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“It’s my turn!” Lily yelled in outraged protest as her 8-1/2 year old, twin brother quickly dragged one of the comfy armchairs closer to the fireplace in the family room so he could stand on it and reach the advent calendar on the mantel. “Dodgie, DON’T!!!”
Pulling open the last little wooden drawer of the advent calendar, plucking the special chocolate treat out of it, then turning the drawer around and pushing it back into place so the newly exposed, painted end completed the picturesque Christmas scene like the last piece of a holiday jigsaw puzzle, was one of the highest honors in the big old house. It was the first great moment of Christmas Eve day the Krieger family enjoyed each year. It was something that all four of the youngest Krieger kids had been fighting over since the twins had been born.
“No, it’s MY turn!” Dodge replied loudly, giving an angry glare to his sister, as she tried to climb up onto the same chair, her stuffed sloth still tucked under her arm. Her long blonde hair was wild with bedhead, and she looked adorable in her pink flamingo pjs. Except for the death glare in her eyes.
Opening the ‘24’ drawer on the advent calendar was only eclipsed in Christmas prestige by placing the star at the top of the tree before bedtime on Christmas Eve. That honor had changed from being given on a rotating basis, like the advent calendar order, to a democratic family vote. All four younger kids, plus Meg if she was home, and both moms wrote down the name of the family member who had displayed the most Christmas spirit between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve day. The four younger kids almost always wrote their own names down so it ended up being Ali and Ashlyn’s decision, but it was still the most auspicious Christmas honor you could be given. The two moms rotated the honor anyway, unless one of the kids had really truly gone above and beyond that year. The only other ritual that held significant meaning in the family was putting the baby Jesus figurine into the manger of the nativity set on Christmas morning – but that was often forgotten about for hours during the whirlwind of flying wrapping paper and bows and ribbons.
The stakes were so high that morning on the armchair by the fireplace mantel that Dodge even considered kicking his twin sister away to preserve the prestigious moment he thought was being stolen from him.
“It’s not your turn” Josie shook her head at her younger brother as she walked quickly into the room in purple checkerboard flannel pjs and stood next to the chair with her stuffed teddy hanging at the end of her arm.
Josie had celebrated her big 10th birthday that summer, so she tried to behave like a big kid when she could remember to do so. Christmas Eve morning was pretty exciting, and Josie had hustled out of bed as soon as she heard her younger siblings in the second-floor hallway 5 minutes earlier. The mounting argument about whose turn it was to open the last drawer in the beautiful, hand-crafted, wooden advent calendar made quite the ruckus at 6:30am that Wednesday morning. She was the first non-combatant on the scene and, as usual, more than happy to weigh in on the situation. The redhead’s presence there seemed to help Dodge make the right decision and keep both his feet planted on the chair as he turned his back to the fireplace and advent calendar in a defensive position.
“Yeah, it IS my turn...” he tried again to state his case but was interrupted by big brother Drew who spoke authoritatively, his voice reaching the room even before his body had made it through the dining room.
“No, it’s not your turn, dummy” the 12-1/2 year old rolled his eyes and yawned, still putting his arms through the New England Revolution sweatshirt he had pulled over his head on his way downstairs. “Moms just told us last night” he shook his head and shot a judgement-filled scowl at his kid brother. “It’s her turn this year...”
“I TOLD you it was my turn” Lily yelled, full of anger and justifiable umbrage.
It wasn’t often the young blonde got so riled up, and truly angry. She was so ticked at her twin brother that she used her free hand to try and pull him off of the chair they were both still standing on. Lily was the easiest going of the 4 youngest kids, but on the rare occasion when she got truly pissed off, her temper could rival even Josie’s.
“Stop Wee...” Dodge scowled back at his twin as he tried to free the front of his long sleeve Wolverine pajama top out of her tight grip.
The urge to push her back off the armchair was strong as he struggled to remember what his mothers had told them the night before. He honestly couldn’t think of what either Mom or Mama had said about the advent calendar. Maybe that’s why they were always telling him to pay more attention...
“Get OFF!” Lily yelled again.
“Get outta the way Dodgie” Josie added, with exasperation. “It’s her turn.”
“There’s no way my darling children would be fighting on Christmas Eve...” Ali folded her arms over her chest as she stood just inside the room near the pantry, right underneath the mistletoe. Her measured tone told them all that she wasn’t mad yet, but would lower the boom if whatever shenanigans were going on weren’t sorted out in the next 5 seconds.
Lily released her brother’s pj top and Dodge swallowed the angry words he was about to let loose.
“I didn’t think so” Ali smiled as she hugged Drew and then Josie, the two kids closest to her. “Are you ready Lil?” she asked the young blonde after taking Dodge’s full body hug and lowering him to the ground and away from the armchair. The brunette groaned as the excited young girl hugged her so hard she could barely breathe. “Ooof, big number 24...” she enthused as Lily released her and hopped up and down on the chair.
“Hey, that’s the very best number” Ashlyn offered a sleepy wink as she hustled into place for the big moment. Her bedhead was almost as dramatic as Lily’s as she hugged and kissed her children good morning.
It was very early and neither mom had enjoyed coffee yet. Hell, there had barely been time to pee before hearing the growing conflict travel up the backstairs to their bedroom. It was all either of them could do to throw on a fuzzy fuschia bathrobe – Ali, or warm sweats – Ashlyn, and run downstairs to save the day from getting off to a decidedly unpleasant start.
“Well do it already, would ya?” Drew rolled his eyes, but try as he might, he couldn’t keep the excited grin off of his face. It was Christmas Eve!!!
Lily made a big show of pulling the drawer out, her whole finger fitting perfectly into the scooped opening on the face of the wooden box. She fished the treat from it, and then slid the drawer back in facing the opposite way. She giggled gleefully as she unwrapped the chocolate and popped it into her mouth. The December 1st and 24th treats were the biggest and best of them all.
“Hi babe” Ali mumbled into the kiss she placed on her wife’s cheek once Ashlyn finally made her way over to her side near the center of the fireplace.
They grinned at each other, despite the early hour and painful decibel level the household had already reached. It was Christmas Eve, and the big old house was electric with excitement. All four kids and Logan were bounding around the family room like ping pong balls, hurt feelings from the earlier misunderstanding and ensuing argument already forgotten. Josie was the first to remember that they hadn’t found Hermie and Ginger yet, something that was usually done before paying any mind to the advent calendar each morning. Only the thrill of Christmas Eve could put that on a back burner. When Josie took off at a sprint to start searching the house for the two elfs on a shelf, the rest of the kids immediately sprang into similar action. They all darted in different directions as if someone had fired the starter pistol at the beginning of some bizarre race. There was no reward for finding either Hermie, the boy elf, or Ginger, the girl elf, other than supreme bragging rights for the entire day. It was a competition, as usual.
The two wives winced and called out pointless reminders to be careful and to stay indoors with their bare feet and to not break anything and to not hurt each other.
“Did you make it really hard today?” the keeper asked, her voice covert, and hopeful too.
“Oh yeah” Ali nodded and grinned. “It’ll take them a while.”
In the sudden, but welcome, stillness that they found themselves in, both Ali and Ashlyn looked at the advent calendar with great fondness. They stood arm in arm in front of the big fireplace in the family room and smiled.
“I can’t believe that thing is still in one piece after...” Ashlyn paused to do the math in her head, “...14 years” she chuckled.
“It’s still my very favorite thing at Christmastime” Ali admitted as she leaned her head into her keeper’s shoulder, wrapping her arm around her wife’s waist and enjoying Ashlyn’s arm around her shoulder in return. “Niki did a wonderful job building that for us, didn’t she?”
“Nik did us both proud that year” Ashlyn agreed as she pressed a kiss into her wife’s head and turned them to look towards the front of the house and the nativity set Niki had built for them as well. It was kept on the coffee table in front of the love seat in the best protected room in the house – the front parlor, but the kids were still allowed to and encouraged to interact with it. They were all old enough to open or step over the two gates that still kept the dogs out of the room that held most of the delicate and valuable keepsakes and memorabilia from Ashlyn’s grandmother Lilian. Josie played the piano in the front parlor every day and the love seat in front of the bay window was a favorite reading spot for many family members. At Christmastime, every couple of days, somebody would move the 3 wise men and their camels a little closer to the stable, aiming for arrival on Epiphany – January 6th.
In what was still one of the sweetest and most serendipitous moments of their relationship, Ashlyn and Ali had given each other something incredibly meaningful for their second Christmas together, back in 2017. Their first Christmas had been the be all and end all – it set the bar for all of their favorite holiday activities and had started many of their Christmas traditions. Traditions that were still followed and beloved to this very day. On their first Christmas together as a couple, and as official co-habitants of the big old house, Ali and Ashlyn had discussed holiday rituals and favorite things. There was something each woman was missing from their own childhood Christmas experiences. Ali missed the wooden advent calendar that her mother had always used. Ashlyn missed her Gram’s wooden nativity set that had been damaged and destroyed while Gram was still alive.
Ali and Ashlyn, showing as usual that they were on the same page and of the same mind more often than not, asked their talented wood-working friend Niki Cross to make a wooden advent calendar and a nativity set. But they didn’t realize they had both done it until it was time to share their gifts with each other that Christmas. Ashlyn had taken the wooden advent calendar with the 24 little wooden drawers and painted the snowy village scene on the one end of the drawers, and then the numbers 1 through 24 on the other ends of them, all for her love. Ali had taken the sparse wooden nativity set which was a stable with a corral area on each end and filled it with hay for her love. She decided to let Ashlyn find or make her own figurines and that had been the keeper’s favorite part. It had taken her a few years before she got the ceramic figurines all acquired and in place, complete with a tiny baby Jesus who fit perfectly in the little manger she and Niki had built for him.
Over the 15 years since their first Christmas together in the big old house, Ali and Ashlyn had added all kinds of different decorations and ornaments to their annual repertoire. They didn’t want to go buy a bunch of stuff just to have it during the early years. They wanted to bring things that meant something to them both and add them to their holiday decorations. And that’s what they had done. Ali’s penchant for getting things to match and Ashlyn’s slightly OCD desire to keep things in a certain order or position had both fallen by the wayside once the kids were big enough to crawl and then walk. All bets were off after that and both moms knew it. Children made ornaments and decorations that were one of a kind and impossible to match. And that’s what made Christmas so much more special to Ali and Ashlyn each and every year. They had learned to go with the flow. Now, if they had a Christmas season go by without an injury to a kid or major damage to their beloved nativity set or advent calendar, it was considered a triumphant success.
“I found Hermie!!” Dodge shouted from somewhere upstairs.
The urgency of finding Ginger kicked up a few notches at his announcement and the two moms took a deep breath.
“You ready for this?” Ashlyn pecked her wife’s lips as the brunette reached up and tried to tame some of the keeper’s unruly blonde hair.
“I’ll be a lot more ready after coffee” Ali chuckled and smiled. “But yeah, let’s do this. Merry Christmas Eve babe.”
//
Sometimes the kids had Christmas Eve off from school, depending on what day of the week it fell on, but this year they all had to go for a half day. It seemed silly really, but it was fun for the kids and it gave the moms a short break and a chance to get themselves reset for the rest of the busy day. Drew went off to middle school while the three others went to elementary school for the morning. Everybody was home by 12:15pm.
“Mom, can we open our early present now?” Dodge asked, boldly taking the plunge when none of his other siblings were brave enough to do so. The cowards watched closely from the mudroom as the boy with the short, dirty blonde curls used his best tactics on Ali in the kitchen. “Pleeeeeease?”
“If anybody asks again then we won’t open any early presents tonight at all” Ashlyn replied before her wife had a chance, appearing from inside the pantry where she was getting things for lunch. The keeper looked at Dodge and then turned to look at the cowards in the mudroom too. “Got it?”
“Besides, there won’t be time anyway” Ali reminded them all as she picked up the decorations for the Christmas cookies they were going to be baking with Grandma right after lunch and waved them in each hand. “We’ve got lots to do to get ready for Santa tonight.”
“When’s Grandma gonna be here?” Lily stepped into the kitchen and asked with a grin.
“Any minute now” Ali returned the smile. “So everybody, get all of your school stuff into the dining room now. Then wash hands and we’ll eat lunch...”
“Aw Mom” Josie whined, bottom lip sticking out and making her look like a 5-year old instead of a 10-year old. “I thought we were doing cookies...”
“We are honey” Ali moved to the mudroom, bringing Dodge with her in a walking front to back hug. “The sooner we put things away and eat lunch, the sooner we can start on the cookies. Right?”
It was hard for anybody to stay in a bad mood for very long in the big old house at Christmastime. It was the warmest, most inviting atmosphere you could imagine. There was Christmas music playing constantly, lights and decorations everywhere, in every room. 8 stockings hung down from the same fireplace mantel in the family room where the advent calendar was – centered above the stockings. They were solid red or solid green or red and white striped – each family member got to choose, with Logan’s being paw shaped. The one thing they all had in common was the gold lettering: Ashlyn, Ali, Meg, Drew, Josie, Dodge, Lily, Logan. Everybody was still sad to not be hanging Persey’s stocking for the first time this year, but not even that could dampen the holiday spirit at 6 Beach Rd. for long. Not on Christmas Eve. Christmas Eve was when the magic happened. Christmas Eve was when anything was possible, and the anticipation and suspense thrummed through the house like music pumping through speakers at a dance club. The day went agonizingly slow in some respects, and alarmingly fast in others. It was a ride.
//
“Ok you guys, come here, come here” Ashlyn urged as she hurried through the front living room where Drew, Dodge, and Josie were watching tv and playing with phones or tablets. She had a roll of wrapping paper under her arm and scotch tape, scissors, and a bag of bows in her hands, along with a medium sized flat box that held Ali’s Christmas present in it. “Come on, while Mom’s upstairs getting ready” she called over her shoulder, the excitement in her voice easily getting their attention.
“What is it? What is it?” Dodge asked, his eyes wide as he stood next to the dining room table where his Mama had carefully emptied her arms.
“It’s that scarf thing” Drew flicked the back of his kid brother’s ear as he took his place next to him. “Don’t you remember anything?” he laughed but it wasn’t in a jerky way and Dodge even laughed with him.
“Oh yeah, I forgot” the younger boy chuckled as he grabbed his stinging ear. “Oh and we got Mama the...”
“Don’t tell her!” Drew elbowed his brother who blushed furiously.
“Ow” Dodge looked for a moment like he might cry and it could have been from either the sharp, forceful elbow, or the embarrassment from almost ruining Ashlyn’s surprise.
“Easy” the keeper shot a mild reproval at Drew and then winked at Dodge who recovered quickly and grinned back after hearing his Mama’s words. “Nice save dude.”
“Can we see it?” Josie asked, eyes big with excitement.
“Where’s your sister?” Ashlyn straightened up and craned her neck to see into the family room and then the hallway behind her.
“Lily!!” Drew yelled at the ceiling.
“I could have done that” Ashlyn rolled her eyes and shook her head but couldn’t help laughing. “Go get her” she nodded at Drew.
“No, I don’t wanna miss it” the almost-teen admitted, revealing his own enthusiasm about the gift.
“Well, we can’t wait” Ashlyn pursed her lips as she made her decision.
Lily was going to have to learn to be on time at some point in her life. The kids were all supposed to be dressed for Christmas Eve at Grandpa’s and down in the front living room 15 minutes ago.
“It’s so pretty” Josie whispered as she carefully picked up the corner of the delicate silk scarf between her finger and her thumb.
“Here...” Ashlyn took a minute and held up the scarf so all three kids could see. “Take a pic for Lily and Meggie” she instructed, knowing the college sophomore who was in DC with her mom for Christmas would want to see the scarf that had finally arrived that day. Talk about cutting it close!
It was Ali’s favorite fuschia color, with a navy blue border around all four sides and an almost paisley style pattern to it. Instead of the familiar paisley swirls though, the blue color patterns throughout the scarf were letters, formed into words. Five specific words in a lovely cursive script, so subtle that you wouldn’t know that they were words at all unless you looked closely. Meg. Drew. Josie. Dodge. Lily.
“Huh” Dodge nodded approvingly as he inspected the scarf without touching it. “It doesn’t even look like our names...”
“Until you get up close” Drew finished the thought they were all sharing. “Like her new tree tattoo” he nodded, appreciating the genesis of the idea for the scarf.
“Bingo” Ashlyn folded the scarf again and placed it carefully back into the almost flat box, making sure the tissue paper was in place before putting the lid back on. “Ok, we’ve gotta hustle now. Dodger, get the wrapping paper unrolled. Drew, you’re on scissors...”
“Aww...” Josie frowned.
“Well, I need you on the tape little one” Ashlyn winked at her. “And if Lily ever gets down here, she can put the bow on. Ok, ready?”
After three affirmative responses Ashlyn placed the box on the wrapping paper and lined it up so Drew could see where to cut.
“And remember, don’t tell Mom what we got her. Right?” they all nodded and smiled, excited to have a secret. “We want her to be surprised tomorrow morning.”
//
It was a hectic evening. After Ashlyn and the kids got Ali’s present wrapped and put under the tree, they drove up to Grandpa’s house in Ipswich for Christmas Eve with the family. They were all excited to see Kyle, Nathan, Edgar, Cristina, and Peaches, who had just arrived that evening. The NY Kriegers were staying with the Kimballs in Ipswich this year, which was a little disappointing, but nothing that kept anybody’s mood low for very long. They all knew that Kyle and Ali would spend a lot of time together and make sure their kids did too. It didn’t matter where everybody was sleeping. The whole extended family would be gathering at the big old house for Christmas Day and if Edgar and Cristina played their cards right, they could sleep over too.
Deb and Mike Christopher said goodbye in Ipswich and went back to their condo in Manchester for the night, but they would be back first thing the next morning. Deb never missed the early morning present opening at the big old house if she could help it.
Ali and Ashlyn called the Harris clan on the drive home from Ipswich that night and put them on speakerphone in the minivan so everybody could catch up on the day. Then they did the same thing with Meg, finally connecting with the young woman after missing her twice earlier in the afternoon and evening.
“Ok, let’s go. Upstairs and into jammies so we can get ready for Santa” Ali directed once they got back home at 8:15pm.
Lily was the first child back downstairs this time, and Ashlyn praised her for it.
“Does that mean I can do the star?” the little blonde asked, hopefully.
“Well it doesn’t hurt your chances, that’s for sure” Ashlyn chuckled as the girl joined her on the floor with Logan for a snuggle.
The rest of the night was always fun for everybody, even though it could be a bit stressful for the moms who watched the clock tick later and later. They had to vote for the kid to put the star at the top of the beautiful Christmas tree. The tree itself had been moved from its original location on the left side of the family room, in front of the side door there. Once that side door had been established as the primary door that was used to let the dogs in and out into the backyard, the tree blocking it became a problem. Nobody wanted the tree to leave the festive family room though, so they just moved it to the back wall of the room, where the backstairs were. Now it blocked the closet under the stairs and the opening between the kitchen and the family room on that side of the big two-sided fireplace. A sacrifice they could all live with.
Ali brought the step ladder in and grinned from ear to ear as she watched Drew climb up and do the honors at the top of the tree. It was a family tradition that had come down from Deb’s side of the family, and it was something that both Kyle and Ali did with their families too. Drew had been very good with the other kids that month and extra helpful around the house as well. His mothers had noticed and given him their votes, giving him the coveted victory.
They all stood there and admired the tree with its multi-colored lights and ornaments and beautiful star at the top. Ali and Ashlyn focused on the tree while the kids’ attention was on the presents underneath it. As much as Ali wished they could stand there for another hour and take in the beauty of the room and the tree, there was much still to be done before bedtime. And then she and Ashlyn still had lots of work to do once they were sure the kids were really asleep too.
There was another family vote to decide which Christmas special they were going to watch before bedtime. After another close tally, ‘Santa Claus is Coming to Town’ began playing in the front living room at 8:45pm. All the kids loved something about that one, from the Kringles to the Winter Warlock to Burgermeister Meisterburger to Miss Jessica. The kids would have been in bed already by then on any other night, but it was Christmas Eve and the rules were relaxed. Dodge and Lily were struggling to stay awake as soon as the show started.
“It’s late guys, we’ll finish this tomorrow morning” Ashlyn announced around the halfway mark of the show. She didn’t get much grumbling either. The kids knew that bedtime meant they were one step closer to Christmas morning itself. “It’s time to put Santa’s cookies and milk out...”
“And the reindeer food” Lily added from what both moms thought had been a pretty sound sleep.
“And the reindeer food” Ashlyn nodded and chuckled. “How about I do it this time and you tell me where you want it and watch from the kitchen?” she suggested as she rubbed the sleepy girl’s back.
It was hard for any of them to get up. They were all snuggled up together on the big ‘L’ shaped couch, cozy as could be. Not even Drew minded being so close to his siblings or moms. But it was 9:10pm and the clock was ticking. Ali was the first to make herself get up and move into the kitchen to get the small, 2-person table in front of the fireplace ready for Santa. Josie joined her with Drew right behind her, but they weren’t moving with the same frenetic energy they had started the day with.
“Can I pour the milk?” the redhead asked.
Ali had a quick internal debate. The milk carton would be too heavy for Josie to pour from without spilling it. Would that cause a bigger fit than saying no to the request? The brunette went to the cupboard and dug out a smaller plastic pitcher and poured some milk into it so Josie had a fighting chance.
“Aw mom...I wanted to pour it” she whined quietly.
“And you can” Ali lifted her eyebrow just enough to tell her daughter to relax and trust her. “The glass is right there on the table” she nodded behind the redhead and then joined her two eldest kids at the table. “Here you go honey.”
Ashlyn and the twins came in then too, having grabbed the notes they had each written to Santa from the dining room table where they had been left for safe-keeping.
“Here we go” Ashlyn smiled when she saw the sweet letters, three of which had pictures drawn in crayon to go with the cute words of greeting and thanks.
The kids all took their own letter and placed it in just the right spot on the small table. The glass of milk was ready, with only a tiny drop spilled that Ali easily wiped up before Josie could have a meltdown about it. The brunette also placed a Christmas plate in the middle of the table. It was a regular sized dinner plate but it had Santa and his sleigh and reindeer, flying over rooftops with a cheery ‘ho ho ho’ printed on it.
“Let’s get the cookies” Ashlyn encouraged and walked over to the counter by the stove where about 20 different sugar cookies were spread out on wax paper. “These look so good you guys, I don’t know how you’re gonna decide” she marveled at the decorated cookies.
The kids had spent a couple of hours that afternoon baking the cookies with Deb and the two moms, and then decorating them once they were cool enough. Some of the finished products were very well done with colored icing and sprinkles and other decorative touches added to the fun holiday shapes that had been baked. There were candy canes and snow people and wreaths and Christmas trees and Santa’s sleighs and gift boxes for shapes. Drew picked his masterpiece – Santa’s sleigh with red frosting and gold icing edges that looked really cool – and moved it over to the Christmas plate on the table. Dodge made his choice next - a wreath he had covered with thick green frosting and then dotted with red blobs until you could barely see the green frosting anymore – and added it to the plate. Josie’s candy cane was next – white frosting and red icing stripes in all the right places. Then, not surprisingly, Lily struggled to make her selection.
“Pick one sweetheart, then we’ll do the reindeer food” Ali urged with a warm smile and a little motivation.
Lily chose the Christmas tree, then put it back and picked up the snowman, then reconsidered and grabbed the Christmas tree again. As she paused again, Ashlyn spoke up as gently as she could.
“That’s a beautiful tree, sweetpea” she guided Lily by the shoulders towards the table and winked at her wife who was praying that the guidance was well accepted. They wouldn’t know for sure until the cookie was actually on the plate. “Look at these cookies, wow” Ashlyn grinned. “You guys did a great job on these.”
“Santa’s going to love them” Ali added as all four kids beamed up at their parents.
The brunette handed her wife the brown paper bag of reindeer food and a handful of raw, full-size carrots to keep things moving along. Dodge was about to fall asleep on his feet and the others weren’t far behind, despite their excitement.
“I’ll put the food where we usually do, ok?” Ashlyn asked as she opened the rarely-used kitchen door that opened onto the small porch next to the driveway.
“Carrots on the grass though, remember?” Lily asked as they all moved to watch their Mama through the kitchen windows and storm door.
“Right, feed on the driveway, carrots on the grass” Ashlyn concurred as she hustled out into the cold night. There was no snow yet, but it was freezing out there. She honestly couldn’t remember the rationale for putting the feed on the driveway and the carrots on the grass, but she knew it was important to the kids and that was reason enough for her.
“Spread them out too” Josie added, yelling so her Mama could hear her.
“Yeah, but not too far” Drew corrected and got a questioning look from his sisters. “What?” he shrugged. “They’re probably tired. And they’re all harnessed together. We shouldn’t make them walk far to eat.”
Ali gave her oldest son a grateful smile and got a bashful one in return. Drew could be a quintessential obnoxious big brother when he felt like it, but, thankfully, he was all heart when it came to keeping the Santa magic alive for his younger siblings at Christmas. This was the second year that Drew celebrated the holiday with wide open eyes, and the knowledge that Santa Claus wasn’t real. Both his moms were proud of the way he played along with the family traditions for Josie and Dodge and Lily’s sakes. It was a big part of why he was given the right to put the star on the tree too. Ali moved behind him and gave him a hug as they all watched Ashlyn placing the carrots just the right distance apart. The brunette kissed Drew’s head and gave him a little squeeze before getting a cookie tin out to store the rest of the decorated Christmas cookies.
“What’s she doing now?” Dodge asked with a chuckle and was joined by the others – everybody giggling and laughing at Ashlyn’s antics as she made her way back up the driveway towards the kitchen door where they all waited and watched the show.
“I’m gonna say...” Ali cocked her head as she considered the ridiculous ballet moves and pirouettes her wife was doing, “...Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies.” They all laughed again, Josie’s eyes lighting up as she made the connection to The Nutcracker. “What do you think?” the brunette asked with a grin. Lord almighty did she love that woman.
The debate about which part of the Christmas ballet Ashlyn was bastardizing went on for another 2 minutes as the keeper finally finished with an impressive jump, and spin, that ended in a deep bow just in front of the kitchen porch. Drew rolled his eyes when Josie and Lily both began dancing around the kitchen, inspired by their Mama, but he did it with a smile on his face. He loved his dorky family, even if he was a big 12-1/2 year old almost-teenager. Dodge greeted Ashlyn with a hearty high 10, smacking her hands harder than she thought he would be able to because it was late and he was obviously running on fumes at that point.
Ali interrupted the Christmas playlist, quickly finding ‘The Nutcracker: March’, cranking the volume, and filling the kitchen with the beautiful music. She chose it carefully because it was the scene in the ballet where all the children danced together – it was a family favorite.
“Oh, dance party for Santa!” Ashlyn laughed and grinned when she saw all the smiling faces. “Very nice ladies” she complimented Josie and Lily who were doing spins in a big circle around the kitchen.
“Dance with me” Ali pulled Drew’s arm and tugged him into a loose partner hold so they could join the dance chain, following behind Josie and Lily. He put up very little fight and the brunette appreciated it. “Thank you kind sir” she bowed her head to him and then winked.
“Now we’re talking” Ashlyn laughed. “Let’s go Dodger!”
The impromptu dance party was brief, but sweet and silly and fueled by Christmas magic. How else could you explain all four kids willingly, happily even, dancing around the kitchen with their moms to one of the most famous pieces of ballet music in the world? It was a memory none of them would forget, and one that Ali thought about every single time she heard that song for the rest of her life. There would be a handful of other times the family broke out that same dance over the years, but none was more special than the first.
//
“Can we read it again?” Josie asked when Ashlyn had finished ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas’ shortly after the Nutcracker March had ended.
“No sweetheart” the keeper gave the redhead a soft smile and patted her leg. The whole family was piled onto the big master bed for their final Christmas Eve ritual. “It’s so late. If you monkeys don’t get to sleep right away, we might miss Santa” she raised her eyebrows and made a soft eek face that melted quickly into another loving smile.
“That’s right” Ali added as she kissed the top of Lily’s head and rubbed Dodge’s back. “If you’re not asleep then he can’t stop here” she cautioned gently. “You know the rules.”
The threat of missing Santa and his gifts was enough to get even Lily up and moving without a moment’s indecision or hesitation. Dodge was already half asleep and Ali guided him, hands on both his shoulders from behind, into the hallway and then into his bedroom. She tucked him into bed and gave him a kiss on his cherubic cheek, amazed as usual at how quiet and still he could be at night when he was tired.
“Sleep well baby boy. I love you.”
Ashlyn had to run downstairs and get Lily’s sloth which had never made it back upstairs from her first trip downstairs almost 16 hours earlier. Ali tucked Josie in next, making sure her humidifier was on so she could breathe during the night. It was a minor miracle that none of the kids were sick and both moms did their best to keep it that way for the big day tomorrow.
“Did you have a good day little one?” the brunette asked as she leaned over and kissed Josie’s cheek.
“Ah-huh” the redhead nodded as she snuggled into her pillow and tucked her Teddy under her arm. Ali was about to turn off the light on her nightstand when Josie opened both eyes wide and asked one last question before her overtired brain shut down for the night. “When can we go downstairs again?”
“Not before 6:00am” Ali replied and turned the light off, the nightlight providing the only illumination in the room. It was the same answer every year but at least two of the kids asked it every time anyway. “Goodnight honey. I love you.”
“Love you too.”
“There you go Sweetpea, all set now?” Ashlyn asked in Lily’s room once the sloth crisis had been handled.
“Yeah” the little blonde yawned and then giggled. “That was fun.”
“It was, wasn’t it?” the keeper agreed as she tucked Lily in, making sure all the rest of her stuffed animals were close by. “We should try it again tomorrow. You have to show me how you do such good pirouettes.”
“Mmm-kay” Lily yawned again but grinned up at her Mama.
“Have a good sleep baby girl” Ashlyn kissed her head and brushed a few strands of long blonde hair off of her face before shutting off the light. “I love you.”
Lily, their toughest child to get to bed, yawned again and mumbled through half-closed eyes, “Night night.”
Ali and Ashlyn met in the hallway as they closed each girl’s bedroom door. They both pointed at Drew’s room and shook their heads, then smiled.
“Oh geez, what did I do?” Drew playfully rolled his eyes from his bed where he was scrolling through his phone, looking tired but content.
“Well, if you must know” Ali teased, realizing he thought he was in trouble because they were both there to say goodnight at the same time, “you were the best big brother ever today. Seriously.” She pulled the roman shades down in his windows and then crossed to the bathroom he shared with Dodge, turning off the light and making sure the nightlight was still on there.
Ashlyn sat on the edge of Drew’s bed and held her hand out for the phone. He sighed heavily but turned it off and dutifully turned it over.
“It’s 10:30pm bud” the keeper patted his hip through the covers and gave him a loving smile. “Even you must be tired. It’s ok you know, you can admit it” she winked.
“Somebody’s up already” Ali sighed when they all heard a door open in the hallway.
“Lily probably has to pee” Drew shook his head, a bemused big brother. “She never goes to the bathroom when she’s supposed to.”
Ali kissed him goodnight before going to escort Lily back to bed.
“Remember, nobody downstairs before 6:00am” she reminded. “Love you.”
“’Night mom.”
Ashlyn shut off the light next to Drew’s bed and gave him a kiss on his forehead.
“Goodnight big guy” she cupped his cheek for a second, moved again by how sweet he had been with his younger siblings all day. “I’m proud of you, and I love you like crazy.”
Drew shifted lower in his bed and tucked his arms under the blankets as he yawned. “Love you too Mama.”
//
The 2-3 hours between putting the kids to bed and beginning to do Santa’s work were always a challenge for parents. Ali and Ashlyn were no exception. It was difficult to stay awake and the two moms had learned the hard way to set an alarm so they didn’t fall asleep and potentially run out of time to get all the Santa gifts in from the garage loft office. They tried to watch a movie or catch up on a couple of shows, but Ali always fell asleep, even though her nerves were still primed for the work still to be done. If Deb or Kyle was staying with them it was easier because they were almost always entertaining. But tonight it was just Ali and Ashlyn and they dropped their tired bodies onto the couch in the festive family room after cleaning up the kitchen and tidying up the front living room.
“We have to get them to bed earlier next year” Ashlyn moaned after a big yawn and a stretch. “This is too late. I’m gonna be complete trash tomorrow, and so are they.”
“Oh, they’ll be ok” Ali yawned. “They’re young, they’ll bounce back” she giggled as she repeated the universal parenting phrase.
“You wanna bet on that?” Ashlyn quirked her eyebrow at her wife and then chuckled.
“Here, it’s your favorite part” the brunette picked up the remote and turned the volume up on the tv.
‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ was playing on repeat on one of the channels as it usually did on Christmas Eve. Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed were walking home from the high school dance, soaking wet after the dance floor swimming pool surprise, singing ‘Buffalo Gals (Won’t You Come Out Tonight?)’, and flirting up a storm. A sweet smile graced Ashlyn’s tired face as she watched the scene play out. She stretched out and put her head in Ali’s lap, turning on her side so she could see the tv.
“Don’t be drooling all over me now” the brunette teased.
“Yeah, well don’t snore all over me then” Ashlyn joked in return.
“I don’t snore” Ali feigned offense.
“And I don’t drool” the blonde giggled, turned her head and pressed a kiss into her wife’s thigh.
Logan walked into the room after checking on the kids upstairs and whined to get up on the crowded couch. Ashlyn pushed the coffee table out a bit and made room for the big dog to lay on the floor in front of her so she could pat her. The silent negotiation worked and all three of them were quiet for a while. The room was warm and cozy and full of Christmas spirit. Ali pulled the blanket from the other end of the couch over her wife and that was all she wrote for trying to stay awake. They drifted off for what would hopefully be a power nap.
The two women had spent many different kinds of Christmas Eves during their lives, both as a couple and before, when they were single or with other people. Some of them were a lot sexier when they were younger and childless. Both Ashlyn and Ali missed those racy Christmas Eves where they would exchange their special gifts and test them out together. But of all the holidays all year long, Christmas was made for kids. As wonderful as Christmas could be on your own, before you settled down and had children, it got exponentially better and more meaningful and more satisfying once you did have kids to share it with. The magic of belief. The mystery of faith. The wonder of the Christmas Spirit and all it encompassed. That was all best experienced and magnified when you saw it in the eyes of your children. It was like looking through rose-tinted glasses. The stress and worry you had as you hoped the gifts would be well-received and gratefully accepted faded away when you looked at things through your kids’ eyes. The excitement on their faces when they woke up and saw that Santa had come and used his magic to slide down the chimney with all the presents. That look of pure joy, and love, and awe was worth any stress you had to go through to get there. Yes, Christmas was woefully over-commercialized and had been for decades. But the kids on Christmas morning didn’t see it that way. And if you focused on their faces, well you couldn’t help but feel the magic too.
The family room of the big old house was full of Christmas magic every year. Both Ashlyn and Ali prided themselves on giving their kids and the rest of their family a Christmas full of love and gratitude and fun and wonder. This year, 2031, had been one of the hardest of their entire relationship. It had begun with endless squabbles and turned into big fights where cruel and hurtful things had been said by both of them. They had lost sweet Persey at the hands of their despicable neighbor, and Deb’s beloved cousin Diana had passed away. Tommy Flanagan’s mysterious illness was still not diagnosed, leaving him suffering, and making his parents lose their minds. This year had seen some dark times. Some of the darkest.
But there were also good things, as always, to balance out the bad. The World Cup trip to London with both of their dads was one of the biggest highlights for the two wives and the whole family. The 4-family grownups only vacation to Grenada, and the 15-year anniversary weekend in Newport were two very bright spots for Ali and Ashlyn. The best part of their year had just happened 12 days earlier when Ali re-proposed to Ashlyn, re-enacting the scene from the big rock at Good Harbor Beach up in the third-floor studio early one morning. It was the brunette’s way of re-committing to her wife and their marriage even after all the hard things had tried to tear them apart this year.
The love Ali and Ashlyn shared was a magic of its own, and it filled the big old house every single day, the good ones and the bad ones. And that big old house was never more magical than it was at Christmastime. It felt like the walls and floors and roof were celebrating right along with the rest of the family. Ali had often imagined how Captain Leighton and his family might have enjoyed the holidays in the house. She couldn’t help but think they would approve of the way the Kriegers were doing it now.
As they dozed in the family room that night, listening to George Bailey learn the most valuable lesson of them all, and waiting for their turn to bring Santa into the room, Ali and Ashlyn were surrounded by magic and by love. They could feel it, it was palpable. The smell of pine from the tree so beautifully decorated and full of all the meaningful handmaid ornaments from their kids. The ever-present Christmas music playing softly in the background. The lingering smell of the cookies that had been lovingly baked and creatively decorated for Santa himself. The quiet whimpering of Logan as she dreamed of food and treats and long walks with her people. The twinkling of the candles in the windows and on the tree, sparkling like the fairies and snowflakes from the Nutcracker ballet. And at the heart of all of this, in the family room so full of magic, in the big old house so full of love, were Ali and Ashlyn. The brunette with her head tilted back and her mouth open as she slept, with her beloved wife asleep on her lap. Added to the wonder of everything else in the room, like accent notes embellishing the main melody of a favorite song, were the soft snores coming from the beautiful brunette, and the slight drool coming from her sweet keeper.
It was truly a wonderful life.