I always loved Christmas, but I never really looked forward to Christmas Eve.

My mom usually chose to host a holiday party for her friends and coworkers, and this year was no different. Ava and I had just finished helping our mom set everything up for the party before she and Ava went to go get changed for the evening. Our house was filled with the ambience of Christmas lights, candles, and just about every decoration that my mom owned. I quickly threw on a green sweater and some jeans to at least get a participation award for the festivities, before I made my way to the kitchen to steal some of the snacks before guests arrived. Ava and I usually just hung out in her room for most of the parties our mom threw, leaving her to have some time with her guests. I figured this year would be no different, but I kept an open mind. I barely got my hand out of a bag of snacks before the clicking of high heels warned me that my mom was entering the kitchen. She now wore a sleeveless scarlet dress over a tight black long-sleeved top, as well as opaque black tights and matching heels.

“Hey Mom, think you’re all set for your party?” She looked a little flustered as she kept adjusting her hair.

“Yes, I think so. Thanks for your help.” She gave me an appreciative hug. “I trust you and your sister will be able to keep each other entertained for the evening?”

“Yeah, of course. Don’t worry about us. Just enjoy yourself.” I gave her a reassuring smile, hoping that she would have a good evening.

“I appreciate you two so much.” My mom told me earnestly, pulling me in for one more quick hug. “Oh, also, I left a bit of an early present for you two in Ava’s room. Merry Christmas!” She commented as she went off to prepare for the arrival of her guests.

My curiosity got the better of me, and I immediately made my way to Ava’s room, softly knocking on her door before entering.

Ava sat on the edge of her bed in a white cable-knit sweater dress that hugged her figure flatteringly, along with matching white knit thigh-high socks that snugly adorned her legs. She looked like she was fittingly dressed in snow, with a red bow tying her wavy hair back as well, matching the winter festivities in a cute way. I also noticed the unwrapped box that lay next to her, and more importantly, the coils of dark red rope that Ava had already removed from it.

“Is that Mom’s present to us?” I asked with amused surprise, briefly startling Ava.

“Looks like it. I mean, she always has been pretty great at giving gifts.” Ava reasoned, smiling playfully as she fiddled with some of the rope, which she had already looped around her legs just above her knees. I watched curiously and took a seat next to her as she pulled the rope tightly and wrapped it around a few times before cinching it between her thighs, making sure the snug knot was neatly tucked away. I raised an eyebrow at her work, leaning in close to inspect her ropework.

“Not too bad. Seems like you’ve been paying attention to all the knots we use on you.” I teased her, before grabbing another rope and pulling her ankles into my lap.

“Well, there’s not much else I can do besides watch.” She calmly leaned back and smirked as I began to tightly wrap the rope around her socked ankles, making my ropework snug and secure before cinching and knotting the rope tightly.

“I gotta say, Mom has pretty good taste. The red looks great on the white.” Ava couldn’t help but agree as she admired the alluring contrast on her legs.

“Well, you’ve still got more ropes, and I’ve got plenty more white.” She playfully cut to the chase and swung her bound legs around, turning her back to me and placing her wrists behind her back. I began by wrapping the rope around her chest, just above her breasts, pulling it snugly against her sweater dress. The fabric stretched slightly beneath the tension, and I brought the rope around her back, creating a secure frame. Another loop followed, sitting just below her breasts, framing her chest noticeably. I then wound more rope carefully around her upper arms, binding them to her sides. With a few precise wraps, her arms were held firmly in place, her forearms parallel and resting against the small of her back. The red rope coiled smoothly around her forearms and wrists, securing them together until the final knot rested at the base of her wrists. Stepping back, I took in the result. The vibrant red ropes stood out against the soft white of her dress, framing her body in clean, symmetrical lines. The design was simple but effective, holding her arms securely in place while accentuating her toned figure.

Ava shifted slightly, testing the tie. I could see the faint rise and fall of her chest as she breathed, the ropes moving with her.

“Trying out something new?” Ava curiously asked, wiggling her fingers and her toes as she strained against the ropes.

“Yeah, it’s something I saw recently. I figured this warranted something special. Do you like it?” She soon gave up struggling and giggled softly before flopping onto her back on her bed, her golden hair sprawling out around her smiling face.

“I do! It’s really tight, but still comfortable. Not to mention I bet it looks pretty good!” I sat up from her bed and looked down at her helpless form,

“I can’t say you’re wrong about anything there.” I honestly agreed, before I turned my attention to her wardrobe and picked out a pair of maroon tights and a white scarf. I didn’t even have to say a word as I approached her, chuckling as she immediately opened her mouth wide and closed her eyes. I then carefully stuffed the tights into her mouth before pulling the scarf between her teeth firmly, wrapping it around under her hair and between her teeth again. After pulling it as tight as I could, I knotted it behind her head under her hair to create a thick and snug cleave gag. Ava giggled and softly mumbled into her gag to test it, finding it satisfyingly effective. I then sat next to her once again, grabbing her ankles and rolling her onto her front as I began to lightly tickle her socked feet. She buried her face in her pillow and squealed into her gag as she thrashed and laughed, wiggling her feet back and forth with all her might.

“You better keep it down. You’re going to disturb the guests.” I teased her, giving her a moment of reprieve as I settled for lightly tracing my finger along the knit pattern of her socks.

"Thmn qtt ttcklmm mm! Whmm lls mm I sppssmm tph dfm?" Ava kicked her bound feet at me and giggled in exasperated excitement as she caught her breath, before she looked at me and placed her bound feet in my lap.

"Cmm ymm plmmse untt mm nnklls?" I raised an eyebrow at her curiously, but complied and reluctantly undid the ropes that bound her ankles. "Thmmks. Mm gnnph gm hhsk Mphm smmthfmng, mll bph rrht bmmk."

I was almost certain that I had misunderstood what she had said, but by now I was practically fluent in gagtalk, and I simply watched as she stood up and approached the door. She turned around so that her hands could grab the doorknob, and she gave me a playful wink as she managed to open her bedroom door and walk out into the hall. I peeked out into the hall after her and watched with amazement as she made her way downstairs in small yet surprisingly graceful steps, even with her thighs still bound. Our mom immediately noticed her and hung her head as she chuckled under her breath in exasperated amusement. Ava strode into the room filled with guests, all of whom were clearly taken aback by the appearance of a bound and gagged girl at the holiday party.

“Let me guess,” Mom addressed Ava, “Kyle is practicing for his Boy Scouts knot badge?” I chuckled at my mom’s quick explanation and Ava’s swift nod of understanding and agreement. “Oh, where are my manners? Everybody, this is my daughter, Ava.” My sister did her best to wave her bound hands behind her back,

"Hmllmph evmmrynn, Mmmrry Chrphhsmms!” Many of the guests chuckled at her unorthodox greeting, finding her predicament more entertaining than awkward.

“Well, well, Kate. I didn’t know there was this much mischief going on in your home.” One of her coworkers commented curiously. My mom began working on untying Ava’s gag as a good amount of guests returned to their conversations, only stealing glances at Ava’s helplessness.

“Oh Thomas, you have no idea. You’re all lucky you came over when I wasn’t roped into one of these sorts of games.” She finished untying the scarf and plucked the tights from Ava’s mouth, giving her a moment to lick her lips before speaking.

“Hey Mom, how’s the party going?” My mom smiled genuinely, looking around at all of her guests,

“Really well, actually. Are you and your brother doing okay? Did you need something?”

“Oh, I just wanted to ask what time we are planning on opening presents tomorrow.” A knowing smirk crept onto my mom’s lips as she leaned in close and whispered something into Ava’s ear that I didn’t catch. Ava stifled a giggle and whispered something back before they both nodded in agreement. A few of my mom’s friends came over and said hi, introducing themselves to Ava casually as if she didn’t stand before them tightly tied up. After a few minutes of chatting and laughter, my mom held up the tights and carefully packed them back into Ava’s mouth before retying the scarf back in place just as tightly, earning some surprised and intrigued looks from some of the guests.

"Thmmk yuu! Bhh evmmrynn!" Ava once again tried to wave, before she began taking careful but graceful restrained steps back towards her room.

By this point most of the adults were watching as she ascended the stairs and made her way back into her bedroom where I waited, softly kicking the door closed behind her. I heard the conversations return and the chatter fill the room once again, but I was certain that Ava’s appearance had made an impact. My sister playfully flopped onto her bed next to me, flipping her hair out of the way and attempting to gesture for me to remove her gag. I carefully untied the scarf from between her teeth and allowed her to spit the pair of tights out into my hand.

“Mphhlehck! Thanks, could you please get me some water?”

“Of course.” I swiftly agreed and went downstairs to get a glass for her, trying my best to lay low as I made my way through the party. I managed to get her a drink and almost make it back to the stairs before I heard a voice address me from behind.

“Hey kid, how’s your badge practice going?” I turned around to see the man that I remembered my mom addressing as Thomas.

“My…? Uhhh, oh! It’s going pretty well, I’d say.” I realized what he was referring to, trying to recover my answer.

“Yeah, I’d say so too.” He chuckled knowingly, “So you ever practice that stuff on your mother?” He grinned at me like he already knew the answer, but I confirmed his suspicions,

“Yeah, sometimes.” I could practically see his imagination wandering as he likely pictured my mom all tied up and gagged, smirking at the thought.

“Well, you’re a lucky kid. I’m sure you’ll get that badge in no time.” Thomas quipped, giving me a wink before leaving to rejoin the party. I wanted to roll my eyes at his comments, but I honestly couldn’t judge given my current circumstances. I then returned to Ava’s room and held the glass to her lips for her to drink.

“Sorry for the wait; one of Mom’s coworkers started asking me about my so-called badge practice.” Ava finished drinking and licked her lips.

“Oh my gosh, was it that Thomas guy? I caught him staring at my—well... I caught him staring at me. He seemed to take a special interest in the ropes.” I understood what she meant, but a tiny part of me also found it hard to blame him.

“Yeah, he asked me if Mom ever participated in these things. When I said yes, he was for sure thinking about Mom tied up.” I said disapprovingly.

“Like you’re one to talk. Are you ever not thinking about Mom or me tied up?” Ava giggled, teasing me accurately.

“Well, that's not fair,” I rolled my eyes at her. “How often do you both think about wanting to be tied up?” Ava blushed a little bit and smirked playfully.

“Well, I rarely waste my time thinking about it. I usually just ask you to do it.” I chuckled, having to acknowledge her effective strategy.

“Touché.” I figured I may as well live up to her teasing, and I took her ankles back into my lap, crossing them before tightly looping a rope around them. I wrapped the rope extra tight and cinched it snugly between her ankles, tucking the knot away carefully.

“Open up; I think it’s about time we tuck you in for bed.” I teased her, holding up the scarf that had gagged her previously.

“Really? You’re going to make me spend the whole night before Christmas tied up and gagged?” She raised an eyebrow at me, watching as I tied a thick knot in the middle of the scarf.

“Yeah, and I know you’re excited by the idea.” We locked eyes for a moment as she seemingly considered challenging my decision, before she simply shrugged as much as the ropes would allow.

“Okay. Then shut me up and tie me down.” I smirked at her inability to even bother hiding her thrilled enjoyment, before I pushed the knotted scarf between her teeth and tightly tied it behind her head under her hair. I then looped a rope through her ankle bonds and tied it securely to the foot of her bed, keeping her legs anchored down to her bed. Next, I threaded ropes through her chest harness and boxtie and attached them to her headboard, tying her upper body down as well. I then took out my phone and snapped a couple pictures of her predicament, pleased with my work. Satisfied with her helplessness, I grabbed a blanket and neatly laid it across her thoroughly bound body, making her as comfortable as possible in her current circumstances.

“Well, Santa is certainly going to enjoy this.” I joked playfully, making sure she would be all set for the night. “Goodnight, Ava. Merry Christmas!” She rolled her eyes at my teasing, but couldn’t hide her smile.

"Mhhry Chhrrssmmsss!”I turned off the lights and closed her door behind me as I left, noticing that my mom was saying goodbye to the last of the guests as I headed downstairs.

“Hey Mom, how did your party go?” I asked, once she had closed the front door behind the last couple that was leaving.

“It was very nice, thanks! Although it was a little bit difficult to explain why my daughter made an appearance while bound and gagged.” She giggled as we both blushed a tiny bit. “Not to mention the fact that I think a good amount of my coworkers now have an image of me tied up in their mind’s eye.” I knew exactly what she meant, remembering Thomas’s comments as well.

“Sorry, I hope that didn’t cause too much of a disturbance.” My mom gave me a reassuring look and shrugged off my concern.

“No, don’t worry about it at all. To be honest, I figured you’d keep yourself busy by tying Ava up. I just didn’t expect her to make it such a public show. But honestly, until they decide to try and tie me up at my desk, I’m not worried.” She hung her head and laughed to herself as she immediately recognized me imagining that very scene in my mind.

“I’ve really got to stop giving people ideas. At this rate someone is going to want me tied up every day.” She laughed again at my continually wandering mind, ruffling my hair as she went to head to her bedroom. On her way to her room, she stopped at Ava’s room and cracked open her door, looking back at me and rolling her eyes.

“Merry Christmas, you two. Good night.” “Ghhd nmhtt!” I heard Ava moan into her gag as I said the same, watching as my mom strode down the hall and into her bedroom. Returning to my room, I looked at the photos of Ava one last time before lying down in bed to try and sleep.

My imagination couldn’t help but run wild as I drifted off, preparing to dream about a number of Christmas fantasies.

But only time would tell which would come true.