it through the door, but it was quickly managed with some tucking and pulling to get the boughs to fit through the frame. No doubt Alice would want to find a better method for next year. We stood it in the living room, near the fireplace, and I was contemplating how lucky it was that this room had a high ceiling. Rosalie broke my reverie all to quickly.

"Ornaments…" she mused. I groaned. This was going to be difficult. Only Alice knew the order to the chaos outside.

We eventually found the many boxes of ornaments in the yard, along with some strings of popcorn, which we proceeded to string around the tree. It was a lot of fun, and we finished quickly. The tree looked perfect, just as Alice had said.

An awful smell of burning food told me things weren't going so well in the kitchen. Rosalie and I rushed in to find Esme hitting flames with her apron. It didn't take her two seconds to put out the tiny oven fire, and when she turned to look at us her expression was so full of childlike disappointment that we doubled over laughing. The corners of her mouth twitched, fighting a smile, but she ended up laughing too.

"I suppose that could have gone better," she mused after we had recovered. "I didn't know what to do when it said to 'take them out when they smell ready to eat'." She held up her cookbook. "Simplest of Cooking: For Those With Challenges in the Kitchen." The ridiculous title nearly set me over the edge again, but I resisted the urge to laugh. Barely.

"Don't worry, Esme," I comforted her, taking the cookbook and patting her arm. "No one will miss them. You can try again with a cookbook that gives better measurements."

My words did it for Rosalie, and she turned her back in an attempt to hide her giggles. It was useless of course, Esme could see her quivering.

"Oh, stop," she scolded playfully, moving past the unfortunate batch of cookies. "Next time, you can try."

We were still laughing when Alice danced in. I was surprised she hadn't come sooner, but she must have seen that everything would be alright.

"It's finished," she stated simply, grinning from ear to ear. We straightened up at once, eager to see the house. Alice's smile didn't change as she blocked our path to the living room. "Close your eyes and follow me," she commanded. We obeyed, Esme at once, Rose and me more reluctantly.

We didn't need sight, we could hear Alice's footsteps, and we all knew the path out of the house well, so there was no danger of anyone running into anything. I could almost feel the anticipation quivering in the air as we stepped outside, moving far enough to get a full view when we opened our eyes.

"The boys will be back in a couple minutes, but I won't make you wait that long," Alice said charitably. "Turn around and open your eyes!" She sounded like a game show hostess. I laughed as I whirled, my eyes flicking open.

I was stunned by the sight that met my eyes. My laugh was stuck in my throat, and my mouth wouldn't close. The house had been transformed. Colored lights were laced around the edges of the roof, with twinkling snowflakes dangling down from them. Garlands bordered the doorframe, flowing downward to curl around the porch railing. Candy canes lined the walk, and reindeer and miniature sleighs were artistically place around the yard and on the roof. Everything lit up, from the wreaths on the door to the trees bordering the yard. The house was something out of a Christmas card or a dream, and it was beautiful. Alice had done an amazing job, as always.

From the pleased look she had from our reactions, I could tell Alice knew what was going though our minds. Renesmee was bouncing with excitement next to her.

"Wait until you see the inside!" She bubbled, tugging my hand impatiently. I let her lead me into the living room, which Alice had decorated so fast it was mind blowing. There were festive pictures and wreaths on the walls, garlands and holy twined around the banister, and mistletoe hung from the doorway. Pinecones and various decorations were scattered in different places, but it all fit together perfectly. The tree was the majestic center. The mantle, with Renesmee's stocking, just to the side had a light dusting of fake snow surrounding a simple yet beautiful nativity scene.

"You didn't leave anything out," I commented to Alice, as I stared in wonder.

"No," she agreed quietly. "It's as human as I could make it."

"It's too perfect to be human," I corrected her. "But it's still incredible." And it was.

My daughter's first real Christmas would be a thing to remember. The moment was made more perfect when I heard the men returning. I took one last look at the tree and smiled before heading outside so I could see their reactions to Alice's masterpiece.

This chapter was inspired by a family that lives in my neighborhood. Every year they have the most over the top display of decorations. It bugs me so bad, but I thought it fit Alice, although hers looks more artistic and less like a jumbled mess of "let's see how much crap we can put in our yard before the neighbors complain". It. Lights. Up. I'm gritting my teeth just thinking about it, and the cars that come to see and block our driveway! It's so annoying! *deep breath* Sorry, I'll stop ranting now.

I this is alright, I wanted to just jump into the story, but I needed a place to start, and I wanted to write about Alice's decorating. I hope I stayed true to her character. The next chapter is better, and the one after that is my pride and joy for the story, so stick with me! Hope you liked it, and don't forget to review! You can even if you don't have an account, I accept anonymous reviews! Happy Holidays!

Love, Claire