i barely ever do anything for the holidays, but i got some inspiration :)

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“Seraph, can you get a plate from the top shelf? The one with the Christmas tree on it?” Victor asked, grinning as he struggled to hold a jug of milk steady over a glass.

Seraph placed the plate on the counter, folding his hands behind his back. He stared down at the tray of warm cookies, leaning forward to sniff them.

“Remember that we're not supposed to eat those, Ser,” Victor said, bringing a dangerously full glass of milk to the coffee table, “They're for Santa.”

Seraph tugged at the collar of sweater, turning to look at Victor. “Victor, brother, may I ask what exactly this ritual is? I have never celebrated the Winter Solstice on Earth before.”

Esper sat down his mug of hot chocolate. “I would kinda like a explanation too.”

Victor’s face lit up. “Alright, so, it's called Christmas, first of all. Every year on the twenty-fifth, an immortal ice mage named Santa Claus comes with his team of reindeer to deliver presents to everyone's houses! But, like, only if you're good. If you're not good, Santa only gives you coal.”

Esper was spellbound. “He visits every house on this planet?”

“That does not seem possible. Are you sure he does not only visit Alcorith?” Seraph said, rubbing his chin.

“No, no, he has magic reindeer, so he can get to every single kid.”

“They must be spirits. Powerful spirits,” Seraph observed.

Victor rubbed his wrists. “Yeah, I guess so. But we have to set out cookies and milk, since traveling makes him hungry.”

Seraph shot the glass a questioning look. “Will Santa accept soy milk as a proper sacrifice?”

“Yeah, Umbry told me Santa was lactose intolerant.”

“We are lucky that Father knows about Santa’s health records. Otherwise we could accidentally harm him.”

----

“I’m surprised that Mr. Umbra is okay with a stranger coming into his house, immortal gift-giver or not,” Esper murmured, settling onto the couch beside Matthew, “Will we leave the door unlocked?”

“Excuse me?” Matthew said, blinking.

“You know, Santa Claus. Victor told me and Seraph that he was visiting tonight.”

Matthew grinned, “Oh, did he?”

“Yes, he did. Anyway, I was curious if I'll be able to see him? Is there a scheduled time for him to come?”

“Esper…” Matthew said meekly, scratching the back of his head, “Santa’s not really, um, real. It's something we do on Earth for kids. Umbra and I will set out some gifts under the tree, and we tell Victor that Santa delivered them.”

Esper’s mouth hung open. “You're lying to him?”

“It's not like that! It's just something that parents tell the kids to make the holiday more magical.” Matthew sighed, nursing a mug under his chin, “Umbra and I didn't have good Christmases before we adopted Victor. We wanted to make sure that he really felt just how amazing Christmas time can be.”

“So you're not going to tell him Santa’s just a myth?”

“I'm sure he will figure it out in a year or two, the same with Seraph. But right now, I want them to just, I don’t know, be kids for a while. Sometimes I feel like those two are growing up too fast.”

Slowly, Esper nodded. “I think I understand, Mr. Matthew.”

Matthew patted him on the back. “Good. But I promise Christmas isn't ruined. Now you just know where the gifts come from. Hey, if you want, Umbra and I will wake you up tonight and you can eat the cookies with us.”

Esper crossed his legs, leaning against Matthew’s shoulder. “I think Victor and Seraph will have an amazing Christmas.”

----

“Dad! Dad!” Victor barked, shaking Umbra frantically. Seraph was at his side, shoving at his other shoulder.

Umbra rose up, rubbing his face. “What's going on?” he asked.

“I hear Santa’s reindeer!” Victor exclaimed.

“He is right! They are on the roof!”

Umbra paused, furrowing his brow as he focused his hearing. Sure enough, above them, there was the distinct noise of hooves on shingles.

Cold sweat on his neck, Umbra leapt out of bed, throwing on a pair of flannel pants.

“Dad, where are you going?”

“I'm gonna go, uh,” Umbra faulted as he narrowingly prevented himself from voicing his worries about a possible intruder, “Say hello to Santa.”

Stumbling downstairs, Umbra saw Matthew through the glass door, standing in the backyard. Matthew pressed a finger to his lips, ushering him with his hand.

Umbra pushed open the door, coming to Matthew’s side. Matthew pointed to the roof, a smile on his lips.

“Look,” he said, his cheeks red from the cold.

Esper stood on the top of the house, stamping the hooves of his stag form on the roof. His teeth were grit with concentration as he carefully stepped around the house, giving the illusion that there were far more deer than just himself.

“So you told him, huh?” Umbra said, shivering and pulling closer to Matthew.

Matthew nodded, wrapping an arm around Umbra’s shoulders. “He's got a good heart. Victor and Seraph are hearing this, right?”

“They woke me up. I've never seen them so excited.”

Shaking his head, Matthew turned to the door. “Let's get inside. It's freezing.” He smiled, taking a deep breath, “Plus I think it's time for Santa to deliver some gifts.”