[dated to evening December 25]

[jianhuo]

Saffron doesn't have anything particularly fancy or elaborate planned for when Church comes over so they can celebrate Christmas together. She's never been real big on the holiday anyway, only caring about it in recent years because of the friends and loved ones she'd finally started allowing herself on the island, who became people to appreciate and celebrate with. She'd put up some decorations after Thanksgiving, including a small tree that started out having all the gifts she intended to distribute underneath, accumulating gradually as she bought and wrapped them. But then Jinx discovered she liked playing with the bows, so Saffron had to put the gifts somewhere else to keep the paper from getting shredded to ribbons by the cat's claws.

Most of the gifts have been given out now, and all that's left on the shelf in the coat closet is the few she has for Church. Dinner is in the oven being kept warm, and Saffron's dressed fairly casually but festively, padding around in socks to light a couple of candles on the set table as she waits for her boyfriend to come down.