"Santa's not scary", newly turned three year old Melody Swanson pronounced carefully, as she forced her body weight onto the two bouncers in the middle of the living room. "Santa's funny. And he brings presents!"
Her seven month old twin brothers just started at her in wonder, before breaking into gummy smiles. For Zachary and Henry Swanson, their older sister absolutely lit up their lives.
"Mel, what are you doing?" Jesse called from the kitchen. "You aren't touching the tree, are you?"
(He could see perfectly well what his daughter was doing, but the three year old adored the baubles. And, if she wasn't caught, would carry them off cheerfully, to be found later by Beca.)
"No, I'm just talkin'". She shrugged. "Hey Daddy?"
"Yeah babe?"
"How does Santa know what Henry and Zac want?"
"You wrote letters, remember?"
She rolled her eyes, looking scarily like her mother. "But they're babies! They can't talk!"
"Mummy and I just know what they want".
"But how?"
Jesse faltered (because his daughter was a never ending stream of questions). "You know what, Melody? Why don't you go and ask Mummy?"
Ten minutes later, Beca carried Melody down the stairs, scowling when she caught sight of Jesse. With her arms around her mother's neck, Melody was rambling (like a Swanson) about what was going to happen.
"She's your kid", she told him over Melody's chatter. Jesse just laughed, holding out his arms.
"Come here, Mel, come to Daddy. Tell Daddy what we're gonna do for Christmas".
Melody's blue eyes brightened, and she slung one arm around her father before waving the other animatedly, making both her parents laugh and the twins roar (because their big sister was hilarious).
And that night, when Melody had crashed out on her father's chest and the twins had passed out milk drunk in their mother's arms (the whole Swanson family sitting in front of the nineteen nineties classic The Grinch), Jesse turned to Beca with a grin.
"You know, Christmas with one is good", he said cheerfully, "But Christmas with three is going to be even better".
She groaned, shifting slightly. "You're such a weirdo!"
"I'm your weirdo! And don't you forget it!" he leant towards her, capturing her lips with his and making he grin.