Holiday AU

The people of Misty Trees have a peculiar tradition. Every year in the last month of autumn, they chop down a pine tree, place it in the village center and decorate it with baubles as an offering to placate Ol' Clause, the Spirit of Winter. On the night of the winter solstice, Clause visits Misty Trees and sneaks a present into everyone's mailbox as a display of his continued benevolence.

Of course the Spirit of Winter doesn't really deliver the presents to everyone's house! Ceciel figured it out when she was like six, because she snuck out of bed in the middle of the night and discovered that "Clause" was one of her dads all along. Russell asked Ceciel not to tell anyone because that would ruin the mystery. In exchange, Ceciel asked if she could help wrap the presents. There were quite a lot of them, after all! And the mysterious red-cloaked polar bear man who leaves them at the postal office every year never bothers to wrap them, probably because his large unkempt claws make it hard to handle wrapping paper.

Now that Ceciel's old enough, she also helps to deliver the presents each year. She's one of the only people who know the answer to the mystery of why Ol' Clause has recently also started giving presents to the people living a little further away. It's considered a good omen.