A Different Kind Of Life

Chapter 41

Lorelai was beaming as she walked through her Inn, seeing all of her favorite people mingling with the guests that were staying for the weekend. She had gone all out with the decorations this year, turning the Inn into the North Pole, decorating the inside to look like Santa's workshop. It was her favorite time of year, and since she was going to be spending the holidays in New York with Rory and Logan, she hadn't done much decorating at her house, instead focusing all of her time and creativity exclusively on the Dragonfly. There were Christmas trees in the corner of every room, large trees downstairs, and small tabletop trees in the guest rooms. Lorelai had strung garland along the stairs, with ribbons, holly, and stockings for every person on staff. There were twinkling lights and colorful decorations everywhere you looked, and even mistletoe hung from the ceiling in the corner of the library. The dining room looked especially festive, with every holiday food favorite on the tables, ready to be eaten. There was turkey and ham ready to be eaten, along with yams, stuffing, potatoes and gravy, rolls, beans, several kinds of casserole, and every vegetable you could possibly get your hands on during the winter. It all smelled completely amazing, and Lorelai couldn't wait to dig in with her guests. She was just waiting for Sookie to say she was ready, so they could announce dinner to their guests. Lorelai walked over to the reception desk and smiled at the dancing Santa that played Feliz Navidad. She had loved it when she saw the Santa sitting on the shelf in a Christmas store, and immediately bought two of them, planning to give one to Rory as an early Christmas gift.

"Lorelai, this place looks absolutely amazing! You did an incredible job!" April said as she joined Lorelai at the desk, admiring their gorgeous surroundings.

"Thank you April! I think I've definitely outdone myself this year. I love it all!"

"Thank you so much for inviting me!"

"It wouldn't be Christmas without you here. I'm so glad the entire family will be together this year."

"I see that. Aunt Liz! Hello! Hi Doula! Wow, you looks just like your Mom!" April said seeing Luke's sister and niece walk in the door, followed by the rest of their family.

"April!!!" Doula cheered, running to April and throwing her arms around her older cousin's waist.

"April, you look gorgeous!" Liz told her, giving her niece a hug. "Merry Christmas!"

"Thank you! Merry Christmas to you!"

"Jess, TJ, look who's here!" Liz said, calling behind her to her husband and son.

"April, hello!" TJ smiled.

"Hey Cuz! Long time, no see." Jess greeted her, giving her a brief hug. "Hey Lorelai."

"Hi Jess. It's nice to see you again. Thank you all so much for joining us!"

"Oh, it's our pleasure! Lorelai, this place looks absolutely incredible! I feel like I took a trip to the North Pole to visit Santa's house."

"Well thank you! That is exactly what I was going for."

"I love it! It's everything you see in pictures of Santa's workshop. Did you do all of this yourself?"