"What are doing?" Kate slipped behind Gibbs wrapping her arms around his waist.
"Getting my rolls ready to cook." Gibbs answered
"That's a Dutch oven."
"You're gonna need this one for the pies, I got the fireplace." Gibbs said easily, Kate knew that meant it wasn't the first time he'd baked rolls in the fireplace.
"I don't know why I'm surprised." pushing up on her toes she kissed the back of his neck going to the fridge.
"I made you a bagel." Gibbs nodded to the table, stopping before she made it to the fridge she glanced at the table, her bagel and cup of coffee were waiting for her. Taking her seat she watched as Gibbs finished placing his rolls in the Dutch oven, carrying it out to the living room he paused to kiss the top of her head. It was a few minutes before he was back in the kitchen to clean up, "Do you need my help with anything?"
"I was going to prep and put them in the oven before the parade" she said looking at the kitchen clock, her mother prepped and cooked during the parade and game "then it's just grabbing them out during a commercial and if I'm lucky not missing the parade."
"Sounds good." Gibbs nodded grabbing a dish rag to clean the counter.
"Rachel and Danny will be over in a few minutes."
"First time watching the parade together in a while?" Gibbs asked rinsing off the counter.
"Since Rachel and I were big enough to help in the kitchen." Kate said honestly, Gibbs frowned. Kate's family sounded like the typical midwestern family until the little details came out.
"Christmas dinner the same?" Gibbs asked already knowing the answer.
"I guess it's why I like the holidays here, everyone chips in, nobody is stuck doing it all, stressing and missing everything." Kate said softly.
"You wanna host Christmas this year?" he didn't want to push her but he knew with her sister and brother in town she was actually looking forward to the holiday.
"I don't want to make you uncomfortable." she shook her head.
"I wouldn't offer if I wasn't okay with it." Gibbs reminded. "And I don't think Duck'd mind." Kate nodded.
She was changed before her siblings arrived, leggings and an oversized shirt, Gibbs smirked, it had been a gift from Tony which had gotten him smacked in the chest and called a pig, a green shirt that read 'Marines do it better'. Kate secretly loved it.
Opening the door she smiled at her siblings both with garment bags in hand "I'll take those, Gibbs is in the living room." they both knew the way.
"Hey Gibbs." Rachel smiled seeing him relaxed on the couch.
"Hey." he nodded.
"Cozy fire." Danny said taking the chair.
"Making biscuits." Gibbs nodded again causing the siblings to look at him confused.
"Dutch oven." Kate said joining them, looking into the fireplace they could just make out the handle of the Dutch oven resting on it's coal covered lid. "I'm starting on the pies." they all glanced to the clock, the parade wasn't going to start for an hour. With as much time as she'd spent making the pies with her mom Kate knew she could bake them at the same time and they would be fine, she just had to keep an eye on the time and pull one out about 15 or 20 minutes before the other.
"I'll help," Rachel volunteered. "then Danny can help with mine."
"And who will help with mine?" he asked.
"Katie." Rachel said over her shoulder.
Because of how early she'd started Kate's pies were finished during the first half hour of the parade, Danny jumped in to help Rachel with hers, they'd brought over their own ingredients and spices even though Gibbs was sure he had everything they needed since Kate brought all her spices. Prepped on commercials while Kate's was still in the oven it was easy to put the stuffing in the oven once the pies were removed "Well oiled machine." Gibbs said tending to his biscuits.
"It's very relaxed here." Danny agreed, their parents house was chaos on Thanksgiving and Christmas.
"Christmas will be same, we're gonna have it here." Gibbs promised. "A quiet pot luck so no one has to do everything and everyone can relax, Ducky likes to take care of the bird."
"Apple and pumpkin pie." Kate held up her hand.
"I totally forgot about Christmas," Danny admitted "I have to get decorations."
"They're in the attic." Kate said covering a yawn.
"You didn't bring them?" Gibbs asked.
Kate shook her head. "My house is half the size of yours." Kate said cuddling back up to Gibbs when he sat back on the couce, Gibbs just nodded mentally planning a shopping trip for new decorations since his were over ten years old. "I bought them when I moved in so they're a couple years old and there is a fake tree with it's own lights." She didn't have much in the way of decorations since she was rarely home when she was with the Secret Service, lights and a tree, NCIS also made being home for Christmas difficult so she hadn't bothered to update her decorations.
"You should donate them, I'll just buy some." neither he or Rachel really had decorations, he lived in an apartment and always went to his parents house for holidays, Rachel would visit as well. "Definitely getting a fake tree, it means no clean up."
"They don't die when you're stuck at work either." Kate nodded.
"We can go together little brother." Rachel smirked seeing him roll his eyes, he hated when she called him little brother, he was the oldest of the boys
"Saturday if I'm not working, if I am you go buy what you want with them." Gibbs agreed.
"We'll go together when we can, I'll go with them to get ideas." Kate refused to buy decorations without him, she saw Gibbs nod.
After introductions with Jordan and the setting of the food on the table Ducky poured the wine before taking his spot at the head of the table. Holding up his glass he smiled at the small gathered group "It warms this old man's heart to see our little family gathered and I look forward to many more, it is not the history of this day we celebrate but the gathering of friends and family, old and new." he tipped his head to Rachel and Danny before raising his glass. The others did the same.
Once the food was served the group began their small talk so the new people in the group could get to know everyone, it was Abby that started it even though she already knew the answers to everything she was going to asked but she wanted to get the conversations started. Their conversations started with their occupations and moved on from there, Tony asking favorite movies, McGee what books they liked, Ziva and Gibbs started a side conversation about which knives were easiest to conceal for work, rule 9.
They waited until after dinner was over and they were gathered in the living room to discuss Christmas "I brought papers since we didn't get to do this before," pulling papers cut into 3x5 index size Abby handed one to everyone "5 minutes, I want your name and at least 5 suggestions $25 and under that you would like for Christmas."
"Christmas will be at our house this year." Kate spoke up, she and Gibbs had quietly discussed it with Ducky when they'd first arrived, Ducky agreed saying it would be good for Gibbs and he would keep Thanksgiving. "Pot luck as always, Ducky has dibs on the turkey."
"Christmas at casa Gibbs?" Tony asked in disbelief.
"Yep." Gibbs nodded humoring Abby he wrote his name on the paper and wrote 'coffee, jack, bourbon' not that anyone would be surprised.
"Are we staying with what we made today?" Tony asked.
"Unless you want to try something new." Kate said without looking up from her paper, it wasn't going to shock anyone when she wrote down 'art paper, erasers' she always bought her own pencils though she could draw with the standard pencil just as easily.
Jordan glanced at Ducky when Abby handed her a paper, giving her a smile he nodded.
Gathering the papers after a few minutes Abby put them into a Santa hat she'd brought just for the name pick.