Christmas Day to New Years Eve
When they had gotten back from visiting Irina, and discovering that her husband was still alive, they just smiled at each other for a moment, before heading back downstairs and listening to "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree," Sapphire dancing as they did so.
"You know, I think this has been my best Christmas ever." She said to Katja, who found herself agreeing with her friend.
After all, she thought, it isn't every day one gets to meet a celebrity, ride for real on a fictitious train, find out that a close friend is moving next door, and step through portals in order to be invited to a wedding.
Yes, she couldn't think of a better way to spend Christmas.
"Anybody fancy a swim?" Sapphire's mum asked, and, what with the boiling hot weather, everyone agreed.
They swam and dived for coins to their hearts content, singing along to Christmas songs, and topping up their drinks when need be.
When lunchtime came, nobody felt like going inside to eat, so all the food and drinks were laid out on a long table in a gazebo, and they helped themselves.
There was lots of cold meats, such as chicken, ham, turkey, as well as bread rolls, mini cheeses, crackers to go with cheese, marinated cabbage, coke, L&P, Lemonade, mashed potatoes, honeyed carrots, truffles, crackers for pulling, fancy cheeses, fruit mince pies, mince bites, nuts, a box of cadbury favourites, and a box of assorted biscuits.
Katja stared in amazement at all the foods laid out before her, not sure what to get first. Eventually, she helped herself to chicken, a mini cheese, mashed potatoes, a bread roll, a mince pie, some nuts, and some honeyed carrots.
As she sprinkled salt over her lunch, Kat looked up with a smile, and said, "Thanks ever so much for inviting us."
"You're quite welcome," Sapphire's mum said, smiling.
After lunch, however, everybody was feeling rather drowsy, especially the grown-ups, who'd been drinking alcohol.
So, whilst the grown-ups had a snooze, Katja and Sapphire thought they'd play board games that afternoon, talking about other Christmases that had been and gone.
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The rest of the day was spent doing swimming, eating if they felt hungry, and in the case of the teenagers, trying little shots of baileys with creme de menthe.
On the 26th, they decided to go into the city for the boxing day sales and swim at H2O Extreme, laughing at the thrill and excitement of going down the hydro slides.
Whilst looking at the sales, Kat bought herself a blood red and black duvet, with matching sheets, and a bedside table.
They had been to see the house next door, and Katja had already picked the room she wanted, happy to see that it came with an en suite, and a room big enough to be a study or a library, just for her.
Her parents obviously had a bigger room, bathroom, and study, and then there was the kitchen, dinning room, another big room which they planned on making a library for books, CD's, and films, a sitting room, laundry room, and the garage.
As she looked around, Kat commented that if they were ever to play hide and seek, it would take ages for her to be found.
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On the 27th, Sapphire and Katja didn't see each other for the whole day, as Sapphire had been invited to a friend's Bat Mitzvah in the city, and Katja had a room to make her own. However, as they were leaving, Katja glanced out of her bedroom window to see Sapphire wearing a knee-length yellow dress, white tights, and a necklace with the Star of David on it.
On the 28th, 29th, and 30th of December, they spent those days pulling down the Christmas Tree, and putting away all the decorations and albums. They also swam, played in the park, and even went out for dinner and saw The Wizard of Oz at the St James Theater.
On the morning of the 31st, Katja and Sapphire found their dresses that they wanted to wear, as well as anything else they might want, and at quarter to two, the wedding being at quarter past three, they headed back through the swirling wall, ready to end the year with a bang.
AN: Nearly finished :)