two doors down

the holiday spirit

a few months later

y/n pov
it was late november now, we had all finished school but mattie and cosmo had another 2 weeks.

we are to fly out next week and go visit lizzie's family for christmas which i'm so nervous about. 

monica had gone on holidays so rose was always on her phone texting her now.
we were at our house while her mum and lizzie started christmas shopping.

colin had brought us a tree earlier today but we were waiting till later to decorate. with hot chocolates in our hands and elf on the tv i settled in for another cozy winter.

i've made my peace with christmas now and the most id enjoy of it was the wether and movies. but this year seems different. i mean its the first year we had a tree.

when the boys came running inside cosmo screamed at the size of it.
"OH MY GOD LIZZIE DOES THIS MEAN SANTA COMES TO YOUR HOUSE. SANTA HAS NEVER VISITED ME BEFORE" mattie says in excitement.

my heart aches for him knowing exactly what it feels like.
"every year mattie" lizzie smiled sadly. her and scarlett dropped bags on the kitchen bench as they went to hide a few in her room.

they then returned with the christmas decorations. scarlett herself doesn't celebrate christmas but her kids do.

"so you've never gotten christmas presents from santa?" cosmo asked my brother.

"i've never gotten any christmas presents" he answered back not seeing the weight it had to the adults.

i caught lizzie's gaze and she gave me the look silently asking if i fell to the same fate and i nodded lightly.

"well mattie, this just means you're going to have to write an extra long list to make up for it then won't you" scarlett says and i see lizzie laugh at it but i can tell she's already plotting to spoil him.

"i get to ask for things?" he questioned shocked.
"yeah buddy, anything you want" i said to make him stop talking. the mood was getting sadder and sadder.

"mattie this is the most important part, since it's your first christmas you HAVE to put the star on the tree" cosmo insisted.

i put a total of 1 thing on the tree before sitting back down.  i zoned out remembering past christmas's.

"hey y/n come try this" rose says handing me a glass of something. i eye her suspiciously but sip it.

"what is this" i said once i sipped it and it tasted of milky alcohol.

"girls! you should not be drinking that!" scarlett said with a laugh rushing over. i freeze my heart racing. the glass drops from my hand and i take a step back.

"i'm sorry" i bent down to clean it up piling the glass in my hand before getting something to mop it up.

"y/n i just meant you're not supposed to drink it straight like that, we bought stuff to make it fancy" scarlett said pulling me from the floor. lizzie had gone to get the dustpan and brush.

rose got me to sit down and looked at me like she was trying to figure everything about me out.
scarlett made up our drinks "the right way". once she did that rose and her went to joking the boys  as they watched the christmas movie. while lizzie sat beside me at the kitchen bench.

"so, what was christmas like before?" she asked gently easing into the subject.

"like nothing, the most i celebrated christmas was at school when we coloured in pictures or had an end of year party" i shrugged.

"santa never came? no tree decorating, nothing?" i just shook my head at her words. i know lizzie came from a big loving family. so i know this was all a shock for a kid to not know the spirit of christmas.
"well i guess we have to go all out this year then don't we" she tried to bring the mood back.

"i don't want you to spend any money on me. i don't need anything really. you have already given me more than i need" i assured her. i would feel to bad otherwise.

"well it's a little late for that" lizzie laughed taking another sip of her drink.
"let me spoil you, this is the first time i've had a daughter, or a son for that matter and i'd like to spoil you both because i can. and because you guys deserve it"

"scarlett was even telling me about her kids elf on the shelf and i went and got one today, i think it's going to be so fun but i don't know how im supposed to start it"

"mattie will be so into that, it's a good idea" you're a good mum. i wanted to say. she's the best mother figure i've ever had in my life.

scarlett had called her my mum a few times and i never corrected her. becuase to me, she is my real mother, the closest thing ive ever had to one.

i don't think she understands how grateful i am for her and what she does for mattie and i. my whole life i've missed out on so much and she's just here fixing it all.

i don't know how someone can be so generous all the time. she has never raised her voice at us, never hit us, never forgotten to go grocery shopping. she doesn't even drink around us. i just want to tell her how great she's doing. even if she has her doubts that she's doing a good job.

we both finish our drinks and i excuse myself to have a shower before dinner. "oh wait honey before you go" lizzie said coming down the hall with a small grin.

"i did tell you we were going all out" she said handing me a set of new christmas pyjamas. a part of a family set it said on the cover.  i smiled at her.

"thank you, mum. for everything"

a/n
update 2 of my 12 days of wattpad!