Loving You

X. Spirited

Thursday, December 24th, 2015

Christmas Eve.

With the Grimes family.

There was nothing else like it.

It wasn't the traditional family holiday get-together. At least, not like the ones I experienced with my family. Or with Casper's. 

When I was a kid, the Christmases I remembered were all full of Hallie and Taylor opening seven or eight gifts, while I usually only got one. If I was lucky. A couple of times, I knew Taylor'd just put my name on one of his presents. Mer would grumble the whole day about how she never got the picture-perfect holiday she dreamed about. Sam was always drunk by four, puking on the deck by ten, and by midnight he'd come sit on the edge of my bed and go on and on about how grateful I should be that he was raising me up right, not like my mother would've.

With Casper's family, though, it was super traditional. They'd spend weeks decorating, baking treats, and listening to nauseating holiday music to prepare. The day of, they'd get up early, open presents, and then spend the whole day in pajamas while watching movies, cooking, and feasting. No matter how many years I'd lived with them, though, I always felt like I was intruding on something sacred. They halfheartedly included me, but it definitely wasn't their ideal day. Most of the time, especially as I got older, by about noon I'd shut myself in my room and listen to music on my little MP3 player as loud as I could stand it for the rest of the day. 

Hanging out with the Grimes family wasn't anything close to either of those experiences.

None of them looked the part, but it turned out they were all hardcore gamers. Think nerds playing Dungeon and Dragons. Only, it was the entire family, and they took it seriously. Last year, Aunt Lydia's D&D character got killed by her youngest son, and she cried for two days. I thought it was a crazy reaction, but the entire family just soothed her and told stories of when their favorite characters died.

We didn't only play D&D, though. Gran and Gus had an entire wall stacked to the ceiling with boardgames. Some were even in other languages. I tried to count once, but Soren told me not to bother, 'cause the barn out behind their house was filled with more games, and sports equipment. They loved any and all forms of competition.

After the board games, we usually went and played a couple games of hockey out on the frozen pond behind the house, until everyone was bright red and numb from the cold. Everyone played too. Even Gran and Gus. Last year, Bexley got her first pair of ice skates so she could join in, and I spent all year with her practicing so she could play.

"Is that Bexley?" Aunt Lydia's husband, Sebastian, couldn't even hide his surprise, when I let go of Bee's hand and she glided across the ice all on her own. I still needed to be nearby, but she was a natural. At first, I worried a little bit about her being in the way of everyone else in the family, all skating and playing. I didn't need to be. Someone always looked out for her, or held her hand. Once, Soren even caught a puck before it could hit her right in the head. She didn't even notice. She had a blast.

"Bee, I think it's time to go inside and watch a movie!" I called to her from the side of the pond. Almost everyone else had long since decided to go inside for hot chocolate, after the rowdy game had ended, except for Bexley. She stayed out on the ice, forcing Ross and Gereon, Aunt Lydia and Uncle Sebastian's two youngest boys, to play with her. Which they did, graciously. She was a bit bossy, my kid.

"But...!" Bexley turned and took one look at me and hung her head. "Okay. Come on, boys."

The older boys both looked over at me gratefully, but they didn't say one disparaging word, as they each took one of her hands and glided off the ice together.