“Blaine!” a yell came from the bedroom. “What did you do with the nutmeg?”

“I put it in the cupboard, what else would I have done?” a second yell came from the dining room.

“Why didn’t you put it in the spice rack? That’s where it’s supposed to go!”

“Okay, Kurt, I’m sorry. Next time I get groceries I will make sure you put everything away in just the right spot.”

It was almost a given that Kurt was going to be stressed. He and Blaine had decided to host his parents, Finn, and Rachel for Christmas. Not only was it their first time handling the work for everyone, it was also their first Christmas as husbands, having finally taken the plunge nine months prior. It would have been earlier, but Blaine didn’t want to do it while he was still in undergraduate courses. He made the decision halfway through his sophomore year to stop listening to his father’s insistence on a career in medicine and followed his heart towards teaching. Thanks to summer classes, he only needed an extra semester to complete his studies, and in celebration of his graduation, he took Kurt on a pre-Christmas getaway to Atlantic City where he popped the question. Blaine was now less than six months away from a Masters’ degree in English to go with his Bachelors’ in education. His student teaching experience led him to a private school in Brooklyn, reminiscent of his brief time at Dalton, which he fell in love with. The headmaster had all but promised him an interview once he was out of Columbia.

Kurt’s luck hadn’t been the same. He had taken a few roles since graduating from NYADA, but barely enough to cover their living expenses. There had been times where he had gone to Rachel, who had already earned acclaim for her role in the revival of Hello, Dolly!, for a loan to pay their bills. Right now, however, that was next to impossible since she was seven months pregnant and not working. Instead, he started working in costuming for a new show that had opened in September. It was proving to be a success, and Kathy, his boss, promised to keep him on for any show she supervised.

The lingering money issues had drastically ended Kurt’s dream wedding plans. Gone were the hotel ballroom decked in white and silver, the four-tier cake, the six-piece band, and the pages-long guest list. Instead, he and Blaine invited select people to a courthouse ceremony held eight years to the day they began their relationship. They each invited two friends from their old choirs: Mercedes and Tina from New Directions, which meant invitations for Sam and Mike and a babysitter for the newborn Chang, and David and Nick from the Warblers, along with their respective girlfriends. There were issues, of course. Annie came down with a cold that week, so Mike and Tina were possible no-shows until they received confirmation from their pediatrician that she was recovering nicely. When Blaine contacted his parents after the date was set, they declined the invitation, citing a huge medical conference in San Diego that his father could not get out of (he suspected it was a lie, but they did spend the week on the opposite coast). The afternoon of the wedding, just before they began getting ready, Kurt broke down that his mother didn’t live to see this day, that it wasn’t what he wanted, and that the humidity from the all-day rain was going to ruin Blaine’s hair before they took their pictures. Blaine gently grabbed his shoulders in between sobs and informed him that it didn’t matter how small the wedding was or which guests showed up or if his head turned into a bird’s nest on their way, the day was already perfect because it was the two of them, and that was all that mattered. Kurt calmed down quickly, and by the time the ink dried on their marriage license, their union had been sealed with the most tender kiss ever.

Kurt finally found the nutmeg on the top shelf of the cupboard, far away from where he kept the spices. He wondered if his husband sometimes did these things on purpose. He went back to working on his salad, then began boiling water for potatoes while Blaine started getting ready for the dinner. Kurt felt like his menu would be successful: rosemary roasted mushrooms, squash, sweet potato, and corn chowder, Waldorf salad, vegetable pot pie, a pear and apple crumble, and the traditional Christmas dessert passed down from his mother. It was hard to find healthy meals his father would approve of, and trickier if Rachel was included due to her vegan lifestyle. He was certain everyone would love the meal.

Blaine entered the kitchen after he dressed. One thing Kurt approved of was that Blaine’s classic style never changed over the years. He was currently wearing a white button-down, black tie with white stripes criss-crossing, a heather gray cardigan, and black trousers. The only parts that were different from the boy Kurt met nine years before were the glasses that adorned Blaine’s face and the major reduction of hair products in use. He walked up to the island that Kurt was working on and kissed his cheek. “Want me to take over while you shower?” he asked.

Kurt nodded. “The potatoes should be ready soon. Chop up half of them and mash the rest, then cut up the rest of the vegetables I haven’t gotten to yet. If I’m not back yet, the crust for the pie is in the refrigerator ready to be rolled out.”

“Gotcha. Your sous chef has you covered,” Blaine said. With a grin, Kurt kissed him on the lips and went off to freshen up for his family.

An hour later, both men were plating the appetizers when Finn and Rachel arrived. Kurt was amazed that, even with seeing her just a month earlier for Thanksgiving, his sister-in-law’s belly seemed to have doubled in size. “Rach, you look amazing! How are you feeling?”

“Like March can’t get here soon enough,” she groaned as she lowered herself onto the couch. “I swear he hates to stay still more than five minutes.”

“Yep, that sounds like Finn’s son,” Blaine joked as he came out to greet them.

Rachel smiled. “Honestly, that’s the better part. I’ve already gained thirty pounds, possibly ten more since my appointment thanks to all the Hanukkah and Christmas parties we attended, my back has been aching for the last week and a half, my feet are too swollen for any heels, and to think I still have nine weeks? I’m over it. Just promise me if you two go the surrogate route, you will treat her like a queen because right now? I feel like the very fat maid.”

“Honey, you aren’t fat at all, and you are a queen,” Finn said to soothe his wife. “Ryan is worth every bit of this, isn’t he?”

Kurt and Blaine missed her confirmation because they were staring at each other in shock. They knew they wanted to start a family once both of them had more secure jobs, but not once had they discussed whether it would be via surrogacy or adoption. While Kurt loved the idea of having a child with his talent or Blaine’s curls, he remembered how Rachel felt when she found out Shelby was her mother. He also knew how many children were growing up without parents at all. It would be somewhat selfish not to give them a chance at a normal life. But there would also be the legalities of being a same-sex couple trying to adopt, and he and Blaine had friends whom the system denied their chance at parenthood because their lifestyle was deemed too inappropriate. They still had a couple years before they would be fully ready to take fatherhood on, but he could already picture a Christmas down the line with cookies for Santa (sugar-free, of course, no matter how much Blaine would complain) and plenty of boxes underneath the tree.

Soon, Burt and Carole arrived and the family sat down to dinner, which Burt highly praised. Afterwards were presents, including a few for Ryan, which made Rachel burst into tears. Carole hinted that it wasn’t even close to the amount she had already bought for the baby shower in two weeks. She and Burt headed out soon after, having to catch an early flight back to Ohio because Burt refused to miss a day of work no matter how much Kurt insisted he needed the break. Once it was back to the four of them, Finn and Blaine turned some football on while Kurt and Rachel cleaned up.

“I don’t know why they have to watch. They said the Buckeyes are playing on New Year’s Day. Did they forget?” Rachel asked.

Kurt chuckled. “One thing I’ve learned after following football is you watch every game whether your team is in it or not.”

“Don’t they get sick of it? Finn’s here every Sunday.”

“It’s only for a few more weeks, Rach. It’ll be over soon and Finn will be home freaking out over becoming a dad at your place rather than ours.”

Rachel was surprised. “He does that?”

“Absolutely,” Kurt said. “Last week he said he’s scared that when Ryan comes he won’t remember anything he learned in the parenting classes. Aren’t you?”

She hesitated before nodding. “I guess it’s just natural, isn’t it? But I never even had a mother in my life so I pretty much am going into this with no idea on how to act. And what happens when I start auditioning again I’ll have to hire a nanny and what if I get such a huge long-term role that Ryan won’t know who I am because I’m always working?”

“First of all, you will be an amazing mother because you had two amazing fathers who raised you right. Second, Ryan will always know you are the best mother he could have. Stop worrying. Everything will be fine.” Kurt kissed Rachel’s forehead. “Plus he’ll have the two best uncles around.”

“Right, you can teach him the finer points of skincare and Blaine will show him how to jump on furniture.”

They continued in silence for a few moments before Rachel changed the subject. “I think you two really lived up to the expectations, you know.”

Confused, Kurt asked, “What expectations?”

“Remember senior year when Mr. Schue booked us to do that Christmas special? Artie chose you and Blaine to be the perfect holiday hosts and you finally had the chance to prove that. Dinner was lovely and the presents were spot on.”

“And you talked Finn out of brining his light saber,” Kurt chuckled. “Thanks, Rach. We couldn’t have picked out any better guests than the four of you.” He hugged her, more difficult than before due to her bump.

Once Rachel and Finn headed home, Kurt collapsed onto the couch. Blaine joined him, pulling his husband into his lap. “Exhausted?” he asked.

“A little, but today was worth it.”

“Yes it was. And we didn’t need the disguise of a ‘bachelor chalet’ to do it, either,” Blaine replied. “I can’t imagine how much harder it will be once we have children.”

Kurt lifted his head. “Are we going to talk about that? Rachel’s statement threw me off.”

“I know, and we don’t have to decide yet. I know the pros and cons can take a while to go through, but I can’t wait for the morning they wake up to rip open every present Santa brings them.”

“And who said they will have your manners when it comes to gifts?” Blaine couldn’t help but laugh. “No, I agree with you. I think I know which way I’m leaning towards between the options, but it’s still a few years away. We could change our minds easily.”

Blaine nodded. “Especially once I have kids taking over my life for seven hours a day and keeping me for my gorgeous husband at home,” he punctuated with a kiss.

The two men remained on the couch for several more minutes. Kurt was content with the first Hummel-Anderson Christmas celebration, but he couldn’t wait for the future when he could enjoy their son or daughter light up at every moment of the season.