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Although they had only been gone for a couple of days, it felt like months had passed ever since they had left. On the taxi ride home, Sun Mei counted at least six stores that had already put up Christmas decorations.

"Is it still November?" she asked Mr. Wu while she looked at a bunch of reindeer at a storefront.

"Yes, why?" he asked.

They had already dropped off Yu Zan, so she was not there to make a snarky comment about their ignorance.

"It feels like we have used a time machine."

"Oh, you are talking about the decorations. Lily loves them, don't you, Lil?" he asked his daughter, who was making a big effort to stay awake.

Lily yawned and rubbed her eyes. "Yes," she said simply before resting her head against the window.

"Do you even celebrate Christmas?" Sun Mei asked curiously.

"We do." Mr. Wu nodded. "I know that's not very Chinese of us, but I was raised here and Jenny is actually half-American so it is a family tradition. It's not really about religion for us."

"I understand." Sun Mei checked to make sure that Lily was too sleepy to pay attention before she asked, "Does Jenny usually spend Christmas with you?"

"Not really. Not since…" Mr. Wu trailed off, waving his hands awkwardly.

"I get it." Sun Mei reassured him.

"I usually plan a whole bunch of fun activities so that she's having too much fun to notice her absence," he whispered while tilting his head in Lily's direction.

"What have you got planned this year?" Sun Mei asked.

"I got tickets to Disney on Ice," he said. "Among other things."

Sun Mei laughed. "Now I'm curious about the other things!"

"You'll see in due time," Mr. Wu said with a smile. "I hope you'll be joining us in most of our activities. I mean, I know it's the holidays and you might want to spend some time with Yu Zan or Michael. Maybe you have other plans…"

"I don't," Sun Mei answered immediately. "I haven't planned anything. You are the planner of this household," she added with a grin.

"Thank you for putting your trust in me." Mr. Wu grinned back.

By the time they got home, Lily was already asleep and Mr. Wu had to carry her upstairs. Sun Mei, who helped bring their luggage in, was greeted in the hall by Vivian.

"I came early and made some pasta for you," Vivian told her. "You finally wore the little one out. Who knew that was possible?"

"I think it was the indoor pool that wore her out," Sun Mei answered.

"You went swimming in November?" Vivian asked incredulously.

"That's exactly what I said!"

When Mr. Wu put Lily to bed and came back downstairs, the three of them had a quiet meal together.

"Oh, Lily's mother left a message on the answering machine," Vivian informed Mr. Wu.

He frowned. "What? Why didn't she call me on my cell phone?"

Vivian sighed. "Because the woman likes drama."

"What do you mean? What was the message?" Mr. Wu asked worriedly.

Vivian avoided answering. "Just listen to it yourself."