The faint sound of jingling bells nudged David awake. He squinted at the ceiling, his groggy brain trying to piece together what had disturbed his Friday morning slumber. Thanksgiving had been yesterday. Surely the house could manage one more day of turkey-fueled peace before plunging into the next holiday?

A clatter and a high-pitched hum floated up the stairs, followed by the unmistakable thud of a box hitting the floor. David groaned, swung his legs out of bed, and ruffled his hair. He could already picture the chaos downstairs, and judging by the racket, it was escalating.

The hallway creaked as he opened his door, and at the same time, another door creaked open down the hall. Ellie, his thirteen-year-old daughter, stepped out, her face a perfect mask of teenage disdain. Her dark hair was a wild tangle, and she was swaddled in her favorite flannel pajamas, which hung slightly off one shoulder.

“Why is it so loud?” she muttered, squinting at him with sleep-heavy eyes. “It’s, like, seven in the morning.”

David sighed, shaking his head. “Your mom,” he said simply, as if that explained everything. Which, in this case, it did.

Ellie groaned dramatically. “Of course it’s Mom.” She slumped down the hall, her slippers dragging on the hardwood floor. David followed, mentally bracing himself for whatever insanity awaited them.

The source of the noise became clearer as they descended the stairs: the rustle of tissue paper, the clinking of ornaments, the cheery hum of what could only be Marissa, his wife, in full Christmas mode. The sound was punctuated by an occasional shriek from their seven-year-old son, Jamie, whose high-pitched giggles were unmistakable.

When they turned the corner into the living room, the chaos hit them in full.

“Oh, you’re awake!” Marissa exclaimed, clutching a decorative pumpkin as though she’d just unearthed treasure. Her face lit up like the lights Jamie was furiously trying to untangle in the corner. Her hair was in its usual morning bun, with strands escaping wildly, and she had a streak of glitter on one cheek. “Isn’t it wonderful? Thanksgiving is over, so it’s time to get Christmas started!”

David blinked, taking it all in. Half the room was filled with neatly organized piles of autumn decorations—miniature gourds, leaf-shaped dishware, the ceramic turkey centerpiece—all stacked with Marissa’s meticulous care. The other half of the room was… chaos. Boxes of Christmas ornaments were spilled open across the floor, with Jamie digging through them like a treasure hunter. Strands of tinsel and garland glittered on the carpet, catching the early sunlight streaming through the window.

And then there was Chester.

The family’s orange tabby tore across the room with a strand of silver garland clamped in his mouth. He was a blur of fur and glitter, leaping over boxes and scattering baubles in his wake. He bounded onto the couch, knocked over a snowman pillow, then vaulted onto the table, where the precariously placed ceramic turkey wobbled dangerously.

“Chester!” Jamie yelled, scrambling after the cat with the kind of unbridled enthusiasm only a seven-year-old could muster. “You’re messing up Christmas!”

Ellie folded her arms, her eyes narrowing as she surveyed the scene. “This is completely insane,” she declared. “It’s literally seven in the morning. Why couldn’t this wait until—oh, I don’t know—after lunch?”

“Because Christmas doesn’t wait!” Marissa said, practically glowing with excitement. She turned back to her pile, carefully placing the pumpkin into a storage bin. “You’ll thank me later when the house feels magical.”

Ellie groaned, leaning heavily against the bannister. “You woke me up for this? We haven’t even had breakfast yet.”

David smirked. “Well, you heard your mom. Christmas waits for no one. Not even grumpy teenagers.”

Ellie shot him a glare, her lips twitching. “Dad.”

He leaned against the bannister and nodded toward the room. “Let’s be real, Ellie. If your mom could, she’d put up the tree on Halloween. The only reason she didn’t is because she didn’t want to scare away the trick-or-treaters.”

Ellie snorted. It was loud and completely involuntary, and she immediately clapped a hand over her mouth. Her cheeks flushed as she glared at him. “I hate you,” she said, but her grin betrayed her.

“I love you too,” David said with a chuckle. “Now come on. Let’s see if we can survive this Christmas tornado.”

“Look, Dad!” Jamie shouted, holding up a tangled strand of Christmas lights. The bulbs blinked in uneven, multicolored bursts. “I fixed them!”

“Looks great, Jamie,” David said. “Super festive.”

Ellie muttered, “They look like they’re about to short-circuit.”

Marissa, blissfully ignoring the chaos Chester was causing as he darted under the tree with his garland prize, clapped her hands. “Ellie, help your dad carry the bins to the garage! Jamie, keep untangling those lights! We’re going to make this house look amazing!”

“Chester!” Jamie suddenly yelled. “No! Not the lights!”

The cat had returned, now dragging an entire string of lights along with the garland. He tore across the room, leapt onto the coffee table, and sent a stack of stockings toppling to the floor. Somehow, nothing broke, though the ceramic turkey trembled ominously from its perch.

David sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, but even he couldn’t suppress a smile. “Alright, troops. New plan,” he said, clapping his hands together. “Ellie, you’re on untangling duty. Jamie, focus on keeping Chester from taking down the entire house. And Marissa—”

“Yes?” she said sweetly, already digging into another box.

“You owe me a very large coffee after this.”

“Deal!” she chirped, beaming at him.

Despite himself, David couldn’t help feeling a flicker of Christmas spirit as he got to work. It was chaos, sure, but it was their chaos, and it wasn’t so bad.