Everything We Always Were

Twenty Eight: Merry and Bright

When I wake up on Christmas Day, I can hear my mom downstairs. Glancing at the clock, I realize I slept through my alarm by 20 minutes and jumped out of bed.

After changing into a sweater and some jeans, I rush downstairs and find my mom in the kitchen, and the smell of cooking ham fills my nose. "Well, good morning," She says, without turning around to look at me.

"Morning, sorry I slept through my alarm," I pull my unbrushed hair into a bun to deal with later as I slide into one of the barstools.

"I figured as much, I'm making a Christmas lunch, it's almost done." She finally turns and gives me a smile. "After we eat, you can open your gifts. Oh, and James is here, too?"

I sit up taller, "What? When did he get here?"

"A few minutes before you came down. He's in the living room with your father," She gestures with the spoon in her hand and I get up and make my way into the living room.

James and my dad are sitting on the couch together, a football game on the TV in front of them. The Christmas tree lights are on, even though it's the middle of the day, and I quietly sit in one of the chairs.

"Oh, good morning," James says, making my Dad look up as well.

"Morning, sweetie. Merry Christmas."

"What are you doing here?" I ask James, knowing my dad isn't really paying attention. He loves football but I'm not sure how much time he really has to watch it, so he's immersed in the TV.

"Your mom texted me earlier this morning," He shrugs. "I don't have any plans for the holiday and she invited me over for lunch,"

"That makes sense," I lean back in the armchair and we sit in relative silence for 20 minutes until my mom calls the three of us to the dining room.

Again, the dining table has been cleaned off and set for four people and we all sit and she brings the medium-sized ham and side dishes in with help from my father.

Once everything is on the table, we dig in. My dad carves the ham for us, and we pass around side dishes in the comfortable quiet.

As we eat, my mom asks James about his job and school, and I ignore it, shoveling mashed potatoes into my mouth at an alarming rate. My mom makes them with real potatoes and it's been a while since I have had them and I'm starving.

We all eat in silence, probably all equally as hungry, and when my mom offers pie for dessert, we all decline. As she packs a few pieces into a Tupperware for James, the three of us go back to the living room. My dad sits in the armchair this time, already immersed in the football game again. James and I sit together on the couch and wait for my mom to open the gifts.

She finally comes in, flinging her dirty apron back into the kitchen as she rushes in. "Alright, James. This one is yours, and Delia," She kneels by the tree and holds out two gifts. I take the one wrapped in silver paper, and James takes the green one. She gestures for us to open them and we do.

The box is flat and rectangular so I know what it probably is, and I'm right. A new laptop box. "Thank you,"

When I look over at James, he has started ripping the paper and I notice that his box is identical. They bought him a new laptop, too. It makes a smile form on my face.

"Wow," James' eyes are wide. "Thank you, I wasn't expecting a gift."

"Just free lunch?" My mom jokes, and everyone chuckles. "Just wanted to make sure you got gifts this year too,"

My mom and James share a smile and he sets the laptop box aside.

The next two for each of us are also identical, really making us laugh and joke about how people already think we are siblings. We both got the newest tablets and cell phones. James has never had a tablet, and his phone has always been outdated and cracked.