Bella felt terribly silly for fretting over something some minor and unimportant in the grand scheme of things. "I hope you don't think I'm fixating over a party," she said, emitting a quiet, embarrassed chuckle. "It's not that, I promise. It's just... it's Christmas, and I love you all very much, and I've never - well - I've never been in this position before." On her own. Lonely. Without a family, and without the core friend group she'd spent many holidays with. Christmas was like many other holidays; its reason for celebrating, while a source of happiness to many, could be a source of melancholy to others.

---