#look at me projecting onto Nancy and Robin as I hurtle closer to Christmas :/

[shares-a-vest]

Fruity Four Advent Calendar, Day 8: Rituals

Prompt List

Today I have a bunch of headcanons about each of the Fruity Four's typical Christmas traditions/rituals. Feel free to yell with me in my inbox about these. I could literally write all day about people making and sharing food.

Steve Harrington

Steve's Christmas traditions are really only three years old. Sure, he has dinner with his parents, grandma and his great aunt Doris but that's a silent, formal dinner on Christmas Eve that his parents don't even like, it's mainly to placate the oldies.

His parents each host their respective work Christmas parties at the house. His mother's is more of a fancy dinner party. Whereas his father's company has an absolute rager that rivals all those King Steve parties.

He takes every shift available at Family Video to get away from his mum who, despite thinking she is like a Martha-Stewart-level hostess, is not.

He drives the kids around Christmas shopping. It's probably the most chaotic carpooling gets because no one is organised and getting the boys to actually pick out thoughtful gifts is like pulling teeth. He'll get all analytical giving his wisdom about how to buy gifts for girls.

He helps Max wrap her gifts and might conveniently bring a nice dinner over to the Mayfields.

Max and Dustin both call him on Christmas morning. Max asks (for like the billionth time) if he would like to spend Christmas at her house, while Dustin triple-checks he is coming over for lunch.

He insists on making dessert for the Henderson's Christmas lunch.

He buys Claudia flowers and perfume (gifts he used to give his mum before his parents gradually fazed out presents).

Steve bakes gingerbread for the kids and has Robin wrap them with nice tags for each kid.

He'll stay in the Christmas sweater Claudia gifts him for Christmas until it stops snowing.

Nancy Wheeler

Nancy's Christmas is largely dictated by the traditions of Wheeler family - their Christmases being basically the same, well-oiled machine every year.

She takes Holly shopping, wanting to include her in the grown-up stuff.

She gave up on taking Mike shopping a couple of years ago, he never had any decent ideas for their parent's gifts anyway. Plus he always wanted to sit down for snacks which Nance never budgeted for.

She spends a really long time picking out Christmas cards.

And uses a pretty, gold marker pen to write on her Christmas cards.

She always writes beautiful long messages, always personal and heartfelt.

The Wheeler's typically travel to see extended family before Christmas because Karen likes having just the family at home on Christmas morning.

Nancy and Mike spend a lot of time over Christmas playing video games together.

She makes sugar cookies for when The Party hold a holiday campaign in the basement. She makes them with Holly's help and it's the one time she allows Mike to take credit (only if he still includes Holly).

She typically ends up putting up the outside Christmas lights because Karen and Ted argue about how hapless his efforts are.

She drives when the family goes around looking at Christmas lights.

Nancy and Karen will spend hours together decorating the Christmas tree, just like they've been doing since she was a kid.

Robin Buckley

Robin's Christmas traditions are pretty much entirely focused around her busy crafting schedule and how much time her parents make her spend with extended family.

She makes every gift herself, including cards and tags and, if she has enough time, wrapping paper.

She accompanies Steve with his Christmas shopping, although she's a bit distracting, linking their arms and pulling him in every direction.

Robin and her brother Cameron have a movie marathon every year, sticking strictly to Christmas movies.

Cameron doesn't let Steve in on their traditions. It's not that he doesn't like Steve, he just wants to spend time with his sister.

The Buckley family goes to their grandparent's house on Christmas Day for dinner with the entire extended family.

Robin spends pretty much the whole time sitting in the corner with Cameron and her favourite cousin, Marcie, chatting away a million miles an hour about movies and TV.

She calls Steve multiple times on Christmas, in the morning and when he's at Dustin's to make sure he is happy.

Her aunts and uncles pester her about having a boyfriend and that's typically when she'll make an excuse to go and call Steve.

She'll set the table for dinner, making it look like something out of a catalogue but she is not allowed anywhere near the kitchen (which extends beyond Christmas, she's a hopeless cook).

Robin and her mum make Christmas ornaments, including painted baubles.

She has to suffer through her father's horribly unfunny comedy records over the Christmas break.

Eddie Munson

Eddie's Christmas traditions date back to his first Christmas with Wayne.

Wayne has always asked for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day off at the plant. "I have a kid at home," he says.

Eddie is surprisingly relaxed over Christmas, probably because he knows his uncle is happy to have a few days off work.

He waits on Wayne over the holidays insisting, "Put your feet up, old man".

Up until Christmas 1984, he went with Wayne to visit his dad in prison. It was Wayne's idea to go and his decision to stop. He just felt this nagging obligation. The final straw was Eddie's father making fun of him for needing to repeat senior year.

Eddie takes flowers to his mother's grave on Christmas Eve. He'll sit and talk, and sing quietly. Wayne goes a couple of days before Christmas and tells her how Eddie's doing.

Eddie will stroll over to Max's mid-Christmas morning to see how her mum is doing and (instructed by Wayne) asks if they would like to join them for dinner.

They'll schedule the whole day around whatever time It's a Wonderful Life is airing. It's one of Wayne's favourite movies, being a huge fan of Jimmy Stewart (he likes his westerns best).

Wayne buys "the fancy, expensive" coco for the holidays. Yes, he also has festive coffee mugs.

Eddie cooks an elaborate breakfast, while Wayne makes a roast for dinner.

Eddie sits around playing Wayne's favourite blues music on his acoustic. Wayne sometimes plays a little too (he thinks he's no good compared to his nephew).

They smoke a bit of Eddie's good weed. Not too much because Wayne wants to savour their Christmas and not be totally baked.

Wayne buys Claudia Henderson a nice bottle of wine and flowers for Christmas for all the food she sends with Dustin when he's over visiting Eddie.