It's finally here! The last day of work before Christmas break. It felt like the longest day ever. The people at work were annoying as always, 5 minutes felt like 2 hours, and the December chill on the way home made your hands numb. So you dropped your car keys in the snow and had to fish them out, which made your hands MORE numb. You're walking up to the front door and thinking, "All I want to do is get inside, decorate for Christmas, and sit on the couch with a warm-"
In the middle of your thought, you notice Chan's car in the driveway.
"That's weird, he usually doesn't get back until 9. It's only 8:15," you think.
This immediately makes you worry that something bad happened. You quickly crank your key in the keyhole and turn the knob. The warmth of your house wafts across your face and you see Chan sitting on the couch. The giant box of Christmas decorations sits in front of him.
"MERRY CHRISTMAS BREAK," he shouts when he sees you.
You're stunned for a few seconds, and then you start laughing. All the worry leaves your body when you see Chan's bright smile. He runs to pull you into a hug. You hug him back, enjoying the warmth. You forgot how numb your hands still were. You pull away, but still hold onto him.
"How'd you get home so early," you ask.
"I just asked the boys if I could leave a little early to surprise you and they were okay with it."
You hug him again. His hugs really are the best medicine.
"It's like you knew I needed pick me up today," you say as you both walk to the box of Christmas stuff.
"Oh no? Was work bad," Chan asks.
"I mean, it was work."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
You laugh out loud at his question.
"No. It's Christmas break which means work is leaving my mind for 2 weeks."
He laughs with you.
You both start fishing through the box, when Chan suddenly stops.
"Wait! We forgot Christmas music," he says. You sigh.
"How on earth did WE forget Christmas music? Us, of all people," you say kind of shouting so Chan can hear you.
You watch as he scrolls through his phone searching for the perfect Christmas playlist. You know he's found one when Let It Snow plays on the speaker. He walks back over to you, looking very proud of himself. You give him an exaggerated applause.
You both go back to shuffling through the box. The first things that come out are all the ornaments. You notice that the tree is already up, so now all you have to do is decorate it.
"Don't drop any ornaments this time," you tease. Chan playfully roles his eyes and you both start hanging ornaments on the tree. After they're all placed, you grab the star and set it on the very top of the tree. It seems to shine brighter today than it did last year.
After an hour of decorating (mainly disagreeing on and debating where things should go and why), you and Chan step back so you're both in front of the front door. You look at the living room, then at Chan, then at the living room again. You high five each other while keeping your eyes on the newly decorated space. Your fingers intertwine and now you're holding hands at your side.
"We did good," Chan says with a smile.
"Yes we did," you reply, returning that smile.
Christmas time is here.
