A/N: Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and a good Saturday to you all! Here is a look at Christmas 2022 with my Castle family. I hope you enjoy! And whatever you celebrate this time of you: I hope it is warm and joyous. I love you all!
Christmas Eve afternoon and they are finally getting a chance to finish last-minute things. The kids had been banned from the basement and were currently occupied by a movie so their parents could work distraction-free.
"I think we bought too much," Kate comments, scanning over the haul before her. Every member of their family has a pile of gifts, but one is quite a bit larger than the others.
"I mean, yeah a bit," Castle agrees, coming to stand beside her, a roll of wrapping paper in his hand.
He looks at the largest pile full of tiny clothes and hats and other things a newborn baby would need. He realizes now that he may have gone a bit overboard. But he was excited! And everything was just so cute! Besides: a person deserves to spoil their grandkids a bit; it was in the rule book.
"She's eleven days old, babe. She's not gonna remember any of this."
"But we will." his voice is soft with hints of melancholy in it.
He's a grandfather. How was it even possible that his oldest baby girl had a baby girl of her own? It was all still so wild to him; he was in a bit of shock at it.
"We will because you're going to be taking so many pictures, it will be hard to forget!" Kate says, laughing.
Being a grandparent looked good on her husband; he loved McKenna so much already.
And she had to admit: she was loving it too.
Being allowed even a small part of this part of their family felt so amazing. That Alexis trusted her enough, loved her enough, to allow her to be called 'grandma'.
"Why don't we save some for her Easter presents? Or to keep here or in the Hamptons. I'm sure Alexis and Max would love to know they didn't have to lug everything around." She kneels down and starts picking through the pile, sorting a few things out; turning it from one large pile into three smaller ones. "How about that? Is that okay?"
"I want this to be her present from Santa," Castle insists, pointing to one gift in particular with his socked foot.
"Okay. I like that," Kate agrees, setting to work wrapping everything.
They make a pretty good team and the system they'd adopted last year of giving everyone a specific, individual, wrapping paper pattern pays off. Nothing gets mixed up or miscounted; it's all there.
As Castle cuts one last piece of paper the scissors made one clean, smooth, cut across the paper. The sound is so satisfying that they both sigh in enjoyment.
"The best sound," Castle smiles at her. He folds and tapes and soon they are adding it to the pile to be brought up and put under the tree. (Santa's presents would arrive later that night)
"Alright: you gotta get out," Kate says, knocking into him with her shoulder. "I have to wrap your presents."
"Oh! What did you get me? Is it a new drone? No, it's a rare Spiderman comic, isn't it? Do I get a hint?"
"You get one hint," she says, pointing at him, "and then you have to leave. It's bigger than a bread box, smaller than a car."
"Oh! That's good," Castle smiles.
"Out!" Kate orders, starting to shove him towards the stairs.
"I'm going, I'm going." He starts up the stairs, taking them as slowly as possible.
"And shut the door, please!"
Once it clicks shut, Kate drags her husband's gifts out from their clever hiding spot and starts to wrap once again.