Chapter Text
Alfred crossed out another day on the calendar. He had been with the Wayne's for almost six months now. They were nothing but kind, yet during these winter months he found himself missing England.
The Wayne family was Jewish, so he had no expectation of Christmas lights and a tree, still he couldn’t help but wonder how his siblings were celebrating now.
Martha Wayne, ever the mind reader, came into the kitchen with Bruce on her hip. She was holding a small bag with Santa on it. “Merry Christmas. I know it’s not technically Christmas yet, but this felt like a gift to give you sooner.”
Alfred took the bag and opened it. Inside, was a frame covered in stickers and a drawing that was clearly done by Bruce. Bruce waited expectantly for a response. “Thank you very much, Mistress Wayne, Young Master Bruce.” Alfred couldn’t hold back his smile.
Bruce squirmed a little until Martha put him down. “You’re welcome! Mama said you’d be sad ‘cause we aren’t celebrating Christmas. My teacher had us make Christmas presents, but since Mama and Daddy don’t celebrate I thought I’d make it for you,” Bruce explained in a pace only a kid his age could manage.
Martha smiled and nodded. “We’d love to help you celebrate this year. I understand being away from home can be difficult.”
Alfred didn’t think it should be this different from the military, but he supposed back then he was always moving, always doing something. His father would also write to him. Now neither of those were true.
“The main tradition I always remember is…” Alfred had to think for a moment. There were a lot of traditions his family held, but if he had to narrow it down… “baking. Listening to music while my family gathered in the kitchen to make cookies.”
Bruce lit up at the mention of cookies. “Oh ooh can we have cookies?” Bruce bounced up and down.
Thomas eventually joined them in the kitchen, confused at first, but happy to help. It was clear none of the Wayne’s used the kitchen often, as Martha almost immediately got covered in flour by Bruce. Bruce giggled, and Martha chided him.
Once the cookies were done, Alfred made the family hot chocolate. They went about their day, but Alfred felt a little closer to home as he tasted the fresh sugar cookie and cocoa.
Soon, Hanukkah came. Alfred didn’t know much about it prior to coming into the family. He knew it was a Jewish holiday, and he knew it had something to do with candles. The menorah the family celebrated with, like everything else in the house, likely cost as much as Alfred’s beat up Bentley.
That first year, Alfred wasn’t too involved with Hanukkah. It wasn’t until it was just Bruce and him that he truly had to learn what it meant to celebrate the holiday. Alfred tried researching and learning, but with how quiet Bruce was, it was difficult to figure out what the Wayne’s did.
Alfred did his best, however. The first night, Alfred did his best to make latkes with recipes he’d found online. He couldn’t find the dreidel he’d seen the family play with previously, so he found one in a store that he hoped was adequate.
Bruce started sobbing when he saw the menorah set out and smelled the latkes. Alfred had no idea what to do, he had just wanted to help. Perhaps he should’ve asked what Bruce wanted. He had hoped it’d be a pleasant surprise.
He was startled out of his worries when Bruce tightly hugged him. “Thank you,” Bruce whispered in a voice so shaky it nearly broke Alfred’s heart. “Of course, my boy.”
Alfred continued to research Judaism, and he realized this was going to be one of many traditions he had difficult holding up. He would try, though, for Bruce. Luckily he still had a few years until he had to figure out how to plan a Bar Mitzvah.
The rest of the nights seemed to go a bit smoother, but Alfred could see the difficulty Bruce was facing. Kate and Bruce got together to play with the dreidel. Kate insisted Alfred learn if he was to be in charge of the celebrations in the years to come.
The game was rather simple, and Alfred felt a little silly playing it, but Bruce seemed a little closer to normal, so he didn’t mind too much. “Shin shin put one in,” Kate chanted when the dreidel landed on ‘shin’.
Jacob Kane, who was watching from nearby, looked amused by his confusion. “When you get shin, you put a gelt in the pot. Kids usually chant that when someone gets shin.”
Alfred ended up out by the end of the game, but he was satisfied seeing Bruce proudly collect his earnings.
And that’s how the holidays went every year then on. Alfred made cookies with Bruce, he made latkes and sufganyas and as many other recipes Bruce wanted, and he would sit with Bruce as he prayed.
He played dreidel with the kids whenever they asked, gave gelt and did his overall best. He didn’t know everything, but he was learning.
Even after Bruce had gone on his own, he tried to keep the menorah in the window. He made latkes even if only he’d eat them. Just in case Bruce came home, he would have the house ready to celebrate.