The Alpha Sunshine

Christmas.

The Kahn Mansion had been decorated for Christmas for the first time in two hundred something years. When Lucille had gone searching for boxes of decorations, she was shocked to find that they didn't decorate. She didn't understand. Sofi told her that they didn't celebrate as a pack. They didn't own festive Santas, or blow-up reindeers for the front yard. That wasn't okay. She had dragged Balthazar and Kate to the closest Macy's, and picked up ornaments, and all kinds of decorations. She had several pack women add embellishments everywhere.

She had remembered seeing a box in the attic, one marked as "Old Xmas". She had Kate drag it out. She blew all the dust off, and had to cut the masking tape off the top. It was ornaments. Homemade, from Thaddeus and all his brothers. They were a tad ragged, falling apart. But they had character-and she liked that. Once they had been brought downstairs, she set them in the living room along with her bags of ornaments. And then she was stumped.

Where was the tree? Kate reminded her that Thaddeus did not normally celebrate. They didn't do trees, or Christmas dinner. The Kahn family did-but Thaddeus did not attend. Ever. She sat on the couch, and put a hand on her stomach. No Christmas? She stood determined. There would be a Christmas. She would make sure of it.

Thaddeus was in the middle of a meeting when he smelled pine. It was a distinctive smell. They didn't have pine on the property-only outside in the woods. He stood from his chair, interrupting Wren's presentation. He moved the blinds back, and almost laughed at the sight. There were two pack members struggling to carry a huge pine tree through his front door. And guiding them was his wife. He didn't know what she was up to, so he let her continue.

Once the tree was up, she had Kate put the pretty white skirt underneath. The tree was big, and had healthy green thistles. She called up the stairs for pack members that were free. She tipped all the bags over, and laid all the ornaments out. When they came down the stairs confused, she just smiled and gestured. They picked up the ornaments, unsure.

She went about her business, placing ornaments here and there. Lulu took the special box, and started unloading those, too. She giggled when she found one of Thad's. It was a paper mache circle, with pieces of macaroni glued to it. There was also an explosion of glitter. There was a picture of him when he was little, looking a tad naughty in the center. The back read "Thaddy's sixth Xmas". She hung it right in the front of the tree, so everyone could see. She found an old gold star at the bottom of the box. It was a tree topper. She handed it to Balthazar, who went in search of a ladder. Once he placed it on the top, where it belonged, Lulu flipped the lights on. The tree was magnificent. She loved it. The pack members were silent, choked up.

The Luna had made their house look like a home. They had a tree, and a blown up snow globe in the front yard. There were lit candles scattering the home, emitting smells of peppermint and cinnamon. They didn't celebrate Christmas. But their Luna? She most certainly did. They admired her in the lights of the tree. Her Christmas sweater was so ugly, and yet so cute. It had a big reindeer on the front, with antlers for sleeves. There was a big puffball nose right on her tummy, pronouncing her extremely pregnant belly. She had her curls down, and had on a red headband that made her blonde locks look vibrant.

She was in red plaid shorts, and had on bunny slippers. She looked delighted with their work, and she cheered them on like a mother would. They loved her. She had so much spirit, and heart. She let them continue to decorate, and went to the kitchen.

She made snickerdoodle cookies, and the smell ran through all the halls. She put them on big Christmas plates, with cute sayings "To Santa". She carried them into the living room, and then up the stairs. She knocked on the conference room door. Thaddeus was oblivious to her adjustments of the house, but wasn't unobservant. He called for her to enter, and when she did, she made him grin. She looked like a picture. With her tacky Christmas sweater, and bunny slippers. She passed the plates of cookies to the men, smiling motherly when they moaned and ate quickly.