I'm sorry I only had one good adjective with which to rate this story. You have such a talent for taking the bare sketches of worlds that games can provide, and turning those sketches into deep, rich portraits. Every little detail here, from not letting the hearth-heat out into the night to leaving a coin for grandfather holly to the felling of the boar for the festival -- every bit of it felt true, and meaningful, and comforting. Like a Yuletide story should be, really.
...And I'm so very happy for -- well, for all of them. But for Louis, especially. Beautiful work.