Marvellous days

Chapter 13 -Christmas Preparations-

Christmas!

It was the 24th of December! Christmas!

Alice was running through the house to prepare everything for this evening while Bella was helping her. Edward, Emmett and Jasper were somewhere around the house helping as well.

Renesmee and Carlie were with me and Carlisle in the kitchen. Nessie was jumping up and down in front of the oven and watched her gingerbread men we have done earlier.

Carlisle was cutting vegetables while I was studying the cook book. I wanted to prepare a classic Christmas dinner because not only I was eating, but Charlie and Sue as well as Jacob and his pack were coming over to celebrate Christmas with us. So we definitely had the house full today.

I know traditionally Christmas is celebrated on the 25th, but we postponed the dinner to today and the presents will be given tomorrow nonetheless. The reason for that is that we all wanted to make a trip to the mountains to do some skiing and Alice wanted us to go tomorrow evening, so no time for the dinner. So in a way we celebrated Christmas like most Europeans did apart from the presents.

“Are they finished now?” Renesmee asked and watched them curiously. I kneeled next to her to look at the gingerbread.
“No, just a little bit longer, but not much, honey,” I told her and ruffled her hair.
“Okay,” she said sadly, but let it go almost at once and asked Carlisle if she could help. So she was sitting on the kitchen isle and washed the vegetables.

“Ma-ma-ma,” Carlie babbled. I looked over the isle to her.
“Carlie,” I called softly. She looked up from her toys and smiled at me. “Hello,” I waved and smiled. She moved her hands up and down and laughed loudly. I laughed, too. She watched me some more and then Carlisle, but the toys were then more interesting.

Carlie was propped up to a sitting position on the ground and was surrounded by pillows so that she doesn’t topple over and sat there with lots of stuff to occupy her. She held up a rustling butterfly and showed it to us happily. “That is a pretty butterfly,” Carlisle told her with a smile. She laughed at him and watched him with her glowing blue eyes.

“Alice, it’s alright now, you cannot seriously want to hang mistletoes everywhere!” Edward said and sounded annoyed. I smirked and Carlisle chuckled. Renesmee looked interested towards the hall and expected her father coming here.

“Oh Edward, don’t be such a spoilsport! I want to do this properly; it’s our first Christmas all together,” Alice said, but sounded just as annoyed. Nothing followed that so probably Edward gave in and did as she said.

I finished the meat and looked to the oven. “Look, Nessie, they are finished,” I told her.
“Really? Can I see?”She said with glowing eyes.
“Sure,” I said and she jumped down from the isle in a swift move.
“Oh, they look good,” she said and stretched the last word.

“Yeah, real gingerbread men,” I laughed. I pulled them out of the oven and Nessie waited impatiently to decorate them. I put the decoration on the kitchen table and made everything ready for her. A few minutes later, Nessie could get started!

Dinner was now in the oven and in the saucepan.

I tidied up and sat down next to Nessie. She was still decorating. Her last gingerbread man looked really funny. It had fashionable sugar clothes with chocolate drops. The eyes were golden pearls and its hair was a disorder of chocolate sprinkles.

“He looks funny,” I told her.
“That’s dad,” she said with a smile.
“They do look alike,” I laughed.

“Dad!” Nessie called.
“Yes?” he said and walked casually into the kitchen.
“That’s you,” she said and held the gingerbread man into the air.

“I’m honored you devoted a special gingerbread man to me,” he said and looked at it closer and kissed her hair. 

-All rights belong to Stephenie Meyer-