How Green Becomes Wood

"They look nice," Dark reiterated, tossing the bit of stump in his hand and turning it over to get a good look at all the angles, "I am going to turn it into an ornament. I will probably carve into it... it might be thick enough to carve a relief, but I can definitely engrave it... Turn it into something to remember..." He gestured vaguely towards the room, mostly focused in figuring out what he saw in this wood and what he could turn it into. There hadn't been something he was truly interested in creating since Ivy was born. At least, nothing like this. He had maintained enough creativity to draw, and had nearly filled up a sketchbook of illustrations of the family, but he hadn't had any interest in his shed. Now...

He only looked up when Ivy began to cry, but then he looked back down when he saw Daizi fetched her. "Look, habibti," she cooed, bouncing Ivy while trying to figure out what she needed, "we have a tree! A tree in Ivy's house? The lights are so pretty, right Hummingbird? Yes they are!"
 
Xander fought the urge to make a face at Daizi's voice and words. He understood the need for repetition and lots of talking, but did it have to sound like, well, baby talk? Why couldn't they just talk normally? Ivy would pick it up either way. Oh well. It wasn't a big thing, just annoying.

"Now we have somewhere to put the gifts," Alec remarked musingly. "At least, I have a couple to put there. Enkidu won't try to shred them, will he?"
 
Even had Daizi been able to see, and had Xander failed to resist making a face, Daizi wouldn't have noticed his reaction, Ivy took too much of her attention. She just couldn't help it, the moment that little bean was in her arms, all she really wanted to do was obsess over her. Especially now that the tension that had marked her initial weeks was gone, or at least not so heavy, so she was much more comfortable cooing at and gushing over Ivy.

"No, he is not particularly destructive," Dark replied, putting the bit of wood into his pocket and then going to the tree to look more closely at the specific ornaments. He chuckled at the mouse, "You are really dedicated to this nickname for her. That is cute."
 
Xander shrugged, not seeing the need to defend what, to him, was a perfectly obvious choice. "So, are you going to do the whole gift exchange thing? Alec always wants to get everyone something so no one feels left out." He didn't say that he felt the same way. Getting one person a gift and not another person meant you liked one person more than another. Logically, he knew that wasn't exactly the best way to look at things, but he couldn't help it.

"Cooger thinks Xander puts too much thought into putting the right ornament to the right person," Alec said cheerfully.

"Cooger didn't know exactly what he wanted but had to search through hundreds of dangling doo-dads to find it," Xander said dryly.
 
"We give presents," Dark responded, not fully understanding what Xander was asking, "I mean. Daizi and I put both our names on Ivy's, because it felt wrong to not give her anything, but at the same time she is not old enough to conceptualize what a present is. Next year she will be a year old and able to understand at least vaguely the concept of it...But we both bought you two something, and we have gifts for each other and for Cooger."

He looked back at the tree, crossing his arms, "Cooger never liked literature class because he hates metaphors. But I think you chose well, mostly. Mine is more a statement of fact rather than an abstract representation," he turned it slightly in his hand and chuckled softly, "and I do appreciate having a Spider on the tree for Daizi. But you two did cheat a little, choosing my nickname for her. If I did not call her Spider, what would you have chosen?"
 
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"I couldn't find any geese, sorry, or tarot cards or hummingbirds," Xander said.

"We could look out of season and see if there's anything that could function as a tree ornament," Alec suggested. "Hummingbirds are really popular. We might even be able to find a goose or a tarot card."

Xander snickered. Then he paused, frowning, realizing what he hadn't found. Well, he knew what he was doing this afternoon: a frantic online search for the fastest delivery of a "mommy's first Christmas" he could find. Shaking it off, he said to Dark, "Other than spiders and geese, I was able to find this one." He pointed out the "Daddy's first Christmas" ornament. He'd hung it around the side toward the back just so Dark wouldn't see it immediately.
 
"No, it is alright. I can make whatever we are missing," Dark murmured, noting Xander didn't answer his question but not pushing it. It was a simple curiosity, not really a big deal. If it wasn't for the little mouse ornament it wouldn't even have occurred to him to ask, but that mouse proved he had opinions about them and what best represented them, and he wanted to know those interpretations.

He turned the Daddy's first Christmas ornament over in his hand, "You know," he said softly, "I had not thought of it that way."
 
"Congratulations," Alec smiled. "You get your very first Christmas in the new version of you."

"That's a way to look at it," Xander said thoughtfully.

"The tree is still a bit sparse, but that's okay. We'll fill it up a little more each year," Alec told Dark. "We'll start with the unbreakable stuff first, I figure."
 
"Yes..." He murmured, looking closely at the ornament. It wasn't really something he liked to think about, but he was a new version of himself. In all these years, he hadn't forgotten the youthful version of himself who swore he'd never have kids, that he'd never fall in love, and that there was nothing in his future. But that's not who he was, anymore. God, he thought, if only he hadn't wasted the first half of his life.

But all he said was, "It is your first Christmas as a new version of yourself, too. I do not mind the gaps in the tree."
 
Alec smiled and touched Dark's elbow. "I look forward to learning who we all are now. We are quite the interesting family."

"That's putting it lightly," Xander agreed, busily trying to look up a "mommy" ornament for Daizi. Perhaps he could add the braille? Or talk to Dark about making one with braille and pretend like that was his plan all along. "The tree looks awesome."
 
A tiny smile flashed over Dark's face and he stepped back from the tree, allowing the ornament to dangle peacefully. "It is better that way. I do not think I would be happy in a 'normal' family. The tree does look wonderful. I am sure Enkidu was rather confused with this commotion, he has never watched a tree go up before." He stretched, sitting on the couch for a little while, "Ivy is healthy. Still healthy. She is growing well... If she were born on time she would be a month old, so... We are probably now only two months away from her sleeping all the way through the night."
 
"That'll be nice for everyone involved," Alec sighed, sitting with Dark but giving him his space. "Enkidu was a good boy. Confused, but good."

"I wonder if we'll see Aunt Ciara for Christmas," Xander mused. "We should stop by and say high to Sloan, too."

"She doesn't celebrate Christmas."

"Yeah, but isn't Christmas about reaching out to everyone and sharing the joy? At least, I think that's what the ghosts were telling the dude in the nightgown."
 
"She is sleeping for longer stretches at a time, at least. Last night she slept for over an hour at one time. Until she has sleep regression, we should be beyond the worst of it." He rubbed his hands over his face, "I am glad it will be some time before her next appointment. I hate how she screams when she gets her shots. We can invite Ciara over, if you would like to. I will have to plan a fancier dinner if we are having more guests than just Cooger. I do not know what you are supposed to eat for Christmas."
 
"We don't have to if you don't want to," Alec assured him. "I know you don't really... 'do' Christmas, so if you don't want to go out of your way, that's okay with us. We're happy with just a few things."

"A tree, a few gifts, and all the food we can eat," Xander smirked.

Alec rolled his eyes. "The tree and maybe putting up with some songs is all we ask."
 
"No, listen," He said, sitting up straight, "It is something you celebrate, so it is something we will celebrate. You did sebou with us, and I am sure this year you will do both Eids. It is your home too, and your traditions are just as important as ours." He settled back into the couch, "Blended families do both."

Daizi came downstairs bringing Ivy, who was now fully awake and happy with all her needs met, and she joined them on the couch, sitting on the other side of Alec, "What are we talking about?"
 
ALec flushed, both pleased and embarrassed by Dark's sudden passion. When Daizi came down, he told her, "Blended families celebrating a variety of traditions."

Xander paused to study Dark for a moment. He hadn't thought this would be something so important to Dark. It was important to Xander, too, but he'd more or less resigned himself to the idea that either Christmas wouldn't be celebrated at all, or it would be a small celebration that just he and Alec did for fun. He hadn't thought that Dark would actively want to help them keep their tradition alive. He looked down, processing that thought and how it made him feel.
 
"That's a very interesting conversation," She said, settling in, "I hope I'm not interrupting."

"You? Never. How is she?" Dark replied, leaning slightly to the side to look over Alec at his wife and infant daughter before once more settling down.

"Calm now. The sweet girl was a little cranky, but she figured it out." She bent and kissed Ivy who wiggled in response, "Alec, Xander, what do you two normally do for Christmas? What do you both want to do here?"
 
The twins glanced at each other, making certain they were in agreement before Alec spoke. "We always tried to celebrate Christmas, and we loved the time of year because our mum nearly always got it off from work," Alec said. "Sometimes she'd work the day of Christmas to get the holiday pay, but then she'd get the days right after off, and we'd spend it together." He smiled fondly at the tree. "We'd always have a tree of some kind, but never one this big or this nice, and we'd each get a present. Something small, usually, but important. Something we wouldn't or couldn't get at any other time of year. Then we'd just... spend time together. There was always music going, sometimes we'd play in the snow, or once in a while, we'd go somewhere nice to eat. It was pretty small and relaxed compared to what other people do from what I hear the other kids talk about, but we liked it."

"I think it was marking it as a special day about family more than anything else," Xander agreed. "We didn't celebrate it as a religious holiday or do Santa. It was just... special because we could be together. I think that's what we want here."

"Plus music," Alec added.

Xander nodded. "The music and hot cocoa is an absolute must more than even the tree or gifts."
 
"We'll do all of that, then." Daizi said, and to her there wasn't the slightest possibility they'd decide to do something else. "Won't that be fun, Hummingbird? You get to have Christmas too, you do! ... I'm sorry Dark and I didn't think to get a tree, it just hadn't occured to us."

"It is nice your mom would take the day off. And we have Bluetooth speakers so having the music down here would be very easy, but--" He looked towards the door, as if at any moment he expected Cooger to break it down, "if you make a playlist maybe do not include that song from Charlie Brown? When I lived with Cooger, every year--every year--he would make me watch that movie, and it would always be in my head until New Years."

"Well... Darling, I think that song is probably necessary at Christmas," Daizi said quietly. Secretly, she found it really enjoyable and fun to dance absurdly to.
 
"That's alright. It didn't really occur to us, either," Alec assured Daizi.

"You mean the Peanuts Christmas special?" Xander asked, rubbing his chin. "I guess we could skip that one, but it sure feels wrong. Still, compromises and all that." He was already planning on trying to figure out a way to sneak in the song in a way Dark wouldn't notice. Perhaps play it really softly in the next room? Hide a player under his bed?
 
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