Holiday Planning

With December just around the corner comes one of Lingua’s largest gift-giving holidays. Massive celebrations require extensive planning; and Vela is one heck of a planner.

For a holiday such as this, she needs to start prepping months in advance. Aster always scolds her for bringing out the winter decorations at the end of summer. (Autumn has barely begun,) he’ll complain. (I don’t need a reminder that shorter days are coming.) Funny, his complaints are absent once the festivities begin.

She’ll save the actual decorating for December, of course. The fall months are strictly for preparation, save for celebrating Halloween. Vela goes all out for the spooky treats holiday, too, but those are mostly costume-creating and candy-stocking. For the winter holidays, she has several boxes of various decorations, organized by type and room. After sorting which box goes where, Vela’s on the hunt for new decorations that start appearing on sale when autumn is in full swing. Her caretaker, Dr. Ramirez has to limit her to 3 new ornaments each year, so shopping is meticulously done.

Come December 1st, Celeste, Theia, and Dr. Ramirez happily help Vela transform the astronomy department into a winter wonderland on the first day of the month. Tinsel and garland tastefully line the doorways and ceiling molding, figurines frame the window sills, scented pine cones provide the perfect atmosphere for the kitchenette, and in the living area proudly sits a fully decorated fake tree, lights and all. Aster and Kara talk her out of hanging the mistletoe - for once, something they can agree on.

No one in the family is particularly good at baking, so Dr. Ramirez will pack up Vela and drive beyond the city limits. They’ve found a lovely farm in the countryside that sells the best fruit pies, of which Dr. Ramirez will pick up her favorite flavor: blackberry. Vela wishes someday they could pick up a real tree and real pine garland from here, too, but they’ll have to make do with plastic.

Their holiday is spent with warm company, five Paralogos and one human spending time and sharing memories in a loving home while snow billows outside. When the holiday is over, everyone helps pack the decorations up and store them away for next year. Vela loves holidays, but she doesn’t feel sadness when they are over. She’s too busy planning for the next one!