[A/N: Life has been hectic lately, but I did manage to whip up some last minute holiday fluff. Hope you enjoy!]
Severus hated Christmas. An annual reminder of how empty his life was compared to other people. While kids talked about what they hoped to find under the tree, Severus knew what he would find - a tiny, scraggly tree his mother would scavenge from a dump heap because it was free, and no presents because his father drank away all their money. While kids talked about delicious feasts, Severus knew he would be fortunate to eat at all that day, and any food would probably be old and stale. While kids talked about seeing their families and enjoying their favorite traditions, Severus hoped he spent as little time as possible with his, avoiding the tradition of getting beat for no reason. There was nothing for him to look forward to, and he hated knowing everyone else had it better. He just wanted the holidays over with so everyone could stop acting like it was the best time of year.
Once he started going to Hogwarts, he spent every Christmas at the castle. He didn't have to deal with the Marauders who always went home for Christmas, he got to eat as much as he wanted, and got to open the present Lily would give him before she went home. It was better, far preferable to going home himself, but he still didn't see what the big deal was about the holiday. It felt like it was meant for everybody but him, that he was merely a spectator to others' happiness. Holiday cheer didn't apply to impoverished, ugly boys like him.
When he graduated from Hogwarts, he was a tall, lanky young man who had presented as an Omega, once again on the lowest rung of the social ladder. But Lily had presented as an Alpha, and she was showing particular interest in him. It wasn't in him to refuse her anything, even himself. Before long, she had bitten him and claimed him as her mate, and he gladly settled into his new role as a submissive partner, keeping their home and letting her take care of him. By the time their first Christmas together rolled around, he was already pregnant with their first child. He let Lily do whatever she wanted for the holiday, following her lead, and she could tell he wasn't as into it as she was.
"Isn't there anything you want to do that might put you in the holiday spirit?" she asked.
"No, Alpha. Whatever you like is fine with me."
She looked at him a little sadly. "I know you don't have a good track record with Christmas, Sev, but I want you to have fun too. It's our first Christmas together. It's different now."
He smiled at her fondly. "It is different, because I belong to you now. It's already the best Christmas I've had."
"Good, and next year it'll be even better." She rubbed his emerging baby bump. "Christmas is much more fun with kids, you'll see."
"I am sure I will."
He was already glowing from being with child, the way Omegas do, and the happiness in his face made Lily even more proud. It turned out to be a hot Christmas as she kept him in bed for most of the day, and he had no complaints. It was a very good Christmas.
The following summer he gave birth to a baby boy, and they couldn't be prouder of their firstborn. Lily wanted to name him Harold for her grandfather, which Severus wasn't too keen on but he let his Alpha have her way, calling him Harry instead. The nickname stuck and soon everyone was calling him Harry, to Severus' smug amusement. Lily had to concede defeat, but she was right about their next Christmas - it was more fun with baby Harry in tow, putting him in cute little outfits that looked like reindeer or snowmen or Father Christmas. When Severus held up Harry to see the tree and saw the colorful lights reflected in his son's amazed green eyes, he felt he was seeing them for the first time too. When they gave Harry new toys and watched him play, it was like being a child again, a child in a happy home with adoring parents.
Severus began to understand the joy of the season now that he had Harry to dote on, truly experiencing it for the first time with him. Those empty Christmases of his past were over and done with. Now he could smile as Harry trundled in the snow on short little legs during his second Christmas, watch him gaze in wonder at the lights on the tree, see how excited he was as they went shopping and saw all the decorations, help him pick out presents for his grandparents (on Lily's side), eat cookies with him and read him Christmas stories. Severus couldn't claim to be young at heart, but it did his heart good to let his little boy's excitement rub off on him a bit. Seeing him so happy, the way Severus never was as a boy, was what really mattered.
By this time, Severus was begging his Alpha to get him pregnant again. After all, Christmas would be even more fun with two children, right? Lily said he was catching on quickly.