What’s A Christmas Anyway?

“Can we do a Christmas?”

Emily blinked and looked to her summon.

Teddy was laying across her bed, legs slowly kicking up and down with her head on Emily’s pillow and her arms outstretched to hold onto her little red book.

“It’s a bit early for that, isn’t it?” Emily asked.

“What’s that?” Athena asked.

“It’s a thing where you get people you like gifts. My book says it’s real capitalist, but I don’t get it. Giving people stuff is like, the opposite,” Teddy said. “So, can we do one?”

“Uh,” Emily said. She was about to explain that Christmas wasn’t for another few months, then she encountered Teddy’s wide, wet eyes.

Emily turned away from the critical hit, only to stare into Athena’s even bigger, even wetter eyes.

“I-I didn’t get any gifts,” Emily said. She paused. That morning she’d picked up a box from her mother. Just a few things that her mom thought would be good to have while the weather turned colder and that Emily had texted her about. “I don’t have any gifts just for you, but I could maybe get you something. It would be very last minute.” She didn’t have anything from that box to give to her sisters, but it did remind her that they’d need that kind of stuff too. Mittens and thicker socks and stuff like that.

“That’s okay!” Teddy cheered.

Athena agreed with enthusiastic nodding.

Emily pulled out her phone to eye her schedule. She had homework to do that night if she wanted it to be ready for classes the next week, but otherwise she had plenty of time. “A-alright,” she said. “But you’ll have to stay here, okay?”

“We can do that,” Teddy said. “I’m real good at staying in one place for a long time.”

Emily nodded and climbed to her feet. She pat Teddy on the head, then did the same for Athena. “Alright. I’ll be back in an hour or two. Do you need anything else?”

“Pizza,” Teddy said.

“Pizza for Christmas?”

“You said it wasn’t Christmas time. And besides, Pizza is good at any time,” Teddy said.

“Usually you’d eat turkey, and cranberry sauce, with mashed potatoes and gravy,” Emily said. “At least, in a traditional Christmas dinner.”

Teddy nodded. “Okay. I’ll have that.”

“I mashed potatoes are very enjoyable,” Athena said.

“Uh,” Emily said. “We’ll see?” She couldn’t think of any place that had anything like that that she could just order so casually.

The sisters both watched as Emily picked up a few things, slipped on his boots, then headed to the door.

“I’ll see you girls in a little bit, okay?” she said.

“Bye Boss!”

“Goodbye, big sister!”

She smiled, then was out the door.

***

Teddy carefully closed her book and set it aside before rolling onto her back and stretching. “Can’t wait to try turkey,” she said as she lowered her arms to pat her tummy.

“Me too. I like the idea of getting gifts,” Athena agreed.

Teddy nodded. It was nice to get stuff for free. “Yeah. Giving things and getting things is the best.”

“Um, Teddy.”

“Yeah?”

“Are you supposed to give things to others on Christmas?” Athena asked.

“Yeah, that’s why the Boss is getting something to give to us,” Teddy said. It wasn’t exactly a complicated thing.

“Yeah, but shouldn’t we be giving something to big sister Emily too? Like, a trade of stuff?” Athena asked.

Teddy spun around, flopped off the bed, then climbed to her feet with eyes wide and breathing hitched. “We need to get a gift for the Boss!”

“What’re we going to get?” Athena asked.

Teddy started to pace back and forth. “I could mug someone nice-looking and take their stuff.”

Athena sighed. “Yeah, that’s a good ide-- wait, we’re not allowed to leave the room!”

“There’s no one to mug in here!”

“I know!” Athena said. She jumped to her feet and started pacing too. “We could order something? No, it wouldn’t arrive on time. Could we make something?”

“Do you know how to make stuff?”

Athena shook her head. “I don’t know. Stuff’s just... stuff.” She snapped her fingers. “Wait! Did she say to both of us that we couldn’t leave, or just you?”

“Uh,” Teddy said. She ran over the conversation in her head again, but it had been a whole two minutes ago, she couldn’t be expected to remember all of that. “I... think so?”

“Perfect! So I can still go out.”

“And mug someone?”

Athena nodded. “Yeah, I guess.” She tapped her chin. “Okay! I’ll head out and grab a gift for Emily.”

Teddy nodded, pulled Athena’s jacket from off of the Boss’ chair, and tossed it to her sister. “Cool! What will you get?”

Athena froze halfway through putting the jacket on. “Uh,” she said. “What would Emily like?”

Teddy froze too. “Um. I don’t know?

“”What do you mean you don’t know? You’ve been with her longer!”

“She didn’t just tell me what she likes!” Athena swung her arms around in big circles and Teddy had to duck to avoid a smack.

“Calm down. I’m sure we can figure it out. The Boss like... uh... us? Sort things? She likes it when we wash our hands?”

Athena huffed. “We’re not stealing soap for her, that’s a lame gift!”

“I don’t know, do you have better ideas?”

Teddy’s sister crossed her arms and glared across the room. She likes... cute things?”

“Everyone likes cute things. Oh, get her a teddy bear.”

“No. Emily’s not a baby.”

“Teddy bears aren’t for babies.”

“Yes they are!”

“You’re a baby!”

Athena’s face went red. “That doesn’t even make sense! Nevermind.” She stomped past Teddy and to the door. “You get some stuff to wrap the gift in, and I’m going to go find it.”

“What kind of stuff? And how big’ll the gift even be?”

Athena opened the door and stepped out. “I don’t know. Figure it out if you’re not a baby. Oh, and open the door when I knock!”

The door smacked shut.

Teddy glared at it, then started looking around for something to wrap whatever Athena got in.

***

Athena took a moment to recentre herself. Talking to Teddy could really do a number to hear blood pressure. She was thirty years too young to worry about that kind of thing yet. Once she calmed down a bit, she looked around and started down the corridor.

At least, she started, but she didn’t make it far.

One of the doors leading to the elevator was opened, and inside was a room very similar to Emily’s... if Emily had a fit and lost her mind.

The walls were covered in posters. Some with very handsome young men in heroic gear, others with splashes of colour and the titles of movies, still others looked like educational posters. The bed had a bright quit atop and the floor a big rug.

Standing just a couple of steps in the room was Samantha, the girl bent over strangely to take off a shoe.

She caught Athena staring and lowered her foot. ‘Hey! You’re Emily’s sister, right?” she asked with a grin.

Athena blinked. “You know big sister?”

Samantha shrugged. “As much as you can know anyone from meeting them twice. You okay?”

Athena was a little reluctant to say anything but yes, but the last time she’d trusted a total stranger, nothing bad happened. “No, no I’m not.”

The older girl’s smile faded. “What? Why?”

Athena frowned. “We.. I don’t know what to get my sister for Christmas.”

Samantha’s mouth worked, but not sounds escaped for a while. “That’s not for like, two months.”

Athena had kinda forgotten about that. “That’s not it! I still don’t know what to get her. Does that make me a bad sister?”

“Um. No?” Samantha tried. “I mean, I don’t have sisters, but I don’t think it’s that big a deal? Is it? Just get her something related to her hobbies?”

She pouted. “I don’t know what her hobbies are.”

“Something about her favourite show? Her favourite movies?”

“I don’t know what those are either.”

“What does she do in her spare time?” Samantha tried.

“She studies?” Athena concentrated. “She does her homework. Sometimes she watches lectures from last year.”

“Wow,” Samantha said. “Okay, that girl needs a drink.”

“Can I buy her that?”

“Uh, no. Nevermind. Figure of speech.” Samantha rubbed at the back of her head. “Don’t you know about anything she likes?”

Athena shrugged. “She likes quiet.”

“Maybe two months isn’t long enough,” Samantha muttered.

Athena’s heart crashed. “We’re doomed!”

“Now now, calm down,” Samantha said. She glanced around her room in a hurry, then snapped her fingers. She ran across the room, tore something off the bed, then gave it to Athena.

It was a blanket, but one so heavy that Athena almost collapsed under the weight of it. “What?”

“Give her that. It’s nothing too special, but it’s comfy and warm, and every girl should have one, especially someone who looks as stressed as your sister.”

Athena lifted the blanket with a grunt and set it on her shoulder. “That’s... thank you?”

Samantha grinned. “No problem kid. Merry... very early Christmas.”

***

Emily pushed the door to her room open back-first. Her arms were a bit occupied with a couple of boxes. She hadn’t found any turkey, but they did sell rotisserie chickens at the grocers, and mashed potatoes and she had a can of cranberry sauce. It would have to do.

“Hey girls, I’m baaa--”

The first sign that something was wrong was that both Athena and Teddy were standing together, smiling.

On the table next to them was Emily’s pillowcase covered in tape.

“What’s going on?” Emily asked as she closed the door.

“We got you a present,” Teddy said.

“I did most of the work.”

“I wrapped it!”

“That’s the easy part!”

Emily sighed, but when the two weren’t looking, she allowed herself a smile. “Come on you two, show me what sort of mess you made.”

***