Disclaimer: The author of this fanfiction does not, in any way, profit from the story. All creative rights to the characters belong to their original creator(s).
25 Days of X-mas Drabble Drive
by Pout
Day 1: First Fall (Harry Potter)
Every year, when that first snowflake dropped from the sky, Harry would be transported to a time some years before when someone had told him he was loved.
His memory was very clear about it, the extraordinary insipidness of that day. The sky was just darkening, it was mid-afternoon, they were standing in a random alleyway at Hogsmeade and there was just absolutely nothing special about it…except that a crystal of ice had floated down from the sky and landed on red hair, dissolving away into the warmth, and someone had just said that they loved him.
He had leaned back against the grime of the brick wall behind him and opened his eyes wide to the confession and the scene that was playing out before him. He watched as the heavens released, and so much was in the air that Harry had a hard time making any reasonable distinctions – except that there were snowflakes in the air and his best friend loved him.
And even if that specific shade of red had long since lost its distinction in his memory, and even if what had followed hadn’t been everything he had expected, Harry would still always remember, when the first snows fell.
Day 2: Listen (Bleach)
“And Ichigo said that people give each other presents and have dinner together and it’s a big festive celebration! Isn’t it wonderful?”
Renji nodded dutifully as she told him all that Ichigo had taught her about this holiday called Christmas. He listened and tried not to be bitter about things.
“I’m taking Renji to the shrine and then to the shopping center. I saw something last time that I want to buy. I’m going to give it to Renji for Christmas. That’s definitely the best thing about Christmas: the gifts.”
Ichigo listened and tried not to let that feeling swell.
Day 3: A Tree in a Forest (Shaman King)
It was the absolute perfect tree: not too tall, not short either, full boughs with dark green needles and no yellow patches, and it had a fat base under which many presents could hide.
“This one,” Anna declared in her most commanding tone. She stepped to the side and let the boys decide how to bring it down.
As it turned out, bringing it down was not the hard part. The hard part was moving the large tree out of the forest.
“Ryou! You’re too tall!” HoroHoro was shouting.
“Will you stop bouncing it around, you moron?!” Ren demanded.
The tree was lying on top of six pairs of hands.
“Stuck! We got stuck!” Yoh cried.
“Go backwards!” Lyserg called out.
“Backwards, you idiot!” Ren was screaming.
“Stop screaming, you jerk!!” Chocolove shouted back.
“You’re still bouncing it around!”
“You’re going too fast!”
“Hurry up!”
“Stop bouncing!”
“STOP!” All movement ceased as Manta decided that a little bit of coordination was definitely called for. He cleared his throat purposefully. “Okay. Ready? Right foot first. And…. Right, left, right, left, right, left-”
“He said left, idiot!”
“Stop screaming!”
Anna frowned and called out in a voice that sent ice down their backs: “You all had better not mess up my perfect tree.”
There was a collective shiver.
“Left, left, left right left! Left, left, left right left!”
Day 4: A Convergence of Small Miracles (Prince of Tennis)
Christmas was a time for miracles. Fuji realized this as he sat there with the happiest blush on his cheeks.
Because it was a miracle that Eiji couldn’t take the ticket, since he and his family were going to Osaka for a week even though they almost never went to visit that uncle.
And it was a miracle that Taka-san had to decline because he was free for the majority of his holiday, but on that day he had to help out at the restaurant.
And perhaps it was a miracle that Tezuka said no, because he and his family were going to a show that evening and Tezuka almost always jumped at a chance to escape his family for a while.
It was more a miracle that Momoshiro had been forced to pass since he and Echizen were “having a night out” which was really code for “having a night in,” and a miracle as well that Echizen, for once, did not protest.
And of course, it was a coincidental miracle that Kaidoh and Inui declined, seeing as how they had gone together only a few days ago and Kaidoh was still maybe a bit dazed from the experience.
So now, with a warm hand clasping his own, Fuji decided that it had indeed been a convergence of small Christmas miracles that he had asked and Oishi had smiled and said, “Of course. That would be nice.”
Day 5: Wreaths (Azumanga Daioh)
Chiyo-chan had a large wreath with red and green trim ribbons lacing through a furrow of green leaf branches.
Osaka had a small wreath with giant red pinecones hung all willy-nilly until it looked like a green and red pizza pie.
Kagura had a wreath covered in blinking lights that chased each other around the circle like a racecar track. It made people dizzy to look at it.
Tomo had a wreath that was spray-painted all sorts of neon colors; it practically glowed at night.
And Yomi had a thick wreath with beautiful gold and silver wires strung through it. People said it was fancy and elegant.
But everyone agreed that Sakaki had the best wreath of all: a good sized green wreath with many small kittens decorating the circle. They told her so and she blushed and smiled at her wreath as she began to name her kitties.
Day 6: Left (Prince of Tennis)
Kaidoh twirled the glass globe and listened as the tiny bells inside chimed prettily. This was the first ornament they had bought together. He had spotted it on a silver tree inside one of the boutiques along main street. It was seven months into their relationship and he had already known that this was the man he would love more than anything else in his whole world.
A red and gold snowflake went up next, a symbol for the second year of their relationship. Every year, another ornament. As he decorated, Kaidoh called on every happy memory his mind could recall, and he could recall many.
Then he sat down and admired the tree, bare but for seven ornaments.
Sanada had left him much too soon.
Day 7: Angel in the Snow (Bleach)
“How does one make a snow angel?”
I am not laying on the cold, wet ground, Ichigo told himself firmly. But really, he could never resist when Rukia pinned him with those big innocent eyes of hers. So Rukia observed, then flopped onto her back and flapped wildly, excitedly, happily. Ichigo sat up and watched her childish enthusiasm with an odd feeling in his chest.
Rukia jumped to her feet to admire her work and he followed the movement with his eyes. Flashing him a wide grin, she asked, “What do you think?”
He met her eyes and replied: “Pretty.”
Day 8: Putting Out the Lights (Gundam Wing)
“This is freaking impossible,” Duo cried emphatically. “Look at this! Look at me!” Indeed, he was a sad sight with strings of holiday lights tangled around his entire body, possibly even braiding into his hair. “Help me,” he pouted. Quatre smiled obligingly and went over to try and free the poor man.
“I don’t know why we have to do this. It isn’t our house,” Wufei complained.
“Be a man, would you?” Duo said before yelping as Quatre inadvertently yanked on his hair. “Suck it up.”
“I’m not the one mummified in blinking neon lights,” Wufei snapped back as he set the giant glowing snowman on the rooftop ledge and anchored it down.
“I think it’s crooked,” Trowa said. “A little lower on the left.”
Wufei adjusted it accordingly before saying, “Besides, isn’t this all a little tacky for a diplomat’s mansion? And why do we have to do this again?”
On the other side of the house, a few gunshots sounded and all the blinking lights wrapped around Duo suddenly went out.
As Trowa climbed down the ladder, Quatre sighed, “He’s done it again.”
Trowa came back a few minutes later and announced, “Yup. Heero shot Santa this time.”
Day 9: The Christmas Spirit (Gravitation)
He was thrown to the ground. He looked up to see the walls of his grave sliding up towards the night sky. “No! Let me out! I promise to be a better man! Please! Let me out!”
“Yuki!”
His eyes flew open and he struggled to catch his breath.
“Yuki? Are you all right? You were talking in your sleep. And twitching.”
He was about to berate his lover for watching ‘A Christmas Carol’ five times in the last two days, but abruptly snapped his mouth shut. Instead, he let his breath out slowly and suggested, “Let’s do something….Christmassy tomorrow.”
Day 10: Pick and Choose (Naruto)
Naruto made a Christmas wish. He wished for peace in his village, greater strength and power and the love of the one girl he had ever really seen.
Sakura made a Christmas wish. She wished for peace in her village, strength and power and the love of the only boy she had ever wanted.
And the angels smiled upon them.
Peace was granted. Naruto became Hokage, and Sakura, a respected medic.
But Sakura died one mid-September morning, never having seen her love again, and Naruto eventually grew old and never married. After all, even angels have to pick and choose.
Day 11: Christmas Confession (Prince of Tennis)
He hadn’t meant to feel this way. His stomach was eating itself, his back was bowing from the need to shrink in on itself, and he very nearly developed a hole in his lower lip from all the chewing, gnawing and biting he had done.
Shishido took a deep breath to steady himself. It wasn’t right, this feeling. He was Shishido Ryou, a rock, a stone, focus, focus, focus. But it was starting to eat him up inside and he needed release, desperately. He took a look out the window, staring at the sight of light snowfall on a mild cityscape showered in tones of aquatic blue and serene navy. It must be the Christmas mood getting to me, he thought as “Have Yourself a Merry Christmas” promptly replayed itself in his brain.
With courage, he picked up the phone. “Oshitari? Can you meet me at the park? I need to tell you something.”
The park was fluffy white and Ryou scowled as his fellow teammate came sauntering up to him.
“What is it that you needed to tell me, Shishido?”
Ryou took a shaky breath. “I need to tell you that…I’m the one who broke your glasses. I’m sorry.”
There was a pause before Oshitari smirked superiorly. “That’s fine. I got it fixed. But I appreciate your honesty. Even if it did take you four months to tell me.”
“You’re welcome.”
Oshitari chuckled. “Merry Christmas, Shishido.”
“Yeah, same to you Oshitari.”
Shishido smiled and felt his burden lift as he walked home printing trails in the snow and humming “Winter Wonderland” under his breath.
Day 12: The Practicality of Claymation Christmas Specials (Shaman King)
“I don’t get it,” HoroHoro said.
“What?”
“Why does he want to be a dentist?”
Ren shrugged. “Why not? Doesn’t look like being an elf is all that great either.”
“I’d be an elf if I could.”
“You want to have pointy ears?”
“No! But it’d be cool living at the North Pole. And you’d get to see Santa.”
“You just think that’d be cool. After a while, it’d get boring. It’s like seeing the Great Spirits all the time. The thrill subsides.”
“So instead, he wants to be a dentist?”
“The fumes from the glue-gun probably got to him.”
Day 13: Sprig (Bleach)
“This is stupid,” Rukia hissed.
“It’s a tradition!” Ichigo growled back. “How do you think I feel?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing. Come on, let’s get this over with.”
“I don’t understand this…tradition. It’s useless.”
“Whatever. Can you just…?”
“Just what?”
“Stop talking!”
“Excuse me?”
“Let’s get this over with.”
“But why do-mwff!”
When they parted, a voice from behind them drawled: “Finally. I thought you were about to profess your love or something.”
Rukia and Ichigo exchanged glances. “Look up,” they said in unison.
“Hm?”
“Oh look!” Orihime cried out happily. “Ishida-kun and Chad are under the mistletoe!”
Day 14: Christmas Conversation (Card Captor Sakura)
“Is it snowing outside?”
“Yes. It’s gorgeous! Is it snowing in Hong Kong?”
“It doesn’t really snow here.”
“Oh.” He could hear her smiling over the line. “Well, I’ll tell you about the snow here, then. Right now, it’s coming down very lightly, just enough, I think. There are five kids outside building a snowman. One of the girls is making a snow angel! There’s about seven or eight inches on the ground and the weatherman on the television said it’s going to keep snowing all night. It’s really beautiful.”
Their conversation stilled and swayed a bit.
“Syaoran.”
“Yes?”
“Look out your window.”
He clambered over his bed and threw back the drapes. It was snowing in Hong Kong.
“Merry Christmas, Syaoran,” she said in her most genuine voice.
He smiled and answered: “Merry Christmas, Sakura.”
Day 15: Yuuta’s Favorite Christmas Story (Prince of Tennis)
Fuji Yumiko tried a different cookie recipe every year before Christmas. This year’s recipe, the youngest Fuji decided, was not good.
“Argh!” Yuuta exclaimed as he spat the bite of cookie out onto his napkin. “That is nasty! Eelgh, blegh, yuck!”
Syusuke, the resident crap-food connoisseur, walked into the kitchen and peered down at the plate of cookies. “What’s this?”
“Sis made Christmas cookies again. Don’t eat them,” Yuuta warned. “They taste horrible. But don’t tell her that I said so.”
The older Fuji boy was already crunching away. “Yum,” he smiled. Yuuta blanched and had to look away.
Just as Syusuke polished off the last cookie, Yumiko came into the kitchen, glancing down at the empty plate. “Eh?” she said. “What happened to all the dog biscuits I baked for the local pound? I used the really expensive dog food, too.”
Syusuke turned a funny kind of green and mumbled a quick, “Excuse me,” before taking off towards the bathroom. By then, Yuuta had already collapsed in a fit of laughter on the kitchen floor. This would become Yuuta’s favorite Christmas story and he would tell it every year for all the years to come.
Day 16: Swoosh (Shaman King)
Anna hadn’t wanted to, but she wasn’t given much of a choice when Yoh cajoled her and Ryou and Ren forcibly shoved her in. So she sat there, arms crossed, looking like murder in a snow coat, glaring at her fiancé.
“It’s fun,” he tried to persuade her again. She rejected his attempt. He chuckled nervously and faced forward. “You can hold onto me…” he trailed off as he felt more than saw her glare aimed at the back of his head.
“Ready, you two?” Ryou asked with a smirk.
And with a mighty shove, the sled plummeted down the hill along the artificially created snow that HoroHoro had provided. The lurch made Anna pitch forward into Yoh’s back, her arms going around him instinctively. She hadn’t expected to fly so fast.
Yoh was hollering with pleasure as they sped down the slope. Anna closed her eyes, smiling to herself as she felt his laughter rumble through his chest and burst into the jet stream to surround her.
The next time, Anna sat herself in the sled, wrapped her arms around Yoh willingly, and whispered, “Swoosh,” as they took flight.
Day 17: Selfish (Witch Hunter Robin)
It was a selfish gift to give, she thought in retrospect.
They had been cooped up in a cold hotel in Germany with the wind and chill seeping in through the numerous cracks and crevices in the old establishment. He had bundled her up in a number of blankets before he left to check on some things. When he returned, she had lit a large fire and was sitting there demurely on the floor, watching his movements with her eyes, the barrier of glass distorting none of the potency of her glance.
They ate a quiet meal by the fire. Then he said, “Merry Christmas,” and handed her a box.
It was a pretty bracelet, if not a beautiful one, simple, if a little childish in style, and she placed it on her wrist before glancing back up at his face. With nothing to give in return, she leaned over and gave him her first kiss.
Yes, it really was a most selfish gift to give, she thought as his lips began to respond.
Day 18: Trip on a Carol (Bleach)
Orihime was glowing.
She happily led the way to the next house, knowing that her friends were following. What to sing next? They had gone through the songbook repertoire thrice now; Rukia had even picked up most of the tunes.
Pondering the question, she hardly noticed the step of the sidewalk and down she went, tumbling flat, gracelessly. Not one to let the little things get her down, she popped back up and was about to continue the march onwards when a hand halted her movements.
“Are you all right? You should really be more careful.” A brush on the knees and a swipe of the hand to sweep errant snow from her hair. “Your scarf is soaked.” The disapproving tone. “Here.”
As the rest of the group caught up, they chorused out with, “Are you all right?” and “You’re such a klutz.” Orihime smiled her usual smile, nodded, buried her nose in the warmth of the dry scarf, and decided on “Joy to the World.”
Day 19: Silent Night (Gravitation)
Hiro knew the exact moment he fell in love with Ryuichi.
It was at the studio’s annual Christmas party the year of the big blizzard. As the party was forced to drag on by the unfortunate weather, the bands took turns performing impromptu versions of their favorite Christmas songs. Bad Luck had done a rowdy pop version of “The Little Drummer Boy” which was somewhat of an inside joke since the three band members were always complaining about their lack of a cool, bald, tattoo-covered drummer.
To wrap up the performances, Nittle Grasper did a soothing version of “White Christmas.” And lastly, Sakuma Ryuichi commanded the stage in a pure vocal rendition of “Silent Night.”
Everyone had clapped, but Hiro was the only one who had fallen in love.
After that night, Bad Luck’s guitarist was a man on a mission. Never in his life had he been so actively in pursuit. It wasn’t long before Ryuichi was won over.
So it was a year later, as they lay together in bed, that the sound of an angel lit up the dark room as he sang between kisses.
“Sleep in heavenly peace…”
And Hiro fell in love all over again.
Day 20: At the Christmas Party Hop (Shaman King)
“That’s his fifth cup,” HoroHoro said as he slapped a hand to his mouth to muffle his laughter.
“Did any of you ever think about what might happen if he turns out to be a violent drunk?” Ren asked, trying to be the voice of sensibility, but failing because he was grinning stupidly.
“Look! He’s starting to dance!” Chocolove said. The situation was so morbidly funny in and of itself that he felt no need to make any of his so-called ‘jokes.’ Across the room, Hao was doing the funky chicken as “Jingle Bell Rock” played overhead.
“Woah, that’s kinda scary.”
“But still really funny.”
“YEAH!! THAT’S FUNNY!!!!!” The three boys fell over as Yoh screamed in their ears, laughing loudly, an empty cup in his hands.
They felt something icy wash over them as Anna stepped out from behind him, eyes narrowed dangerously. “All right, whose brilliant idea was it to spike the eggnog?”
Day 21: The Naughty Bunny (Bleach)
“What’s this Christmas thing all about?” Rukia asked.
“It’s a holiday,” Ichigo responded, futilely hoping that the brief explanation would sate her curiosity. It was late; they had just returned from dealing with a hollow, and he had a test in the morning. Why did she have to ask her inane questions during his precious few hours of sleep?
“Is it true that you must exchange gifts?” she asked, inevitably.
Ichigo snorted. “So you do know what it is.”
She ignored him and went on: “What kinds of gifts are exchanged?”
He played dead for a few minutes before she threw something across the room, hitting him square in the ear. He sighed and rolled over. “Anything you want, ok?! You can give them anything you want!” He huffed dramatically and made a few choice comments on the inconsiderate behavior of certain individuals before rolling back on his side and rustling his sheets and covers unnecessarily, officially signaling the end of the conversation.
So he really shouldn’t have been so shocked when on Christmas Eve she presented him with an overgrown, pink-and-blue-checkered, stuffed bunny with the English words “Sex Bunny” written across the front with a push button on the right paw that called out suggestive phrases in a British accent.
“Isn’t it cute?” she said with those big eyes smiling.
“Er, yes. Thank you….?” he said as he blushed. She doesn’t know what it is! And where the hell did she get this thing?!
“What is it saying?” Rukia asked.
Ichigo turned brilliantly neon like the blinking red lights on the tree downstairs. He was no good at lying so he settled for a literal translation.
When Rukia next saw Urahara, she asked him why anyone would want to lick a cat, was it something to do with this Christmas thing? And why did the thought of it make Ichigo turn all red and blotchy?
Urahara rolled around on the floor and laughed until he cried because he absolutely loved Christmas.
Day 22: The Thrills of Last Minute Shopping (Inuyasha)
Kagome slapped some twenty-five shopping bags down on the couch, her eyebrows crunched so forcefully together that they might as well have been welded together. Steam and jaki were pouring out of her ears.
“I can’t believe what a mess it is out there!” she yelled unnecessarily. “The malls are all completely crowded! The shops have lines out the front door! I’m surprised more people don’t just run off without paying! I had to fight off three old ladies in order to get Inuyasha’s present! Even though I obviously had my hands on it first!! It took me twenty-five minutes to pry them off of it!!” She was getting progressively louder.
“Well, that’s what happens when you wait until the last minute to do your Christmas shopping,” her grandfather said, unaware of the death glare pointed at him.
“It’s not my fault!” Kagome cried out indignantly. “We were busy over there!”
“It looks like you got everything you needed, though, dear,” her mother said with a pleasant smile. “I’m sure Inuyasha will enjoy your gift.”
Kagome snorted. “Yeah right! I spent twenty-five minutes fighting with three mean old hags! If anyone’s gonna be enjoying it, it’s gonna be me!” With a huff she headed for the kitchen.
Sota watched her go with a skeptical look on his face. “I find it hard to believe that there are other people in the world who would give out fifty-pack ramen boxes for Christmas.” He was promptly knocked over by the evil glare of death.
Day 23: Habit (Prince of Tennis)
Jin and Takashi had been together for four years, on and off. It was an odd arrangement because Jin was not the type for commitment and his ways were indicative of this. Jin had an odd habit, if indeed it could be called a habit.
“It’s over,” he would say, three times a year.
It was pure clockwork, and yet, no one ever seemed to see it coming. There was always this underlying thought in everyone’s minds that Jin and Taka were simply meant to be and that maybe this time Taka-san had finally tamed the wild man.
Takashi understood, to a certain extent. But still, he hated Valentines Day, and he had come to hate Jin’s birthday, and most of all he hated Christmas. But he didn’t hate Jin.
Jin’s mother accused him of being sadistic, breaking that poor boy’s heart three times a year and at the most inconvenient times; it was unnecessary. Jin scoffed and took to avoiding her as often as possible.
Christmas rolled around and Takashi felt that now-familiar ball of dread knotting in his stomach as “that time of year” came back to haunt him. April was a long way from December, but Takashi didn’t think he was quite over the last time. It had taken Jin a month and a half to come back. Jin always came back, or at least, so far he had always come back. The dread came from the possibility that one day, he might not.
Jin took Takashi out to dinner on the 19th of December. They went to Jin’s favorite restaurant. Takashi hated the place; he had been dumped there six times before.
Takashi fully expected a repeat performance.
Jin took a sip of water.
Takashi was not incorrect.
“It’s over,” Jin said. “This time… I’m not coming back.” Takashi sighed inwardly. Jin always said that.
Something had to be done. Takashi was sick of being emotionally brutalized three times a year by the one man he believed he ever truly loved and cared so deeply for.
The waiter hovered about, ready to drop the check; he was accustomed to the routine as well it seemed. That annoyed Takashi to no end and prompted him to speak. “Jin, please stay. At least stay.” Just be here, for once, he thought.
Jin considered, then pulled out his wallet. The waiter played his part and exited the stage before Jin made his grand departure. Takashi went home alone.
So Takashi’s father was beyond surprised when his son’s now off-again boyfriend came waltzing into the restaurant on Christmas Eve.
“Is he in?” Jin asked as Takashi’s father checked and re-checked his calendar.
“Jin.” Even Takashi was surprised when he stepped into the room to see his now ex-boyfriend standing there as if there was nothing unnatural about his timing.
They took a walk. Jin led the way and Takashi followed silently. At some point, Jin turned and took a set of stairs up to the third floor of an anonymous apartment complex. He opened one of the doors and led Takashi into a fully furnished apartment.
“What is this, Jin?”
Jin was quiet as they stood in the doorway. “I put a bid down. We can have it by New Years.”
“Jin.”
Takashi knew better than to ask if Jin had finally kicked his habit. For once, Takashi was not going to be single on Christmas. He supposed the real test would come next Valentine’s Day, but he was content to wait and see. Because even if Jin wouldn’t quite stay, at the least, he always came back. Takashi was fairly certain of that now.
Day 24: The Goose! The Goose! (Gundam Wing)
“What the hell is this?” Hilde asked.
“It’s the Christmas goose!” Duo answered with a cheerful smile on his face.
Hilde zapped that smile right off as she looked up at him all dark-clouds-of-ominous-doom-like. “Tell me you’re kidding,” she ordered.
“Uh…” Behind him, the other guys fidgeted.
“Tell me that you guys did not just spend forty-eight hours hunting this puny fucking runt of a goose when all you had to do was go to the supermarket five minutes down the street.”
“Ah…”
“Tell me that you did not just walk through that door with a decaying goose carcass dripping blood on Relena’s carpet two hours after all the stores have probably closed.”
“Now, Hilde…” Quatre tried to placate.
The sound of footsteps came marching towards them.
“Oh my god,” Catherine managed.
Relena stared at her carpet in horror. “Is that…?”
“Arg!! Fucktards!!” Dorothy cried.
“Go sit outside until we call for you!” Hilde shouted.
“And here’s a hint,” Noin said as she shoved them back out the door, “Next time, don’t shoot it so many times! The goal is to leave some meat on the bird so you can eat it!”
The door slammed in their faces and the hunting men were left standing outside in the cold.
Duo looked down at the decimated body in his hands and nodded thoughtfully. “Well, she does have a point.”
Day 25: That Christmas Morning (Prince of Tennis)
It was 2:00, early Christmas morning when the phone tree was activated.
By 3:00, most of Japan’s best young tennis players were gathered in the park.
“What’s this all about, Inui?” Tezuka questioned.
“Renji and I have pooled our data and we estimate that he should be arriving within the next three minutes.”
“He? He who?”
But the answer was unnecessary as the faint jingle of sleigh bells whispered overhead. A sleigh drifted into view and in it sat a tiny speck of a man whom they all knew to be portly and jolly and possessed of a merry laugh.
“Santa,” they whispered.
“Ho Ho Ho!” was the reply as he waved from above.
They watched as the sleigh drove out of sight and a gentle serenity settled into them. They shared quiet smiles and said, “Merry Christmas,” to one another, then slowly headed for home with a new beloved Christmas memory shining brightly in their hearts.
If you would like to provide feedback on this story, please feel free to e-mail me at: poutonly@gmail.com.