"Christ's sake man, what are you doing in there? It sounds like the sound effects from the wacky races." The door was flung open and he was instantly confronted with the lanky dark-haired form of his flat mate . . . who was rather more casually attired than John had ever seen him before.
In lieu of his usual slim-fitting suit Sherlock was clad in a grey jumper of fine, soft wool and dark jeans with heavy toe-capped boots. All the clothes were of obvious quality but had a faintly dilapidated edge to them.
John cocked his head to the side, mildly nonplussed. Even he had dressed up for the occasion in a suit although he had foregone the tie. "Is this just to spite Mycroft?"
"Sorry?" Sherlock asked, ruffling a hand through his curly hair.
"Do you always dress down when going to a big family get-together?"
"I know from experience not to wear anything that I don't want getting wrecked to a Holmes family Christmas party. I would recommend you follow my example as that's your only decent suit." Sherlock cast an eye over the garments and John cynically thought he saw his mind form the words 'although decent isn't the first word that springs to mind . . .'
"Why would my clothes get tr-" Then John realized who he was talking to. "Do you start food fights? Set fire to the table? Shoot things?"
Sherlock chuckled as he darted around gathering his last few odds and ends. "No, I participate in the food fights, but I'm rarely the one who starts them. And normally it's Uncle Crispin and father who are doing the shooting but generally they are shooting at each other so we tend to just keep out of their way. Oh, and it's Aunt Lavinia who has strong pyromaniac tendencies so we tend to confiscate her lighter and keep her away from the candles."
John frowned, utterly perplexed now. "What-"
Sherlock spread his arms and smiled. "John, do you really expect that a family that includes me among its members is even remotely normal?"
"But Mycroft said that you were the one who always ruined the Christmas dinners."
"That's because I am the only other person sane enough to try and stem the chaos but for the sheer comedy I tend to just let things run its course. Mycroft on the other hand fantasies about Christmas being a dignified affair and tends to take all the pandemonium to heart rather. Either way, you were the one complaining about our imminent lateness so you might want to hurry and get changed."
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