The first thing Kurt noticed when he woke up was that it was still dark outside. Or what was considered dark thanks to the bright lights of Manhattan.

The second thing he noticed was the body clinging to his torso. Nothing new, of course.

Until he realized the third thing…this person was much too small to be Blaine.

“Daddies! Guess what? Santa did find me and Abbie after all!” T.J. exclaimed.

“Please tell me it’s a humane hour to be up,” a voice groaned from next to them. Blaine had learned in his seven plus years teaching to value weekends and holidays as time to sleep, and he tried to never be up before 9 those mornings.

“Not quite, but I’m pretty sure you can give up your love affair with the bed just for today. It is pretty important, after all,” Kurt said.

Four years prior, Kurt and Blaine had come to a difficult decision in their adoption versus surrogacy dilemma. While having someone to pass one of their genes on to would have been wonderful, ultimately, there were too many children without homes to feel comfortable bringing another one in the world. They met with numerous agencies and filled out miles of paperwork before one agreed they were suitable to adopt. Their case worker, Amanda, kept in touch with them every few months since the wait was going to be lengthy. Finally in July, she called with the news that an infant had just come into children’s services and they were at the top of the list to take her. However, there was a catch, she said. Her four-year-old brother was reluctant to leave her side even to sleep, and if they wanted her, he would have to be taken in too. They spent hours debating what to do until Kurt said that since they always wanted two kids, it was best to have them come in at one time rather than go through the painful, indefinite wait again. Three days later, Tyler Jacob and Abigail Rose were formally introduced into the Hummel-Anderson household.

Being only three months old at the time, it didn’t take long for Abbie to adjust to life with Kurt and Blaine. Unfortunately, T.J. closed himself off, refusing to speak or listen to them. After a month, Kurt took him to a child psychologist who worked with children’s services to examine T.J. All Kurt and Blaine were informed about at the time of the adoption was that the biological mother had a history of drug use and after going clean when she became pregnant with Abbie, she and her boyfriend were taken in on cocaine possession. They weren’t surprised that this man was not T.J.’s father, nor that he had never been in the picture, but when T.J. finally opened up a week after beginning his sessions, they learned the boyfriend regularly beat both T.J. and his mother. The boy had gone from a home where he was either neglected or abused by father figures to one that came with not one, but two men, in a matter of hours. He didn’t trust his new fathers at all. Over the next few months, Kurt sat in on the sessions to get T.J. used to being around him and Blaine spent weekends taking him to the zoo or a children’s play. By Thanksgiving, T.J.’s favorite word was Daddy, and while he used it on both, Kurt and Blaine could differentiate which one he was talking about.

Soon a gentle cry was heard from the baby monitor on Kurt’s nightstand. “And there’s your alarm, baby. Do you want her or do you want to keep T.J. away from the tree a few more minutes?”

“Since you got dressed after play time last night, you take him while I put something on and then change her,” Blaine said with a yawn.

“You played without me?” T.J. pouted.

Kurt glared at his husband. “It was a game for grown-ups, T.J., and we probably won’t play it again if Daddy doesn’t stay quiet about things. Come on, let’s find Ariel then we can see what Santa brought!”

Kurt took T.J. back to his bedroom where the family’s chocolate lab liked to sleep. She was Blaine’s Christmas present in 2021 and took to T.J. immediately once he entered the picture. They found her in the corner next to T.J.’s coloring table. After waking her, they headed to the living room, T.J. running towards the tree. “Daddy, it’s so pretty!” he said in awe once Kurt turned the lights on.

“Isn’t it?” Kurt asked as he bent down to pick up his son. “It’s not like the tree at Rockefeller, though. Remember when we saw that two weeks ago?”

T.J. nodded. “I always wanted a tree like this. Me and Mommy didn’t have a tree last year.”

“Really? Why?”

“Chad didn’t celebrate Christmas. He said he was an apey-ist.”

“An Atheist?” Kurt questioned.

“Yeah, that. What’s that?”

Kurt stared at T.J. trying to formulate an answer he would understand. “You know the story of Christmas, right?” T.J. nodded. “Well, most people believe Jesus is the son of God, but a lot of people think that God doesn’t exist. Those are Athesists.”

T.J. asked, “Are they bad people?”

“No, not all of them are,” Kurt replied. “Chad may have been a bad person, but it wasn’t because of that. In fact, I have a secret for you…I’m an Atheist.”

“But you celebrate Christmas, Daddy.”

“I do, but for a different reason. I celebrate it as a day where I can make the people I love happy. Like Daddy, Grandma and Grandpa, and Uncle Finn and Aunt Rachel. And now I can take today to make you and Abbie happy.”

“Daddy, you make me happy every day.” It took everything inside Kurt to hold it together. He would never forget today, and it wasn’t even 7.

Blaine walked in carrying a still-sleepy Abbie. “Look who I found!” he said.

Kurt beamed at them. “Oh, Blaine. I think in a couple years she’ll look just like Cindy Lou Who on Christmas.” He loved Abbie’s creamy complexion, just a shade darker than his, her white-blonde curls that framed her face, and large, deep blue eyes. It was like someone took the best features he and Blaine had and mixed them into one perfect baby that was now theirs.

T.J. began getting antsy. “Can I open my presents now?”

“What’s the magic word, T.J.?” Blaine asked.

“Please?” He added a sad look to emphasize.

“Like we can say no to you,” Kurt said as he set T.J. down. Before he knew it, T.J. went for a box towards the side of the tree rather than the remote control car that Santa left (or a certain curly-haired daddy left after playing with it for twenty minutes the night before).

Once the wrapping paper stopped flying, T.J. looked at the box and asked, “What is this?”

“A tea set,” Kurt answered. “You can have tea parties with your stuffed animals or Daddy and me. It was so much fun for me when I was your age.”

“Can we have one now, Daddy?”

Blaine sat down next to his son. “How about you, me, Aunt Rachel, Maggie, and Grandma have one when they all get here and Daddy is making dinner? I bet if we ask nicely, Grandpa will join us, too.”

T.J lit up at the suggestion before going through the rest of his presents. He received a lot of clothes, toys, and despite Kurt asking where it would be used, a whiffle ball set. Abbie’s presents were less flashy, even more clothes and stuffed animals, along with a tiny piano to help learn colors and sounds. Even Ariel had a few new toys and treats under the tree. Since it was their first Christmas with the children, Kurt and Blaine decided there was no reason to give each other gifts. Their gift was their new family.

By 2, the apartment was bustling. Finn and Rachel arrived late in the morning with their three children, followed by Burt and Carole just after noon. After presents were exchanged between everyone and the kids started playing with everything, Kurt headed to the kitchen to start preparing dinner. It wasn’t long before he was interrupted.

“Can I help, Uncle Kurt?” At seven years old, Ryan Hudson had taken a liking to helping out in the kitchen as much as he could.

“Sure! I was just getting ready to make my special Christmas dessert,” Kurt answered. He set out the ingredients and measured everything he needed out before he began whipping the cream in the mixer.

“Okay, Ryan, go ahead and pour that cup of sugar in,” he instructed his nephew. “I was your age when I first helped my mom make this, you know.”

“Really?” Ryan asked.

Kurt nodded. “You know Grandma’s my stepmother, right? Well, right before my mom got really sick, that Christmas, she asked me if I wanted to help her with dinner. This is something she always made first thing then set outside so it could chill. And when she brought it in after we ate, it tasted magical.”

“Can we put it outside?”

“Sorry, Ryan. Uncle Blaine and I don’t have anywhere to put it, plus it’s too warm today.”

Ryan pouted. “Next year, though, right?”

“Of course,” Kurt said. “We’ll all be back in Ohio and we can do it then, and everyone can enjoy it even more.”

“Good. I like Christmas dessert.”

Rachel came in to check on Ryan. “How are my favorite boys doing?” she asked.

“We’re making Christmas dessert!” Ryan said excitedly. “Will you have some?”

“Ryan, you know Mommy doesn’t eat anything like that since it comes from animals.” As much as she tried to introduce a vegan lifestyle to Ryan and younger sister Maggie, Finn won out with chicken nuggets and cheese sticks.

“But you need to eat something since the baby is making you so sick.” Kurt’s head snapped up.

Rachel looked at him before saying, “Ryan, why don’t you watch some football with Dad and Grandpa?” As he ran off, she looked down at the floor. “We were waiting until after dinner,” she whispered.

Kurt turned off the mixer. “How far along?”

“Nine weeks. We told Ryan and Maggie right away, and my dads last week when we were back home for Chanukkah.”

She was suddenly swept up into a hug. “I should have known. I thought you were wearing a bigger size than normal,” Kurt said.

“Well, they always say you show earlier with each subsequent pregnancy, and moreso when it’s two babies, so…” Rachel was cut off by a squeal, which made her laugh. “Keep it down, Kurt! Do you want your parents or Blaine to find out early?”

“I don’t care, I’m too excited,” Kurt said, tightening his hold. “Congratulations, Rachel. They’re going to be just as beautiful and perfect as Ryan and Maggie.”

“Thank you. I’m still in a daze. We found out about the twins part Thursday.”

“But just think, two at once is even better. I’m so thankful T.J. and Abbie came into our lives together and we had our perfect family at once.”

Rachel sighed. “Would you have thought fifteen years ago when we first came to New York this would happen? Four children. I never even thought of one in school!”

“Things change, Rach,” Kurt said taking her hand. “We were young and the thought of growing up was frightening. But it happens to everyone. Our careers and our families combined before we knew it.”

“You know you’re my favorite brother-in-law, right?” she asked.

“I do, but does Blaine?” he joked.

Kurt and Rachel finally broke apart so he could continue with dinner. When it was ready, he brought it out to the table and looked around at how his family had grown in less than twenty years. He had his father and stepmother, stepbrother and sister-in-law, nieces and nephews, husband, and now his son and daughter. His love for them was limitless, and he was thrilled to share every holiday with them.