Chapter 7: First Christmas
Author's Notes: For Christopher. You are my world. Disclaimer: The characters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer are owned by Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, and Fox studios. This story is not meant to infringe upon anyone's rights, only to entertain.
She loved this time of year the best.
The tree was always so beautiful, with the twinkling lights and the homemade ornaments mixed among others, purchased with care. It had to be a real tree; no artificial plastic or aluminum trees for her. They were a sacrilege against the season. No, it wasn't Christmas unless the scent of pine stirred in the air, and candlelight glowed softly in the room, light and color shimmering gently upon the walls.
She loved this time of year the best.
Most people were excited about the things they hoped to receive on Christmas morning, but she truly loved the giving more. Finding just the right thing for each person, some token of her thought for them at this special time of year. She took such joy in watching her friends and family opening their gifts, so much more so than opening the presents intended for her.
She loved this time of year the best.
Special foods of the season were everywhere, and tasted better this time of year than any other. Homemade chocolate fudge; Christmas cookies in the shapes of Santas and angels, sprinkled in greens and reds and yellows and blues; roast beef and turkey and Virginia hams - plentiful and offered freely with hospitality to any who graced the family table for this very special holiday dinner.
She loved this time of year the best.
The creche upon the sideboard, with it's holy family - minus Joseph, whose head had been accidentally crushed underfoot long years ago - and the wisemen offering their gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh, and the stable animals gazing with reverence upon the new Mother and Child.
She loved this time of year the best.
The needlepoint stockings hung upon the fireplace, bearing each name, crafted with care and love, waiting to be filled with oranges and nuts and chocolates and small gifts selected especially for each child's early morning delight.
She loved this time of year the best.
Christmas pageants and chorales and little children fumbling through their lines while they scratched under the homemade costumes, all angel wings and fake Santa beards and shepherds and papier mache donkeys and little girls draped in blue veils holding plastic dolls to stand in for the babe Himself.
She loved this time of year the best.
The tree again. The angel graced the highest branch, top and center, gazing down with a holy light, borne of immortality, upon the lesser ornaments below. The angel had always been her favorite, above all the others, and had pride of place. But there was another ornament now, one less graceful and glorious than the angel could ever be, a little gaudy perhaps, and certainly less expensive. It was the kind of ornament she would have disdained had she seen it in a store, passing over it in favor of the more tasteful, more beautiful finds. She could not, would not, stop staring at this ungainly, gaudy bauble, which had been hung with care, front and center of her tree.
Baby's First Christmas
2003
She always loved this time of year the best...
"She's not coming back, you know."
"I know."
He stood in the doorway, watching this new Christmas scene play itself out, night after night. The twelve days of Christmas, reduced to this silent vigil in the living room, a glass of Scotch in her hand. She hadn't moved to acknowledge his presence or his words, and he turned away quietly, to his study, where he could forget for awhile.
Dawn sat silently upon the top stair; she knew this play by heart. She rose soundlessly, and returned to her room.
~~~~~~
"A tree."
"Yep."
"Why?"
"It's Christmas."
"Yeah, and it's a tiny apartment and we have like, no money, and no ornaments or lights or anything."
"Yet - it's Christmas."
"It's still Christmas whether we have a tree or not."
"And yet..."
"It's Christmas."
"Exactly."
Faith sighed in resignation. This argument was lost before it ever began.
"Okay."
"Yay!"
"But you're making all the ornaments and stuff, cuz I am too tired to deal with it right now."
"We'll be a regular
Little House on the Prairie over here. Homemade
everything. We can string popcorn, and cranberries, and make construction paper circle rings, and a glittery angel for the top of the tree - you wait. It's gonna be
spectacular!" Buffy's enthusiasm knew no bounds.
"How are you not too tired to do this?"
"It's Christmas."
"Right. Well, I guess we'd better go and get a frickin' tree."
Buffy launched herself at Faith.
Seriously, way too much hugging.
~~~~~
The cranberries were a bust - too messy. Buffy discovered that popcorn worked best when stale, so they wound up eating a lot of fresh popcorn they had already ruined in the initial effort. The big challenge turned out to be making new popcorn and
not eating it long enough to age into a stringable state of staleness.
The tree was splendid. A gangly thin-branched tree on the smallish side, draped in popcorn garlands, construction paper ornaments, and selected pine cones, pasted with glitter and strung with ribbons to dangle from the branches. Buffy was able to come up with money enough for one string of twinkly colored lights that really raised the tree from 'eh' to 'wow' in her opinion. Lights were key.
Fred and Buffy baked batches of Christmas cookies and chocolate fudge to share, and in the end Faith did admit that the results of all this feverish activity were quite festive. And tasty.
After everyone was asleep on Christmas Eve, Buffy sneaked out to the living room to place under the tree the gifts she had chosen with care. A pair of baby-safe stuffed rag dolls for Katie (and a new pacifier which Buffy admitted to herself was more for mom); a small box of See's chocolates for Fred and Gary, along with some good quality sewing threads especially for Fred; a toy truck for Stevie. For Faith, ear plugs from the drug store (Buffy couldn't resist them for both practicality and humor), and a very small bottle of good perfume she saw Faith try on and reluctantly place back in the display while at the department store the prior week.
After she had artfully arranged her gifts for the best Christmas morning presentation, Buffy sat back and looked again at her tree.
Something's different. She rose and moved closer to the branch where she could see red shining with reflected light.
Baby's First Christmas
2003
She turned the ornament around in her hand, and noted the message scrawled on the back side:
"For Baby Katharine. Love at Christmas and Always. Your Auntie Faith"She covered her mouth with her hand, and felt hot tears form behind her eyes.
She had always loved this time of year the best.