on the second day of christmas, my true love gave to me:
...two apologies, and an anecdote before the story.
EDIT: Hey, anyone remember THE TWELVE DAYS OF CLAMPMAS? I recently revisited it. Still as fun to sing as ever, if I do say so myself.
Happy Boxing Day! As the name suggests, today I will (hopefully) be sending out a package, not to mention the rest of my cards if I can get them done. So, er. Expect cards sometime in the beginning of the new year. XD;
oh, in this fic, I attempted to write about the Japanese grasp of foreign holidays with knowing too much about it. So, er, if there are any blaring inaccuracies, pretend they aren't there, and if they really give you pain, mention them to me later.
Title: Foreign Traditions
Fandom: xxxHOLiC
Wordcount: 1,053
Summary: Watanuki complains, Himawari celebrates; Doumeki contemplates, Kohane understands; and Yuuko takes a day off.
--
Watanuki wasn't too familiar with the Western tradition of Christmas - in fact, he hadn't thought about it at all since the unit on foreign religions in his social studies class. But he probably should have, he realised, if only because Yuuko took any excuse she could to get drunk and make him cook her extravagant foods.
"Buche du Noel!" she currently was calling at him. "Today's task is buche du Noel!"
"Happy second day of Christmas, Watanuki!" Mokona added, bounding into the kitchen to supervise - or more likely, to steal tastes of the seasonal pastries.
Watanuki sighed, and started searching for the chocolate.
--
Himawari found the concept of Christianity comforting - namely, that she was not at fault for the luck she inflicted upon others. She liked the idea of a God up there, somewhere, running things. She especially liked the idea that her affliction had a purpose, and wasn't just a randomised visitation of punishment for the deeds of a past life.
Her parents had come from different religious backgrounds; her father had been raised Shinto, her mother Christian. With the household in such a religious stalemate, no one had really seen fit to instruct Himawari in any one religion, and so she learned about it as she learned about most things: through careful observation. At Christmastime, she watched in bemusal as her mother lit candles and prayed at a small altar, and on Christmas Day partook in the odd feast with enthusiasm, if not understanding. And she accepted the gifts given in earnest, though her parents didn't really understand who she was and what she liked. Theirs was a household divided, not only by belief but by complete lack of comprehension of each other.
But Himawari didn't resent it. She appreciated that her parents tried - and after all, she definitely found use for the pencil cases and sweaters and watches that she received. And she enjoyed being able to present her parents with handmade gifts without fear of misfortune. More recently, too, she had been able to wish her friends a happy Christmas, though neither seemed to celebrate the holiday.
This December 26th, she sat wrapped in her new cream-coloured sweater and gazed out the window, smiling to herself. From the kitchen she could hear the sounds of her mother's cooking, and from the living room the faint murmur of voices on the television.
The ringing of the doorbell surprised them all. On intuition, Himawari stood and went for the door, and was not particularly surprised when she opened it to find only a small slip on paper on the ground outside, tied with a small red and gold ribbon.
Come to the shop at three this afternoon, the note inside read. There will be Christmas cake.
Himawari fingered the stylised butterfly that signed the note, and her smile widened.
--
Doumeki Shizuka was of course strictly Buddhist, after his grandfather, but that had never stopped him from respecting other religions. And in the interest of respecting other religions, he had agreed to make an appearance at the shop today for what Yuuko assured him was traditionally the most important holiday in Western culture.
He stepped through the gate with the usual momentary disorientation that came of (he suspected) passing through to another dimension. Watanuki never seemed to complain of it, but that first time he had experienced it, Yuuko had eyed him with an expression that might have been amused, had the situation not been so dire.
She laughed at him now, at his expression of vague distaste and perhaps some joke that only made sense to her. It was most definitely at his expense. Doumeki had a feeling that his life was one running joke at his expense, and the only reason he had got away with it so long was that next to Watanuki, nothing seemed ridiculous at all.
"Happy Boxing Day, Doumeki-kun," Yuuko told him gravely, though her eyes still glimmered with mirth. "You know, in times past this day would be when lords and nobles would give gifts to their servants to thank them for their service."
Doumeki made a noncommital sort of sound, and wondered if he should expect to have extra treats thrust in his general direction with a muttered and indecipherable explanation. By Yuuko's widening grin, he suspected it would be so, and he smiled ever so slightly in return.
--
Kohane came by, without her fortune-telling benefactor, after Himawari had arrived. She smiled from the doorway as Watanuki yelled at the world but mostly Doumeki, and Yuuko smirked back. "Come in," said the witch, and then of course Watanuki dropped everything to fuss over Kohane like she was his daughter or little sister. Sometimes she wondered if she was worth it.
She knew about Christmas, of course. She'd been raised on popular culture, before becoming a television psychic, and besides her mother had always loved the Christmas sales. But she'd never celebrated it, never realised there was more to it than obligatory gifts and mad spending rushes and feel-good marketing ploys involving babies and angels and sheep. She didn't really get it, not until Watanuki hugged her quickly and wished her a happy holiday, "even if it's only an excuse for Yuuko-san to get completely shitfaced again." And then he was off again, bustling, but somehow the whole purpose of the holiday clicked in that moment of disorientation after he let go.
"Happy holiday," she repeated after him, and Himawari smiled encouragement. "It's for families, isn't it?"
Himawari's smile didn't waver at all, though somehow Kohane had been expecting it to. "Christmas? Yes, I think so," she replied, and absently brushed a strand of wavy hair back behind her shoulders.
--
Yuuko watched all four children with a great feeling of affection. Through the pleasant haze of Christmas champagne - she'd ordered it specially - their movement and speech slowed and stopped meaning so much. Other days she would watch them carefully, planning for days to come far sooner than she would have liked. But today - and the past two days, had they not been so packed with necessary ritual - she would take simply to enjoy human interaction. There would be time enough to plan for the future tomorrow.
Today, on this second day of Christmas, she took for herself - for all of them.
EDIT: Hey, anyone remember THE TWELVE DAYS OF CLAMPMAS? I recently revisited it. Still as fun to sing as ever, if I do say so myself.
Happy Boxing Day! As the name suggests, today I will (hopefully) be sending out a package, not to mention the rest of my cards if I can get them done. So, er. Expect cards sometime in the beginning of the new year. XD;
oh, in this fic, I attempted to write about the Japanese grasp of foreign holidays with knowing too much about it. So, er, if there are any blaring inaccuracies, pretend they aren't there, and if they really give you pain, mention them to me later.
Title: Foreign Traditions
Fandom: xxxHOLiC
Wordcount: 1,053
Summary: Watanuki complains, Himawari celebrates; Doumeki contemplates, Kohane understands; and Yuuko takes a day off.
--
Watanuki wasn't too familiar with the Western tradition of Christmas - in fact, he hadn't thought about it at all since the unit on foreign religions in his social studies class. But he probably should have, he realised, if only because Yuuko took any excuse she could to get drunk and make him cook her extravagant foods.
"Buche du Noel!" she currently was calling at him. "Today's task is buche du Noel!"
"Happy second day of Christmas, Watanuki!" Mokona added, bounding into the kitchen to supervise - or more likely, to steal tastes of the seasonal pastries.
Watanuki sighed, and started searching for the chocolate.
--
Himawari found the concept of Christianity comforting - namely, that she was not at fault for the luck she inflicted upon others. She liked the idea of a God up there, somewhere, running things. She especially liked the idea that her affliction had a purpose, and wasn't just a randomised visitation of punishment for the deeds of a past life.
Her parents had come from different religious backgrounds; her father had been raised Shinto, her mother Christian. With the household in such a religious stalemate, no one had really seen fit to instruct Himawari in any one religion, and so she learned about it as she learned about most things: through careful observation. At Christmastime, she watched in bemusal as her mother lit candles and prayed at a small altar, and on Christmas Day partook in the odd feast with enthusiasm, if not understanding. And she accepted the gifts given in earnest, though her parents didn't really understand who she was and what she liked. Theirs was a household divided, not only by belief but by complete lack of comprehension of each other.
But Himawari didn't resent it. She appreciated that her parents tried - and after all, she definitely found use for the pencil cases and sweaters and watches that she received. And she enjoyed being able to present her parents with handmade gifts without fear of misfortune. More recently, too, she had been able to wish her friends a happy Christmas, though neither seemed to celebrate the holiday.
This December 26th, she sat wrapped in her new cream-coloured sweater and gazed out the window, smiling to herself. From the kitchen she could hear the sounds of her mother's cooking, and from the living room the faint murmur of voices on the television.
The ringing of the doorbell surprised them all. On intuition, Himawari stood and went for the door, and was not particularly surprised when she opened it to find only a small slip on paper on the ground outside, tied with a small red and gold ribbon.
Come to the shop at three this afternoon, the note inside read. There will be Christmas cake.
Himawari fingered the stylised butterfly that signed the note, and her smile widened.
--
Doumeki Shizuka was of course strictly Buddhist, after his grandfather, but that had never stopped him from respecting other religions. And in the interest of respecting other religions, he had agreed to make an appearance at the shop today for what Yuuko assured him was traditionally the most important holiday in Western culture.
He stepped through the gate with the usual momentary disorientation that came of (he suspected) passing through to another dimension. Watanuki never seemed to complain of it, but that first time he had experienced it, Yuuko had eyed him with an expression that might have been amused, had the situation not been so dire.
She laughed at him now, at his expression of vague distaste and perhaps some joke that only made sense to her. It was most definitely at his expense. Doumeki had a feeling that his life was one running joke at his expense, and the only reason he had got away with it so long was that next to Watanuki, nothing seemed ridiculous at all.
"Happy Boxing Day, Doumeki-kun," Yuuko told him gravely, though her eyes still glimmered with mirth. "You know, in times past this day would be when lords and nobles would give gifts to their servants to thank them for their service."
Doumeki made a noncommital sort of sound, and wondered if he should expect to have extra treats thrust in his general direction with a muttered and indecipherable explanation. By Yuuko's widening grin, he suspected it would be so, and he smiled ever so slightly in return.
--
Kohane came by, without her fortune-telling benefactor, after Himawari had arrived. She smiled from the doorway as Watanuki yelled at the world but mostly Doumeki, and Yuuko smirked back. "Come in," said the witch, and then of course Watanuki dropped everything to fuss over Kohane like she was his daughter or little sister. Sometimes she wondered if she was worth it.
She knew about Christmas, of course. She'd been raised on popular culture, before becoming a television psychic, and besides her mother had always loved the Christmas sales. But she'd never celebrated it, never realised there was more to it than obligatory gifts and mad spending rushes and feel-good marketing ploys involving babies and angels and sheep. She didn't really get it, not until Watanuki hugged her quickly and wished her a happy holiday, "even if it's only an excuse for Yuuko-san to get completely shitfaced again." And then he was off again, bustling, but somehow the whole purpose of the holiday clicked in that moment of disorientation after he let go.
"Happy holiday," she repeated after him, and Himawari smiled encouragement. "It's for families, isn't it?"
Himawari's smile didn't waver at all, though somehow Kohane had been expecting it to. "Christmas? Yes, I think so," she replied, and absently brushed a strand of wavy hair back behind her shoulders.
--
Yuuko watched all four children with a great feeling of affection. Through the pleasant haze of Christmas champagne - she'd ordered it specially - their movement and speech slowed and stopped meaning so much. Other days she would watch them carefully, planning for days to come far sooner than she would have liked. But today - and the past two days, had they not been so packed with necessary ritual - she would take simply to enjoy human interaction. There would be time enough to plan for the future tomorrow.
Today, on this second day of Christmas, she took for herself - for all of them.