December 2011
A week after Thanksgiving was their first full weekend with Parker in the new house. Booth and Brennan had spent the previous two weeks making decisions about the decor that had come from the two apartments. They decided that most of Booth's airplane artifacts and sports decor would be used in the family room at the back of the townhome and in his den on the main floor. The items from Brennan's world travels would be housed in the living room and in her den on the second floor.
They had contracted with Carlo, the carpenter who had built all of the wall shelving in Brennan's apartment, to come and do the same in the new place. He was scheduled to begin construction the second week of January and would be building shelving, with storage cabinets below, all along the interior wall of the living room. They had left all of the artifacts in Brennan's apartment until the new shelving was ready. Once construction was completed, they would employ the specialty movers often used by the Jeffersonian to move the delicate pieces. Only then would they get her apartment ready to have Marci put it on the market.
When they arrived at Rebecca's house Friday evening, they told Parker that they would be spending the weekend getting the new house ready for Christmas. He was excited to hear that they would be going back out to the Christmas Tree Farm to pick out their tree.
They spent Friday evening sitting on the floor in the living room eating pizza from their favorite place. Booth had brought out the boxes of Christmas decor that came from the two apartments, and they made decisions about what would go where.
Saturday morning they all went to the diner for a big breakfast. Brennan had been doing some research, and they made a plan to visit several places that specialized in unique Christmas items. The first place they headed to was a resale/antique shop. The building was divided into dozens of dealer spaces, and they contained nothing but Christmas decor.
Booth chuckled as they walked through the door because the whole place seemed to be a riot of red, green, and gold. As they started to slowly walk down the first aisle, Parker asked if he could go off on his own to look. Booth put his hand on the boy's shoulder. "Yes, but no running. And be very careful because there are a lot of breakable things in this store."
Parker assured him that he would be careful and he skipped his way down the next aisle. Brennan had grabbed one of the plastic baskets that sat near the door, and as they wandered through the shop, they placed in it a few items that had caught their eye. Parker found them a couple of times with items he had found and he added them to the basket.
They were about to head back to the front of the store to cash out when Brennan let out a quiet exclamation as she rounded a corner. Booth and Parker caught up to her. "Look Booth! I've always loved these. But I never used to decorate my place for Christmas, so I didn't ever see the need to collect them."
The space was filled with large ceramic Christmas village lighted buildings. Booth's eyes were sparkling as he looked around the space. "Yes! Someone I worked with several years ago had a whole collection of these. She had us all at her place one year for a Christmas party and she and her husband showed us their village. They cleared out a room in the house every Christmas and had tables put up to hold the whole village. They had fake roads and sidewalks and fake snow. It was magical."
Brennan was tickled that he shared her excitement. "I wouldn't be looking for something that elaborate, but it would be nice to have a handful of them to place around the house." Parker also seemed to share their excitement, and he was walking around the space looking closely at the various buildings.
Just then, a woman who worked in the shop came up to them. "Are you interested in purchasing some of our Christmas village pieces?" When they nodded affirmatively, she gave them a little tour. "We have three different types of villages in this shop. Most people decide which set to collect and then will add to the collection over the years. We have the Dickens village on those shelves, the City village over here, and that small area is the North Pole village."
She left them to browse and they were all animated over their favorites. Brennan was partial to the Dickens, Booth was enthralled with the City, and Parker fell in love with the North Pole. After the three declarations, they all broke out in laughter. "I knew it couldn't be that easy Bones." Brennan decided that she could be happy with the City village after Booth pointed out that the City set resembled New York City from the 1930s. "The Dickens set is very specific to his novels. I can see the City set would be much more practical."
When Booth pointed out some of the more interesting buildings, Parker seemed to be getting onboard. But Brennan noticed him occasionally looking over at the North Pole set with longing. "I'll tell you what Parker. How about we get a set of the City buildings to put on the main floor, and you choose a few of the North Pole buildings and we can start a village up in your bedroom?"
His eyes were shining. "Really?" Brennan nodded at him and the three of them walked over to look at the snow covered buildings. He picked out three of them to start his collection: Santa's Workshop, Elf Bunkhouse, and Reindeer Barn.
Booth and Brennan then spent the next 20 minutes picking out ten of the City pieces and a few of the accessories. As they continued their afternoon shopping, they discussed where the buildings would reside this first year. The decision was made that they be scattered around the townhouse for this first Christmas. When they met with Carlo, they would work out a way to display them on the bottom shelf just above the lower cabinets. Booth was sure that Carlo would be able to create a channel at the back to hide the cords and have power strips inside the cabinets. Brennan was thrilled at the idea because it would allow them to purchase more of the buildings and create a real village all along the wall.
Late in the afternoon, they headed out of town toward the Christmas Tree Farm. Brennan had read about an Amish restaurant near the farm, so they had dinner there. As they were leaving, they wandered through the attached shop and Brennan found a beautiful handmade quilt that would look lovely on their new bed.
Booth and Parker worked together to cut down the perfect tree, picked out by Parker, of course. When the farm wagon got to them, Booth set the tree on the trailer and they all climbed into the wagon to join the other families already there. On the way home, with the tree strapped to the top of the SUV, Parker started singing. "Over the river, and through the woods. To o—u—r house we go!" Booth and Brennan laughed and shook their heads. He grabbed her hand and pulled it up to kiss her on the knuckles.
They spent the evening putting up and decorating the tree, putting all of the other decorations around and finding spots for the Christmas Village pieces. Booth and Parker took his North Pole pieces upstairs and they set them up, plugging in the lights on all three.
While they were upstairs, Brennan made hot chocolate for the trio. When they came downstairs, she was sitting on the floor in front of the tree with the tray of steaming chocolate and the Christmas cookies she had picked up at the bakery the day before. To complete the atmosphere, she had found a radio station playing Christmas music. As they sat there enjoying their treats, Booth looked around. "This is a perfect start to our first Christmas here." Everyone agreed, and they clinked their mugs together in a holiday toast.
Two weeks later, the trio were on their way to New York City for a preplanned Christmas weekend. Living so close to the city, they had all been there numerous times, but never at Christmas. Parker had suggested the trip several months earlier and they had booked a hotel room for Saturday night at a hotel right next to Rockefeller Center. They also purchased tickets to see the Rockettes Christmas Show on Saturday evening.
Over the last few months, Parker did most of the planning for the weekend. They decided to make a list of things to do, but not to schedule any of the activities - just to do as much as possible without getting frazzled.
They boarded the train at 7AM on Saturday morning and all had cafe style breakfast items during the three hour trip. Their first stop after walking out of Penn Station was the Christmas windows at Macy's just a few blocks from the station. Since they were only staying one night, they were able to pack everything in a carry-on sized rolling suitcase and Booth took charge of it as they walked to Macy's.
After braving the crowds around the iconic windows, they walked another block to the Empire State Building to take the elevator ride to the top observation platforms. Parker loved seeing the views of the city and Booth loved the art deco design of the building. Brennan enjoyed it all - but mostly loved watching her two guys having so much fun together.
Next was a subway ride up to their hotel, where they were able to check their suitcase at the front desk until check-in time later in the day. They decided to walk the few blocks to Central Park and spent some time wandering through the zoo, and then headed over to Tavern on the Green where they had a relaxing lunch.
Soon it was time to head to the hotel to check in, and Parker was ecstatic over the views from their suite. After a quick freshening up, they walked the two blocks to Radio City Music Hall for the 5:00 show. Seeing the show was a first for all three of them, and they loved the variety of acts - especially the ones they had been waiting to see - the falling down line of toy soldiers, and the famous kick line to end the show.
They exited the building and walked under the long marquee as they headed east down 50th Street. Parker couldn't control his excitement as he skipped along in front of them, often walking backwards as he babbled on and on about the show. Booth and Brennan were holding hands and looked over to smile at each other several times as they watched the joy on their son's face.
As they reached the end of the block, Parker had turned around to proclaim yet another favorite thing from the show, when Booth reached out and put his hands on Parker's shoulders. He turned him to the right and they both heard a loud gasp from the boy. Booth had made a point to avoid this corner until now so that their first glimpse of the massive tree was at night. He had seen photos and videos of it in the past, but nothing compared to seeing it in person. Not only was the tree breathtaking in size, but the number of lights made it seem like it was just all lights in the shape of a tree.
They walked up as close as the barriers allowed and just stood there for several minutes taking it all in. Booth struck up a conversation with another family standing next to them, and they took turns snapping pictures of each other's families with the tree in the background.
As they turned to leave, Booth pointed to the skating rink just below. "How about we rent some skates?" Parker's eyes were like saucers as he turned back to his dad. "Yes! Really? Anyone can skate there?" Booth chuckled. "Well, for a hefty fee, I imagine." The boy looked back and forth from Booth to Brennan. "Do you think we can afford it?" Booth winked at Brennan. "I'm sure we can manage it. After all, this is our special Christmas trip."
So they spent the next hour going round and round the rink. Parker went off on his own and found skaters his age to challenge each other's skills. Booth and Brennan contented themselves to just leisurely skate around, keeping an eye on their boy. Her skating technique was improving, but she still tended to cling to him - and he was just fine with that.
After leaving the rink, they walked through the garden area leading to 5th Avenue and stopped a few times to take photos of the beautiful decorations with the tree in the background. As they came out on 5th Avenue, Booth put his arm around Parker's shoulders and pointed over to the left. "Hey bub. How about we go to mass tomorrow morning at St Patrick's Cathedral?"
Parker loved that idea. He told them that he had seen that on the maps he studied and was going to ask his dad. They walked over to the church and checked the mass times. Brennan stood back watching them. "If it's okay with you two, I'd like to go with you in the morning." Booth looked at her in surprise. "You want to go to mass with us? That would be great Bones! I think you would appreciate the history of this church. I've seen photos of the interior and it looks beautiful." Brennan smiled at him. "I actually have several reasons for wanting to go." She wrapped her arm around his waist and leaned her head against him. He put his arm around her shoulder and kissed her temple.
They stopped in the lobby of the hotel and sat on one of the sofas in the lounge. The adults had a couple of drinks while Parker enjoyed a giant cup of hot chocolate with a huge plop of whipped cream on top. He had only finished half of it when he placed it on the table and laid his head in Brennan's lap. He was sound asleep within minutes. She ran her hand gently through his curls. "He's had a very long day Booth." Booth put his arm over her shoulders and she cuddled up to his side while they finished their drinks.
When they were ready to go upstairs, Booth carried their son to the elevators, and the boy was still sleeping when he placed him in his bed in the second bedroom of the suite. When they went into their room, Booth suggested that they stay in their sleeping attire all night. "There's a good chance he will wake up in the night and be confused about where he is. I think we need to keep both bedroom doors open so he can find us."
Sure enough, about 2AM, they both woke up when they heard his soft voice as he stood in their doorway. "Dad. Bones. I woke up and I didn't know where I was." Brennan sat up and called him over. "Remember love? We're in New York City? Remember we saw the Rockettes and we skated at the rink?" He was starting to become more awake. "Oh yeah. Are we in the hotel?" Booth reached over, picked him up, and plopped him into the middle of the bed. "Yep. How about you sleep here with us for the rest of the night?" Parker just made a satisfied noise and cuddled between the two of them. He was out almost immediately. Booth and Brennan smiled over the top of their boy and settled back on either side of him and they all slept soundly for the rest of the night.
The next morning they were all up early. Having the suite paid dividends because Booth and Parker were able to take their shower together in one bathroom, while Brennan had hers in the other. Once they were dressed for the day, they packed up their suitcase and took it down to the front desk to store so they could pick it up just before heading back to the train station.
They had time for a delicious buffet brunch in the hotel dining room before leaving for St Patrick's. The majesty and beauty of the church's interior impressed all three of them. Booth and Parker enjoyed being able to celebrate the mass in such an iconic spot in the Catholic faith. Brennan found their worship and their reverence intriguing. She felt like she was seeing a different, but not surprising side of her two men. And it pleased her. It took her back to that Sunday morning in Maluku when she decided to have a conversation with God. She wondered if, going forward, she might be able to share these Sunday morning experiences with them. She still didn't buy all of the beliefs and the faith that they shared, but she was starting to see the value of taking time out once a week to look inward. She decided to think about it and discuss it with Booth when the time was right.
As they walked out of the cathedral and down the steps, Booth put his arm over her shoulders. "So, did you enjoy the mass, Bones?" She smiled at Parker and then at Booth. "I did. It was a beautiful ceremony. And I very much enjoyed the music and the choir."
As they reached the sidewalk, Parker asked what they were going to do for the rest of the day before they had to catch their train home. Brennan noticed that Booth had a sly smile on his face, and she wondered what he was up to. He pulled an envelope from his jacket pocket and looked back and forth at the two of them. He then pulled the contents from the envelope with a flourish, and it was apparent he was holding three tickets. "We're going to see The Lion King!"
Parker let out a whoop and started jumping in place, while Brennan looked at Booth in astonishment. "How did you get tickets at the last minute? I've heard great things about the show, but I've also heard that the tickets are impossible to get."
Booth smiled smugly. "I got them months ago. As soon as we nailed down the dates for the trip. I did have to go through a reseller, but you know. I'm an FBI Agent. I have ways of making sure I was getting them from a credible source."
They had a few hours to kill before the performance, so they wandered up 5th Avenue to the park and then back down 6th Avenue to the Theatre District. Although they weren't quite up to the Macy's glitz, they saw a lot of beautifully decorated Christmas displays in the windows on both of the avenues.
The musical did not disappoint. As they left the theatre, all three of them couldn't stop talking about the show and over and over took turns coming up with favorite parts of the production - only to top them as they remembered other moments. They weren't going to have time to have a sit down dinner, so Booth suggested they stop into a deli on the way back to the hotel and get carryouts to take with them on the train.
They picked up the suitcase from the hotel and then Brennan suggested that they just grab a taxi from the stand in front of the hotel to have a stress free trip back to Penn Station. Parker was excited because it was the first taxi ride they had taken all weekend, and he was getting tired of walking.
Once the train pulled out of the station, they enjoyed the food from the deli. They had found a set of four seats facing each other, and the train wasn't full, so they had the seats to themselves. Once they finished eating, Parker started nodding off, so Booth helped him to lie across the two seats and they put a jacket over him. He ended up sleeping for most of the trip home, while Booth and Brennan cuddled together across from him and carried on a whispered conversation all the way home. After all this time together, they still never ran out of things to discuss.