Some kind of a Christmas story

"I think I’m stuck in here! A little help, please..." she whispered to Holly, who leaned over to examine the situation. Her friend was kneeling behind the Christmas tree, trying to plug in the sparkling garlands. She was a bit scared and kind of disgusted because of the dust on the floor in that hidden corner. It seemed like it wasn’t her home. But it was.

"Yes, I don’t really know if I should help you or if I’d just let you there. But I’m a really good friend, you know?” Holly replied to the cry for help from her best friend. She gave Chloe her hand and helped her get up from there so she could admire the tree.

"I don’t know. I can laugh, but I also need to cry! It’s hideous!” she said sadly, with a hoarse voice. It’s true. It was a hideous Christmas tree. The ornaments were oddly arranged on the branches; the tin stood to fall; the star didn’t fit straight; and the garlands didn’t match the theme of the tree. So, what’s the point? Why do we celebrate this annoying holiday? We all hate this “Merry Christmas”, but we still repeat the same traditions every year.

"Come on, it’s not that bad!" Holly tried to make the situation better, but Chloe’s cheeks were flushed, the veins on her forehead were accentuated, and her eyes were furious.

"Not that bad; are you kidding me? It’s the most horrible tree I’ve ever seen.” She pushed the tree with her foot, and it fell on the floor. Of course, many ornaments and garlands broke. She was too angry for a simple discussion with her best friend because she was very, very strange when she was furious.

It was Christmas Eve. And she had some free days from work, but because of her nervous breakdown, she straight away went to work and left Holly standing right there, next to the tree, because she didn’t care about this stupid holiday. She was doing it because of her boyfriend, who was in love with Christmas, and because of her mom, who was coming every single year to New York the day after Christmas to inspect her daughter’s apartment. She was staying there after New Year's when she was traveling on a trip to Hawaii. When Chloe reached the office, there was no one there. It was absurd to imagine that you could find someone at work on Christmas Eve. You know, usually, people go shopping on Christmas Eve, or they go ice skating in Rockefeller Plaza, they go to their relatives, or they just stay home with the family—children, wives, and husbands. But Chloe wasn’t like that. She preferred going to work because she was in a dispute with Christmas. Her boyfriend was doing some shopping before the big day. So she had time to work, think, or just stay.

"Yes, Jason!” she answered the voice on the phone.

"How do you prefer the turkey?” Jason asked. He was in the meat department of the supermarket—the biggest on their avenue—and he was taking it seriously. He was hoping for a perfect, beautiful, and amazing Christmas.

"What do you mean?” she replied nasty.

"I mean, do you prefer them fresh or frozen? Do you want to try an organic or kosher turkey?”

“You know, I really do not care about your stupid turkey. It’s a turkey, and they are all the same!” she waited for a moment, and she realized that she was an insensitive person. “Just choose like you wish, babe!”

“Where are you? Please don’t tell me you are at the office on Christmas Eve" he asked in a hurry because there was a long, long line at the cash register.

“I needed to meet with someone at the office. Something about the promotion!” she lied.

"Okay, meet you at home! I’ll be there in two hours, then I’ll take you to your favorite place downtown."

"Please, not Rockefeller Plaza, not this year!” she begged him, but he hung up. She had no choice, so she had to go with her boyfriend to Rockefeller Plaza, pretending she had fun and skating on the rink right in front of the big, perfect tree. It was too perfect there! So sadly perfect...

When she left the building, a Santa was standing right on the sidewalk, in front of the entrance, beyond the red counter of a Christmas stall. He was selling some Christmas decorations. Usually, she doesn’t pay attention to those beggars, but that Santa is standing right there, in front of the building, moving the bell in the left hand and smiling at passersby on the street. His cap was so special, it could be clearly seen that he was not a simple beggar Santa, but a real merchant. The cap he was wearing had embroidered on the fluffy material some Scandinavian patterns and a bell that resounded at every move of the man. He was looking at Chloe, but she was too busy so she could have seen that Santa was staring and smiling at her.

"Merry Christmas! You’re Chloe, aren’t you?” Santa asked, whispering.

"What?” she replied, angry. She was trying to see the message she received from her boyfriend, but the glitter of the snow blinded her.

"You should pay attention to what’s happening around you. Be careful and have a holly, jolly, magic Christmas!”

"Whatever…"

Chloe continued her way, she stopped just before crossing the street, but trying to see the message she received, she completely forgot about the traffic lights and crossed the street. A car was about to hit her; she suddenly got scared, and when she got to the other side of the avenue, she fell on the sidewalk. The last face she saw before she passed out was that of Santa Claus, looking at her from the other side of the street, right in front of his stall, and touching his magic nose.

She woke up. She was attempting to plug in the garland while wedged behind the Christmas tree. She touched the floor with her hand, and she observed again the dust on the floor. The Christmas tree lit up fast, but she couldn’t get up from there.

"What is happening here?” she asked sarcastically, but she was also scared. Chloe heard a voice behind her.

“What are you doing here?” She couldn’t understand what was happening because she remembered that she had fallen on the sidewalk just a few minutes ago, and now she was in the same place, doing the same thing as that morning when the whole Christmas “thing” started.

"What do you mean? I think the dust from there gave you amnesia! Come on, get up!” Holly gave Chloe her hand and helped her get up.

Chloe came back a few steps so she could admire the “beautiful tree”. She could remember the tree from that cursed morning when she pushed the hideous tree, which fell on the floor. Then she went to the office and spent a few hours there. After that, she met the magical, insane Santa Claus in front of the building. She remembered she was crossing the street, not paying any attention to the traffic lights, when she fell on the sidewalk, right in front of the park. She was repeating the same thing, the same day because of that crazy Santa. She was living the same Christmassy day she couldn’t bear.

"What do you think?” Holly asked, smiling at her, scared because she was expecting one of those crazy bouts of her best friend. Chloe didn’t know what her answer should be. Obviously, the Christmas tree was probably the ugliest in New York, but the last time she said that, she had a really weird day.

"I think it's... fine" she replied. Holly breathes relieved.

After Chloe finished the whole “Christmas corner" as her mother likes, with all sorts of Santa Clauses and scary figurines, nutcrackers, elves with strange looks, and the wool carpet in front of the “fake chimney" right next to the tree, she sat on the couch in the living room, but she couldn’t sleep. Of course, she couldn’t sleep because of the Christmas tree and his garlands, but also because she was thinking about the magic day she was living. At first, she thought that she was dreaming and that she was actually sleeping at that moment, but she made sure everything was real when she pinched her cheek. Then, she thought she had dreamed on her way back home and imagined the whole story, but this case was totally unreal because she could remember every detail of the tragic incident. So it could be real?

When she got up, Jason, her boyfriend, was standing in front of the door, admiring the wonderful tree in the living room and wondering why he chose to spend the holidays at Chloe’s place and not in his apartment, which, despite being small, was beautifully decorated and conveyed the holy spirit of Christmas.

"So this is the big guy?” he said, looking at the Christmas tree.

"Yes, this is the man" she replied sarcastically.

After she dressed up, they left the apartment and went to Rockefeller Plaza. Jason was so excited that he was smiling and saying “Merry Christmas” to every man and woman he met on the street. They finally entered the plaza because, like every single year, the traffic and the lots of people standing there and watching the biggest tree in the city with all its lights and the great star were incurring the access to the market. It was really beautiful, but Chloe would never have recognized the beauty of a Christmasy place.

"Please don’t tell me you want to skate again." Chloe asked, hoping for an answer like “No, I won’t skate this year", but she already knew the real fact.

"Oh, yes! And you’ll come with me, won’t you?”

She was forced to go with her boyfriend, but she didn’t know how to skate really well; she just wanted to make Jason feel good. When she climbed the skates, she felt unbalanced for a moment, but when she walked on the rink, away from the railing, trying to follow Jason, she slipped and fell on the ice. Her head hurt so much. The last image she saw before she passed out was the big Christmas tree, full of colorful lights, and one familiar guy standing in the sleigh where the children were taking photos, near the tree. He was the Santa she met the day before—that crazy, magic, strange day—when the whole thing started. He was touching his magic nose, laughing, and singing some old Christmas carols. Damn Santa!

She woke up in the same position as the last two magical days. She was trying to plug in that cursed garland, then she got up and admired the tree, next to Holly who breathed relief. She preferred not going anywhere because she couldn’t bear another day like the ones before. She fell asleep on the couch and she got up when Jason entered the room so excited, waiting for the amazing walk to Rockefeller Plaza.

"Are you ready?” Jason asked.

"No, I feel bad. I think I got a cold at work yesterday. Can’t we stay home today, please? I’d like to watch a movie, we can make some popcorn and drink that wine bottle you brought me last week.” she tried to imitate a sneeze, touching her forehead as if she had a fever.

"Yes, sure. I’d like to. But do you promise me we’ll go there tomorrow?”

"Yes, Jason, we’ll go to Rockefeller Plaza and you’ll skate tomorrow, but now we can just enjoy the moment!”

Jason sat next to her on the couch after he brought some popcorn and the wine bottle. She wrapped Chloe with a nice Christmas blanket and they watched a nice romantic Christmas movie, the same one they were watching every single year because Jason liked it. Chloe fell asleep and in her full of magic dream, she could feel the touches of the snow, she could see some colorful garlands and she could hear, like a whisper, some beautiful carols. Somewhere, clearly, she saw Santa staring at her, greeting her with his hand, from the sleigh led by the eight reindeer, smiling and wishing her "a merry, jolly, funny Christmas”.