Christmas Time Is Here: Academy Exclusives

New Traditions

"You're sure you want to do this today?" Sean asked, walking up behind Sang and wrapping his arms around her. He kissed her temple as they looked out the front window, waiting for all the rest of the family to arrive for Christmas. He couldn't help the fact that his hands roamed down to her stomach, splayed out on her still flat stomach in anticipation of the fact that they would be first time parents next summer.

"It's Christmas." She said, shrugging lightly. "We all know, Charlie and your parents are actually here for Christmas this year so it seems like the right time to let them all know."

He nodded slightly and smiled when she turned her head to look at him. "And we're telling them tonight... Christmas Eve?"

She beamed at him. "Yes, I have new traditions starting tonight. We need to get things figured out before we have a baby around next Christmas."

"All right than, Pookie...." He frowned slightly. "Pookie mama." He tried out a variation of her nickname.

"Is my nickname changing?" she asked, watching him work out how he felt about the new nickname.

"Maybe. If you're Pookie Mama, then the baby will just be Baby Pookie. I might need a different nickname for the baby."

"You might." She agreed, her lips quirking upward in amusement. To her credit, she refrained from giggling, much to Sean's disappointment. "C'mon, Dr. Sean... let's go make sure everything is in place for our family's big evening."

Much like the sleepover's that the boys had all grown up with at the Lee's house, the Christmas Eve sleepover had moved to their house when they moved in 9 years ago, and all the parents that were in town that year also came to stay the night and through the holiday. His parents made it to town every 2 to 3 years. Charlie spent every other year in Greece, trying to check on Theo but usually spending the 2 weeks around the holiday wallowing in memories of his long-gone wife.

They mainly entertained the local family for these weekends. Erica had claimed her usual Thanksgiving tradition, which they were all more than happy to pop over to their house after celebrating with the neighborhood they'd been managing for years. Uncle had kept to his usual tradition of coming over after closing the diner from Christmas breakfast and took over the kitchen on Christmas day with North and Luke to make the standard feast for the entire family but the last 5 years had ended up being for the Christmas Eve sleepover as well. Erica and Jessica were always present, Sang wouldn't have it any other way because over time, Erica was the mom she craved her entire life and Jessica was absolutely the sister she wished she'd had all along.

That just left Pam and she had sobered up over the past few years with the support and help from Erica and Uncle and she never missed a Christmas celebration either.

"Just what new traditions are you starting tonight?" Sean asked, taking her hand as they headed in to the kitchen and she paused in the dining room to rearrange part of the centerpiece.

"Just two." She said, looking up at him.

"Two? After all this time?" He teased.

She rolled her eyes at him. "Stockings before bed and opening 1 present."

Sean grinned at her. "Would that one present perhaps be pajamas?"

"Maybe." She grinned back at him. Erica had told her at one point... that for the longest time, that was tradition. The kids got to open their stockings and one present and it was almost always pajamas because... Nathan and Gabriel hardly ever got anything new at one point and it was her best option to ensure that they got new pajamas was if they were a Christmas Eve gift. She managed to keep the tradition until they were 13. Somehow, at the age of 12, they'd all decided that they were too old to be given pajamas for Christmas.