The Forgotten Christmas

We had just come back from L.A. to record, promote the band, do a couple shows, and talk about upcoming tour details when it hit us as we drove back home. All the houses had their light displays on, lawns covered with holiday shit, and their trees decorated in front of the window. It took us a bit to realize what was going on and then it hit us like smack to the face. We forgot about Christmas! We came back on the night of the 24th so there was no time to buy decorations or even get a tree. We both felt horrible as we drove by all the happy, overly-lit, and gaudy houses.

As we walked up the driveway, I couldn't bear to look at our neighbor's houses. It would just make me feel worse. But I really felt bad for Jayy. Christmas was his favorite time of year and now he doesn't get one. Luckily we were smart and bought each others gifts ahead of time to avoid the crowds but it's not the same without the house done up or finding hidden presents under the tree.

Jayy looked at me with those sad puppy-dog eyes and said goodnight before slowly making his way upstairs to his room. My heart nearly broke when his door closed quietly. I sunk down on the couch and wondered what I could do to save this.

Suddenly I jumped up like I had been jolted. There was still time! I can still make something of a Christmas for him. I grabbed my coat and keys and ran out to the car. It was only 11:48 and Wal-Mart should be open. I raced down the roads, making it to the store in record time. As soon as I got there I found one lonely man at the door.

I ran up beside him and through my panting, asked if he was closing.

"Yeah, sorry buddy. We're only open until 12:00 for the holiday."

"Please, you gotta let me in! We forgot about Christmas cause we were out of town for the last 2 weeks and now we don't have anything! No tree, no decorations, nothing! I've gotta make a Christmas for him, he looks forward to it every year. More than any other holiday, even his birthday! I can't let him down, it'd break his heart. And I know you hear a lot of sob stories every year but I'll do anything to make this happen! I'll pay double for everything, just let me get the stuff so he can have a decent Christmas! I don't want to let him down!"

The older man looked at me for awhile before asking "Who's 'he'?"

"My best friend."

He studied me for a minute then asked me, "You really care a lot about him, don't you?"

I nodded my head and with all my heart I said back to him "He means more to me than anything. I'd give up everything I have just to make him happy tomorrow."

"Do you love him?"

I stood paralyzed at his question. The shock of such a personal question, and from a complete stranger, had caught me off-guard. I already knew the answer but I've never told anyone before. I could barely admit it to myself.

The man stood patiently while I regained my senses. I blushed and looked at the ground as I responded as quietly as I could, "I do."

The man nodded his head and turned back to the door. After he unlocked it, he pushed it open for me and smiled broadly.

"Let's make Christmas for your friend."

I thanked him over and over again. I would have hugged him too but I didn't want to push it. We moved quickly throughout the store and gathered up everything I'd need to decorate the house. He led me back to the registers and began to ring up all the items. I put in all the credit card info and phone number for the shoppers card and waited as he bagged my items. After he was finished and brought up the total I asked him why the amount was so low.

"Because," he explained simply, "You bought Christmas decorations and according to the management higher up than me, all decorations are to marked down to 50% off starting on the 25th."

I looked at him still confused of his point.

"Take a look at the clock on the screen."

He turned the touch screen to face me and pointed to the top right corner. 12:14. I smiled back at him and thanked him yet again. He gave me an endearing smile in return.

"Now head on home, I have to rebalance the drawer quickly and you're gonna want all the time you can to decorate. And good luck with him."

I thanked him again and started to walk off to the exit but I turned back. I had to ask him.

"Not that I'm not grateful, because I truly am, but why are you helping me? I mean, we're pretty much total strangers."

"Because of a certain quote; 'And it's good that we remember, just as soon as we discover, that the things we do in life will often end up touching others… And he believes if you change one night, it's possible to change a life."

I smiled back to him as I reflected on that quote and left the store. I packed my bags in the trunk and drove off. There was still one place I had left to go to before I could head back to the house. To get there I had to go a little bit out of town and off the paved road.

About 40 minutes later I was on my way back to the house with everything I needed. Or so I thought. I looked at all the houses on our street and felt like I was forgetting something. I looked closer at the houses but couldn't find what was I was missing. Then I looked inside the window.

It was pretty much a set up like right out of Christmas story. A tree decorated by the window, decorations hanging on the walls, stockings over a small fire, presents under the tree- that's it! I forgot about the stockings!

Shit! I can't go out and buy them. By now the guy probably closed down the store for the night and gone home like everyone else. Fuck! That means I have to make them! FMfuckingL! I'm terrible at sewing! I could use the hot glue gun but last time I got it all over everything except what I wanted glued together. Sally never forgave me for ruining her favorite shirt. But hey, it's not like I didn't lose anything either. My stuffed dog lost most of its fur thanks to her shirt!

I continued to think about possible solutions and then I thought of something. Our neighbors just got a shit-load of decorations that their parents bought them. The couple are newlyweds who bought their house just a month ago and both sets of parents bought new furniture and decorations for the holidays. However, because each set of in-laws wasn't communicating with the other, the couple ended up with a lot of extra stuff they can't use. I just hope that they received extra stockings I could borrow and hadn't gotten rid of everything yet.

It was a little after 1 when I pulled into our driveway and ran over to our neighbors and banged on the door in a rush. Luckily they were just heading to bed. I quickly explained to them what happened and begged them if they had any stockings, to let me borrow them just for tonight.

"Of course you can borrow them! Everyone should have a great Christmas."

I thanked her and rushed back to my car to get all the bags out of the trunk. I opened up the front door as quietly as possible and was relieved to see that Jayy wasn't still up. I looked through the bags and found the new tree stand I bought. I could've bought a fake tree too but I think part of the point of Christmas is to get a real one even though they're messy and I can't stand the smell.

Now for the hard part. I had to get the tree inside the house without waking up Jayy. My last stop out of town was to pick out the tree to use. I decided to go with a small one since I'm the only one carrying it to and from the car and then inside the house…and also I figured a small one wouldn't be as missed. And no, I didn't steal it from a lot, I cut it down like how Christmas trees should be gotten. Only thing is I got mine from a forest…a nationally protected forest. Oh, well. They won't miss it.

Once I untangled the tree from the roof of the car, I slowly dragged it to the front door. I poked my head inside to make sure nothing was in my way and quietly brought it into the house. I set the trunk into the stand and tightened the knobs to keep it in place. Once I was sure it wouldn't fall over on me I stood back up and admired it…and all shit it left on the floor. I grabbed a broom and dust pan from the closet and began cleaning everything up. I didn't do a spectacular job because I was still in a hurry but at least now I won't slip on the sap.

After I returned the cleaning supplies to the closet, I went over to the fireplace and hung up the stockings. As I looked at the two filled, but lonely stockings, it felt like something was missing. Then I remembered the little house I saw. They had the fireplace going so it gave the room a soft, warm glow. I reached down in the grate, and turned on the electric fireplace. It's not a true old-fashioned fire like in the stories but hey, at least we don't have to clean it out later.

The room slowly warmed up and I began to decorate the rest of the living room. I wrapped lights and fake garland around the steps and then went to work on the walls. I put a fake wreath on the door and hung up little plastic decorations in random spots. I placed a few candles on a couples step so that when Jayy woke up in the morning, it would lead him downstairs immediately. I placed scented candles on tables by front door, the hall leading to the kitchen, the small coffee table in the living room, and finally one by the fire. Now it really smelled like Christmas and got rid of the nasty tree smell. The scents were 'Cinnamon & Sugar' when you first walked in, 'Christmas Cookie' for the kitchen, 'Fireside' of course for the fireplace and my favorite, 'French Vanilla' for the coffee table.

Now that everything was fully lit and smelled like a real holiday house, I began to work on the tree. The lights always go on first and then I put a silver garland and tinsel around the branches. I mostly got a couple basic ornaments like the multicolored glass balls and stars but there was a couple singular ones I bought that really made the tree unique. One was an intricate heart with metal strands interweaving between each other in an almost-too-complicated design. Next were a couple of well-crafted glass birds. They had little plumes of feathers and were very delicate. I placed them on secure branches so there would be no risk of them falling and shattering. A couple angels went on next, followed by my personal favorite. It was a little big but I liked it above all the other ornaments I saw. It was a pair of two stylized penguins leaning into each other with a shared blue and white striped scarf around their neck. Both had an unrealistic blush on their cheeks and happy eyes like in a cartoon. In my opinion, the person who designed them wanted to show that they were friends but also more than that. Underneath the cutesy exterior was a little bit of shared love for each other. Despite being mass-produced the feeling that the artist wanted to instill in these ornaments came through very clear. It reminded me of Jayy and I.

I hung it up at the top, just under where the star will go. I grabbed a chair from the kitchen and climbed up to set the star in place. The star itself was made of glass and had a silver and gold tinted into each of the separate points jutting out at every angle. After I stepped off the chair I admired the tree. The fire reflected off the ornaments and star beautifully. I really think that I can make this Christmas work out for Jayy. I can't wait to see his face tomorrow when he comes down the stairs to a decorated living room, small fire, presents under the-FUCK! How can I get the presents under the tree?!?

Mine won't be a problem but Jayy's are still in his room! I guess I have no choice but to go in there and try to find them. I hope he didn't hide them too well this year. I made my way to my room and easily found the presents. Unlike Jayy I don't hide them, even though I probably should with his snooping ass always coming in here. For every person I wrapped for, I used a different paper so I could easily tell them apart. When we put them under the tree, we like to group everyone's gifts together so we aren't falling over each other in the excitement when we go to unwrap them.

I placed mine under the tree and quietly walked up to Jayy's room. I pressed an ear to the door but I didn't hear anything. I opened the door slowly, trying not to let it creak as it sometimes does. The candle light on the stairs lit the room up enough for me to see in. Jayy was curled up in his bed and the blanket only covered half his body. I stepped up quietly to him and pulled them up to his shoulders. I just don't want him to be cold later. I was about to search for the presents but something stopped me.

I knew I probably wouldn't have another chance so I kissed his lips softly and then pulled back. He looked so cute with his make-up off and his hair tussled. It's funny though, I kinda remember him snoring softly when he fell asleep on me during the flight. Maybe he just had allergies from their eternal springtime in Cali. Mmm, I should get him some meds next time we go.

I resumed my search for the gifts and was delighted to find that he had them stacked up in a pile at the foot of his bed. He probably pulled them out before he went to sleep so he could find them easily tomorrow.

I made my way out of his slightly messy room and shut the door behind me as softly as I could. I yawned as I made my way down the steps and put each gift in it's correct pile. Thankfully, he put tags on each gift so I know who they're for. As I finished, I let out another yawn and my eyes drooped sleepily. I think seeing him asleep made my subconscious realize just how late and tired I was. I sat down on the couch and tried to concentrate on what else needed to be done. There was one bag left with some holiday candy and a box of candy canes. I could set them up tomorrow but something else nagged me. I knew there was something I was forgetting to do or put out and it wasn't milk or cookies for Santa.

The last time I did that, Andrew woke up sometime in the night and ate all of them. When Sally and I found the empty glass and plate, we were dumbstruck to say the least. We kept staring at spot where we left them, wondering what the hell happened and if someone else was in the house. Jayy came down soon after and his eyes lit up when he saw everything missing. I think he really had a small glimmer of hope that Santa visited in the night. Personally, I don't like the idea of a drunk, jolly prowler breaking into your house every year. He could do anything while you're asleep and you'd never know. As Jayy stood there smiling to no end, Andrew made his way down to the living room. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and told me how great the cookies I made were. And then we realized he was the one who was up at night. Jayy's face fell and although the gifts he received cheered him up, there was a little sadness that hung over him like a cloud for the rest of the day. After that I never put the cookies and milk out again. I didn't want to see Jayy sad like that ever again.

Another yawn clawed out of my throat and I let my eyes close shut. The thought of forgetting something still nagged me but soon I fell fast asleep. My last thought was that maybe something else was in the last bag along with the candy and had slipped from my mind until now. Oh, well. I can get up a little early tomorrow and set it up. Whatever it is.

*****Next Morning*****

I woke up on the couch with a yawn. Something warm and fuzzy was on top of me. My eyes refocused and I found a blanket wrapped around me. I don't remember grabbing one though. As I thought about how it got around me, a voice drew me out of my thoughts.

"You're finally up." I turned to the loveseat and found Jayy sitting with a blanket wrapped around him and a cup of hot chocolate in his hand. "I was afraid your hot chocolate was gonna get cold. I made the homemade kind, just the way you like it too."

I thanked him and grabbed the mug from the coffee table. I always loved the way he made hot chocolate. Not that fake shit that you use hot water and packets of powdered mix to make, but the kind with real milk and cocoa. As it slid down my throat, I felt myself awakening even more. I gave him a smile and told him "Merry Christmas."

He returned the smile with another emotion behind it that I couldn't quite make out. He got up from his seat and let the blanket fall as he made his way over to me. I noticed something in his hand as he sat his mug down on the table and took a place next to me. Before I knew it, he wrapped his arms around me and whispered "thank you" in my ear. My smile came back as I returned the hug and melted into him. We stayed like that for a long time. Longer that what most friends consider normal, but neither of us made a move to end the hug.

Finally he pulled back and I felt my heart drop a little. Before the sadness could sink any further, Jayy held up something above us and placed his lips over mine in sweet kiss. And by sweet, I mean that figuratively and literally. He tasted of hot chocolate, candy cane, milk chocolate and some other kind of sugary sweet. It was absolutely delicious and I wanted more but he gently broke the kiss and let his forehead rest on mine. I blushed at his closeness and the intimacy we were now sharing. I looked at the fake plant in his hand and realized what I forgot in the bag. Mistletoe. With a shy voice he told me "I've wanted to kiss you for so long I thought I'd never be able to."

I was shocked and blushed a little darker. Softly I asked, "Why now, then?"

He cast his eyes down in a fond remembrance and a soft smile made its way across his beautiful face. "I got a call last night and a kind man told me what you were doing. You tried so hard to make everything happen for me. He told me that you were willing to do anything just so I'd be happy today…And he said that you truly loved me. I was touched that you'd do all this for me but I didn't think you really loved me like that…And then last night you kissed me and I knew what he said was true."

I gulped and cast my eyes down in slight embarrassment. So he really was awake during that. He brought hand back to my cheek and I looked him in the eyes as he brought his lips down again. It was a brief kiss but it meant so much.

"Thank you Dahvie. And…" he trailed off slightly and blushed darker than I had ever seen happen to him. I placed my finger under his chin and looked at him with all the love I felt I felt in my heart, urging him to go on.

He swallowed hard and then continued, "Will you be my present this year?" he asked softly. I smiled with all the joy in the world and kissed him deeply in response. "Yes!" I said giddily, "Of course I will."

My smile caught on and he grinned like he had when he thought Santa came by. We just sat there grinning like idiots at each other and then the front door opened. We didn't even have to look to know who it was.

Andrew and Sally came into the living room and commented on beautiful everything looked. Andrew said off-handedly "Yeah we thought you guys would forget, with being in L.A. and all." Sally smacked his arm and gave him a scolding look.

Jayy and I just sat on the couch, still smiling at each other, oblivious to all else. Andrew, being the loud-mouth he is, spoke up first, "What's up with you two?" He probably was confused as all hell now. Sally on the other hand, just looked at us one at a time. Our smiles grew just slightly and she let out a relieved and happy sigh. "It's about time."

She grabbed a hold of Andrew's hand and led him over to the vacant loveseat. Still confused Andrew asked again, with all his naïve cluelessness, "I don't get it. What's going on?" Sally just sighed hopelessly and grabbed the remote from the coffee table. When she turned it on, a news story began playing.

"…and shockingly this morning as park rangers made their daily rounds, a young tree was found missing from the western end of the forest. Rangers and other officials are stumped as to who made off with the sapling…"

My stomach dropped as Jayy looked at the TV in confusion, then to the tree, and finally to me. "Dahvie…you didn't…"

I mumbled out something that even I didn't understand and scratched the back of my head sheepishly. Sally rolled her eyes and changed the channels. Not surprisingly Andrew was still trying to figure out everything.

"So what happened?"

Dumbass.