Chapter 12.7: December 2023 – part II: Christmas Spirits../Naughty Christmas...

It would appear that everyones (almost) dream of a white christmas would get fulfilled this year, as in the days leading up to Christmas it just kept snowing and snowing and snowing...

All the kids loved it, spending their time outdoors building snowmen, snow igloos, making snow angels and peltering each other with snow balls while stressed out parents frantically plowed their way from store to store turning their wallets inside out for the latest of the latest of expensive new modern toys for their little de.. uh, darlings... while the stores profitted heavily from this madness as they jacked up the prices a little bit more with each passing day... Same procedure as every year...

..but of course, not everything was a constant rush from shiny window to shiny window while the same old christmas tunes rung out on repeat all over the place, as Solvej still found some time to entertain her toddlers with some not-so-christmassy carols every now and then...

 

..and Rune had sat down to teach his sister Silvia something that didn't involve kicking a ball to give her a little bit of a musical ear as well...

 

..and Agathi stood tall with pride after her son Ruben had finally mastered the skill of walking while she was having lunch at the Harbour Café.. and christmas – the real true christmas – could finally begin to descend upon the town, and all the previously stressed out parents could seek shelter inside, lighting a few candles or even the fire place for those that had one, and cuddle up together on the couch with each their cup of hot cocoa...

~~~~ ** ~~~~ 

 

Christmas morning was here, and the weather was indeed a little frightful as the snow and the wind howled it's way across the town, through the streets and around each corner of every house.... Patrik and Solvej had perfectly cleaned the house and put up all the christmas decorations just in time, even the lights on the tree outside as it stood there now, swaying in the wind as if rocking back and forth to it's own christmas melody...

 

The first one to wake up this morning wasn't Silvia, Lilian or even Rune.. it was Patrik, who must have found his inner child just in time, as he cheered loudly on his way out of the bedroom and upstairs to prepare the christmas morning breakfast...

 

When Rune woke up he wasn't to keen on breakfast just yet.. he had to go outside to check if there was still snow.. and of course it was, how could it not be?

 

It was the perfect weather to start building an igloo...

~~~~ ** ~~~~ ** ~~~~ 

..but eventually he would be called inside to eat with mom and dad because breakfast was ready.. Hurry up before the tea gets cold. ;)

Oh, what a fine and peaceful christmas morning with the christmas waffles and candles on the table.. ;)

Patrik was especially cheerful this day, as he picked up his favourite Silvia to throw her playfully in the air. Maybe good old Santa would show up and drop off some presents later today... Silvia didn't care to much about who Santa was.. yet.. nor did she care to much about the new toys she and her sister had gotten in their stockings this morning.. there was nothing special about them that would make them any different from the toys they already had...

....but something was going on, she knew that much, as the mood in the house was.. different.. she too, felt the anticipation in the air, like something special was about to happen.. she didn't know excactly what, or why, but it made her feel a little more giddy than usual...

Lilian felt it too, as she tried her best to remember what Rune had showed her just a few days earlier.. that there was a certain spirit in the house... the spirit, who currently had no name for her, felt like a strange kind of nervous joy.. she hadn't felt like this before, ever..

After cleaning up the kitchen benches once more after breakfast, Solvej sat down to relax watching the gardening channel as they showed how to prepare the most beautiful christmas bouquets while waiting for the guests to arrive a little later..

 

Rune had gone outside to wait it out playing around in his igloo, pretending he was an adventurer on his way to the north pole... Not to find Santa, he had stopped believing in him years ago, but for the adventure.. braving the snow, the ice and the dangerous encounters with the polar bears... like a true hero, certainly this, if it was real, would make his father very proud of his son...

 

The same father who had taken Silvia out on the balcony in the winter cold to feed her lunch. He was convinced already that she was a brave, strong little girl, and she would be able to handle this just fine.. or atleast that it would be good for her to learn how to handle the cold properly.. Starting early, he wanted her to be a tough girl that would bravely face pretty much any challenge coming her way...

 

..but he also found some time for Lilian now that 'Santa' had arrived to drop off the presents, and the party was just around the corner. The spirit was getting stronger every minute now...

...and neither Solvej nor Patrik could no longer withstand its effects, and felt inclined to show some real christmas affection towards one another...

..but spirits come in many colours and shapes, and unfortunately for Patrik.. and Solvej.. the spirit of christmas was for a moment overpowered by another who usually sat on his left shoulder seeking to control him with it's poison... some anger had built up in him, as it often did, and when it became to strong, there was only one way it could go.. upwards and outwards.. This time he felt Solvej hadn't been taking enough responsibility for the toddlers...

    "Well excuse me mister!" Solvej responded with equal ferocity "Who was it that had to watch after them while you were at work – while simultaneously tending to my garden, huh?"

"Then maybe you should hire a babysitter and get a realjob and quit fidgeting around with your plants and weeds all day!"

    "Patrik! Those plants is my passion, just like football is yours... you know that! Look, now isn't the time to fight, not in front of the kids..."

    Solvej knew that Patrik was just as quick to cool down as he was to heat up, and that once he'd gotten his cranky feelings out of the system it would all be over..

    "...we'll just ruin it for them, the guests and everyone... Gaute and Leya are probably just right around the corner.. I'll go get a shower and get dressed..."

    Likewise Patrik knew Solvej was right.. this pre-christmas period had been stressful, both at work and this year also with the toddlers constantly needing care.... there hadn't been enough time for him to commit to his favourite stress release of working out... maybe it was time for him to go back to his career as a football player..

 

After the holidays were over maybe, because it didn't take long before the sound of Solvej singing in the shower and Lilian still hitting random notes on the xylophone blended into the sound of a car pulling up on the road outside and the irregular beat of car doors opening and closing... the guests were arriving already, so he had to quickly head to the bathroom downstairs to change, hoping that Solvej would finish showering just in time to welcome them indoors...

It was a given that Gaute and Leya would be invited to celebrate christmas with the family this year, given their long history of friendship and even sharing the house at the Millground Farm before things appeared to be a little sour between the couples for a while... but that was only a temporary, minor bump in the road... and this year it was Solvej and Patriks turn to be the host of what looked like it was about to become their annual christmas tradition...

Solvej and Patrik had already invited them over to celebrate christmas with them last year, however, due to Leyas father Deepak suffering a stroke right before christmas, Leya instead took her family westwards across the mountains to spend christmas with her own mom and dad instead...

It was a shock and a bummer for everyone, but Solvej and Patrik understood that of course Leya wanted to celebrate with her own family that year after receiving such news, and so they all agreed to postpone celebrating christmas at their house until this year..

When everyone was well inside and the christmas presents were gently placed in a pile, Solvej made the call for the gift opening to begin..

Gaute and Patrik, just like last time two years ago, wanted to create a 'men's table', and sat down by the dining table. Though this year they were joined by Elisa Meek who showed up without having an invitation from Solvej and Patrik.. Rune had talked to her about their upcoming christmas party and asked her to join without telling his own parents.. Solvej didn't have the heart to tell Elisa to leave, since she knew about her background and so she was allowed to join them for their party. Even Patrik agreed to this...

Bodil made sure to take her seat on the couch inbetween Solvej and her mom, and as should be expected the conversation between them quickly turned to the old days when both of them worked at the theatre. Bodil didn't care much for their conversation, it was boring adult talk and wanted to show a disdain for anything that related to music.. and toddlers... "Can someone please take that xylophone away from that kid..." she said in response to Lilian still trying to learn what her older brother had taught her earlier.. or maybe just hitting random notes..

Everybody agreed to let Elisa go first, and though she had showed up announced to the adults at the party, luckily there was just enough gifts for everyone in the pile..

 

A dollhouse wasn't excactly what she had wanted, but she wasn't complaining.. she was just happy to get a gift and get to spend time with Runes family for this one night.. It's not because Danica wasn't a good caregiver for her, because she was.. Danica was the best caregiver she could've gotten given the circumstances.. but sometimes still she missed the feeling of being part of a family, if not only for a short while...

Next up was Bodil, she remembered what happened last christmas over at grandma and grandpas when she in only got a sack of coal (which she figured was a 'gift' from her uncles wife Sofia, even though nobody said anything about it..), and then afterwards a rainbow light, which she absolutely hated...

So she opened this gift with very low expectations.... she wasn't gonna fall for that trick again – to get only lousy gifts at first only to have mom try and lure her away to reveal her actual gift later- no, not this time..

Though it looked like they weren't pulling the same trick twice, because she got a bike this year. Not a lousy gift at all, but perhaps not the most useful thing she could've gotten this year as she would outgrow it in just a few months time and need to get a new one anyway.. but she was content enough with this one for the time being, and wasn't going to create a scene over it, like some annoying spoiled little brat. She knew better than that...

 

"I got a new bike too" Rune told her after opening his present. "It's cool, but don't they know that these bikes will be to small for us soon anyway....?"

 

Then it was the adults time to open their gifts.. Gautes gift from Leya was a little special something he had to tuck away again quickly so that the kids wouldn't see it! Whatever it was, it gave him that adrenaline rush again that made him run instead of walk, even if he was only going a few steps over to sit down on the couch....

 

Leya and Solvej got each their brand new guitar again this year two, but they were happy about that.. the perfect gifts for such musical and creatively inclined individuals. ;)

 

Patrik got an easel, which was not excactly his cup of tea, but he pretended to be happy about it anyway....

 

Leya is happy to have everyone in their 'family' finally gathered under the same roof again for christmas, while Gaute is still feeling energetic from the gift he received and tries to get Leyas attention while expressing his need for some.. physical excercize...

The group in the couch naturally break up when Solvej receives a phone call from town elder Fagidi Froosh, delivering his best wishes of a merry christmas and happy new year to the family.. while Patrik once again turns his attention to Silvia..

....the perfect opportunity for Leya and Gaute to sneak downstairs and make use of Gautes gift.. As 'The Watcher' I quickly catch Leyas thought and I think.. well, that's interesting... but you won't do that...

 

..and I think I'm right when I see them go for a kiss instead, but missing the mistletoe. However, I suspect I might be wrong when I see them take advantage of the hosts being distracted and head for the stairs...

 

This reminds me again of what happened before last christmas... when Leyas younger brother Bhavan had some fun time with his girlfriend Beate in his parents bed... with his dad at the hospital even, and I'm thinking.. no, you will not..

..but I give up all hope of them acting appropriately and being decent guests when I see Gaute getting ready in his sleepwear already.. on Patrik and Solvejs bed...

 

They couldn't wait to use Gautes gift until they got home it seems..

Kids, look away and cover your ears....! This is isn't for you to witness...

 

Satisfied from their.. umm.. relief, they decide to just leave. Not even going upstairs to properly say goodbye to the hosts of the party... That's some way to go, huh...?

Bodil had of course noticed her parents had left and been gone for a while, so she walked outside to look for them.. "What are you doing outside?" she asked her mom thinking this was a little strange of them.. "It's uh.. getting late, we're going home now..." Leya said, still feeling the warm in her cheeks from what just happened, or maybe from being slightly embarassed now.. Definately some milder air had swept across the town again, to melt away all the snow that had been falling and falling earlier...

 

Upstairs their sudden absence had of course been noticed by the hosts too...

"What happened to Gaute and Leya...? Did they leave already...?" Patrik asked after having put Silvia back on the floor "And just now when I was about to serve the rib steak..."

 

"They must've misunderstood something.. but that might not be so bad, because it means we might get some more time to ourselves..."

Well, atleast they got a few minutes for themselves.. until it was feeding time for the toddlers again..

 

..and Rune wanted Solvej to read him a bedtime story. He was a big boy now, she thought.. so she went and picked the logic skill book to read from him. It should surely help him fall asleep.. and hopefully prevent him from asking her again some other time...

 

Patrik was clearly disappointed from not getting any.. fun time, but.. maybe there would be more time for it as the toddlers got a little older.. or when Rune got old enough, he could babysit the kids while they took a weekend away on a hotel or some other place in some other time.. he hoped.. or they could just hire a babysitter...

 

..but that's life, that's how it is..

..and as this month were soon to come to an end, and all festivities had ended it looked like snow would once again make it's return to mark the beginning of a new year...

Good night.. until next time.. ;)

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