Above is a rough estimation of what the tree house looks like. It is a little smaller in my mind but has the same basics. I couldn't find a super exact/good picture for what I have in mind, but this is good enough. There's also what I imagine the Christmas tree they have looks like but with a few small ornaments. There's also a song by my best friend Brendon that the group listens to.
~ER
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8:23 pm. Seven minutes until the children have to go to bed. Marco's cousins came over, three of them kids, one almost fifteen. There was a lot of people sitting on the two small couches, the children sitting on adult's laps as they try to watch TV and the adults try to talk with one another. The fireplace was warm, the three different family dogs curled up with Marco's fifteen-year-old cousin laying with them.
Marco, Pax, Jessie, and Dara all missed this part. After dinner, they grabbed the garbage bag full of gifts and ran into the woods. With the sun almost all the way set, only a slim ray of sunlight was left in the sky. The friends had to use flashlights so they wouldn't trip on anything, but the path to their sacred spot was burned into each of their memories. A place where they each went and experienced a lot of things together. They all secretly got drunk for the first time and Jessie and Marco had their first kiss there and Pax cried about her first breakup with the girls, having a sleepover after. It's like a church for them, a place they go to find peace and confess whatever's on their chest.
Marco pulled the bag of gifts into the house and the three girls followed in. As Marco emptied the gifts onto the floor bed, Pax took out the fake tree they had in the mini attic. It was only big enough to fit a few boxes so they added a tiny basement. Jessie clears the rug from the middle of the room while Dara pulls out the decorations form the basement. They all move around, working together to set up a tiny Christmas away from the rest world.
"Ready guys?" Pax sets the start on top of the tree and the other three sit around her while she holds the switch to turn the tree lights on. Pax flips the switch and the tree lights up all sorts of colors. The star on the top of the tree lights up and the friends smile. There are a few ornaments, ones they made as kids, scattered on the tree. They all smile at the tiny tree, hugging each other close.
"Time for presents now?" Dara asks, laughing a little and clasping her hands together.
"Yes, time for presents." Jessie and Pax turn and start piling presents under the tree. They each got a present for everyone else plus a white elephant present. There's sixteen boxes in total and they start handing them out to each other.
Before they begin opening, Dara took out her phone and began playing their favorite song of the year: High Hopes by P!ATD. Each year, the decide on a favorite song and use it to celebrate Christmas. It's a tradition. One that they won't ever grow out of whether they're together or not.
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i like rainbows
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