II

Prompt: A future Christmas with Snowing

II

It is Christmas at the Charmings' – and like every year, it is a bit of a wonderful mess.

Neal manages to drag half the snow in the yard inside after making Christmas princes and bandit princesses in the snow with his little sister Eva Ruth. Wilby the younger chases Merlin (their excellent mouser) around the barn in his excitement to give Christmas licks. Graham and Leo, their twins, make a joint mess out of the whipped cream meant for their hot chocolate. Charming manages to reject three trees before finding the one he deems perfect enough (though Snow honestly can't tell it apart from the other three).

The decorating of the tree is, like every year, a battle of who can put up the most and best decorations, and is fought by her children with dedication and intensity. It also makes for a bit of a mish-mash Christmas tree and a deluge of discarded decorations that are deemed 'not good enough' by the Charming clan.

It's a mess, and Snow loves it so much she feels dizzy with it.

Charming seems to pick up on her mood, sneaking away from the battle and walking over to her. "Are you ready for another family Christmas about to commence?"

"Almost," she says, leaning against him. "Emma called and said she would be by later. Hope ate too many gingerbread cookies and threw up, apparently."

Charming chuckles. "Sounds like Graham and Leo last year."

She smiles at the memory. Their twins clearly thought they were very clever when getting up early on Christmas Eve to get a head start on eating gingerbread cookies.

"You look happy," he says after a moment, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I am," she says. "This still feels like a gift, Charming. It's been years, but it still feels like a gift."

"I know," he says, glancing over at their children. "I think it will always feel like a gift to me. Because this, this is the best gift I could ever receive."

She swallows, his voice so earnest it makes her heart ache. He really does feel like that, she knows. He really loves them all so much that he wants for nothing else.

"You. Our children. Our extended family. Our friends," he goes on, smiling down at her. "It is a far greater gift than I could ever have imagined, and it keeps on giving."

Tears in her eyes, she nods. Oh, how it keeps on giving. Every day adds to it. "I love you, Charming."

"I love you, Snow," he says, and dips his head to kiss her so lovingly it makes her toes curl. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas," she agrees, and kisses him right back while the battle of tree decorations rages on.

It is Christmas at the Charmings' – a very, very, very merry mess, as always.