12-20-2014, 11:54 AM
Kalen does not decorate to the same degree that Shoshannah did last year, but a tree does appear in the chantry, and it gets decorated (and anyone who comes to help gets cookies – Kalen has practiced enough that the worst cookie mishaps are gingerbread men missing limbs). Shoshannah got stockings for the Mages who were here last year and Kalen adds stockings for new Mages and hangs the whole lot of them, even though some of the people who were there are gone now. Everyone, even Sid who he does not expect will come back and Gallowglass who knows is away, get their stockings stuffed with treats: truffles in fancy wrappings and peppermint puffs and ridiculous chocolate Santas that Kalen suspects taste like wax but are Santa-shaped. And then whatever odds and ends he can find that amuse him, little floppy beanie reindeer and Christmas ornaments with the year on them in glittery letters. There are also deliberate inclusions. Alyssa's stocking gets a little watergun in the shape of a revolver, Alexander gets a little snowman. He leaves a bit of space, room for other people to add candy or tiny gifts; on Christmas Eve he'll fill any remaining space with more candy. There are a few extra stockings with glitter and glue, just in case there are people who come to the Chantry he doesn't know.
And then there are presents, piles of them, under the tree. There are presents for everyone he knows with access to the chantry or to Ginger, because even if Kalen wants to punch you in the face most of the time he will by God not let that stop him from buying you Christmas presents. Some people are ridiculously into Christmas. Kalen mailed the presents he could mail, so Gallowglass has no presents under the tree. Somewhere around the 28th, Kalen comes to take all the Christmas down, deliver any unclaimed presents he can deliver, and tucks those he can't into an out of the way space. All of the names on those presents are familiar, save (for at least some of the Mages) one, because Kalen always buys presents for Melody, and where else would he put them but with the presents for his family?
[And you people will get FPMs or something about presents in the next few days.]
And then there are presents, piles of them, under the tree. There are presents for everyone he knows with access to the chantry or to Ginger, because even if Kalen wants to punch you in the face most of the time he will by God not let that stop him from buying you Christmas presents. Some people are ridiculously into Christmas. Kalen mailed the presents he could mail, so Gallowglass has no presents under the tree. Somewhere around the 28th, Kalen comes to take all the Christmas down, deliver any unclaimed presents he can deliver, and tucks those he can't into an out of the way space. All of the names on those presents are familiar, save (for at least some of the Mages) one, because Kalen always buys presents for Melody, and where else would he put them but with the presents for his family?
[And you people will get FPMs or something about presents in the next few days.]