I buzz around the kitchen in a frenzy. Thank God my kitchen is a large one. I need all the room. I know Andrew's just sitting at the counter, chopping the veggies the wrong way, watching me, grinning. Cocky son of a bitch. If I wasn't so busy, I'd stop, smack him upside the head and kiss him silly. Ah, what's a minute. I go over, lose my fingers in the silkiness of his hair and pull his mouth to mine in a kiss that leaves him breathless.
I'm at the oven checking on the meat pies and patties when he coughs. I turn to him with a smile.
"What was that for?" he asks, running his tongue over his lips. "Not that I minded, you know."
"For love," I tell him, replacing a meat pie with a sugar pie. My specialty.
"I like it."
Over the next hour, I run to and from the kitchen, setting the long table and keeping an eye on the roasting turkeys. With the troup I'm expecting, I need more than one. Everything on that end seems to be going along according to plan. Carm's my first arrival. I barely let her remove her jacket and boots before bundling her into a large apron. As she whines about Canada's cold weather, I let Andrew lead Rodney into the living
room.
In the meantime, my sister keep on working at it in the kitchen. I don't let her touch the food. I love Carm, I do, but she's useless in the kitchen. But she's amazing at arranging the table and I let her do it. Flower arrangement and shit, that's her specialty.
Finally, everything's done. Pies cooling on the window sill, the rest of the food staying warm in the oven and on the hot plates.
"Come on," I nudge my sister, taking off my apron. "Let's get your niece and nephew."
Carm groans. She likes to play it as if she doesn't like kids but I know she does. Every once in a while, I catch her with my kids when she thinks I'm not looking and she's so good with them. Maybe one day...
Anyhow, the twins are stirring back to life when Carm and I get to them. She goes straight to Alexandra and starts changing her into the burgundy velvet dress I laid out for her. I pick up Christopher and dress him in a white turtleneck and black overalls. When we head downstairs, it's to find that Brittni and Scott have arrived, as have Kai and Adam, and Sarah and Jason.
When we appear, Andrew immediately plucks his little daughter from my arms. "Come and sit down. You've been working hard all day," he whispers to me.
"I've had fun," I whisper.
"I don't understand why I have to be here," Scott whines. "I'm not a Christmas person."
"We're here because Katia invited us," Brittni says, "and because I didn't have the time to come up with an excuse to get us out of it."
"That makes me feel so loved," I tell her.
"Don't bug me, you fucking Canuck."
"That's Brittni speak for I love you. Right, Scott?"
Scott's about to agree but Brittni hits him before he can say anything. Kai and Carm are talking with Adam, playing with Alexandra who's doing the charm thing. We're waiting for the other couples and they stagger in one by one. Edna and Dwayne, Sherrie and Shane, Kelly and Paul, Cindy and Brian, Mandy and Chris, Matt and Amy, Savannah and Jeff and
Emily and Lance. We sit around the table.
"I'd like to thank everyone for being here," Andrew said, getting up. "It's been a great year. My Kat gave me my two treasures this year in my babies." Christopher let out a wet gurgle from his godfather Adam's arms, while Scott tried passing a smiling Alexandra over to Brittni, who refused to take her. "Brittni, take Alex and enjoy it, damn it!"
Brittni stuck her tongue at Andrew and took Alex in her arms, getting a Chicago Bulls pen out of her pocket and tucking it in the baby's mouth.
"Now I'm happy. Although I still think you should have named them both Pubert!"
Everyone looks at Brittni who just ignores all the looks and keep playing with my baby girl. I sigh and get up.
"Guys, I just want to say that this is exactly the kind of Christmas I wanted. With me in the kitchen all day and you guys around the table. Thank you all and I hope this Christmas is half as good for me as it is for you!"
We all raise our glasses at the same time and revel in the joy of Christmas.
Note: This is my Christmas wish to all of us. Be full of the true joy of this day. It's less about presents and religion than it is about love, family and friendship! Enjoy!