tis the season.

*  this blog is mainly seasonal! i may pop in occasionally throughout the year, but you’ll mostly find me here throughout december. i can usually be found at @emeraldshe​.

    “I’m definitely happier here...but Charlie wasn’t raised here like the rest of us,” she explained, with a small shrug. “So, my dad was married to Charlie’s mom first, they got a divorce when he was little...and then he became Santa. My mom was Charlie’s high school principal – so I guess that was kind of weird for him –” she paused, snorting out a laugh. “– but they obviously lived here in the Pole together, but Charlie grew up back in Illinois with his mom and her husband...I guess he’s not as used to the snowy climate as the rest of us. Cal, Sandra and I were all born here...” It was kind of nice, having someone to explain it all to, someone she could actually talk to about all of this. “Do you have siblings?”

    A dramatic sigh left her lips, as she followed Neil out to his car, reaching for the handle on the passenger side. “Not even any hints? Or letting me in what you’ve gotten other people? You’re no fun!” Surprises were half the fun of Christmas, that much was true, but Holly liked to try and find out as much as she could regardless. “Are you sure?” Holly hummed, once she’d climbed in, closed the door, and reached for her seatbelt. This was one of the many things she didn’t exactly do back home, but even so, it wasn’t the most exciting thing in the world. “I’m sure I could figure something else out.”

    there were so many more questions she wanted to ask, but it was pretty clear kit was trying to put an end to the conversation, and while she’d been raised in a place with a distinct lack of regular human people, she still got hints, and they were dropping a pretty big one. she’d have to hold her tongue, at least for a little while, try and dig a little deeper later, see how she could possibly help out...and there had to be some way, didn’t there? she’d figured that out once she’d talked to kit a little more. “oh yeah, about that. i mean, i guess maybe i just don’t know what they are yet? but i’m pretty sure i would know by now. i mean, cal and sandra discovered them around the same time, you know?”

    Sentient...she was pretty sure it wasn’t. Holly hadn’t exactly flown in the sleigh ( unfortunately, she wasn’t allowed ), but she’d not heard anything that suggested it could be. The sleigh flew because of the reindeer, and the magic that powered them, not because of anything it could do itself. “Pretty sure it’s not, no. Just a regular sleigh, armed with magic and flying reindeer. Is the TARDIS sentient?” 

    “I mean, the mall will do. We don’t exactly have malls back home, and I can hardly get everyone presents in the workshop...” Well, arguably she could, but she doubted if the adults in her life would be as enthused with toys as the little kids who opened them under their trees on Christmas morning. “What have you bought for everybody?”

    “but...it’s christmas,” holly mumbled, as if it wasn’t obvious. of course it was, that was probably the point. she knew fine well that people struggled with the season for one reason or another, and not everybody celebrated...but still, it was sad to think people loathed the holidays so much. outside of the grinch and scrooge, who was that against it? “do you celebrate other holidays at least?”

     It wasn’t every day that grown men said they could shove a bunch of food in their mouth at one time. Cal made such comments on occasion, but he was a teenage boy – it was pretty much to be expected. Holly gave him an odd look, though she had to admit she was curious to know whether or not he could actually do it. “You sure you can do that? Have you done it before? That many?”

    Eyebrows rose, as Holly looked up at him, eager and curious. Given the whole ‘raised by elves’ thing, she was willing to bet he knew how to make decent things. At least, she was hoping so. Regardless of what it was, however, she was excited, eager to see what he’d put effort into. “Oh yeah? What is it?”

    “That doesn’t surprise me...” From the stories she’d been told, it didn’t sound as if Neil and Laura had always been quite so passionate about Christmas, but he’d always seemed super into it in all the time she’d known him. The Millers would fit right in at the North Pole, if they weren’t so attached to their normal lives back home. “Actually, I’m a little surprised it wasn’t earlier. Aunt Laura wouldn’t let you?”

    “not even a little hint? a tiny clue?” while holly would always claim that she hated surprises, that wasn’t true in the slightest – she simply wanted to know what gifts were, patience wasn’t her forte. why would it be, when the other option was learning what she was getting for christmas? “what if i guess? then you have to tell me, right?”

    well...that wasn’t something she heard every day. it had happened before, people suggesting they could shove way too many of something in their mouth, but it was usually her idiot brother suggesting he could eat way too many marshmallows. latkes was a whole new one on her...though she had to admit, she was curious to see if lauren could actually do it. “oh, believe me, i’m watching. how many can you do?”

    “you like it?” holly was practically bouncing on the balls of her feet, watching her mom open the christmas gift. it wasn’t always easy, finding the perfect presents for her family – it wasn’t like they had shops or the opportunity for amazon deliveries in the north pole, and while they quite literally lived in santa’s workshop, she was hardly going to gift her parents toys. the scrapbook of family photos, while not the most original idea, had taken weeks to actually compile. “i had aunt laura and uncle neil send me some pictures, too.”

    “is frosty too much of a cliche?” it almost definitely was, and holly knew it. cliches weren’t always a bad thing, though – it probably wasn’t the most original name for a snowman, though, and given their family they could do way better than that. “you should choose. i mean, i build snowmen all the time, you don’t always get the chance...” snow was one of the constants in the north pole, but unlike cal, sandra and herself, he didn’t spend nearly as much time there. their lives were entirely different, despite having the same dad. “you got any ideas?”