Georgie had written a letter for Santa in advance, Alasdair knows; he also knows exactly what's on it, and not at all because he took and read it hastily before they could stamp and send it off for the North Pole. Georgie would never know!
Perhaps this is why Al fulfills their first wish - him. He'd visited a week prior to Christmas, brought an axe and box of ornaments alongside his usual packed bag, and they had gone to cut down a tree together, to erect in the corner of the cottage. After decorating it and the rest of the house, they'd sat together for games and hot chocolate, and that was much of how they spent the rest of the week.
Now, on Christmas day, Alasdair had filled Georgie's stocking with all sorts: rolls of camera film, sweets galore, a new science kit, gloves and a scarf and a silk-lined bobble hat (he knows their hair requires that sort of thing, after all). But under the tree is where the real gifts are.
A couple of lego sets (the Harry Potter castle, a world map, and a huge pirate ship), some warm knitted sweaters, and a hand-carved puffin. Perhaps the most simple gift, but one he put the most effort into.
Life-sized, made from oak and painted with all the delicacy of Santa himself, with a hole in the back. Wrapped separately is a wooden key, which when inserted into the back of the puffin and turned, sets it waddling and flapping its little wings.
Alasdair is sure it won't be long until Georgie is begging to open their gifts.
Christmas 2021 || no longer accepting
@whiskyscots
Georgie had written down a few inconsequential things on their list for the sake of realism, but deep down, there was only one thing they really wanted. Despite their penchant for optimism, even they were surprised when they actually got what they asked for.
That week spent with Alasdair almost overshadowed the fact that it was nearing Christmastime. In that time, they'd used up the last of their camera film taking pictures, documenting their time together. Truly, they couldn't think of a better use for it. Everything from cutting down their tree, unboxing the decorations, trimming the tree, making hot chocolate-- they wanted to capture all of it. Honestly, that camera may just be one of the single best gifts that Al had ever gotten them.
Christmas Eve was spent much the same as it was every year. First, by burning a rowan twig as a way to get rid of any bad feelings between friends or family. Of course, lighting a stick on fire doesn't exactly erase centuries worth of baggage or anything, but it's still fun. Then the two of them made some fresh black buns and mince pies for Santa ( making them fresh was always 10x better than the store bought stuff, anyway ). Afterwards, they sat by the fire and played Dragonrealm while drinking hot chocolate. Of course, Georgie ended up dozing off halfway through the game, prompting Al to carry them up to bed.
As is customary, Georgie is the one to wake Alasdair up at the crack of dawn by pouncing on top of him. They waste little time, practically dragging him out of bed and into the living room for Christmas morning revelry. Every gift they receive, from the hat to the sweets to the film, is met with excitement and gratitude. They're particularly enthusiastic about the lego sets, as they and Alasdair would often spend hours putting them together.
However, the gift that earns the most reverence from them is, without a doubt, the puffin.
If you told them Father Christmas himself crafted it by hand, they'd be inclined to believe it. The amount of time and effort it must have taken to create something so small, yet so mechanically complex, was baffling to them. Gingerly unwrapping the wooden key, Georgie inserts it into the back of the puffin and winds it up. The movement of it's wings and feet capture their full attention, and everything else around them seems to disappear for a moment.
Afterwards, they carefully move the puffin to the table. Then they rush over to wrap their arms around their father.
" Nollaig Chridheil, dadaidh. "