A Christmas celebration

A christmas story F1 style

It was December 23. The snow was falling heavy outside and by the fireplace Fernando sat cocooned inside a blanket, with Mark sitting beside chatting and laughing. Kimi was setting the Christmas tree up with a little help from Daniel. Lewis sat on the floor playing with his two dogs Roscoe and Coco. I was standing in the kitchen looking over at the other drivers. We came from different countries so my mind started to wander, because we all had different ways of celebrating Christmas. Well, except Mark and Daniel. They were both from Australia. Would this go well? For now, it was perfect. Everyone was in a good mood and that made me relax a bit more.

"Sebastian? Can you hear me?" a slight accent in his voice made me know it was Kimi. I looked up with a somewhat confused look, and I knew that since both Kimi and Daniel looked at me with slight annoyance that they had tried to get in contact with me for some time now. "You did not catch a word I said, did you? We need your help to decorate the tree." Daniel tried to muffle a laugh, as Kimi talked to me with the stern voice of his. "Don't laugh Daniel." The Spaniard Fernando called out from his cocoon of blankets, which caused Daniel to laugh even higher. Literally falling to the floor, as he laughed on.

"Okay, up with you Daniel. We have a Christmas tree to decorate" I smirked carefully kicking his leg to get him up. Lewis already had the Christmas tree decorations in his hand, and looked at us with a sly grin. His dogs had already gone over to their dog beds and was fast asleep. Mark dragged a cold, how did we not know, Fernando out of his cocoon. Soon the tree was decorated, and Kimi went to the kitchen make rise porridge, or as he said Riisipurro. We also had a competition to find the almond in the porridge.

The rise porridge took about 1 hour to make so we were somehow able to start discussing whether kangaroos or reindeer were dragging Santa Claus's sleigh. Because in Australia they believed that kangaroos were dragging Santa's sleigh.

"So, what are we going to eat tomorrow?" Lewis asked curiously, since we all had different traditions. Mark raised an eyebrow and answered, "Not BBQ at least, way too cold for that now." Of course, it is, I thought about that good goose my mom used to make for my family, we normally called it Weihnachtsgans. The German word for it, and if you still haven't got it: I am from Germany. And for the record Lewis is from England.

"I think Kimi should decide, after all this is his home country." I suggested with a small smile in his direction. He looked at me, smiling that adorable crooked smile of his.

"Well, I do have an idea." Kimi answered and took the spoon of rise porridge in his mouth.

"Guys, I think there is something in my porridge." Daniel said as he spat the almond out of his mouth, winning the marzipan.

24.December. Kimi was in the kitchen all day, except some few breaks here and there. Where he went to the bathroom or a little chat. Lewis and Daniel were outside with Roscoe and Coco. Playing in the snow, like kids. And today we were ready to eat this big delicious dinner. Fernando and I sat on the couch watching the TV, while Mark helped Kimi setting the plates out on the dining table.

"Nando? How are you feeling today?" I asked turning my head towards him. Fernando looked up at me and grinned at me. "I am freezing my butt of, how does Kimi survive this place? Other than that I am really good. Christmas spirit and all." He shrugged and dragged the blanket more around him as if he got colder just mentioning the freezing air outside.

"You are such a frosty little kid Nando." A voice said from behind us and Mark bent down behind Fernando, giving him a good old bear hug. Fernando giving himself into the hug sighing at the heat. I shrugged, stood up and walked over to the kitchen, where Kimi stood making all sorts of weird foods.

"Kimi? Can I help you with anything at all?" I questioned him and saw him staring into my eyes as I looked at his face. "Sure, you can put together the Kinkku." He told me and pointed at the counter. "Kinkku? How do I make that?" confusion all over my face.

"Sebastian. It is baked ham with homemade mustard, it is pretty easy to make." Kimi explained and my face lit up at the explanation.

"Hey, Seb? How does it go with the Kinkku?" Kimi asked from the other side of the kitchen.

"Guys, you know Kinkku sounds like kink, right?" Daniel said with a suggestive smirk. "OW" he halfway yelled. Looking over at Lewis who tried to keep a serious face and look super innocent. "What? I didn't do anything." Lewis pressed out between the muffled laughs.

"So, what is Kinkku anyway?" Mark asked. He and Fernando, we still don't know how Mark got him out of the blankets, had made their way over to the kitchen.

"Kinnuk is baked ham with homemade mustard." The answer came quick and precise, but the other guys seemed to have fun with something he said. "What? Do I have mustard in my face?" Kimi shook his head and told me that I did not say Kinkku, but Kinnuk. Oh well, shit happens I thought and gave them a pouty look. "Back home in Germany we always used to have goose and glüwein, what do u normally eat in the Christmas time?" I asked. "In Spain, we usually have cocido it is a food that stands mostly of meat and vegetables." Fernando stated and looked somewhat dreamily for warmer lands. "What? Are you saying it is too cold for you here?" Lewis joked, and caused a laughter bullet to ring through the whole house. Fernando pouted slightly and turned to walk away, just to stumble in a chair. And because he weren't able to be serious he began to laugh with us.

Mark went over to help him up, but on the way, they were able to end up under the mistletoe. Daniel doubled over in laughter and pressed out a little sentence. "That should have been Seb and Kimi." Shocked we locked eyes and began to blush, before looking away. Then yet again we heard an ow, and Daniel was on the floor with Lewis laughing slightly at the other.

"That's karma. Oh, and by the way, in England we often eat turkey and Christmas pudding. We do mostly celebrate the Christmas in large families and stuff, but this is quite cosy. I could get used to this." Lewis said. Mark and Nando were still looking at each other dumbfounded. "Rules are rules, right?" Fernando said and tiptoed up to Mark's mouth. A cute little peck on the mouth at first, then a bit testier. Suddenly I felt a hand lock around mine. Beside me was Kimi, yes this could be a very perfect Christmas indeed.