Christmas Lunch

[adifferentlife]

The best way to celebrate any holiday is to share it with people that one care's about, Sybil is sure of that. It's why she's organised this, a luncheon for any and all that she's friends with. It's not something she's done before, and it feels very adult to be hosting a party within her own home. It's not something she ever imagined doing in such a small space, or without a staff to support her, or even before she was married with her own home, but those aren't things that are considerations here.

Instead she's let everyone know when to come and to bring something to share with the others. She's ordered in the main part of the meal, a roasted turkey instead of a goose and a roast of lamb as well. There's champagne and wine, and she has the record player Kaine gave her in the corner playing christmas carols by Bing Crosby. There's a small tree of real pine with strings of beads strung through its boughs and little elecric lights twinkling. Henri has helped her to decorate and do the cooking that she's tried, even if most of the cookies she made needed to be thrown our they were so burnt.

Once people start to arrive she relaxes, allowing herself a glass of wine once she's sure everything is in order and things are going well. At some point there is nothing else she can do, other than talk to her guests; her friends. It's nothing like a Christmas at Downton, but her second one here in Darrow and it feels like the Christmas it's supposed to be.

Comments

[forthedog]

He's gotten used to a fair amount in the way of domesticity - really, normality of a kind - in the last few years, so this isn't as weird as it might have been, stopping in with the family in tow. Flo is wearing a red velvet Christmas dress with a big satin bow of which she seems particularly proud, and Mack is in a green dress with considerably less in the way of foofiness. She's also wearing the elf shoes with the curled, belled toes that she'd become completely enamored of a couple of days before Christmas. The girls have their tastes. Mike doesn't question.

The girls have small plates of turkey and have solemnly promised to not get too crazy - he and Neil had the bright idea of putting candy in their stockings, so they've been nursing a sugar high since around nine. But for now things seem mostly sedate, and Mike grabs a helping of lamb and a glass of wine, taking a few seconds off duty. This still isn't even close to what passes for normal for most people, but he'll take it all the way.

[adifferentlife]

"Thank you for coming," Sybil says softly as she comes up beside him. The girls have already told her in detail about their Christmas morning and she finally has time to say hello to at least one of their fathers. "It sounds like you've had a wonderful Christmas morning."

[forthedog]

"Thanks for asking us." From a little way away, Flo catches sight of Sybil and curtsies, something that she's been spending an inordinate amount of the last few minutes practicing.

"It's been... great. Different." He smiles a little wryly. "Last Christmas morning they showed up, so."

[adifferentlife]

It's sweet and lovely, and she curtsies back with a smile before turning back to Mike. "Oh- That's the loveliest gift, I think."

[forthedog]

He laughs, both soft and wry. "Yeah, took me a while to really get my head around that. I wasn't... I wasn't ready for it."

Not that he ever has been.

"I hope your Christmas morning was a little more relaxed."

[adifferentlife]

Her cheeks burn and she can't help a quick glance toward Henri for all that she wishes that she hadn't. His staying over isn't something she's ready to share, yet, at least not with most. "It was very nice, actually. Until I burnt the cookies."

[forthedog]

"They're not that burned," he says, and then thinks better of it. There's not a lot of point in lying about this. "Okay, they actually are, but cookies can be tough. It's weird. I think I'm a halfway decent cook and I haven't gotten 'em down yet."

[adifferentlife]

She flushes, but she doesn't mind being teased about this. "I didn't know how to cook a thing before I went to learn about nursing. Mrs Patmore - our cook - taught me a few things, but I still can't manage much more than that."

[forthedog]

"I noticed it got easier when I stopped worrying about getting it right." He shrugs. A few epic disasters had been fun, in their way. "You just toss things together, see what happens... It should be fun."

[adifferentlife]

"If I did that, I'd be afraid of what would come out of my effort. But I was thinking of taking a class. After this next semester is over, at least." Until then Sybil isn't sure she'll have any time spare, her final semester of nursing likely to dominate everything, and rightfully so. "If I do, I'll have you and Neil to dinner."