Christmas OneShots

𝙰𝚕𝚕 𝙸 𝚆𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝙲𝚑𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚖𝚊𝚜

"𝙸 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚊 𝚕𝚘𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝙲𝚑𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚖𝚊𝚜. 𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚒𝚜 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙸 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍. 𝙸 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙲𝚑𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚖𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚛𝚎𝚎. 𝙸 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚖𝚢 𝚘𝚠𝚗, 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠. 𝙼𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚖𝚢 𝚠𝚒𝚜𝚑 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚛𝚞𝚎. 𝙰𝚕𝚕 𝙸 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝙲𝚑𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚖𝚊𝚜 𝚒𝚜 𝚢𝚘𝚞."

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It's half two when I finally make it downstairs Tuesday morning. It's the loud Christmas music and clanking pans that woke me from my deep slumber. After traveling most of the night, I'm surprised even that woke me up. I make my way to the kitchen where I find Anne and Gemma, singing along with the radio. I smile as Gemma spins around the room with a mixing bowl in her hands. She twirls and twirls until she nearly knocks me off my feet. I grab the counter to keep my balance and she stumbles into the kitchen table before bursting into a fit of laughter.

"Well good morning, sleepyhead!" Gemma exclaims after regaining her balance too. "Nice of you to join us!"

Anne shoots Gemma a glare before flashing me a reassuring smile. "Afternoon, Love. How'd you sleep?" she asks, dusting her hands on her apron as she rounds the counter. "I know Harry's old bed isn't the most comfortable..."

I shake my head. "It was perfect, Anne, really. Thank you," I assure her, returning the smile.

"Probably smelt like his old funk though, didn't it?" Gemma jokes as she takes the mixing bowl back to the counter and begins scooping the cookie dough onto a baking pan.

"Ignore her," Anne says, waving off her daughter who just laughs. "Would you like to join us? We could sure use some help. Gemma's spent more time singing along with the tunes on the radio and checking her phone than she has baking."

"Oh please! I'm just checking to see if Michal's here yet. He said he'd be getting here 'round this time," Gemma says defensively. "And I've done more than you, mum. You've been sampling everything since we started. By the time were done, there won't be any treats for the party!"

I stifle a laugh at their lighthearted banter. It's oddly comforting and a good distraction from the loneliness I've been feeling lately. Ever since Harry left for the states, our house has felt quite empty. It's nice to have people around again and not just phone calls.

The sound of the doorbell interrupts their argument and a bright smile immediately spreads across Gemma's face. "He's here!"

Anne rolls her eyes again as Gemma bolts out of the room, leaving her half-completed tray of cookies on the counter. "Guess I'll be finishing those," she mumbles, 'rounding the counter again.

"I can help!" I pipe in, grabbing an apron from a hook on the wall. "Not sure how great they'll turn out, but I've been watching Harry. I think I can handle it."

Anne smiles and nods. "Alright then. I'll finish the gingerbread and you can get those prepped for the oven," she replies. I do as I'm told and begin scooping mounds of dough onto the pan as Anne begins mixing up some more. We work in silence until Gemma and Michal come barreling into the kitchen, laughing about something one of them must've said in the foyer.

"Hello, Michal," Anne says, flashing him a smile. "How was the drive from London?"

"Not too bad," he replies as he drapes an arm over Gemma's shoulders. I can't help but feel a pang of jealousy as I watch them. It makes me think of Harry and how much I wish he were here with us. I try to push the feelings back as I listen to their conversation, but it's hard. It's hard to not feel a little woeful. Harry's been gone for almost four months, promoting his new album. While I've been used to this lifestyle for quite some time now, it doesn't make it any easier this time of year. Christmas is the time to be with loved ones and the one that I love the most is halfway across the globe.