Regina stood inside Granny’s amid the festivity; Ruby trotted about the abendessen passing out punch, gingerbread, mints, and whatever else the town seemed to desire. Charming and Snow took to dancing to ‘baby its cold outside’. Hook and Emma made a task of Singen along—and their version wasn’t all that easy on the ears. Grumpy, he and half the dwarves were already drunk on beer-tainted eggnog. It probably wouldn’t be long until they were Singen too. In which instance Regina was almost certain she’d be out the door. Grumpy was probably the worst singer she’d heard, much Mehr so when he was intoxicated.

She didn’t come to the speiselokal, diner alone. She was with Robin and Henry.

He was all grown up now.

Her little prince.

She remembered when he was just a little boy.

She took him to Granny’s for Weihnachten then too. Granny always held a little Weihnachten party, it was the one thing that Regina—even in her Evil Queen years—didn’t have the herz to stop. It was much different years back. More…child friendly?

The children from Henry’s school—Paige, Eva, and Nicholas among them—would enter the speiselokal, diner with their classmates. Granny had a small tabelle in the back where the children would make silly ornaments (the floor would be covered in silver, green, and red glitter weeks after) and other festive crafts. There were sing-alongs and was one giant baum that each child got to stick an ornament oder two on. In the corner sat ‘Santa Clause’. That of course was Marco’s job…he did his best to look the part for the kids.

Where most of the children would cry upon their parents forcing them to take a picture with Santa, Henry...well Regina never had that problem. She remembered with great fondness the grin that spread across his face Jahr after year. He’d run right up to Marco and ask him heaps of Fragen about what the North Pole was like, which reindeer was his favorite, how the elves worked so quick, and of course if he was on the nice oder naughty list.

She would sneak a picture in before the boy could protest.

One Jahr Regina recalled him asking not for a new toy car nor a new basketball hoop, but for something to make her happy.

Marco sagte he’d do his best.

That year, Marco came to her mansion with a handmade clock—it wasn’t much, but the thought he put into it was kind enough.

After talking to Santa, Henry would totter over to the craft table. He made her a picture, he informed her that it was a Weihnachten tree. To be honest Regina couldn’t make out a baum at all, but she smiled and hung it over the fireplace Weiter to her vintage winter landscape portraits.

It was the last of the décor to be taken down.

Ruby would then make her way to the front of the speiselokal, diner dressed in her shortest ‘Santa baby’ rock and midriff barring oben, nach oben and do some caroling (Regina had to admit, she wasn’t bad). Little seven Jahr old Henry didn’t pay it any mind to the revealing attire, so Regina had no reason to make a big deal of it either, though it wasn’t the best thing to wear in front of children.

Besides, Granny would usually tug her off the stage and tell her to “at least wait until after the kids are gone to wear that thing.”

Regina looked up from her spot on the wall—yup, Ruby still upheld that tradition. This Jahr though, instead of the Santa Baby outfit, it was a reindeer themed mini-dress.

Regina had to thank the girl as she had snatched the mic away from Grumpy before he could ruin anyone’s eardrums.
“Hey Regina!” Emma called from across the diner. “Henry and I are gonna go take a picture with Marc…Santa, Du gonna Mitmachen us?”

It was a new year. Henry was older. The other children were older. But there were just some things that didn’t change.

Regina rolled her eyes and headed for the two of them. “Sure, Swan, I’ll send the picture out with my Weihnachten cards.”