Ricardo and Alicia stand side by side in front of the Christmas tree, smiles on their faces as they hold the twins up, letting them analyze the bright lights flashing within the green branches. "Do you think they'll like Christmas when they're older?" Alicia wonders, hugging Clara close.
"Andre does," Ricardo points out, the two of them looking over at where Andre is listening, wide eyed and enthralled, as Sofia reads "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" to him, doing all the voices in ways that only Sofia could. "I think these two will too."
Alicia smiles at him. "Yeah," she says quietly, before tapping Clara on the tummy. "Look at this," she says softly, lifting up an ornament delicately, letting it dangle in front of the baby's face. She squirms and reaches out for it with chubby fists, blinking when Alicia giggles and places it on the tree. "This ornament is all yours," she says, tracing a finger over the lettering in a pale lilac shade. "When you're older, you can have your own tree and decorate it however you want, but for now, we all share this one."
Ricardo chuckles, bouncing Mariana. "We're going to need a bigger house for all of these trees," he teases her. Alicia rolls her eyes, but watches fondly as Ricardo shows off Mariana's ornament in a pale yellow, letting her rest her fingers on her name before placing the ornament on the tree opposite of Clara's. "You're going to enjoy the holidays so much," he promises the babies. "We'll do our best to make life fun for both of you."
Alicia nods, kissing Clara on the cheek. "Yes we will," she promises. "For all of you." She casts a smile over her shoulder at Sofia and Andre before moving to settle in with Clara, amused at how the baby's gaze tracks the lights as they flicker and race.
On the other hand, Mariana stretches and immediately dozes off in Ricardo's arms, his face softening as he looks down at her. "We say we're going to make Christmas more fun for them," Ricardo says softly, "But I think ultimately they're the ones that are going to make things more fun for us."
Alicia hums, resting her head on his shoulder while being careful not to jostle either of the babies. "I'm pretty sure you're right," she says fondly, kissing his jaw. "I can't wait to experience it all when they're a little older."
"Me too," he hums, content to settle in and enjoy the warmth of his family around him, Sofia's softly droning voice reading on while Andre giggles and claps at various parts of the story.