"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.
Sang thought it was a great tradition and one that she intended to keep in place for the rest of their lives. So, she'd done a lot of careful shopping. Most of her men didn't wear anything to bed but it was Christmas Eve and they had company. They would be wearing what she gave them tonight. As for the others, shopping for Pam, Erica and Jessica was fun for Sang because she never got to shop for girls.
As if Gabriel ever let her shop for herself.
She smiled up at him and stretched up to kiss him. "Mistletoe." She said at his look when she pulled away. "You're the one that hangs the darn stuff up everywhere."
"I guess I deserve that." He said, running a hand over his head as they headed into the kitchen to see what was done for dinner already.
"You absolutely deserve it." She laughed softly.
"Like you really mind if we all kiss you whenever we find you under mistletoe." He teased.
"Of course, not. But did you have to put it over every step on the staircase? I can't make it to my room in less than 20 minutes." She complained before reaching for one of the celery sticks that North was cutting up to put on the veggie tray.
Sean grinned at her. "That's my favorite spot where it hangs."
She rolled her eyes at him.
~~~~
Dinner went great. Everyone enjoyed the chance to relax together and get into even more holiday spirit. In honor of the fact that Pam was enjoying another year of sobriety, they'd decided that the house was going to be an alcohol-free zone. Which worked out very well for Sang as she wasn't going to have to explain why she wasn't drinking this year.
They lingered over coffee and dessert before moving the party into the living room for stockings and the Christmas Eve present opening. The options would then be to watch movies for the rest of the evening or retire to your room if you didn't feel like socializing.
Sang ended up sitting between Jessica and Owen. She was fairly vibrating with excitement and Jessica picked up on it but wrote it off as just general holiday excitement. "I love how happy you all still are." She blurted, earning a startled look from both Owen and Sang. "You love each other. Still. Just as much or more than ever but it's really cool to watch and be a part of." She explained, cheeks flushed a light pink.
Owen smiled and reached around Sang to squeeze Jessica's shoulder lightly. "Jessica... I've known you for 16 years." He said. "You have matured into a wonderful woman and we are delighted to call you family."
Tears welled up in Jessica's eyes and she nodded. "Thank you. You never thought you'd pick up a spider monkey as family." She grinned at him before she wiped her eyes.
"You were the cutest spider monkey ever. Even if Luke takes credit for your ability to be a monkey." He said diplomatically, earning a huge grin from Luke when he overheard the comment and another teary smile from Jessica.
Sang passed her a tissue to wipe her eyes with and blow her nose. "I love being your sister." She told Jessica. "I had a sister, yes but...." She shrugged a slim shoulder as the other filed in and took seats. "I didn't necessarily enjoy having a sister until I had you." Jessica smiled at her. "Okay, my love. Why don't you do the honors?" she asked Owen.
"Sure, darling." He dropped a light kiss on her nose before standing up, hands clasped behind him as he cleared his throat. "We absolutely do love having all of the family around to help celebrate Christmas." He nodded slightly to Charlie and gave a slight bow to Sean's parents. "Even if you don't join us every year, we always appreciate the times you do." He smiled at Uncle, Pam, Erica and Jessica. "And we absolutely love having you all over whenever you want to join us." They all smiled at him and murmured thank you's and other words of appreciation. "Sang wanted to institute 2 traditions that will be in place going forward when it comes to what happens on Christmas Eve." He gave her a quick glance and received a nod. "Then we'll watch the traditional movies or you can head upstairs to your room if you'd rather. So, we are going to start opening stockings on Christmas Eve and one present of Sang's designation. Which ones?" He asked Sang.
"Oh, they're the ones wrapped in pink." She said, with a cheery wave of her hand. "Luke, could you pass out the stockings while Sean and Owen grab the presents?" It wasn't long before they were all pulling things out of their stockings and eyeing the pink boxes in front of them with a wary eye. Except for Pam, Erica and Jessica. They looked more than happy to be getting a pink box.
"Same rules as tomorrow morning." Erica stated firmly. "There are far too many of us to spend time opening one at a time." She smiled.
Sang laughed. "Well, I suppose." She said, teasing. Typically, still, Sang's gifts to the family were always opened one at a time the way they had at her first Christmas. Tonight though, with what the presents were going to reveal to the parents and Jessica, well, all at once would be perfect. "One... two... three." She counted down and at three, there was ripping noises as everyone tore into the paper on their gift.
She opened hers quickly but set it aside, intent on watching reactions. Her pajamas had been selected and purchased last year after Christmas and featured polar bears on a pink background. And she'd found pajama pants and t-shirts for the guys that fit either with their favorite colors or their favorite things.
No, it was the reaction the rest of the family was going to have that had her practically on the edge of her seat.
It was Jessica that figured it out first when she saw her pajamas. Sang had ordered their shirts to be custom made at a local t-shirt shop and she'd just gotten them this morning so it was a last-minute wrap. Jessica's shirt said, "99% of kids get their awesomeness from their aunties"
"NO WAY!" She shrieked and flung her pajamas in the air in her hurry to hug Sang. "You're serious. This isn't any sort of joke..."
Sang laughed and hugged her back, shaking her head. "No. No joke." She said.
The expectant grandmas had received pajamas with a shirt that said either "If Mom Says no, Call Grandma" Or "Keep Calm and Call Grandma." And the Grandpa's had received shirts that said "Only the best Dad's get promoted to Grandpa."
They were all holding their breath to see just how the parents would react and they were not disappointed. After Jessica's outburst, there was a flurry of disbelieving and excited comments before they all grabbed on to their 'kid' of choice and hugged the stuffing out of them.
Sean was proud of the fact that Sang didn't freeze up and try to avoid hugging "The Mom's". He was watching just in case there was going to be any reactions from her.
"This is wonderful news." Erica murmured in Sang's ear when she finally had a chance to hug her. "Oh, Sang. Girl..." she shook her head and hugged her again. "Next Summer?" She frowned. "Darn, I really don't know that I can wait that long to meet our baby. But clearly I don't have any say in the matter." She chuckled and kissed Sang's cheek. "Thank you so much, sweet girl." She said. "I'm so honored to call you my daughter." She said, cupping Sang's cheek before she kissed her on the forehead.
"Thank you." Sang murmured as Erica let her go and picked her way back to her seat. She took her own seat again, settling in close to Owen as the boys took a few moments to dispose of the wrapping paper.
"Well, I think we need to watch something animated this year." Jessica teased, repacking things in her stocking. "Can't be watching something not rated for baby."
Sang rolled her eyes. "Watch it, you. I can still take back your other presents." She teased as she relaxed into Owen's arm around her shoulder.
(Fade...)