Henry Cromwell's Christmas Epiphany

Henry Cromwell was a man who did not like Christmas. Well, I wouldn't say that he didn't like Christmas, I think it would be more accurate to say that Henry Cromwell despised Christmas. He hated anything and everything related to Christmas. He looked down on the notions of gift giving and feasting during the Christmas period as 'just some money grabbing ploy by big business to rob people of their hard earned wages.' Also, he specifically despised and detested the cheer and jollity people would wear along with their naff Christmas clothing. Didn't they realize that life was a great misery. It was this fact they had refused to accept unlike Henry, and would try and frantically run around with smiles crudely carved into their fat, idiotic faces to lull them into a false sense of security, hiding them from the big, bad truth.

It was these anti-Christmas prejudices that were circling round his head whilst he was stumbling around the grey streets when he would befall an accident. His feet would just suddenly give way from under him. This would send Henry tumbling across the hard, stony pavement. Henry was out like a light and he did not wake up until after he had been brought to hospital.

"Ah, Mr. Cromwell", greeted the Doctor, as he instantly walked into the room. "Now, we have run some tests on you, and it appears that everything should be fine meaning you can be on your way," informed the Doctor, "I'll be out of your hair now, good bye and merry Christmas", and with that he was gone, but there was one problem. The Doctor had wished Henry a 'Merry Christmas', but Henry didn't tell him to get lost or rant about the extensive reasons why he hated Christmas and no one should utter this repulsive c-word in his presence, but instead he just sat there in his hospital bed with a blank expression on his face. Instead of cursing the Doctor for wishing him a Merry Christmas, he was confused. What was this Christmas he thought. After a quick search on his phone, it turned out that Christmas was a public holiday celebrated each year on 25th December, usually accompanied by a big tree, decorations, feasting and gift giving. Then he thought, it was the 24th today, Christmas eve and he was completely unprepared. So, with everything to do in under a day, he raced off to the supermarket whilst making a mental list with what he needed: He needed a tree, decorations for the tree and presents to put under said decorated tree. He needed food for a feast and suitable clothes to wear for making said feast. It was not long before he reached the supermarket where he suddenly transformed into a small child at a sweet shop, he did not know what to choose or where he should begin with. He started to frantically place anything in his trolley that looked right. He didn't care what it was or how expensive it was, he didn't care that he didn't even like Sprouts or how the Best Before Date on the box of Mince Pies said the 26th December of that both the Christmas Jumper and Turkey were realistically too big for him, the fact of the matter was that if it was bright, sparkly of simply just said Christmas he was buying it. He simply had to have it because it was Christmas tomorrow and he was going to celebrate no matter what. He had also bought something special for his only friend and his longstanding crush, Charlotte Harrison. They had first met at Uni and had remained close together even after they graduated. Henry didn't quite understand why, it was probably because they had a understanding with one another that led for him to have feelings for her. It was for this reason that he had fallen in love with her and he had tried to confess those feelings but had always chickened out at the last moment. "Well, no more" Henry thought to himself, "I am going to go to her house today, invite her to my place for Christmas and I am going to confess my true feelings to her.

It was a struggle to carry four, bulging shopping bags and a meter tall Christmas Tree, but he had made it, and the first thing Henry had instantly decided on was to go straight to Charlotte's house where he would give her the presents he had bought her and confess his feelings. This had to be delayed due to several failed attempts at wrapping Charlotte's presents, a box of chocolates and a bottle of wine, but after much perseverance he had managed to cover these gifts in wrapping paper an set off for Charlotte's house. It was a route that Henry had taken many times before, in fact he is sure he can walk it blindfolded, but he had a problem. He could feel his stomach being overwhelmed by butterflies and he started to worry about how Charlotte would react, would she like her presents and will she feel the same way. "Well," thought Henry "I shall just have to find out then" as he tried to swallow his feelings and find out" he resolved as he went to ring on Charlotte's door bell. After a few moments Charlotte came to her front door and was greeted by a beaming Henry who welcomed her with one great, "Merry Christmas!"

This had phased Charlotte, as she had known Henry for several years and one thing she could tell anyone about Henry was his fanatical hatred of Christmas and anything remotely Christmassy. This led her to believe that something was up, so instead of replying to Henry with another 'Merry Christmas', she instead asked Henry, "are you alright?"

"Never better," replied Henry.

"Would you like to come in them?" Asked Charlotte.

"Sure, thanks," Henry said as he made his way into Charlotte's house, pausing only to give Charlotte her Christmas presents and to take his coat off, he sat himself down on a sofa in Charlotte's living room.

"Now, I would like to ask you a serious question" Charlotte stated, "since when have you started to celebrate Christmas?" she asked.

"I don't know what you mean?" Henry replied.

"Well, for as long as I have known you, you have had a utter and violent disdain for Christmas and now you have come in here with more Christmas in you than Santa Claus. This means that there has to be something wrong with you." Charlotte told him.

Henry paused for a while before answering back, "earlier today, I was taking a walk before I stumbled, tripped up and then I woke up in hospital."

"I think, I know what's wrong with you, and that is you have amnesia brought on by a blow to the head, which has made you forget all of your anti-Christmas prejudices" Charlotte said to Henry.

"But the Doctor said I was fine," pleaded Henry,

"Well, I think he was only trying to say that to try and discharge all of his patients which would allow him to go home early" Charlotte told Henry.

"Anyway," Henry said as he tried to continue his pleadings, "Even if I have a negative view towards Christmas, I still love it, despite having a few miserable Christmases as a Child, where my neglectful parents would just abandon me for various parties and exotic holidays, leaving me all at home with no presents, no company and no special feasts year on year for as long as I can remember," it was at this moment where the penny dropped and Henry burst into tears as Charlotte tried to comfort her closest friend, "I never had a merry Christmas!" Henry exclaimed "my own Childhood was a misery,"? he sobbed as he realized that his own disposition towards Christmas was caused by an unhappy childhood which would lead him to grow utterly cynical of everyone and everything.

"There there" Charlotte said as she tried to gently comfort Henry, "Just because you have had a bad Childhood does not mean you can't celebrate Christmas as an adult. If you want, we can start afresh, you could spend Christmas here, or I can go to your place if you wish."

"Actually, could we spend Christmas at my place, it is just I have spent rather a lot on food and decorations" Henry confessed as he dried his eyes. "Also, there is something I want to tell you and that is I am in love with you," Henry bluntly said, finding no better way to confess his feelings. Charlotte was rather blown away at this sudden reveal, but she did not resent it, instead she appreciated this confession saying, "I love you to, as you are, to me, the only genuine man I have met and not some obnoxious and self-interested man trying to put on a facade of something he isn't just to impress me," she confessed.

After these confessions, they both started to embrace and then kiss each other in a celebration of their new found love before Henry and Charlotte would spend the first of many wonderful Christmases together as a couple and then not so long after, as a loving family.

The end.