Their father picked up another box and handed it to their mother, Linda. "Here you go Hon, it's from me".
Linda smiled warmly as she accepted the next present, a medium-sized box with crisp wrapping paper and a neat bow. She carefully pulled the ribbon loose, peeling away the wrapping to reveal a brand-new gaming console, the latest model on the market.
“Oh, wow, a Galaxia X!” she said, admiring the sleek design of the box. “I’ve been wanting this one.”
Mikey, who had been mid-sip of his hot cocoa, blinked. “Wait, you have?”
Linda gave him a knowing smirk as she set the box on her lap. “Of course! I used to stay up all night playing when I was your age. I’m still in a few ranked leagues, you know.”
Jon furrowed his brows, feeling as though something should have been odd about that, but the thought slipped away like sand through his fingers. Mom had always been the gamer in the house, hadn’t she?
Zoe snorted, reaching down to adjust herself. “Yeah, right. Since when?”
Linda arched a brow at her daughter. “Since always, young lady.” She reached for the wrapping paper strewn about her lap and started tidying up, adding offhandedly, “Remind me later—I’ll absolutely wreck you in Eternal Onslaught.”
Mikey leaned forward, still looking thrown. “Wait, you play EO?”
Linda smirked. “Sweetheart, I was playing EO before you were even born. I’ve got three max-level builds and a kill-death ratio that’d make your head spin.”
Jon glanced around at the others, but no one seemed to find this odd. His mom was a hardcore gamer. That was just a fact, even though some part of his mind whispered otherwise.
Linda turned the console over in her hands, eyes gleaming with excitement. “I’m setting this up as soon as we’re done here. Don’t think any of you are getting priority on it, either—I’ve got a tournament next week.”
Mikey groaned, flopping back against the couch. “Great, I’ll never get a turn.”
Their dad chuckled, already looking for the next present. “Alright, moving on—who’s next?”
