Changing Memories

1 - Christmas Morning/Dinner

Chapter 1 - Christmas Morning/Dinner

Ah Christmas... It's that time of year. While it was a religious festival first, it's something that countries across the world have partaken in and now made it a part of their December. For those down South, it was summer. They'd be roasting chickens and preparing barbeques for their festivities on the 25th. Their day would consist of going to park or the beach and having a nice summer picnic and sunbathing in the heat above them. Or maybe it would be at home. A large kiddie pool of water and some water guns - firing shots one after the other to get each other completely soaked.

However, further North, it wasn't summer - completely the opposite. Families would be inside their cosy living room on a cold day. They'd be wrapped up warm in their hoodies and matching pyjama sets as they sat beside their warm fireplace, if they were lucky enough to have one. Maybe they'd be inside watching classics - Rise of the Guardians, The Nutcracker or Mr Magorium's Wonder Emporium - while sipping on some hot chocolate.

There are a lot more choices and a lot more ways to celebrate Christmas, but that's just a fraction of the joy that Michelle Jones lives every year. Living in the Northern Hemisphere, her and her family - whether it was her and her parents or her husband and kids - would be crowded around the tree in the living room together. Her oldests, Theo and Lila, would always be the first down.

When they were three years old and MJ was expecting her third, they came running into her and Henry's bedroom, wishing them a Merry Christmas as the top of their lungs.

"Merry Christmas to you kids." She laughed back to them, before turning towards her husband. "And Merry Christmas to you babe." She wished him, before leaning in to kiss him.

"EWW!" Both Lila and Theo yell, before rushing out of the room.

MJ feels him return the favour but pulls away - she was already 8 months pregnant.

"If this is how Christmas is going to start, can every day be Christmas?" He jokes.

"Haha." She rolls her eyes at him, before moving away. If she wasn't pregnant, he'd pull her back in for a few more. But he didn't want her to fall - he was just as excited to meet the newest addition to the family as she was.

He shrugged, grinning. "That worked in Easter."

"Idiot." She laughed. "Let's go down and open presents - Lila and Theo are waiting."

The next Christmas, they celebrated Christmas as a group of 6. MJ, Henry, Lila, Theo, Dani and Royce - with the last being their puppy.

All she was expecting from MIT was a degree in Micro and Nanotechnology and moving further to a PhD. She didn't expect to meet the love of her life - who was surprisingly a cardiac surgeon. His first pick up line was "I got a small thing for hearts. Do you mind me having yours?" All she did was glare at him and leave. Almost 15 years later, they were a family of 6.

Looking back over the years of her life was something she always did at Christmas. Always. Christmas, to her, was a reminder of all the things to be grateful for. Her family. Her friends - she'd still stuck with Ned from high school. She even reconnected with Liz Allen, before she passed away three years ago.

"Beautiful, you okay?" She was thrust out of her thoughts with the knock on the bathroom door.

"I'm okay Henry. Just gimme a minute."

"Alright. We're waiting for you downstairs." And with that, she heard his receding footsteps.

She looked at herself in the bathroom mirror. Her dark skin was slightly paler with her age, but her brown eyes had the same gold speck, according to her husband. She may have aged, but he always said that she, like a diamond, would always have the same sparkle to her.