For whatever reason, Elia had taken to Issac from day one. Maybe it was his frenetic energy, or the chaos that rolled off him in waves, or the fact that he closed over the shadow-creatures that followed her like pets. Maybe all those things. Right away, though, she had known she liked him. And by the time Yule rolled around, she definitely knew she loved him.
Grinning, she took in the sight of him. He looked so pleased to be doing this with her – this thing she had never enjoyed with her own family. It had been so cold, there. So pretentious.
"People do that. My mother picked a new theme every year." Images swirled through Elia's mind: huge Christmas trees decorated in extravagant, elegant themes. White, blue, red. Some years there had been particular ornament themes. Angels, birds, shining berries. They always had to be just so.