-svnny_skiies- This is my entry for the holiday writing contest ❤️
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"Well, that was dramatic."
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Wait, wait, wait!!! Hold it, hold it. Let me back up. My name is Wesley Green.

You may call me Wes. I will be your narrator for this story.

Now, you may be wondering, "What's going on?" Well, it all started on the day of my family's annual Christmas reunion- wait.

Why tell you when I can show you.

Author, from the top, please."

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Before you start reading: This is not a real place in England, I made it up for the story and googled to make sure. Also, because it takes place in England, you might want to read it with an accent. 👍
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It was a cold, crisp morning here in Grenville, England. Fresh snow caked the ground and roofs of houses. People were out and about doing last-minute shopping, and I, of course, was one of them. My mum had sent me to get some baking stuff for cookies. While I'm on this boring shopping adventure, how about I tell you about our little town.

Here in Grenville, people don't really do the whole "Santa Claus" thing. Instead, we have our own little guardian and holiday gift giver, The Gift Runner. Grenville's protector and bringer of joy, whom no one has ever seen, except Phil, the old fisherman. Me and my friend, Emily, however, had the pleasure of meeting him last year, but that's a story for another time.

I returned home from my little shopping side quest only to find my mum scrambling around, trying to get everything ready before the rest of the family comes.

"Wesley, you're back. Good. Put those groceries in the kitchen, would you." Mum said.

"K." I set the bags of groceries down on the counter and go about my business. Just then, I hear the all too familiar sound of a car pulling up to the drive.

"They're here!!!!" Mum yells. "Wesley!!! Put on your coat and head outside. Chop, chop!!!"

Mum already has her coat on and is heading outside. I grab mine from the rack and follow her. Outside, a large van is parked on the drive, no doubt, packed full of cousins, aunts, and uncles. The doors open, and out steps my uncle, and mum's brother, Fredrick, his VERY pregnant wife, Kaitlyn, and my triplet six-year old cousins, George, Mary, and Ellie.

"Fred, so nice to see you again!" Mum goes to hug them. "And Kate, look at you! Looks like the baby could come any day now."

Aunt Kate chuckles lightheartedly. "Yes, the doctor says I'm due to deliver soon. Could be anywhere between tomorrow and the next few days!"

"What about you three, ready to be older siblings?" Mum asked the triplets.

"I guess." They all said in unison.

"I don't know how they do that..." Uncle Fred said. "Anyway, it's very nice to see you again, Audrey." (My mum)

Just then, another car pulls up. No surprise, it's more family. This time, it's my mum's sister, Aunt Evelyn, and her family. Her husband, my uncle Henry, and their two sons, my fifteen-year old cousin, Joel, and his nine-year old brother James. Another person gets out of the car. It takes me a second, but I finally recognize them as Joel's friend, Oliver.

"Audrey, soooo nice to see you again." Aunt Evie gives her a hug.

"Evelyn, how wonderful it is to see you." Mum grits through her teeth.

If you haven't noticed by now, there's some major sibling rivalry between my mum and my aunt. As far as I know, they've always competed against one another. Usually, around the holidays, it always spells t r o u b l e. Who knows what's in store this year.

"Henry, good to see you." Mum hugs him. "Joel and James, nice to see you boys again. I see you've brought company."

"Yeah, this is my friend, Oliver. He's staying with us for the holidays." Joel said.

"Hi." Oliver waves at Mum.

"Well, it's nice to me you, Oliver. We happy to have you here." Mum shakes his hand.

"Happy to be here." Oliver replied.

I go around greeting everyone, hugging everyone. So. Much. Hugging. By the time I'm done with all the hugging and greetings, my social battery is drained.

"Let's head inside, shall we?" Mum leads everyone inside. "I've got tea and hot chocolate if anyone wants."

"I'll have a cup!" James exclaimed.

"Me too!" George said.

"Me three!" Mary said.

"Me four!" Ellie said.

"Me and Oliver will have some." Joel said.

"I'll have some." At the mention of hot chocolate, my social battery is suddenly charged.

"Great, I'll go get some mugs." Mum heads off into the kitchen.

A little while later, everyone is sitting somewhere, enjoying a nice mug of hot chocolate. The doorbell rings.

"I'll get it." I get up from my seat and open the door. It's my grandparents. My grandma, Beatrice, and my grandpa, Arthur.

"Wesley!" Grandma exclaimed. "Look how much you've grown." She pinches my cheek and gives me a kiss.

"Yes, good to see you, laddie." Grandpa pats me on the shoulder.

"Good to see you too." I smile.

"Mum, Dad. You're here!" Mum comes over to hug them. "Come in, come in." She beckons them inside.

We sit down on the sofa, and Uncle Fred and Aunt Evie come join us.

"How was the drive over here?" Uncle Fred asked.

"Oh, you know you're father. Doesn't like to admit he's wrong or the fact that he got lost." Grandma replied.

"We were not lost, I know the road like the back of my hand." Grandpa said.

"Really? You took so many wrong turns, I thought we wouldn't live long enough to get here!" Grandma said.

"I simply took the longer, more scenic route." Grandpa crossed his arms.

"So you got lost." Grandma said. Everyone laughs.

"Alright, how about I bake so cookies and you kids decorate them?" Mum said.

"Ha." Aunt Evie laughs sarcastically. "You? Baking? You'd probably burn the dough before it gets into the oven. I could probably do a better job than you ever could."

"Is that a challenge, Evie?" Mum's eyes narrow.

"Maybe it is." Aunt Evie shrugs her shoulders.

"Maybe we should all just calm down-" Uncle Fred said.

"Baking challenge, you and me. Best cookies win."

"Deal."

Mum and Aunt Evie shake hands and head off into the kitchen.

"Oh, this is gonna be good." Joel said. He pulls out his phone and starts recording.

"This is gonna end horribly..." I thought.

In the kitchen, Mum and Aunt Evie are already darting across the kitchen, preparing the cookies. Ingredients and baking supplies are everywhere.

"Stop stepping on me!" Mum exclaimed angrily.

"Maybe if you didn't take up so much space, I wouldn't step on you!" Aunt Evie snaps back.

"Get off, kitchen hog!" Mum pushes Aunt Evie, and she bumps into the mixer, turning it on. Cookie dough starts flying out, and a majority of it lands on Mum.

"Look what you've done!" Mum gasped. She then grabs an egg and throws it at Aunt Evie. Now covered in egg, Aunt Evie grabs a handful of cookie dough and throws it at Mum.  Unfortunately, she missed, and the cookie dough clump hits Joel right in the face and gets in his hair.

"My hair!!" Joel shrieked. Oliver, who's standing next to him, starts laughing. Joel takes some flour and dumps it on Oliver's head.

"Food fight!!!" James yelled loudly.

The next few parts were a bit of a blur. All I remember is trying to dodge the various ingredients getting thrown at me while complete, and total chaos reigned around me. Uncle Fred gets hit with a flour bomb, and the triplets hide behind the table while they throw eggs at people, specifically James.  Joel and Oliver are having a flour fight and are completely dusted white. Uncle Henry is taking video and is covered in who knows what, Aunt Kate is laughing in the corner. Mum and Aunt Evie are duking it out with cookie dough, and Grandma and Grandma are in the living room sipping tea like this is a normal Saturday night occurrence!

Finally, it's over, silence reigns. The kitchen is a mess. Everyone is covered in food. And Mum and Aunt Evie just stand there, covered in cookie dough, staring at each other.

"Well, that was dramatic." I exclaimed, panting.

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Hey, Wes again. Well, dear reader, it seems you're all caught up on what happened. But stay tuned. The story's not over yet.
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Mum and Aunt Evie are just staring at each other when suddenly they both start laughing.

"You look ridiculous." Aunt Evie chuckled.

"YOU look ridiculous." Mum laughed.

"Oh, what are we doing. Fighting. On Christmas Eve?" Aunt Evie sighed.

"Yes, shame on us, I guess." Mum said.

"I'm sorry." Aunt Evie said.

"I'm sorry too." Mum said.

They hug each other.

"Aw, isn't that nice." Grandma commented.

"We'd better get cleaning." Mum sighs, taking a look around the kitchen. "Just look at the mess we've made!"

Just then, a scream fills the room. Everyone turns to see Aunt Kate clutching her stomach. Mind you, she is VERY pregnant.

"I think the baby's coming!" She says between groans.

"Tonight?!!" Uncle Fred exclaims.

"No, next year. Yes, tonight!!!!" Aunt Kate yells sarcastically.

"Um, okay. Nobody panic!!!" Uncle Fred yells frantically. "I said nobody panic!!!!"

"Fred, calm down." Mum puts a hand on his shoulder. "This is your fourth one. You got this."

"Okay, George, Mary, Ellie, to the car!" Uncle Fred says. "I'll grab the baby stuff!"

"C'mon, let's get you to the car." Aunt Evie leads Aunt Kate outside to the car. Uncle Fred and the triplets head outside, and they drive to the hospital. Of course, everyone follows suit, grabbing their coats and heading to their cars. Finally, at around 2:34 in the morning, my new cousin, Annabelle, was born on Christmas day. That Christmas, we got the best gift of all. Family. And it sure was one heck of a Christmas. Absolute chaos, even after the food fight. But, I still wouldn't change a thing. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.
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Author here. I enjoyed writing this. It was fun. Merry Christmas everyone, happy holidays, and happy New Year. Thanks for reading ❤️