Yasmine couldn’t believe it was Christmas Eve already. It’s been several months since the supernatural community had attack the HSL and The Hunter organization. They dealt a serious blow to each group and most of their organization were in tatters. It was going to take them a few years to rebuild.

Her bond with Arion has become stronger. She could use his lighting without hurting herself and draw upon his energies to power her spells. They each knew what each other was doing or where they were. Her body was finally maturing. She was finally developing breast and she grew a little bit taller. She no longer looked like she was eight years old any more. She was wearing her Christmas dress that mother had handmade for her.

All her aunts and uncles on both her mother’s and father’s side of the family, plus relatives from her Aunt Lilly’s side of the family. They were either staying with them for the holidays or were just here today for the family dinner tonight. She heads into the crowded kitchen, being careful not to get anything on it.

“Yasmine, can you take this plate to the table please?” Lydia hands Yasmine a large platter with cut ham slices.

“Sure mom.” Yasmine takes the platter and carefully make her way through her family members.

She makes it to the huge dining room table. The adults had a table and the kids had their own table. There were only four teenagers and like six or seven kids under the age under seven years old.

Yasmine makes her way back into the kitchen to help some more. All the women were in the kitchen, while the men were watching a football game or talking. The younger kids were in the den watching a movie or playing the play station with the teenagers. Some were outside on the swing bench with their boyfriend or girlfriend.

Yasmine stayed busy helping the adults and setting the tables. She told by her mother and father to keep her abilities under wrap. Some of them knew about real magic and some of them don’t know. So, she was to keep her magical talents quiet till they left. Even Arion was using his magic to disguise himself. He was using a glamour spell to appear as a normal horse.

By the time dinner was ready and everyone was sitting down around the table enjoying the meal. She already felt exhausted. It was hard for her to act like a normal teenager, when she knew there were other things. She tries to enjoy herself as a blessing is said and everyone starts digging into the meal.

Yasmine joins in when Christmas carols are sung with other family members. By midnight, those family members that were staying started turning in for the night. Yasmine was sharing her bedroom with several of her cousins. She snuggles up with her teddy bear as she shares her bed with a cousin of hers. She had two more cousins sleeping on the floor in sleeping bags.

Christmas Morning:
Yasmine wakes up from all the noise of her cousins getting up and heading downstairs to see what gifts they got. She comes down and goes over and sit next to her aunt and mother.

“Merry Christmas, sweetie.” Lilly hands Yasmine a gift from her pile from under the tree.

“Thanks Aunt Lilly.” Yasmine opens the gift and notice it was a hand knit sweater from her mother.

She gives Lydia a hug “thank you mom.”

“You’re welcome sweetie.” Lydia returns the hug.

Yasmine kneels on the floor and dig for her gifts to her parents and Aunt. She hands a silver wrapped one to her aunt Lilly first and then a green one with candy canes to her mother and finally a blue one with snowmen on it to her father.

The gift for her father was a leather belt she crafted herself and decorated. The belt buckle was made of silver in the shape of an apple tree, which was their signature symbol for the farm. The decorations on the belt were done by her by hand. Lilly, taught her had to carve in leather.
The gift for her mother, was a handcrafted cabinet made of oak and had crystal quartz’s and copper veins running through the wood. The hinges were made of brass that she made herself and put protection runes on the hinges and the cabinet itself. The doors had a hand carved scene on them that her father had shown her how to do. The whole cabinet was protected against any magical or physical attack form all the runes and protection crystals and spells she put on the cabinet. She had burned her mother’s old magic cabinet by accident, she Yasmine wanted to make a new one for her mother.

Lydia looks at the cabinet and at Yasmine “it’s lovely sweetie.”

She reaches over and gives Yasmine a hug.

Yasmine returns the hug “thank you mom. Dad helped me cut the wood and put it together.”

Lilly opens her gift from Yasmine and it was a handmade cloak, just like Yasmine’s cobalt blue one with matching leather gloves. The color of the cloak was her favorite color aqua green. There was a necklace in there as well, that went with the cloak.

“I know how you liked my cobalt blue cloak Aunt Lilly, so I made you one just like mine with matching gloves. Mom, helped with the gloves and you might find a few blood spots where I stabbed myself with the needle.” Yasmine had stabbed herself a few times hand sewing the fur lining in the cloak.

“It’s okay sweetie. Thank you.” Lilly places a kiss on Yasmine cheek.

Yasmine received clothes, books, items for her horse and a handcrafted athame made by her father. He had bought the ingots to craft the
athame for her and one for his wife. The difference between hers and Yasmine’s, was the wood the handle was made of. Yasmine’s had Rose wood, while her mother had Oak for hers.

After the gifts have been exchanged and opened by everyone. Yasmine helps her mother and aunt in the kitchen to fix breakfast for everyone. Afterwards, she gets dress and heads outside to feed the horses and to see Arion.

“Merry Christmas, Arion.” Yasmine gives him some apples and carrots.

She knows he loves apples and carrots. She also knows he loves some of the other vegetables and fruits they grew here on the farm. She gets his brush and begin to brush him down.

“How was your Christmas, Yasmine?”

“It is nice so, far.” Yasmine brushes his legs.

Yasmine stays outside for awhile taking care of Arion.

“You better head back inside, Yasmine. Your relatives are wondering where you are.” Arion nudges her.

“Okay.” Yasmine gives him a hug and heads inside.

So, far her Christmas has been wonderful.