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In the three years that they’d been a family unit, the Crosby-Malkins had yet to have Christmas on the actual day. They always make up for it in spades a few days later, usually with all of his family and a good number of Geno’s family (who usually didn’t celebrate Christmas on the 25th either way) but it always felt like something Sid was taking away from his two daughters.
If nothing else he wanted his children to have the most normal childhood he could give them. He scheduled his days off around Claire’s dance classes, taking her and standing in the back of the room to watch her fumble around in the tutu and tap shoes. Her birthday parties had been planned nearly three months in advance (well, Geno actually did that but Sid piped up with his opinions on everything).
When Katie had joined the family a few weeks after Claire’s second birthday they’d been sure to incorporate the confused (and annoyed) big sister into every aspect. They’d brought her home in tiny pink outfits and let her big sister pick out her outfits for the first two weeks… which was great for pictures at least.
But Christmas. Christmas had always fallen on a day they had a game, or were in transit or were a million miles away. It just… wasn’t fair. Wasn’t what Sid wanted at all.
So when he got the schedule that they were going to have Christmas off, in Pittsburgh, the whole of Christmas Eve AND Christmas day in fact… well. He might have gone off the rails a little.
“It looks like the Elves puked in here,” Duper said, walking into the main hall with gifts under one arm and a bottle of wine in the other.
They’d decided Christmas Eve would be for their team family and Christmas day would be selfishly for their tiny family. They kept the list small, even if Sid thought they should invite every member of the team… Geno had talked him down to just a few.
Sidney considered the room with a new pair of eyes. Yes, he did use a lot of red and green. Tinsel was a necessity, right? The tree he’d gotten still didn’t reach the top of the ridiculously tall ceilings of their house. He’d kept the lights and the decorations off the bottom of the tree at least, as Katie was just starting to roll towards things and for five month old she had a strong grip.
“Russian genes,” Geno had insisted. “We born strong.”
“We’ve never gotten to do this before,” Sid said, eyes averted and smile a little anxious.
From behind him Sid heard a familiar tsk.
“Quiet, Pascal,” Carole-Lyne chastised. “It’s their first family Christmas. Very important.” She walked over to Sid and kissed him on both cheeks. “And it’s absolutely lovely.”
Sid blushed. “Thanks.”
“Now where are the babies?” she smiled. The line of Dupuis children behind her filed in behind her. “Mine refuse to let me smoosh them like yours do.”
Maeva rolled her eyes and went back to her phone, clearly trying to ignore her mom. Sid wondered when Claire would hit that age and dreaded it completely. He loved Maeva with all his heart but… he loved the cuddling thing too much to lose it too soon.
“Claire is with Geno and Gonch in the kitchen. Katie’s taking a nap.”
Carole-Lyne nodded and headed off to the kitchen.
“What’s your wifi password?” Maeva looked up at him.
Pascal said something in rapid fire French behind him, something Sid didn’t even have to catch to understand it was a rebuke. Maeva looked a little abashed.
“What’s your wifi password, please?”
His face ran hot again. “Um, sidgenobest871.”
Duper’s laugh echoed in the large room, startling Sid even after all the years of hearing it.
“Shut up,” he sighed, knowing that was going to be chirp fodder for months.
“Are you kidding? That’s the best Christmas gift I think I’ve ever gotten.”
Sid frowned. “That’s what I get for letting Geno pick it out.”
“I wouldn’t have guessed,” Duper clapped him on the back. “Now, where is the eggnog?”
Carole-Lyne walked in with a giggling Claire on her hip. “No no no, Pascal. You do not need that amount of empty calories and you know it.”
“Knowing this guy he made it with as few calories as possible,” Fleury cut in as he walked in the room, his family close behind him. He looked around and scrunched his nose. “Mon dieu, who let Crosby decorate?”
Over the tiny speaker in his pocket he could hear Katie beginning to stir.
“I GET!” Geno bellowed from the kitchen. “I GET!”
Sid wondered if he should go into the kitchen but was given strict instructions that the kitchen was entirely off limits. His friends had more or less told him that his food was edible but not enjoyable, in a nice way of course, so he was relegated to playing host. Gonchar and his family exited the kitchen to see who was out in the front room. He rubbed his hands together and tried his best smile. Perfect time to start playing host.
“I did, in fact, make low calorie egg nog.”
Flower and Duper groaned their disapproval. He shrugged and went to the mini bar that he’d set up in the corner.
“Or you could drink water,” he offered. “Stay hydrated like you should.”
“Watered down eggnog is still alcohol, right?” Duper asked, taking the glass Sid offered him.
He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “Only the adult kind.”
“So you’ll be having the non-alcoholic then?” Flower chirped, grabbing the cup and taking a swig. “Hey, this is at least passable…”
“Don’t sound too shocked, you’ll hurt the Captain’s feelings,” Duper nudged Flower and cracked a smile. “It does resemble egg nog though, so thanks, Sid.”
After he handed out the rest of the cups, alcoholic to the adults and non alcoholic to the children, he poured a cup for he and Geno and waited patiently for his husband to return. When he did he had a rather put out looking infant, lip full on pout. It would forever amaze him just how much of Geno’s genetics shined through in Katie’s little face.
Geno spoke to her in Russian, soft but audible to Sid as he sidled up beside him. “I tell her I know how hard waking up is, but she gets presents so she can not be too sad.”
“Present,” Sid corrected. Only one on Christmas Eve, and then the rest Christmas morning. It was a tradition… in which he’d just started as it was their first Christmas, but it would be a tradition and that’s all that mattered. Geno gave him the pout mirrored on their daughter’s face and he leaned in to kiss it away.
“Gross,” Kody Dupuis muttered under his breath. Sid was amazed he’d seen, what with his head ducked over his phone like that.
Zoe kicked at him. “I think it’s sweet. They love each other.”
“So do mom and dad and I don’t like it when they kiss either, they’re old.”
Since when was Sid old?
“I got party crackers!” he declared happily. “I ordered them, two people pull the ends and they pop and whoever gets the stuff in them gets to keep them. They have toys and candy and paper hats…”
Duper had his face covered with both hands, silently laughing.
“... What?”
“Nothing,” Carole-Lyne kicked at her husband. “I think it’s sweet. Let’s get those games started.”
Geno handed him a squirmy Katie, at least she was quiet and didn’t smell as of yet. “I play game later, for now… dinner.”
Katie, not one for waking up and especially not one for Sid so quickly after wake up (she was her Papa’s girl, which Sid repeatedly told himself he wasn’t annoyed by as it wasn’t a competition) started to fuss as soon as Geno was out of sight line. He did all the things that he’d learned in her first five months. He put her over her shoulder and rubbed at the small of her back. He hummed so that his chest would vibrate.
Nothing was working. Carole-Lyne, Véronique and Ksenia all gave him that look of weird commiseration/pity that he was never comfortable with.
“Shhh, Kotyata,” he tried, and this time Ksenia just laughed. She walked over to him and put her hand on Katie’s back.
“Kotyonok,” she corrected softly. “She is just one baby.”
Sidney didn’t get the chance to ask what the hell that meant before Geno came bounding out with a grin on his face. “Dinner…. What wrong with my Kotyonok?”
He took Katie into his arms and she instantly settled. Sid felt himself deflate slightly. Awesome. This was going to be… awesome.
The small crowd in the front room turned to start to make their way towards the dining room. Sid couldn’t help but want to salvage the moment. It didn’t quite feel like Christmas yet.
He picked Claire up and cleared his throat as loud as possible.
“Wait! Before dinner we have to do the poppers!” Sid declared, making everyone turn around. Geno raised an eyebrow at him. “Poppers are a tradition!” One that he had decided on a few days before but that was beyond the point.
He grabbed a box from one of the bookcases, full to the brim of brightly colored wrapped cylinders. The only one who seemed to get excited was Véronique who clapped her hands and grabbed at them and began to hand them out.
“You take one side,” she showed Flower and took the other side. “Now pull!”
As soon as the first cracker popped Claire let out a wail that was something like a siren. Her tiny face balled up tightly and genuine tears brushing down her face. “Shh, baby girl. Shh. Everything is okay.” He handed her the bright green pacifier she favored and hummed loudly but it didn’t seem to help.
“I win!” Sophie cried gleefully, ignorant of Claire’s dismay. She went through her side and picked out a little green army man and a blue paper crown. “These suck!”
“Sophia!” Carole-Lyne chastised. None of this helped, Claire just got louder and louder.
He rubbed her back and hummed an off tune version of ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’, swaying back and forth. In the background he could hear the repeated pop of poppers and he tried not to be annoyed that he wasn’t in their to pop one for his own.
After a long minute Claire calmed herself down and just laid her head head down of her dad’s shoulder sighing.
“I know, that was a little scarier than I thought it would be. Maybe I didn’t think this thing through,” he said.
Geno popped out of the living room holding two halves of poppers. “Ah, found you. I saved you best.”
He opened up one side of one and found Sid a black crown, unfolding it and placing it atop his head proudly.
“See? Perfect.”
Sid couldn’t fight the smile. “And for the princess?”
Geno waggled his eyebrows and pulled out from the other one a bright yellow crown. “Only best for our princess.”
Claire lifted her head and smiled at Geno. “YELLOW IS BEST!”
He ducked away from her scream but smiled as she wore her crown happily. Geno nodded his head towards the dining room. Ksenia had Katie cuddled up against her chest, to which Gonchar was giving them both the side eye. The Fleurys were playing with the army men by chucking them at each other (the parents more than the girls). Duper had stolen his kids electronics and they were all staring at him like he’d killed Christmas, but something was taken away from that with their jaunty Christmas crowns.
Sid smiled.
Geno pulled his phone from his pocket and made a motion for Sid to sit at the table. Sid couldn’t help but think it was going to look horrible. He still had the remnants of tears and snot on his shirt and Claire’s face had to have the clear redness of her sobs all over it but he did as he was told, sitting in the end chair and pulling Claire in close.
“Say PENGUINS!”
“PENGIN!” Claire cheered and then the rest of the group joined in.
And yeah, family Christmas was totally what he wanted it to be.