TROUVAILLE ... l.danes (REWRITE)

chapter twenty-five; the past

THE EVER-PRESENT SCENT OF CINNAMON

nineteen-eighty-four

A CHRISTMAS Story plays on the crackling television at the front of the room. Nobody is paying any attention, all stuck to their respective tasks. This happens all the time. They stick on a movie for some background noise, and then, when they are done, finally get together to sit down and watch the movie of their choice. This year, it's his Dad's turn to choose.

Liz and Lucas are adding the finishing touches to the tree in the corner of the room behind the tree. It is the only time of year they get along, making a pact they actually stick to, to not cause any trouble for their father. It is surprisingly not hard for them, but that might have something to do with the eggnog bubbling away on the stove and the ever-present scent of cinnamon that clings to the air no matter what.

Liz squeals and presses her nose to the window. The first snows of the holidays have started to fall and are settling along the quiet roads of Stars Hollow. Soon enough, there will be a blanket that shrouds the town in quietness, all of them too afraid to break the cozy quietness brought to them by the pillowy whiteness. Another squeal echoes through the air and Shelley races across the living room to press up next to Liz and get a look at the snow.

They talk about putting on their snow boots and going outside to jump around before anybody can ruin it. But, they are quickly shot down by Uncle Marlon. Lucas chuckles as he reaches up to fix the twinkling star at the top of the tree. Every year, Shelley and Liz want to go outside in the snow and every year, they are told to wait until after the movie.

Laughter chimes from the kitchen. Aunt Pamela has been showing their Dad how to make a gingerbread house. It's been going on for a few hours now and every time Lucas walks into the kitchen, he's met with the sight of more broken gingerbread that he gets to take through to the girls finishing up the decorations. He hasn't stopped smiling since they all arrived. It's like Shelley and the St James' are injected with Christmas Spirit that they must sprinkle over the rest of them.

This is his favourite tradition, but he wouldn't tell anybody that.

Every year, the Danes and the St James get together a week or so before Christmas and finish putting up the decorations, taking turns in each house that they go to. This year, it's the Danes'. Pamela and William spend most of the time in the kitchen making food, or eggnog, or whatever it is they can think of to make the house smell like Christmas instead of just weeks-old wood chippings and stale paint. Marlon is in charge of pulling out the boxes of decorations from wherever they are hidden, and Lucas, Liz and Shelley are the ones who have to string them all up. Shelley is oddly good at it.

He would not give this up for anything.

What will happen if Shelley goes off to college? Will she come back to do this, or will she stay in her Harvard dorm room and cover that in green-and-red tinsel to echo Santa's Grotto? Will she watch Christmas movies with them or go carolling with a roommate she's only known for half a year? Will she even miss this?

He decides not to think about it for now. He doesn't even know if she got in. All he knows is that it's almost Christmas and the eggnog is almost ready and his Dad is actually managing to build a gingerbread house without it smashing and falling. All he needs now is to sit down, watch a movie he loves, and laugh. He always spends this kind of day laughing.