plurk meme { 2020 } christmas shenanigans

[iluvroadrunner6]

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Word Count: 31,200

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this is our christmas and we love it | lee & meg | 1,043

[videti]

It’s safe to say that it’s go big or go home when the Martinsons do Christmas.

Just like their daughter, who jumps in over her head and somehow finds a way to swim, their Christmas plans for girls’ first Christmas back from Purgatory High intend to be a holiday to end all holidays. They still don’t understand, exactly, where the girls were for all this time, and every time Lee tries to explain, it’s as though their eyes glaze over for a moment, but they’re happy to have their daughter back. They’re so glad to have Meg and Davey back. And while they didn’t know Red to all of this before their daughter dying, they sweep her into the family with open arms with a kind of earnest affection Lee is fairly sure Red doesn’t know how to handle.

These moments of overcompensation come in waves, usually settling in between holidays. Still, Christmas triggers something big and flashy. The girls come home from the final days of classes at school to see Lee’s front yard overtaken by a Christmas light show monstrosity, full of blazing, brightly colored lights, cartoonish inflatable figurines, and a full Santa and his reindeer hanging out on the roof. This display happens in stages, but on the final day of the semester, it’s finally lit in all its yuletide glory.

The three girls stand, transfixed, on the front lawn as they take it all in, and Meg turns back to Lee with a frown.

“Were your parents always those people?”

Lee can’t help but nod slowly. “I mean … this might be a little much, even for them.”

Red shrugs in return before making her way back towards the house. “Maybe there will at least be cookies to benefit from.”

Lee laughs before glancing over to Meg. “Too much?”

Meg glances back at her before wrinkling her nose in return. “Maybe a little? You know me. Too much joy, and I might break out into hives.”

Lee laughs. “Too true. But I promise to pull them back if it looks like you might explode.”

“I’m gonna hold you to that,” Meg points out as Red comes right back out the door again.

“Your mom gave me a list for what I’m assuming is some kind of feast.” Red thrusts the piece of paper in Lee’s direction. “She also mentioned that if we wanted to decorate the Christmas cookies, we should get whatever supplies we may need.” Red raises an eyebrow. “Is that a thing? Doing all the work for our dessert?”

Lee nods. “Mom’s got the basic cookie cutters, but she will let us go nuts if we want to get creative.”

“Huh.” Red nods slowly. “Well, lead the way, Christmas experts. I’m just along for this wild and crazy ride.”

Lee smirks before reaching for Meg’s hand and tugging her back to the car. “C’mon. It’ll be fun.”

Meg shakes her head as she goes climbing back into the passenger’s seat. “I already feel itchy.”

- - - - - -

By the time they return from the store, cooling racks cover the island counter in the kitchen and the dining room table, featuring what had to have been hundreds of blank sugar cookies. Each of them was in differing, various holiday shapes. Reindeer, Santa hats, holiday wreaths, gingerbread men, all laid out as far as the eye could see. After giving them a rundown of what to do and with what to implement their dream designs.

“Just to make sure I’m getting the right idea here,” Red says, piping bag in one hand. “We decorate them, and then we eat them. Why decorate in the first place?”

“Because icing is delicious,” Lee replies. “And the presentation, I guess. Odds are, she’s foisting labor off on us because we’re not keeping all of these. Some of these are going to friends of the family.”

“Does she have any rules on what we can decorate them as?” Meg raises a curious eyebrow, and Lee frowns before looking down at the expanse of cookies in front of them.

“Maybe keep these –” She takes a couple of the cooling racks and very delicately moves them to the table. “—as traditional as possible because of Grandma. But other than that, I don’t care.”

Meg grins. It’s a smile that belies the mischief in her eyes. She moves to the opposite end of the counter with a piping bag of her own. “Fantastic.”

Red glances between Lee and Meg before leaning closer to Lee. “Is that a good or a bad thing?”

“We’ll see when she’s done.”

- - - - - -

Many, many hours later, the cookies are done, and the colorful creations stretch out before them. Around ten PM, Lee’s gingerbread men started to get a little disheveled, with their little bowties slightly askew and their faces. Around midnight, Red realized that if the cookies got broken, they became free range to be eaten, and several reindeer lost their antlers under mysterious circumstances. By the time they finished, in the wee hours of the morning, Meg’s edgier Santa Clauses had begun to take on a more goth rock look than when they first started.

Lee’s father will be delighted. Her mother will be grateful that Lee did Grandma’s cookies early and far away from the mysteriously broken ones.

The three girls make their way out to the couch before collapsing down onto it, exhausted and barely able to keep their eyes open. Red stretches out on one corner, kicking her legs up into Lee’s lap while Meg curls up against her opposite side, resting her head on her shoulder.

“That was way too much work for dessert,” Red grumbles. “The icing was pretty good, though.”

Lee snorts as she closes her eyes, curling in closer to her best friend. “I think we did pretty good for first-time decorators.”

“And last time decorators.” Meg shakes her head. “I think I’m going to retire while I’m in demand.”

Lee laughs, already feeling herself starting to succumb to sleep. “Agreed. We have to remember we decided this next year.”

“Mmm-hmmm,” Meg nods, but not long after, the three of them fall asleep, having done their part for a very elaborate Christmas.