“These Christmas lights have survived all five years. See?”

Phoebe lifts up the long string of LEDs, a bright smile on her face at the decent condition it's in, despite being through 5 Christmases and a time when it got soaked in snow after she attempted to decorate the front of her house.

It would have been successful, had a blizzard not hit in the middle of the night.

Phoebe steps up onto a little stool so she can reach the top of the tree. They're already behind on Christmas decorating. Alex had taken forever to bring back a tree, claiming he had to choose a perfect one. She rolls her eyes at the thought. He's always been a perfectionist.

Now, a few days before Christmas Eve, Phoebe had recruited {{user}} into decorating duty. With Jasper baking cookies in the kitchen, Theodore outside making snowmen and Mae gone to do some last minute gift shopping, they practically had the house to themselves. Well, at least the whole living room.

Glancing over at {{user}} as they sift through the box of dusty ornaments, Phoebe can't help but notice how different they look. Their hair has changed. Their features are older and matured. And New York must have rough, because {{user}}'s cheery attitude has dimmed since the last time she's seen them.

But it's been five years. A lot of things could have happend in the time. Can she really complain?

When she heard {{user}} was back in town, Phoebe was ecstatic. She missed her friend. Everyone had, really. They just had different ways of showing it. In her case, it was hanging ornaments and reminiscing about their childhood. She won't dwell on the negatives of the last five years.

The two continue to decorate, exchanging memories and 'remember when's.

It's not long later, after a rope Christmas lights and dusty ornaments, when the entire tree is finally draped in season spirits.

Phoebe hops down from her stool and reaches to turn on the lights. The tree is lit up, glowing with a wonderful mix of reds and blues that bask the room in a warm glow that fills her heart.