Christmas Memories (G) (MickBeth)

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MickLifeCrisis
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Christmas Memories (G) (MickBeth)

Post by MickLifeCrisis »

Disclaimer: I don't own Moonlight or any of its characters.
Rated: G
Characters: Mick and Beth
Overview: Sweet MickBeth. Bordering on mushy.
A/N following the story.
Many thanks to PNWgal, my awesome beta!



Christmas Memories


“This one?”

“Too scraggly.”

“This one?”

“Too short.”

“How about this one?”

“No, it’s kind of flat on this one side.”

“Beth. You do this every year.”

“I know, but I always manage to find the perfect tree, don’t I?”

Mick sighed, but had to agree. They always did end up with a beautiful Christmas tree, so they continued to traipse around in the snow at the tree farm, looking for the perfect one.

Mick couldn’t help noticing a young family also seeking the perfect Christmas tree: a father, mother, a little boy about four years old, and a little girl around two who was so bundled up in a snowsuit she could hardly walk. The family seemed unable to agree on a tree and the father was quickly losing his patience. The little girl had started crying because she was so cold. The father finally decided to just settle the matter, and kneeling in the snow, he began to cut a tree. The little boy burst into tears because he wanted a different tree. Without a word, the father handed the saw to his wife and started walking toward their car, dragging the tree behind. The mother had a difficult time picking up the 2 year-old, since she was so swaddled. Then, carrying the little girl with one arm, grabbing the little boy’s hand with the other, and with the dangling saw bouncing against her leg with each step, she slowly followed her husband’s retreating back as her children continued to cry. Mick couldn’t help but smile to himself and thought that this probably wasn’t the happy holiday memory the family had been hoping for.

“I found it! It’s perfect!” Beth’s triumphant yell caught Mick’s attention and he walked over to her. Her eyes were glowing with excitement. Mick slowly circled the tree Beth was pointing to, stopping every few feet to look it over, or adjust a branch. His face was completely blank. “Well?” Beth said anxiously, thinking Mick had found some flaw she overlooked. “What do you think?”

Mick finally looked at Beth, and then broke into a grin. “You did it again – it’s perfect.”

“Oh, you!” Beth playfully punched Mick in the arm.

“Ouch,” he deadpanned. Then they both erupted in laughter as Mick knelt down and cut the tree. They walked to their car hand in hand, dragging the tree behind them.


MLMLMLMLMLMLMLML


Beth rearranged the furniture as Mick set the tree up in the stand, and stood it before their large window. They had bought the A-frame house in the mountains years before. They still kept a place in the city, however, they found themselves spending more and more time in the mountains. The house had a magnificent view, and they had all the privacy they could want. Mick got out the box of ornaments and started to string the tree with lights. “Beth, come look!” Beth hurried to his side. “There’s a bird’s nest in the tree!”

“Oh, Mick! That’s a sign of good luck! But I already knew I was lucky – I have you.”

“And I have you,” Mick whispered in her ear, and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

Beth and Mick began unwrapping the ornaments. They made it a tradition to buy ornaments whenever they traveled, and they loved to reminisce every year as they hung each one.

“Remember our trip to France?” Beth asked as she hung the Eiffel Tower on the tree.

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“Mostly I remember the romantic nights in Paris,” said Mick and his eyes flashed silver for a second as he looked at Beth with longing.

“Later, lover boy.”

“Promise?”

“Keep decorating.”

Mick looked at the ornament in his hands. “Ah, our lucky Irish leprechaun.” He hung it up.

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“And here’s the Santa bagpiper from Scotland,” he added.

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“And Big Ben,” said Beth.

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Beth held up her ornament for a minute as she remembered their trip to London. She had wanted to get an ornament of the Tower Bridge. But Mick had vetoed the idea.

“Why not? It’s classic London!”

“Because the Tower Bridge reminds me of the Tower of London, and well, they beheaded people there. I’d just rather remember some other part of our visit, okay?”

“Oh, I hadn’t thought of it like that. How about Big Ben, instead?”

“That’s perfect, Beth. And so classic London.”


Mick studied Beth as she was lost in thought. “Would you like to go back to the U.K. sometime?”

“Oh, Mick, I’d love to! The cities and the countryside, the castles and the cottages, there was so much to see!”

“Then we’ll just have to arrange it.”

Beth squealed in delight and showered him with hugs and kisses. Mick finally pulled away, and pointed Beth back towards the ornament box as they got back to the task at hand.

They continued decorating the tree in companionable silence. Then Beth giggled. Mick looked over to see her holding Sherlock Holmes. She held it up to him, and he grinned. She had given that to him while they were still dating.

“A P.I. for my P.I.” she had written on the tag.

Vampires tended not to celebrate holidays, and Mick had not had a Christmas tree in over 50 years. But when Beth gave him that ornament, he went out and immediately bought a small table top tree, just so he could hang it up. The following year he surprised Beth by giving her the matching Dr. Watson, which he was now holding up to show her. They smiled at each other. “We make a pretty good team,” they said together, laughing as they hung the pair on the tree.

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Mick took another ornament from the box and removed the tissue paper. “Ah, our first trip to Disneyland.” Beth had selected this particular Mickey Mouse ornament (naturally it had to be Mickey) because she said it reminded her of his “perpetual coolness”.

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He poked around some more and pulled out the one he chose for Beth – Princess Aurora, from Sleeping Beauty.

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He had never told Beth why he picked Princess Aurora. The story reminded him of the two of them, in a way. Though it was the Princess who slept and waited for her Prince, Mick felt he had barely existed all those years after he was turned, waiting for Beth to come into his life and make him want to live again. He hung them both on the tree in quiet contemplation.

Beth hadn’t noticed Mick’s quiet moments of reverie. She had found the ornament depicting Los Angeles that they had picked up in the airport one time. To them, it represented their beginning.

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Then Beth unwrapped a small wooden spinning top. Mick had found it in a woodcraft store, and gave it to Beth to symbolize her Turning. She held it out in her hand to Mick. He looked at it, then at Beth, and wordlessly they hung it together while holding hands. It represented their commitment to each other.

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The mood lightened considerably at the next ornament Mick unwrapped – a snowman on skis. He had given it to Beth after their first ski trip to the mountains. Beth had really become a bit of a daredevil skier after she was turned. She no longer feared breaking any bones, knowing they would heal right up. And during her very first ski run as a vampire, she fell and broke her leg. She sat in the snow wincing a little, while Mick pretended to fix her boot and bindings. When the bone knit back together, she stood up and continued down the slope. Mick still loved to tease her about it and he dangled the snowman in front of her, grinning. Beth just rolled her eyes.

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They were down to two remaining boxes. Mick picked up a yellowed cardboard box with the corners Scotch taped together and handed it silently to Beth, kissing her forehead. Beth took it and held it in her lap, her fingers tracing the words written there in her mother’s hand: Brides Tree Ornaments. Beth had had them ever since her mother’s death, but never showed them to Mick until their first Christmas as husband and wife.

“Mick, I have something to show you. These were my parents’. They were a wedding gift to them. They are called Brides Tree Ornaments, and according to German tradition, every newlywed couple should have these 12 ornaments on their tree to insure happiness in their life together.” She hesitated a minute. “Mick, I’d like to hang them on our tree. Can we?”

Mick put his hand under Beth’s chin and lifted her face till their eyes met. Beth’s were glistening with unshed tears. “Of course we can. Show them to me.”

Beth opened the box. Nervously she said, “Some of them are a little religious. I hope that’s all right.”

“We’ll make it all right, Beth. We will always find a way, together.”


They always took turns hanging each one, sharing the meaning aloud. They kept them wrapped in tissue paper, so it was a surprise when they picked them up. Mick was always just a little bit nervous, even after all these years. Some were easier for him to talk about than others.

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“You go first, Beth.”

“Okay. Ummm…” Beth peered at the wrapped bundles. “I’ll take this one.” She carefully took off the tissue paper and smiled. “The Heart of True Love. We certainly have that in our life,” she said as she hung it carefully on the tree. She turned to Mick and took his hand. “I love you, Mick. With all my heart.”

“I love you, too, Beth. With all my heart.” He leaned in and kissed her tenderly on the lips.

Mick unwrapped the one he selected. “It’s the House. I will always do everything in my power to Protect you, and Shelter you from harm.”

Beth smiled at Mick, and then reached into the box. “St. Nicholas! May we always treat one another and those around us with Goodwill and Unselfishness.”

Mick hung his next one on the tree. “The Fruit Basket – May our house always be filled with Generosity.”

“The Fish, for Christ’s Blessing.” Beth thought a minute as she hung the fish on the tree. “I do believe we have His blessing Mick. We were meant to find each other, and we did. And I’m thankful for that every day. Our love is surely a blessing.”

Mick smiled as he watched Beth. He looked over the ornaments still in the box and selected one. He held up the delicate Teapot, symbolizing Hospitality. “We welcome all friends, vampire and human alike, to our happy home.”

Beth removed the tissue from the Rabbit next. “With Hope and Faith in our hearts, there can be no room for despair or doubt.” She hung the Rabbit on the tree. “C’mon, Mick. Your turn.”

Mick reached into the box without looking, and grabbed one. He revealed a red-headed bird and clipped it onto the tree. “The Bird, for Joy and Happiness. I have never known such joy and happiness as I have had with you by my side, Beth.”

Beth gave Mick a kiss on the cheek. “The same goes for me, you know,” she said smiling. She began to unwrap her next ornament. “The Angel, for God’s Guidance in the home.” Mick was secretly relieved; Beth seemed to be getting the ones he found difficult. “His guidance helps us to make the world around us a better place,” she finally said, and carefully hung up the angel. Beth had always thought it was the prettiest ornament in the box.

Mick was getting a little nervous, now, but was hoping it wouldn’t show. He looked at the three remaining ornaments in the box. There was still one left he found the hardest of all. He slowly unwrapped his ornament, and his face fell. It was the Pinecone, representing Fruitfulness and Motherhood. “The Pinecone…” he started to say, then his voice faltered. “I’m sorry, Beth. That’s the one thing I couldn’t give you. Children are the one thing you should have had…” Beth went to his side, and put a finger over his lips to shush him. Putting her hand over his, she helped guide it to a branch of the tree.

“Mick. I tell you all the time. It’s okay. It doesn’t matter. I have you, and you are all I need. I believe the pinecone was for my parents. For without them, I wouldn’t be here for you to fall in love with.” She smiled at him, hoping to see a bit of that St. John grin. “We’ll put it up in remembrance of them. And of your parents, too.”

Mick gave her the grin she was hoping for. Just a little one. She always knows just what to say. I love her so much.

“Okay, only two left, and it’s my turn. Hmm….” Beth took one and discovered the Flower Basket. “Good Wishes for now and for our future,” she said.

Mick took the last ball of tissue paper. He had a big grin, now; he knew what it was, since it was the only one left. “The Rose, symbol of Affection and Beauty. But the most beautiful rose in the world could never compare with you,” he said and he kissed Beth after hanging it on a branch.

“Just one thing left,” Mick said, as he carefully opened the last box.

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“Our Guardian Angel,” they said together, as Mick placed it on the top of the tree. They stood with their arms around each other’s waists, admiring their beautiful tree.

“Merry Christmas, Beth.”

“Merry Christmas, Mick.”


The End.



A/N: I originally wrote this last year.

My daughter gave the Brides Tree Ornament Collection to my son and his wife for their wedding present.

The anecdote about the family cutting a Christmas tree is a true story. Except my kids are now 25 and 27! And one year we really did find a bird’s nest in the tree we cut.
Last edited by MickLifeCrisis on Mon Aug 14, 2017 4:14 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Christmas Memories (G) (MickBeth)

Post by GuardianAngel »

I remember reading this and what a nice tradition the Brides Tree Ornaments is. I could picture them there, going through them together and Mick being nervous - especially about the pinecone.

So very sweet and a joy to read.
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Re: Christmas Memories (G) (MickBeth)

Post by helloeeze »

Very sweet story. I remember reading this a year ago/
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Re: Christmas Memories (G) (MickBeth)

Post by francis »

Wonderful story, I love the ornaments. :rose:
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Re: Christmas Memories (G) (MickBeth)

Post by redwinter101 »

I missed this last year so it's a new treat for me. Such a pretty story, MLC (if that makes sense).

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Re: Christmas Memories (G) (MickBeth)

Post by MickLifeCrisis »

Thank you G*A, helloeeze, francis and Red! :flowers: I'm go glad you enjoyed it. It was fun picking out the ornaments to go with the story.

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Re: Christmas Memories (G) (MickBeth)

Post by Kara »

Ah. Sweet. :hearts: Thanks.
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Re: Christmas Memories (G) (MickBeth)

Post by AussieJo »

MLC, I missed it last year as well.
It is beautiful. :hug:
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Re: Christmas Memories (G) (MickBeth)

Post by MickLifeCrisis »

Thank you so much for reading and commenting Kara and AussieJo! :flowers: I'm just spreading some Christmas cheer! Glad you liked it!

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Re: Christmas Memories (G) (MickBeth)

Post by allegrita »

Awww, MLC... I missed this one last year, and I'm so happy to have seen it this year. What a lovely, emotional story. You've done a great job of making it sentimental without being sappy, and that's a fine line! Just beautiful--and I love the ornaments. :hearts: :hearts: :hearts:
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Re: Christmas Memories (G) (MickBeth)

Post by fairytoes »

What a nice story MLC! I loved the ornaments and how Mick and Beth put them on the tree together! :hearts: :hearts:
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Re: Christmas Memories (G) (MickBeth)

Post by jen »

Totally lovely!!!

Thank you for this wonderful collection of magical Moonlight Christmas memories! It is so sweet.

:hearts: :flowers: :hearts: :flowers: :hearts: :flowers: :hearts: :flowers:
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Re: Christmas Memories (G) (MickBeth)

Post by MickLifeCrisis »

Thanks allegrita! Believe me, I can write sappy, too! :snicker:

Thank you fairytoes. I see Mick and Beth as the perfect couple so of course he helps decorate the tree! :whistle:

Hey jen, I'm glad you found this and that you enjoyed it. Thanks for commenting! :flowers:
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Re: Christmas Memories (G) (MickBeth)

Post by jen »

Came by for a Christmas reread and enjoyed this sweet story all over again.

What beautiful Christmas memories, to take out every year like the lovely ornaments.

Thank you

Jenna

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Re: Christmas Memories (G) (MickBeth)

Post by MickLifeCrisis »

Thank you Jenna! I'm so glad you still enjoy this one!

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