Smoke And Mirrors

•Seventeen•

We sang Christmas songs loudly as we drove home, the van was full of the styrofoam cups that held hot chocolate. Kelly parked outside the garage and Josh came out singing—good thing their neighbors were a mile down the road.
Everybody helps bring in the Christmas tree— Ronnie runs to the basement to get the tree stand, putting it in a certain spot by the window and the fireplace. The twins place the stump carefully end of the center. Sam twists knobs to make tight against the wood. So that the tree was would be able to hold still, which it did.

Karen puts five big bins on the couch— The bins were see-through. An assortment of colors and shapes, textures and words spread across what seemed to be hundreds ornaments.

Kelly put on Paul McCartney's Wonderful Christmas Time on a 45 record. "Who's doing lights with me?" Kelly lifts up three bundles of tangled lights, the wires green to match the tree.

Sam put his finger on his nose. Everyone caught on, and quickly put their fingers on their to the tips of their noses—even Karen.
I didn't realize what was happening until it was too late and I was the only nose untouched.

"Ahh, perfect. Have you ever strung lights on a tree?" Kelly plugs in one bundle and it looked like a fireball in his hand.

"No, I've only ever had a fake tree with lights on it." My faces gets red and embarrassed.

"Today is a learning day for you," He untangles a few feet of the wire and then hands me the rest, "slowly unravel that, walk around the tree and I'll place the lights in the tree behind you." He grabs the unraveled string of lights and gently shoves them into the layers of the tree.
I carefully start to untangle the ball of decorative lights in front of Kelly who was squatting down to get the bottom of the tree.
Jake made even more hot chocolate for everyone in the kitchen—over the stove.
Josh grabbed Karen by her hands.

She groans "Joshua-"

"Dance mama, dance." He puts his arm around her, scooping her in, and held her hand. She rolls her eyes and places her palm on his shoulder and held his hand back. The started to dance around, in a sort of silly way. Not actually ball dancing, it was a bit sloppy as they say along to Paul's magnificent creation of a song. The dancing was fast paced as the trotted around in a mini circle.

Sam laughs from behind Ronnie, he was braiding her long hair. His nimble fingers moving quickly through her fawn colored hair, twisting it and tying it off.

"Can you let me finish off the top of the tree," I ask.

"Of course!" He hands the remaining lights.

I go on my tips toes to reach the top of the tree, tossing up strand after strand—wrapping it with lights.
I step back and look at what I helped him do. The whole tree was covered in colorful lights.

"And it only took 200 bulbs," Kelly smiles.

"That was 200?!" I cover my mouth a little.

"Yeah surprisingly, got a few steps in too." He pats his stomach.

The song ends and Josh did a big dip with his mom in his hands. Aloud cackle came from her lungs as she gripped onto to him—hoping she wouldn't fall.
Sam and Ronnie were pushing at each other and bickering.
Jake walks out with a mug shaped like Snoop's red dog house—strung with a few stands of lights, filled with hot chocolate with a pile of whip cream.

"Hot chocolate is done, everybody's mugs are on the kitchen counter." Jake sets his on a cork coaster that was on the coffee table.

Josh tilts his mom back up and pats her back, "Hope I didn't scare ya too much there mama."

She shakes her head, "I've gotten more of a fright from you."