Chapter Text
POV: Jacob
Visions of Christmas lights, elves, snowmen, Santa Claus, candy canes, stockings, presents, Santa again, more elves, snowflakes, and all things vaguely related to Christmas danced in Jacob’s head. No sugarplums, though.
Renesmee’s thoughts tumbled through his morning mind-fog as he awoke to her poking his face aggressively. Her chocolate eyes were wild with delight, a giddy smile on her porcelain face.
“Hey, Nessie,” Jacob said, voice thick with sleep. He looked at her, and then at himself. He’d nearly forgotten about the matching pajamas they both had: utterly ridiculous gingerbread themed flannels. It had been Edward’s idea, and Jacob secretly loved it—though he would never tell Edward that.
Nessie’s small hand grabbed Jacob’s, leading him to the cozy living room. He watched her eyes grow wide as she took in the festive scene. In one corner, the plush couch had been shoved aside to make room for a gargantuan Christmas tree. Red and white tinsel looped around the room, wreaths dotting the walls.
Nessie grabbed my wrist, her main thought a mixture of curiosity, excitement, and uncertainty: Santa Claus?
She pointed at a red-suited man who stood against a wall. Upon closer inspection, his eyes were suspiciously golden, and Jacob thought he could spot a tuft of copper hair from under the snowy lining of his hat. Oh, Edward.
Jacob stifled a laugh. “Hi, Santa! What’s in your questionably decorated bag?” he asked, motioning towards the green-striped sack hanging over his shoulder.
“Presents!” replied Santa, his attempt to use a merry voice comical. He shifted to the side, revealing a gingerbread-dressed Bella smiling brightly behind him, her brown eyes tired but bright. Bella and Santa unloaded the bag, covering the floor in red and green presents.
“Look, Renesmee! That one has your name on it!” Bella said, leading Nessie over to a white-spotted box. Nessie opened her gift, studying the contents with a critical gaze. Jacob placed his chin on Bella’s shoulder to see a deep blue book with gilded page ends. It was titled, The Complete Works of Jane Austen .
“What do you think?” Jacob asked Nessie gently.
She looked at Santa, reaching out tentatively to touch both Jacob and Santa’s hands. Jacob’s mind was startled by a flood of gratefulness and curiosity—the effects of Renesmee’s thought-projection powers.
Santa nodded. “Ho, ho, ho! You’re welcome!” He trundled off into Bella and Edward’s bedroom, leaving a mystified Nessie behind. Despite her other still-wrapped presents, Nessie immediately started reading her new book.
Jacob nudged Bella. “Nice gift choice. Nessie’s so smart; she’ll love it.”
She grinned at him. “It was Edward’s idea, actually. Also, it’s Renesmee.”
“Oh, Bella, you know she likes to be called…” A knock at the door interrupted Jacob’s words.
“Charlie!” Nessie barked, bolting upright. Placing a bookmark in her novel, she sped over to the door. She fiddled the lock open so fast, it was a blur.
“How did she…” Bella’s voice trailed off when she saw her dad walk through the door. “Dad!” She tackled him in a hug.
Charlie was dressed in his fishing attire: a camo shirt, rubber boots, and a many-pocketed pair of pants. He parted from the embrace to hug Renesmee. “Hey, Ness!” Bella didn’t even scowl at the nickname—she must’ve been in a really good mood.
“Wow, you guys really put in the work decorating,” Charlie complimented Bella.
“Thank you,” said both Bella and Edward, who had just entered the room. His hair was rumpled, but he still managed to look impossibly good, eyes sparkling as he wandered over to Jacob to plant a kiss on his cheek.
Charlie examined their matching outfits. “Why didn’t I get gingerbread clothes?” he joked.
Edward grinned. “Oh, but you did!” The look of horror on Charlie’s face made Edward backtrack. “Just kidding. Unless you want them…?” His eyes shone with hope.
“No chance,” Charlie replied good-naturedly. Edward looked crestfallen, but he smiled again when Charlie revealed four small-ish parcels. He passed them out to all of us, and Nessie offered him a gift in exchange.
The heart-melting look of delight on Charlie’s face from Nessie’s gift to him (a brightly colored knit scarf) was a much better present than the allen wrench set and firm pat on the shoulder he’d given Jacob, but it was the thought that counted.
Looking around the room, Jacob saw that he’d given Nessie a book of Christmas carols for piano, Edward a bumper sticker that said My Father-In-Law Gave Me This, and Bella a sapphire necklace he said was a family heirloom.
“Well, I don’t want to intrude on your Christmas,” Charlie said, “So I’ll see you later.”
“You don’t have to leave,” Bella said. Jacob didn’t want to see Charlie leave, either. Now that Jacob, Bella, and Edward had moved in together, he didn’t get to see Charlie when he visited Bella’s house.
Charlie shook his head. “Nah, I have to go Christmas fishing with Carlisle and Billy Black. Thanks for the invitation, though.”
He gave all of us one last hug goodbye—even, to his delight, Edward—and then he was on his way.
More presents were distributed, as well as hot cocoa and candy canes, which were quickly consumed by Jacob and Renesmee. They got a call from Bella’s mom, Renee, as well as an unexpected and extremely glittery greeting card from the Volturi, which was surprisingly unthreatening.
“We should watch something Christmas-y,” Edward declared.
Bella asked, “Are we thinking Hallmark, or…?”
Jacob held up a hand dramatically. “There is only one correct answer to that question.”
“I didn’t ask a question,” Edward chuckled.
“To the question of what is the best, most heartachingly heartwarming holiday movie,” Jacob said grandly, “and that is The Muppet Christmas Carol, starring the Great Gonzo as Charles Dickens.” He rifled through Edward’s strangely organized collection of VHS tapes for a painful several seconds before giving in and asking Edward to find it for him.
“Of course, Jay,” was Edward’s smooth reply. He found the tape with superhuman speed, and then they all snuggled up close and draped themselves in snowflake-stitched quilts as they watched Scrooge learn the error of his ways. Jacob was wedged between Edward and Bella, and he fell asleep during the Ghost of Christmas Present.
Renesmee watched with rapt attention. At the end, she stared at the screen for a solid minute, and then jumped up at Bella and asked her to go hunting. “Sure,” Bella laughed. “Do you two want to come with us?” she gestured at Edward and Jacob.
Jacob exchanged a glance with Edward, who answered, “I think Jacob and I will grab lunch. I just went hunting yesterday so I wouldn’t get jealous of a holiday dinner.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Jacob agreed. “See you at Alice’s party later?”
“You know it!” Bella replied happily, walking outside to her red truck with Renesmee clinging to her back.
Though they were halfway through their Christmas Day, the celebrations had just begun. There are twelve days of Christmas, after all.