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Ruby arrived at the door to Qrow's classroom at Signal on the last day of November, late in the afternoon after classes had finished. She was already grinning, arms wrapped around a plastic bag that was nearly as big as her torso. With just a glance he could tell it was fuller than last year, which was quite the impressive feat.
"Aaaaaare you ready to get this place festive?!" His niece was practically vibrating with excitement, several items in the bag clinking and jingling. Qrow made his expression apathetic in response, shrugging a shoulder.
"Eh, nah. Not really feeling the spirit this year. Thanks, though," he drawled, beginning to close the door on her. He heard and felt the thud as she immediately inserted herself into the doorway, forcing her shoulder against the door.
"Uncle Qroooooow!! C'mon!" Ruby whined, pressing her weight against the door. She was already so strong, and Qrow felt pride at just how much she was able to push back against his own grip. She was going to give a lot of Grimm hell someday.
"Oh, fine," he said, releasing his grip on the doorknob and stepping back. Ruby began to fall as she was suddenly left without anything to lean against, but Qrow caught her by the hood, easily lifting her and setting her upright. "A little early this year, though, don'tcha think?"
The girl puffed out her cheeks, but the offense she was trying to convey didn't quite meet her eyes. "This is the perfect time," she explained, making her way over to his desk and dumping the bag of decorations on top of it. "This way, your room can be decorated for the holidays all month!"
"Yay," Qrow said, voice dry. Really, he enjoyed this tradition his youngest niece had made; it was a fun bonding experience, and he kind of liked sprucing his classroom up for the season. But Ruby was so easy to tease, and her sheer enthusiasm for the holidays was a blinking target. She recognized his sarcasm for what it was, but it never stopped her from getting a little flustered by it.
He had to turn away to hide his smirk in response to the scolding look she fixed him with, wearing an exaggerated frown and placing her small fists on her hips.
"You like it. I know you do."
Another shrug. "I like a lot of things, kid." Qrow walked around the desk to her side, reaching down to ruffle her hair. "You're just lucky one of those things is you."
Ruby's expression instantly brightened at that, and she giggled under the affection. She still had a youthful innocence about her, and Qrow often hoped it would last. Ruby would be a Huntress one day, and with that job came a whole ton of things she would see and experience and never forget. Her simple optimism would keep her emotionally strong, if it could last her through school. She'd make an amazing team leader either way, he could feel it.
"Okay, so," Ruby started, opening the bag and taking items out as she spoke, "I found a bunch of really cool stuff for this year! We haaaaaaave four different colors of tinsel, garland with bows, garland without bows, some snowflake stickers, some plastic snowflakes we can hang from the ceiling, all kinds of ornaments... I even got some christmas lights! You can hang them outside your windows if you want, but I think they'd look pretty neat in here, too!"
"Wow, you really went all out this year, huh?" He rummaged through the decorations she had laid out, finding a tiny Nevermore figure wearing a santa hat attached to a string. "Still can't believe Grimm ornaments are a thing."
"Aww, I think they're kinda cute!" Ruby said, already gathering the long strips of tinsel in her arms. She looked at her uncle expectantly; too short to reach the top of the classroom even with a chair, Qrow was her only way of getting up there. He sighed and smiled, crouching down so she could climb on his back.
It was a little difficult with the way she refused to let go of her shiny tinsel decorations, but eventually Ruby was seated comfortably and safely on the man's shoulders. Qrow made sure to hold onto her knees as he straightened up to keep her balanced. Last thing he needed was to bring one of Taiyang's daughters home with a surprise head injury.
They went around the room like that, Ruby directing and Qrow assisting, holding items for her and decorating the walls below her reach. Occasionally he'd throw out some suggestions of his own, most of which Ruby delighted in obliging. He protested against his desk chair being wrapped up in garland ("No way, those things are too pokey and itchy!"), but otherwise allowed his niece to decorate to her heart's content.
The room definitely looked more festive once they were done; maybe too much so, with the amount of decorations Ruby insisted on putting up. There were a few snowflakes and ornaments left over on his desk, simply because there was barely any room left. Everything was bordered in tinsel or garland, ornaments hanging where possible along their lengths; the stickers were plastered over the windows, and Qrow had eventually agreed to lining the entryway with christmas lights. It was probably a fire hazard, but he figured as long as Taiyang never came to visit, nobody would make a fuss about it.
"Aaaaah, I love it!" Ruby squealed, still on his shoulders, leaning over to hang upside-down in his field of vision. "What do you think?!"
"Careful, kid," he chuckled, reaching up to lift her and place her back on the ground. She spun to face him immediately, still eagerly awaiting his answer. "I like it. Makes the room special. You have a real knack for decorating; sure you don't want to consider a career change?"
"Haha, nope! Maaaybe on the side, though..."
"That'd be a first, but if anyone could do it..."
Ruby giggled, eyes sparkling with joy. She stared up at her uncle for a few moments before she jumped up a bit, throwing her arms around his neck. "Thank you for doing this with me! I always have so much fun!"
Qrow laughed, wrapping his arms around her. "Me too, Ruby. Wouldn't miss it."