Returned to Sender - Scarlett Johansson

Part 48

Scarlett's POV

That song at Halloween broke a part of me that I don't think will ever heal. Hearing her apologise to that monster just made everything she's been through real. But she has been doing so well since singing it that I can't stay sad. 

She was so adorable for my birthday; it was so sweet. To this day, she refuses to explain how she got that banner up, but as long as she's happy and safe, which she seems to be, I'm happy.

It's December now, and I am hell-bent on making sure Sawyer has the best Christmas ever; I mean, she's never had a real Christmas before, so I have nine years to make up for, even if I am Jewish. Today is December twelfth, and I have decided we are going to do something Christmas every day until the big day.

 On today's agenda is getting a tree. 

I found one of those farms where you can cut your own tree down, and I thought Sawyer might enjoy it; I'm not even sure if she's ever had a Christmas tree. The only problem is it's like thirty-two degrees Fahrenheit, which is freezing, and Sawyer hates it when I make her dress up warm. I'm hoping that if I distract her with Christmas tops and jumpers, it will disguise the fact that I am putting so many layers on her.

Usually, I let Sawyer get herself ready, but this morning, I have taken it upon myself to help her to ensure she puts everything on and doesn't try to sneakily wear less. "Vest baby," I say, holding it out for her to put on as she stands there whining. "If you put it on, I'll give you a candy cane to eat in the car," I bribe, knowing the festive sweets have become her favourite. 

"Fine," she grumbles with a pout before slipping it on, making me laugh as I pass her a T-shirt and snowman jumper. We had gone shopping for Christmas clothes the other week, and it was not a fun trip; it turns out Sawyer is super sensitive about what sort of fabrics she likes, claiming most of the sweaters I picked up were itchy and yucky. In the end, I managed to get her to agree to two, one of which is the light blue snowman jumper she is now wearing, the other being a red Cola jumper with Santa on.

After getting her dressed came the challenge of getting her in her coat, scarf and gloves. Her hat is the only thing she wears willingly, and that's only because she's used to it because of having to hide from the paparazzi. Ten minutes later, and with the promise of hot chocolate sometime today, Sawyer was finally all dressed and ready to go. I had considered waiting till we got there to put her in her coat but ultimately thought that having to do it there would just upset Sawyer.

Sawyer spent the whole drive singing along to Christmas songs; she had never heard any before, so she was having a blast singing along. She decided quickly that the best Christmas song is Last Christmas by Wham! and has been singing it at least five times a day since she first heard it last week. Pulling up to the tree farm, I smile as I see Sawyer sucking on her candy cane with a grin. I know we have a lot of hard days behind us, but it's times like right now that I realise we have a lot of good days ahead of us.

"Where are we, Mama?" Sawyer asks as I adjust her coat so she is fully tucked up, not wanting her to get a cold so close to Christmas. "This is a Christmas tree farm, baby. We are going to walk around and find a tree for the apartment, and then when we get back, we can decorate it while listening to Christmas songs, including Last Christmas," I say with a smile, watching as she looks around all the trees. She just smiles at the mention of her current favourite song, gripping my hand tightly through her little gloves as I walk us to the front of the farm.

The man quickly explains how everything works: we take a tag, find a tree, and then come back, and someone will help us load it onto the car. I notice Sawyer looking around amazed while he explains, which makes me smile. Sawyer took hours inspecting every tree before deciding she found the perfect tree. However, it wasn't a classic Christmas tree, to say the least.