Good Old Fashioned Christmas {Isabelle}

[Mikayla Upton]

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Christmas was, without a doubt, one of the best times of the year. Well, at least, for Mikayla it was, and for the most part it was thanks to her parents, and how great they just made everything. They'd never focused the holiday on presents, though of course they gave some every year still and they'd told the two girls about Santa Claus and such when they'd been little girls, but they always made sure to keep it a bit more simple too, keep the religious meaning of it in its rightful place, and also make it a family night more than anything else. She'd lost sight of that in the past few years, but not this year. No, this year, she would celebrate it all properly with her family, be thankful for how blessed she was to have such an amazing family, to have made such great friends over the past couple of months, and to now have a sweet and kind boyfriend whom she liked a lot, and may even be starting to fall in love with, to top it off. She did miss Nick, obviously, considering the fact that she hadn't seen him in a little over a week, but she was happy to be where she was, and she knew she would see him again in less than a month.

Today was the 23rd, and a lot of preparations were still ongoing in the house. Decorations were mostly put up, except for the tree which her dad was currently out buying, because it'd always been a tradition at their house to go and get it two days before Christmas, and decorate it on Christmas Eve, since they got a real live tree. The smell of baking gingerbread cookies and pies filled the house, along with Christmas music, and Miki sighed happily as she sat on her bedroom floor with bits of wrapping paper and discarded bows lying here and there, a couple of strands of ribbon stuck in her hair as she put the finishing touch to the last present she'd been wrapping. Getting back to her feet, she stretched her legs a bit to try and rid them of the slightly numb sensations that'd started filling them when she heard the doorbell ring, rushing out of her room and down the stairs to go answer the door. "I'll get it!" she called out, taking the last few steps toward the door before opening it to see a guy holding a long, thin box with the local florist's logo on it. "Hi, is..." he began, looking down at his pad before going on. "Isabelle Young here?" he asked, causing Miki to nod. "Yeah, hold on. Izzy, someone for you at the door!" she called back to her sister.

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[Isabelle Young]

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Izzy loved Christmas and loved being at home with her family. So it was no wonder that every year at the academy she went home happily the day after classes were over. Of course she would miss her friends over break and miss Tanner too, but she was a family girl at heart and she didn't think she spent nearly enough time with her family during the year. That was why her time was currently spent in the kitchen with her mom, helping to bake the different pies and cookies that they always made. Baking with her mom was one of her favorite things to do and she loved baking with Miki too, but currently her sister was busy wrapping presents in her room. Something that she'd finished doing before she got home from school, but hopefully Miki would be done soon enough and then she'd be able to join in the baking fun before their dad got home with the Christmas tree that they'd have to decorate tomorrow since it was already going to be Christmas Eve. A fact which she found hard to believe, because it meant that most of her stay at home was already passed.

When the doorbell rang she was busy working on a batch of cookies with her mom, not even having a chance to move before Miki started running down the stairs to go answer the door, smiling as she called that she'd get it. She was certainly surprised to hear Mikayla call that the door was for her, frowning slightly as she moved to wash her hands off before heading to the door where a guy was standing with a box. "Yes?" she asked, looking curiously at the guy and the box in his hands. "Delivery," he replied, handing the box over and turning to leave. Still surprised she watched him go and closed the door before walking toward the kitchen with the box curious as to what was inside of it. "I wonder what this is about," she mused aloud, pulling off the top of the box to reveal a rose inside of it. On top of the rose she saw a note, which she picked up and read to see that it was from Tanner. She blushed a bit just from the sweetness of the present, wondering how she'd be able to express how thankful she was or how sweet she found it to Tanner.

• • • • •

[Mikayla Upton]

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Mikayla wasn't actually wondering what was with the whole delivery thing. She was pretty sure she knew where it came from, and before the delivery guy had even asked for Isabelle, she'd been convinced it had to be for her. Which made her very excited as she waited for her sister to come over to the door, eager to see what her boyfriend might have gotten her - though, considering it came from the florist shop, she had to say it must be something related to flowers, but still, she was sure it would be something really sweet, and then her parents would be able to see just how great a guy Izzy had caught for herself, because even though material possessions weren't that important, you could still tell what a person's personality was like a little by the kind of care and thought that they put into their gift. It didn't matter what it was or how much it'd cost, how big or how small it was. A card could be more meaningful than jewelry that cost hundreds or dollars, because you could very well have made the card yourself and have written the sweetest message in it, just like you could just pick a random piece of jewelry online in two minutes.

Not that jewelry wasn't nice either, but it was the easiest comparison that came to mind. Either way, she was sure Tanner's present would be cute and sweet and that Izzy would get all flustered and rosy because of it, and then her parents would start asking questions and she would probably just help along. She was so happy for her sister too, because she deserved to have a great guy, and Tanner seemed to be just that, at least from what she knew of him. She wondered idly, as she eagerly followed Izzy back to the kitchen, if Nick would send her a present or give her one once they got back to the Academy, but she didn't mind either way - if she got to spend some time alone with him when they got back, that would be a great present in her opinion. Her thoughts were cut short when Izzy opened up the box to reveal a single rose, grinning as she noticed the blush appear on her sister's cheeks and the enquiring look on her mom's face as she walked over to them. "Who is this from sweetie?" she asked her eldest daughter, her fingers lightly dragging along a silky petal of the white rose with a smile. "It's from her boyfriend," Miki answered excitedly before Izzy could say a word, feeling slightly bouncy, because not only was she happy for Izzy, but it also made Christmas feel that much closer. "Isn't it sweet? You know, there's meanings behind every rose color. I wonder what it is for this one," she mused as she skipped over to get a vase, filling it halfway with water.

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[Isabelle Young]

• • • • •

Izzy felt pretty flustered for the fact that Tanner had sent her such a sweet gift and that she was opening it in front of everyone. Well, in front of Mikayla and her mom. Some people might not be so impressed with a single white rose but she was, she thought it was thoughtful and cute. Then, she'd always been the simple kind of girl. She hadn't been expecting anything at all, especially since he was in Europe right now. She'd never be the type of person expecting anything big or fancy, which was in part to do with her upbringing as well. Simple had been something that she'd been taught from a young age, Christmas at her house wasn't about presents anyway but about family and religion. Even if it hadn't been the emphasis, she'd probably have still felt similar because she'd never been a person needing a lot of gifts. To her gestures were even bigger than presents, so that played a large part in things as well. The gesture involved with sending a flower, such a pretty one at that too, was just amazing to her as well.

Hearing her mom ask who it was from, she didn't even get a chance to answer before Miki beat her to it. "I don't know," she said, as Miki wondered what the meaning was behind the rose color. Taking the flower out of the box and putting it into the vase once Miki had brought it back over. "It's beautiful though." Smiling she let her own fingers drag along one of the petals of the flower, looking up as she heard the door open. "I've got the tree!" Her dad called, bringing it inside the front door and setting it up against the wall for the moment. Walking into the kitchen he also held a box with a few envelopes on top of it. "Where'd the flower come from?" he asked curiously, looking at his wife and daughters as he set the mail down on the island. "Tanner sent it to me," Izzy said, her face still a slight shade of pink. "It's a Christmas present." Her dad smiled slightly hearing the answer, glad to see that his daughter had apparently found someone who cared about her. Taking the envelopes that looked like they contained Christmas cards off the top of the box, to look at who it was addressed to. "Well it looks like Izzy might not be the only one getting presents. This one is addressed to you Mikayla, from a Nicholas Upton," he said, handing the box to his younger daughter.

• • • • •

[Mikayla Upton]

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Miki grinned lightly as she watched Izzy react to the present she'd gotten, watching as she put the flower in the vase and leaning against the kitchen island. It made her feel so happy to see Izzy like this, knowing that of all people she had to be one of those that deserved happiness the most, because she was always trying to make other people happy herself and putting their need in front of her own. She was glad that the guy she'd found just so happened to be a nice one too, because even though Miki was quite sure that Izzy could take good care of herself, she was still glad to see that she'd have a sweet guy to take care of her and try to make her feel like a princess. Of course, she didn't know that for sure because she hadn't really talked to him that often, but from what she'd heard, and his general behavior - which was absolutely nothing like the people he'd used to sit with at lunch, and that had always made her wonder why he even sat at that table because really, he was too good for them - she was sure that he would do good by her sister and do his best to keep her happy.

She looked up with a smile when she heard the door open and their dad come in with the tree, perking up even more when she noticed him walking in with the mail, not even taking notice of the box as she didn't think it might be hers, but figuring that the other envelopes were probably Christmas cards and she loved to read those. She giggled lightly when Izzy was asked where the flower had come from and noticed the blush appear on her cheeks as she answered, reaching over to take one of the envelopes so that she could open it and see who it was from, though her attention was taken off of that when she heard her dad speak up and say Izzy might not be the only one getting presents, her own cheeks flushing slightly as she heard that the box was actually for her, from Nick. "Well, open it up sweetie," her mom said with a light smile, and she gave a light nod as she carefully opened up the box to find a wrapped present in it, pulling it out a bit shyly as she looked up at her family. "Should I open it now? Maybe I should wait until Christmas," she mused, biting down on her bottom lip lightly. "I think it'd be okay, princess," Grace spoke with a light nod, running her fingers through her hair lightly before going to stand by Izzy so that she could glance at the note card that her boyfriend had sent along with the rose, as Miki started unwrapping the present, her cheeks turning an even deeper shade of red as she saw what the present was and noticed the picture of a mountain ranch in the back of the box. "I... he remembered," she said, her voice barely over a whisper as her heart gave a queer beat.

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[Isabelle Young]

• • • • •

Izzy was excited to have her dad home with the tree because it made things feel even more like Christmas. Then again, with the present that she'd just received from her boyfriend and the fact that Mikayla apparently had one from Nick as well also helped along with that quite a bit. Though presents weren't the main focus of her holiday, something about them did help it feel more like Christmas was only two days away. She was grateful Miki had gotten her present today as well, partly because it'd take the attention off of her and the one that she'd received. She had never been one who was comfortable when she was the center of attention, so any sort diversion of that attention was very welcome. That and she was really curious as to the kind of gift that Nick got her little sister, knowing that whatever it was would be likely to be something that Miki would love. He was a good guy, from what she'd seen and she knew that he'd do a lot of right with her baby sister, which was exactly the kind of guy that she deserved.

She was taken up in watching Miki open her gift enough that she didn't really notice her mom reading the note card that had been sent along with her present, not that it was anything that she wouldn't want her parents to be reading since it was perfectly acceptable but still. Likewise, Joshua's attention was also on his youngest daughter as she opened up the present. Seeing what the present was, he couldn't help but give the guy a seal of approval just from the look of happiness that was on his daughter's face. And he had to admit that it was a pretty great gift, especially to give on a first Christmas. "Oh wow, Miki. That's so sweet," Izzy told her sister, moving over to get a closer look at the dream box that she held. It wasn't just any sort of gift, but one that proved that he paid a lot of attention to Miki. Not that Nick didn't already earn her approval, but this was just further proof of how much he cared about her sister and it made her like him all the more. "He must really like you a whole lot."

• • • • •

[Mikayla Upton]

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Mikayla hadn't even really known for sure she'd be getting a present from Nick. After all, they'd only been dating a month or so, and so she didn't think it was a requirement for him to send her something. She would have been very happy with a nice card or just a letter, because she loved letters and there was something really romantic about getting a letter from your boyfriend, but the point was, she wouldn't have needed a Christmas present to be happy, nor would it have made her doubt that he cared about her. Of course, she wasn't unhappy to have gotten one either, nor ungrateful, far from it - and then, she'd planned on sending him one too. But the fact that he'd gone the extra mile just made her feel... well, it made her feel special, appreciated. And that was definitely a very, very good feeling to have. Not that she never felt that way, Izzy and her parents always made her feel appreciated, especially when she helped around the house, and there was so much love in her family that it would be impossible not to feel special. But having it come from someone she wasn't related to, it was just different, and slightly unsettling, though in a very good way.

She knew just how great a guy Nick was too, but the present he'd gone ahead and picked just proved that even more. He hadn't just picked the first pretty generic present he might have thought of or seen around, the kind of present most girls her age enjoyed. No, this present meant something to her, because she'd talked with him before about plans for the future - in general of course, it was a bit early to talk of their future together, not that she could lie and say she never pictured him there - and she'd mentioned that she would like to do like her parents, find a nice bit of land in the mountains or prairies, buy, or even build, a nice home where she'd be able to raise her family with her husband, and own a ranch. That had always been one of the things she'd dreamed of as a little girl, though it'd been put on the shelf for a few years, but it'd just come back full strenght this summer, and now she knew what she wanted. Maybe with that she'd be able to give acting classes to some of the kids who lived around, if there was demand for it, but mainly, she wanted to do just like her parents. And he'd remembered that. Her cheeks turned a deeper shade of red when she heard Izzy's comment, not quite daring to look up as her mom came up next to her and wrapped her arm around her shoulder, looking down at the box. "My two beautiful daughters seem to have a great taste in boys," she said with a smile, before glancing down at her watch. "Alright, so I've got a bit more cooking to do, and Miki you told me you wanted me to show you how to make my fruitcake so go wash your hands and I'll be ready in a few minutes. Izzy honey, if you'd like to help there's a few Christmas boxes in the attic that we can put cookies in, but they'll need to be washed first. Honey, make sure to put that tree up straight with enough water so it doesn't die on our hand," she spoke to her family, trying to think of what there was left to do before Christmas came around. "And you two girls should probably find a bit of time to thank your boyfriends for those lovely presents," she added, though she wasn't worried about their forgetting that in the slightest.

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