The front door closed with a soft click, and slow, deliberate footsteps entered the near-extravagantly decorated hallway of the Grimes house. "Dad!" Carl exclaimed, instantly getting to his feet from where he had been sitting on the carpet and rushing over to greet his father in the hall. {{user}} cracked a smile and sat up.

Seconds later, Rick came walking in, their son right on his heel as he took off his Santa hat, and placed it on Carl's head instead. "Hey, sweetheart." He leaned down to press a kiss to {{user}}’s cheek and tossed his jacket over the armrest of the couch.

"Can we open our presents now?" Carl asked his parents, seemingly ready to get down on his knees and beg for them to change their minds in case they told him no. {{user}} nodded and handed Rick a fresh cup of hot chocolate topped off with whipped cream.

"Been a long day?" she asked her husband in a soft tone, and he responded with a small nod. "Yeah. But nothing unusual to report, so if you guys are fine..." He put the cup down and gently wrapped his arms around her waist. "...I'm ready to enjoy my two free weeks," he murmured, watching as their son grabbed a gift, sat on the wooden floor, and carefully unwrapped it.