"George! Georgie, wake up!" Fred Weasley was yelling loud enough he'd probably woken at least half of Diagon Alley by this point, but he didn't even care. "Guess what day it is!"
George stumbled into the kitchen of their small flat, his hair messy from sleep and his eyes alive with mischief. He, of course, was wearing his sweater that his mother had knitted him the previous Christmas. "I know what day it is, Freddie."
"DECEMBER TWENTY-FOURTH!" The Weasley twins shouted together, and then they both burst into a fit of laughter.
Once they'd both gotten their breath back, George produced a pot of coffee with a quick wave of his wand and poured both himself and his twin a steaming mug. "So," he began, taking a sip and brushing a strand of bright red hair from his eyes, "run me through today's schedule, Fred."
Fred grinned and took a sip of his own coffee. "Of course. So this morning, we go to Mum and Dad's. Mum'll be going mad trying to cook - honestly, she should just use magic, so much easier - so you and I will do anything we can to get away. You, Charlie, and me will probably be in charge of finding a Christmas tree."
"One of my favorite parts of the holiday," George smirked.
"Then, we'll go back and try and sneak some food from the kitchen, Mum'll catch us and get mad. But then, we'll go and ridicule Percy for a spell, and then we'll all gather 'round in the parlor and tell stories." Fred changed his voice here: "Oh, remember when... Oh, and Bill was so cute the year that we gave him... Arthur, remember? Fred, George, stop bothering Percy..." Fred began laughing again, and George's grin grew.
"Alright, alright, so it's just like every other year. We need to be on our way soon, but don't we still have to wrap the gifts?" George asked, magically refilling his coffee cup.
"Well, I haven't done it. I don't even know how to wrap a gift, Georgie."
"Nor do I. Hmm. We can figure it out. Do we have any wrapping paper?"
"Mm, nope. We can use newspapers."
"Great."
George suddenly began walking back towards the bedroom they shared (it was a small flat!), and, of course, Fred followed. Once inside, George placed his coffee mug on the dresser and knelt down beside his bed and pulled a large box out from underneath it. His twin knelt down beside him, and together they began taking out its contents: everyone's gifts. For their mother, they'd gotten a new set of cooking supplies - pans and bowls and such with a nice flower pattern on them. For Dad, well, they'd gathered up a few odd muggle trinkets and figured that would be good enough. For Charlie they'd gotten an author-signed copy of a book about dragons, and for the brothers, Harry, and Ginny, they'd picked out different products from the shop. George had picked out a book to give Hermione, and they'd gotten a French cookbook for Fleur.
"Fred, some newspaper, if you will," George said, and Fred tossed an old copy of The Daily Prophet to his twin.

"Well Fred."
"Well George."
"They look terrible."
"They do indeed. I'm proud of us."
"As am I."
The twins high-fived as they studied their work. All of the boxes were wrapped, but very, very poorly. There were creases of the paper sticking out at awkward angles, and every now and then there were openings in the paper where the boxes were visible.
"Shall we go, then?" Fred asked, grinning still.
"I do believe we shall," George replied, and after scooping up all of their gifts, they apparated together to the Burrow.

"MUM!" Fred called, opening the door and letting himself and George inside.
"George, dear!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed, meeting the twins in the entryway.
"He's not George, I am!" George exclaimed from behind Fred.
"Oh, sorry, Fred!" Mrs. Weasley apologized. "Ron! Charlie! Come in here and help the twins carry their things! Honestly, boys, all these boxes, you should have put them inside a bag or something."
"Ah, didn't think of that," Fred said simply. "But we got here alright."
Just then, two other redheaded boys appeared in the doorway. "Charlie!" The twins exclaimed together.
"What am I, then?" Ron asked irritably.
"Oh, hi, Ron," George said absent-mindedly as he handed some of his boxes to Charlie. Ron just rolled his eyes and took a few of the boxes from Fred.
"Well, I've got to get back to the kitchen," Mrs. Weasley said, quickly turning. "Just take the boxes into the parlor. And then Fred, George, would you mind to do a favor for me?"
          "If it's getting a Christmas tree, we do it every year, Mum," Fred said, kissing his mother on the cheek as he walked past.

          After they'd dropped all of their packages in a heap on the floor, George turned to Charlie. "You're coming with us, right?"
          In response, Charlie grabbed his scarf off the sofa and wrapped it around his neck.
          "Perfect," Fred grinned. "C'mon boys."

          "Are we close, Char?" Fred whined, trudging up the snow-covered hill.
          "You've been here just as many times as I have."
          "You know I'm joking."
          "When are you not?"
           The three brothers laughed and continued walking. They'd came to this hill behind the Burrow every year to get a tree - when they were younger, Dad had gone with them.
           "So, Char," George said, adjusting his scarf, "how are things in Romania?"
            "Oh, wonderful. The dragons are all doing just fantastic." Charlie's eyes lit up at the mention of his beloved beasts. "You remember that one we came and got that Hagrid had?"
          "Yeah."
          "Her latest egg just hatched a few weeks ago! We named him Newt - because his mama was Norberta and because Mr. Scamander was actually there when it hatched! Oh, he's just so beautiful-"
          Fred and George just looked at each other and broke into laughter. "Charlie," Fred said, "you're doing it again."
           Charlie just shrugged, and then stopped. "Boys," he breathed, "I think we've found our tree."
          The twins stopped on either side of their older brother and looked up, marveling at what they'd just found.
          "It's so beautiful," George said.
          "Yes it is," Fred replied.
          "Is this the one?" Charlie asked.
          They all shared a look that said, yes, and with one flick of his wand, Charlie had cut it down and made it levitate alongside them.
            "Now back home," Charlie said, turning back in the direction they'd just came, "and we can get this thing all decorated."

           "MUM!" Fred yelled, standing outside the door, George and Charlie behind him.
           "Yes?" Mrs. Weasley called back from inside.
           "We have the tree!"
            "ARTHUR! The boys have the tree outside! Can you help them get it inside!"
           Mr. Weasley appeared at the door almost immediately - and gasped. "Boys! The tree... it's most definitely not going to fit in the living room!"
          Fred, George, and Charlie all shared a look. "Oh no," Charlie mumbled. "Didn't think of that."
          "Hello! Are we wizards or not?" Fred exclaimed, and jerked his wand out. "Dad, how much do we need to take off to make it fit?"
          "Um-"
          Fred quickly flicked his wand - and the top of the tree fell off.
          "Brilliant!" George exclaimed.
          "Well, that's one way to do it," Charlie nodded. "Let's take this beauty inside."
          Mr. Weasley jerked the door open as wide as it would go and George, Charlie, and Fred manually carried the tree inside.

          Once they'd actually gotten the tree to stand up in the corner (Fred had taken off just the right length), they called in the rest of the family to come and see. In first came Ron and Harry, and then Hermione and Ginny. Then Mum, Bill, Fleur, and lastly: Percy.
          "Oh, you're here," Fred grumbled, and George chuckled. Percy looked at them with a sour expression.
          "Oh, boys!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed, wiping her hands on her apron. "Where's the top?"
          "Well, Mum," Charlie said charmingly, putting an arm around her shoulders. "We found such a beautiful tree that we just had to get that one! We got back and realized it was too big - so we improvised."
          Mrs. Weasley just shook her head. "Well. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, the boxes of ornaments are over there," she motioned to the other side of the room, "if you'd like, you can decorate the tree."
          "Mu-um," Ron started, which earned him a glare from Hermione, and he shut his mouth.
          "Good. Okay, I've got to get back to the kitchen," Mrs. Weasley said quickly, and hurried off.
          "Fred," George said, stepping up beside his twin, "I'm thinking we should go see what we can find in the kitchen."
          "Brilliant idea, Georgie."
           Together they darted around the corner into the kitchen. About a million different wonderful smells hit them at once, and there were different pots and pans of different foods everywhere.
          "Hi Fred, George," Mrs. Weasley greeted quickly, not stopping what she was working on.
          "Hi Mum," they greeted together, both of them scouting out what they wanted to try first.
          "Say, this sure is a lot of food," Fred said slowly.
          "I don't think we'll be able to eat it all tonight," George murmured, "guess we should just eat some now!"
          By this point, Fred had a pie in each hand.
          "Boys!" Mrs. Weasley snapped. "Remus and Tonks are coming to eat with us! It won't kill you to wait until dinner to eat."
          "It might," Fred grumbled, putting the pies back on the counter. Right then, the exact person they needed at that moment came striding into the kitchen: Charlie.
          "You two causing trouble for Mum?" He asked, winking at the twins, who both grinned.
          "They feel they're going to waste away if I don't let them eat one of these pies before dinner," Mrs. Weasley said to Charlie.
          "Oh, Mum," Charlie grinned. "What's one pie when you have..." he paused to count, "seven more?"
          Mrs. Weasley smiled, just a bit. "One slice for each of you. One!"
          "How is he so good at this?" George asked Fred, who shrugged, already cutting himself a slice.
          As Fred pulled out a piece, yet another redhead came strolling into the kitchen. "Percy!" Fred greeted. "Would you like a slice of pie?"
          "I don't like pie, Fred, you know that."
          "Well I did not know that!" Charlie exclaimed.
          "Percy," George said seriously, taking a bite of the slice Fred had just handed him, "it's not natural that you don't like pie. Only heartless people don't like pie!"
          "Stop harassing your brother and get out of my kitchen!" Mrs. Weasley commanded suddenly. And they all knew not to mess with their mother, so they quickly moved into the parlor.
          "It's too bad it's snowing now," Charlie mumbled, "I'd love to play a bit of quidditch."
          "Oh, me, too," George said, dropping onto the sofa. "Don't you, Percy?"
          "Oh, bah humbug," Percy grumbled, opening up a book on the coffee table.
          "Bloody hell," Fred said, sitting down beside his twin, "was that English, Percy?"
          "It's from a novel. A muggle novel called A Christmas Carol."
          "Oh."

          "Boys!" Mrs. Weasley's voice rang throughout the entire house. Looking to escape Percy, Fred, George, and Charlie had retreated to Fred and George's old bedroom. However, now they got up and dashed down the stairs - it would be time for dinner any minute.
          "Coming!" Charlie called as they reached the kitchen. Before they entered, however, the eldest of the three turned to the twins. "Do what you have to do. Be quick."
          Fred and George both grinned and nodded and disappeared into the dining room.
          Oh yeah. They'd been working on quite a few new prank-products, and who better to test them on than their brothers?

          "Percy, dear, it's Christmas dinner! Try to hurry!" Mrs. Weasley called anxiously from her spot beside the table. Everyone else was already seated, and the twins had made sure that nobody sat in the spot they'd fixed for Percy.
          Percy came trotting into the dining room and paused before sitting down. "Hello Remus, Nymphadora."
          "Tonks," Tonks corrected. Percy nodded, and everyone was silent. He sat down - and the loudest fart noise ripped throughout the room.
          "PERCY WEASLEY!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed, and Fred, George, and Charlie were all laughing so hard they could hardly stay in their chairs.
          "No- I... That was not me!" Percy spluttered.
          Mr. Weasley cleared his throat, and all of the noise died down and everyone started dishing the delicious-looking food into their plates.
          And there was another fart noise. And then there was the noise of Fred and George laughing hysterically.
"FRED AND GEORGE WEASLEY," Mrs. Weasley shouted, "I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU DID, BUT MAKE IT STOP. WE HAVE COMPANY!"
          "Molly," Tonks said gently, obviously biting back laughter. "It's just us, don't worry."
          "Boys," Mr. Weasley said, "please get whatever you put on Percy or his chair."
          Once they'd caught their breath, Fred leaned down and pulled a round, flat, rubber object from underneath Percy's rear, causing Percy to squirm uncomfortably.
          "What is that?" Ron asked curiously.
          "It's called a Whopee Cushion. It's a muggle toy that you're supposed to fill with air to make it make noise," George said. "We enchanted them to where no air would be needed. We're going to start selling them after the new year."
          "Brilliant!" Harry and Ron exclaimed together. "Think I could get one early to slip Malfoy on the train back?"
          Mrs. Weasley glared, and the twins shared a sly grin.

          As the group ate, loud, hearty conversation broke out. They told jokes and laughed; they told all the stories they could think of.
          "Remember when we accidentally told Ron Santa Claus wasn't real?" George asked Fred.
          "How could I forget?" Fred exclaimed with a grin. "Mum was so angry at us."
          "You did?" Tonks laughed, her hair turning bright green as she did.
          "Yes, they did," Percy said.
          "It was almost as bad as when they turned my teddy bear into a giant spider!" Ron exclaimed. Harry and Ginny both laughed.
          "Well..." Fred started slowly. "It was Christmas Eve - Ron was, what, eight?"
          George nodded. "Ron was eight. So - you have to remember that it was Percy who told us that he wasn't real. So Ron had on these blue pajama pants and this maroon sweater and he was pacing back and forth in front of the Christmas tree and he was dragging his ratty little blanket beside him."
          "It wasn't ratty, it was well loved!" Ron exclaimed. "And I just had it because someone destroyed my bear."
          The twins laughed together. "Anyway," Fred resumed, "Mum was obviously trying to get him into bed, but he didn't want to go."
          "He wanted to stay up to see Santa," George added. "So right after Mum left the room, I said to Freddie, 'poor kid still believes he's real'. So Ron spins around and yells, 'WHAT?' and just looses it." George was laughing at this point.
          "So Mum comes running in and is trying to figure out what's wrong and Ron snitches on us!" Fred laughed. "Anyway... good memories."
"Sounds like it," Harry chuckled.

After the table had been cleared and the dishes had been cleaned, everyone settled down in the parlor with a steaming mug of either coffee or hot cocoa. As usual, the Celestina Warbeck Christmas special was playing on the radio, and Fred and George were dramatically singing every song. This in itself was a tradition.
This went on for an hour or so - soft conversation and sleepy laughter - before Remus and Tonks said their goodbyes. After they'd left, everyone migrated to their bedrooms. They'd open gifts in the morning.
"It really isn't nice for you two to torment Percy so much," Charlie said, settling into one of the two beds. The three of them were sharing the twins' old room - Fred and George hadn't minded to share a bed.
"It sure is a good laugh, though," George chuckled.
"That it is," Charlie agreed.
"Goodnight everyone!" Mrs. Weasley's voice echoed throughout the house. A light went out in the hall.
"You know what I think I need?" Charlie said, bolting upright in bed.
"What?" Fred exclaimed, sitting up because his older brother had done so. Then George did the same.
"Another cup of homemade coffee. Nothing beats Mum's, and I won't get any for a while once I go back to Romania."
"I'm sure there's some left on the stove..." George grinned.
In a flash, the three were out of bed and going as quietly as they could down the stairs.
           "This reminds me of when we were kids and we'd sneak down and get sweets," George whispered as they crept into the kitchen.
Bang!
          "Did someone bring their wand? Or a light?" Fred asked from somewhere in the dark kitchen - he'd just ran into something.
          "Lumos," Charlie whispered, and his wand lit up. "Ah ha!" He scurried to the stove and flipped open the coffee pot. The scent of it filled the kitchen, sharpening their senses. "I'll just hear this up real quick and we can take it back to our room," Charlie informed them quietly. The twins nodded.
"Incendio," Charlie whispered, pointing his wand at the burner underneath the pot. Large, hot flames erupted from the wand, engulfing the stovetop and the coffee.
          "Augumenti! Reducio! Augumenti!" Charlie yelled in a desperate attempt to put out the fire. He succeeded, but not quietly enough to keep his mother from knowing.
         "FRED AND GEORGE WEASLEY!" They could hear Mrs. Weasley before they could actually see her. She tore into the kitchen wearing a light blue nightgown and robe. "WHAT THE DEVIL ARE YOU DOING? Oh, Charlie!"
          The three boys looked at each other before Fred simply said, "We wanted some coffee."
          "And you just about burnt the house down with it!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed, crossing her arms across her chest. "Off to bed. Now! I'll make more coffee in the morning. You're not to attempt to make any - or anything else, for that matter - until at least daylight tomorrow."
"Yes, Mum," they all said together, and they shuffled back up the stairs. As soon as they were out of earshot of their mother, however, they were all laughing hysterically.

          "FRED! GEORGE! CHARLIE! WAKE UP! IT'S CHRISTMAS!"
          Ginny was gone before any of them had even opened their eyes, but she had definitely been the one shouting.
          Following a few yawns and lazy stretches, the three boys made their way downstairs.
          "Last ones up! Even Percy beat you!" Ron called from the breakfast table.
           "Late night adventures cause you to sleep late..." Mrs. Weasley said through pursed lips, though her eyes sparkled.
          "Say, Mum," Bill yawned, "how come it smells like burnt coffee in here?"

"Mum, can we open gifts now?" Ron pleaded.
           "Patience," Mrs. Weasley smiled gently. "Go on into the parlor, and we'll get all the gifts sorted."
           All of the children bolted from their chairs at the table to the parlor like they were 12. They all found spots on the floor, on the sofa, and in the armchairs and impatiently waited for their gifts.
           After Bill had passed everything out, paper began flying everywhere. Cries of "oh, yes!" and "wow! Thanks!" were heard every few moments.
            Fred got a sweater from Mrs. Weasley - he and George had to trade - and a new scarf from Bill and Fleur. From Charlie, he'd gotten a book about dragons. Charlie was his second favorite brother, but sometimes he was clueless when it came to gifts. Percy had gotten him some history book (really?) and Ron had given him Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans. From Hermione, he'd gotten new orange and purple stationary - not really his thing, but it'd go well with the colors of the shop. Ginny had gotten him a new Ireland quidditch sweater. Harry had given him a muggle book called 101 Knock Knock Jokes. He'd only read the first one, but he couldn't wait to read more.
George had gotten a sweater from Mrs. Weasley, new gloves from Bill and Fleur, and a book about magical creatures from Charlie. From Percy, he'd gotten a leather bound book that he wasn't sure of the title on. Ron had given him a new set of sugar quills, and Hermione had given him and Fred matching stationary. Ginny had gotten him a quidditch sweater, and Harry had gotten him a muggle book - The Best (and cheesiest) Pick Up Lines.

          
          "You look good, Fred," Fred told George (who was wearing Fred's Weasley sweater). Mrs. Weasley wanted them to all take a family photo wearing them, so naturally, the twins had traded. She was busy at the moment trying to organize everyone for said photo.
           "Thanks George," George grinned.
          "Fred," Mrs. Weasley squawked, grabbing George and pulling him into the picture. "Now George." She grabbed Fred and placed him beside George - who she thought was Fred.
          "Is that everyone? Ron, sit still! Oh, where are Harry and Hermione?"
          Mrs. Weasley spun around, scanning the room for the other two. "Get in here, you two! You're family!"
          Harry and Hermione shared a look, and Ron motioned for them to come over. Slowly they did.
          "Bill, you next. Fleur, you can stand in front of him. PERCY! Come in here!"
           Percy came striding into the parlor, a strange look on his face.
          "You stand there beside Bill," Mrs. Weasley instructed.
          "You know the twins switched jumpers again," Percy said dryly, squeezing between Bill and Charlie.
          "I didn't know you could tell us apart, Perce!" George exclaimed.
          "Boys," Mrs. Weasley sighed, "switch shirts."
           And so they did, right in front of everyone, earning another sigh from their mother.
           "Ginny, you on the other side of Harry... who else... oh, Dad and I..."
          Mr. Weasley looked up from one of the strange muggle trinkets he'd gotten that he'd been fiddling with.
          "Stand there beside Charlie," his wife told him, and he did as he was told.
          Mrs. Weasley then sat the auto timer on the camera (well, it mad magical, but still) and hurried into her spot beside Fleur.
          "Everyone smile!" She exclaimed, and everyone did. Everyone except the twins, both of whom, of course, made the goofiest faces they possible could.

          All in all, it was (another) great - and very Weasley - Christmas.