Short Story

“No thanks, I need to find a friend of mine. Maybe another time?” Bryan suggested.

She raised the glass of wine to her lips and allowed the liquor flow in her dry mouth before heading to her destination. She placed the glass down on the table and strode outside the room making her way to the forest, glancing around a few times behind her assuring nobody following her.

“That doesn’t matter.” Elena stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “Sometimes, things were just meant to be.”

We each take a huge breath as we step out into the crispy snow that snaps under our boots. I make my way to the front door, illuminated by the red, green, and blue Christmas lights. As I open the door and step into a house full of cheek pinches and hugs, an array of Christmas smells welcomes me and makes my mouth water. As my family and I are quickly made comfortable, I look around... All the house is full of Christmas decorations, and the carols are heard all over the house. My cousins are running, playing , and laughing.

It was time to see what Santa had brought us! We run down the hall in our new pajamas, and into the dining room. Three large sacks with our names on them were full. He left us a note saying,

My Grandmother, Grammy, built a house in Park City with the intention of it becoming the “Christmas House.” For me and six of my closest cousins, that house represents Christmas and family.

Kasey is a persistent girl, so she did not let me rest. She left my room but yelled up the stairs at me until I agreed to get up. I slowly stomped down the stairs and slumped on the couch so she would cease her incessant hollering. My sister sat my gifts wrapped in shiny Christmas paper on the smooth leather surface beside me. My mother always rules we take turns opening the boxes, so Kasey’s loud shrieks commanded me to open a present so she could open another. I tore off the paper with all the excitement I could muster in my exhausted state and graciously rejoiced each gift I received. I still loved this wonderful holiday, but it seemed to have stopped loving me.

“Get up deary!” She exclaimed. “Your father, mother, James, you and I are all going to the city for the day.”

It is the day before Christmas Eve, “Christmas Adam” as my little sisters call it. The snow is quilted across West Jordan, but we brave the slick roads to shop for last minute gifts, extra Scotch tape, and candy. After gathering everything we could possibly need for the next two days, we wait in line at the register until New Year’s – each minute feels like an entire day. The cashier makes small talk with Mom about the snowfall while my siblings and I bag. When the cashier gets to the ten, fist-sized bags of various candies, he pauses a beat. Then he continues, we are sure it’s not the weirdest thing he has seen. Mom explains that we are decorating gingerbread houses, that’s why we need so many kinds. It is clear to me that he did not necessarily want the backstory of our collection of sugar, but he nods anyway, in the perfect customer service way. After we have rung up, we head back home, fighting over whether we should listen to classic Christmas jams or Mom’s ‘Sting Holiday’ Pandora radio. I get the final say, because I sit shotgun, and therefore am DJ. Once we get home it’s an uphill battle to get everyone to help with the groceries, but once it’s all inside we are relieved.

“I’m going to ask Johannes if we can see the apartment again before we fly home so I can to take room and window measurements.”

/"I definetly would love to have a vacation house down here as well, maybe keep a few slaves to keep it tidy in my absence and take care of me and my family in presence." /

Rena knocked on the door and her father answered. “Rena and Cam. Do come in.” he said.

Before the car even came to a complete start we dashed up stairs like lighting bolts, long blonde and brown hair airborne behind us, to see who could change swifter. I arrived back down stairs within the minuet in my penguin footie pajamas only to see my sister trailing behind me, running her hands along the cream colored banisted caressed in pine green garland speckled in brilliance, immense red bows clinging by a thread. I proceed to make the reindeer food, four cups of oatmeal, whatever glitter is

“I’m going to ask Johannes if we can see the apartment again before we fly home so I can to take room and window measurements.”

Hoshi almost spit out the bite of tuna salad she had just taken. She laughed. “T’Pol, the holiday may have started with that but now it’s about romance. Lots of hearts and flowers. And lots of chocolate. Especially chocolate.”