Christmas Fic #2

On the Second day of Christmas...

Title: A Complete Contradiction

Author: Miss Peg

Rating: A

Prompt: Rigging up the lights

Summary: Environmental, Atheists can celebrate Christmas too.

Note: A bit of a random one, haha.


“Your mum wants us to put up all of these lights and things?” Emily asked, digging her feet into the thin layer of snow covering the grass. When Naomi had called asking her to help decorate the house for Christmas, she’d expected a little plastic tree and a boxful of decorations. She hadn’t expected a garage full of outside lights and a glow up Father Christmas.


Naomi nodded. “Yes.”


A number of thoughts crossed Emily’s mind. She analysed the decorations, looked around the garden so that she could see what would look good and where. Her attention drew upon a couple of items, which made her frown.


“I didn’t think your mum was religious.”


“She‘s not,” Naomi replied, biting her lip.


Emily walked across the garden, picking up one of the decorations she‘d spotted. “So why does she have a light up baby Jesus?”


Naomi laughed, couldn’t seem to stop the chuckles filling the silence after Emily’s question. “I wish I knew. She seems to think that she‘s helping people out by giving them something nice to look at.”


“If any of these are flashing,” Emily muttered. “Then that‘s anything but nice.”


“Tell that to her!” Naomi noted, rolling her eyes and unwrapping a long line of tree lights from a packet.


Emily grabbed one end, whilst Naomi fed the other one around the edge of a bush, carefully placing it at an equal distance from each layer until the tree was covered. Once they‘d hooked it up to the outdoor adapter, something else occurred to Emily which made her frown.


“Isn‘t this going to use a load of electricity?”


Naomi let out a sigh whilst Emily picked up a couple of light up people. “It‘s all about a decade old, so it‘s using more than if she bought it all new this year.”


“I thought your mum cared about the environment?!”


“She does,” Naomi assured her, her tone less confident. “Usually.”


“I‘m confused,” Emily laughed, kneeling down to set up baby Jesus.


“You and me both.”


“So why are we putting the decorations up and not her?” Emily muttered. “And is this even safe with the snow?”


“I have no idea, guess we‘ll find out soon,” Naomi shrugged. “Apparently mum‘s got a meeting of the environmental society this morning and then she‘s having lunch with her friend, who is more of an atheist then mum and me put together. She said she wants them up by the time she gets home.”


Emily scoffed. “Now she‘s sounding like a hypocrite.”


Naomi raised her eyebrows. “She‘s a complete contradiction.”


“Or insane,” Emily laughed, holding up a cherub in a nappy, which made Naomi snort.


Once the garden was full and the Christmas scene was designed, Naomi and Emily fed the extension cord through the lounge window and went inside to plug it in. They watched through the glass in anticipation as Christmas carols played on the radio in the background and the decorations slowly lit up, making the garden glow.


The End