Change of Season

Lisa’s eyes reluctantly shifted from the spreadsheet on her screen to a group of her colleagues having a loud debate next to the coffee machine. The culprit seemed to be a small office Christmas tree–now standing awkwardly against the storage room door–and the decision of where to place it in the office.

The grey walls of the office, once decorated only with abstract paintings, were now covered in cheap garlands, placed in an annoying asymmetric pattern. Random vintage Christmas knick-knacks from someone’s grandmother’s attic were scattered all around the office like a bug infestation.

Lisa sighed and returned her attention to the Excel document on her screen, just before Mark, one of her colleagues, approached her desk.

“Do you mind if we place the Christmas tree in front of your desk?” he asked. 

“Yes, I do mind,” Lisa snapped without taking her eyes off the screen and clicking with her mouse.

Mark was taken aback for a moment, then continued. “... Because your desk is the most central in the office…”

“No, thanks.” Lisa cut him off, her tone final.

Mark stood there for a moment, deciding if it was a battle he was willing to fight. He quickly decided to let it go and turned around quietly towards the group which was now whispering instead of talking loudly. 

Lisa’s hatred of Christmas was not a secret. Each year, as New York transformed into a festive wonderland, she planned a trip to some exotic location, as far away as possible from anything jolly.

She opened the calendar on her desktop, counting down the days to December 5th. The day she would leave for sunny and Christmas-free Bali for four weeks. 

It was still November, and the sparkling lights and oversized bows were already popping up in stores and public places. And now her office, too. Next year, she might have to take an extra week off.

***

On the morning of December 5th, Lisa’s luggage was neatly packed and ready by the door of her apartment. She was sitting on her blue velvet couch, sipping her coffee and watching the news. The weatherman was showing a vortex of clouds looming over the East Coast, calling the big storm by name, as if it had a will and mind of its own, deciding to bring chaos over the coast like a toddler having a tantrum.

She turned off the TV and thought about Bali’s palms and beaches, trying to not let the news bring her mood down, contrasting the sound of the strong wind whistling outside her window with snow starting to turn every color into white. As long as the flight wasn’t canceled, she still had hope of leaving that Christmas-infested city.

Two hours later, she took a cab to the airport. The strong wind almost knocked her off the sidewalk while she waited for a cab to stop, but even that didn’t bring her down.

It took four hours at the airport and two long discussions with customer service to bring her down. After a couple of delays, her flight was finally canceled. The airport was as chaotic as the storm outside, filled with people just as enraged as her, trying to schedule alternative flights.

But most flights were now canceled until the next day and she knew at this point she had to give up and find a cab to go back home. Which took another 45 minutes, by the way.

***

The sun had already set when she stepped into her dark and cold apartment, hungry and defeated. Lisa tossed the luggage on the floor and closed the door, leaning her back against it for a long minute, while she tried to overcome the anger and frustration boiling up inside her. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, coming to terms with the fact that there was nothing she could do now. She would have to wait for a flight reschedule and hope to still leave in a couple of days.

She dragged herself around, changed into comfortable lounge clothes, and turned on the heating. Walking to the kitchen, she searched for some kind of food in the pantry. In silence, she opened a can of soup and poured it into a bowl, making an unappetizing glugging sound. As the bowl spun in the buzzing microwave, she poured herself a glass of wine, filling it almost to the brim, and drank half of it before the microwave beeped loudly.

Lisa ate the soup on the kitchen counter, then refilled her wine glass and moved to the couch. She turned on the TV and mindlessly watched episodes of Friends, seeking comfort in the familiarity of a show she knew by heart. She surely wouldn’t laugh at any joke tonight, but the reliability of knowing what was going to happen was comforting to her.

Two episodes went by, and as the intro song started again for the third time, she heard a knock on the door. Lisa raised her head, glancing towards the door, unsure if it was her imagination or a real knock. She waited for a minute, and when the knock repeated, she sprinted up. 

Lisa peeked through the peephole. Her eyebrows furrowed when she saw her neighbor from the apartment across the hall standing in front of her door.

She opened the door with a puzzled expression. A man about her age greeted her with a wide smile. His name was Joshua–if she remembered correctly. He moved in a couple of months prior, but they had never exchanged more than common pleasantries when meeting in the hall.

“Hiya, sorry to bother you so late, but I was wondering if I could ask you a big favor,” he said in a kind tone, contrasting with Lisa’s facial expression.

“What?” Lisa asked, unsure, dreading this conversation already and hoping to go back to her couch and wine soon. 

Joshua let out a half laugh, looking visibly embarrassed. “Well, this might sound stupid but I was trying to bring up my Christmas tree… And it didn’t fit in the elevator and now it’s… stuck.” He awkwardly passed a hand through his hair.

“Stuck?” Lisa echoed.

“Yes. On the ramp of stairs on the second floor.” He explained, looking hopeful. “Could you maybe help me? It will take five minutes, I promise!” He asked, as nicely as he possibly could.

Lisa drew a breath through her teeth and looked back at her TV, at the Friends episode still playing. She wished she pressed pause. “Sorry, but I’m kinda busy right now,” she said with a pitiful half-smile before taking a step back to close the door.

Joshua leaped forward, pressing his hand on the door to keep it open. “It’s just that…” Lisa let go of the door to let him talk. He couldn’t hold back another smile. “I don’t know anyone else in the building yet and if I leave the tree there, it could be a safety hazard…” Lisa wasn’t yet sold on his attempt, so she kept staring at him blankly.

Joshua looked away, trying to think of another reason to convince her. His head snapped back, his eyes fixed on hers, and he raised his index finger, struck by a sudden idea. “I’ll buy you a case of eggnog!”

Lisa grimaced in disgust, and her reaction surprised Joshua. “No? Okay. I wasn’t expecting that,” he mumbled, tapping his finger on his lips. “A case of wine!” He then exclaimed.

Lisa’s head leaned to a side, pausing for a moment. “You have my attention.”

Joshua scrambled for a moment, trying to think of something else. “And chips! All the chips you want!”

Lisa laughed, quickly bringing her hand to her mouth, realizing she hadn’t laughed in a while.

Joshua showed his kind smile again and pressed his hands together. “Just five minutes. Please.”

Lisa sighed with a soft smile. “Alright.” She then walked back inside to put her shoes on and turn off the TV. “Hang on!” 

***

The tree branches kept opening and getting stuck at every corner, as if the tree was pushing back, resisting the climb.

It took them almost 15 minutes of attempts before they thought about flipping the tree over so the branches wouldn’t open up. The yellow carpet on the stairs was covered with dark green needles. The tree lost so many needles, it was a miracle it still looked green when they made it to the fifth floor.

Lisa helped Joshua bring the tree inside his apartment, where he positioned the trunk into a metal tree stand.

They then exhaled in relief and brushed their hands together once the job was done.

“Maybe next time ask them to tie up the tree before you buy it,” Lisa said, while still catching her breath.

“Yeah, well, I had the genius idea to cut one down myself and didn’t think of that,” Joshua admitted, still looking at the large tree filling up a big portion of his living room.

Lisa let out a half laugh.

“Do you want a glass of wine?” Joshua offered, turning to look at her.

“Umm…” Lisa was about to find another excuse to return to her apartment, but Joshua had already sprinted to the kitchen and before she could find the words, he opened up a bottle.

“It’s the least I can do. Until I get you the case I promised you,” he grinned, pouring wine into two glasses.

Lisa smiled back. “Okay, just one glass.”

***

An hour later, Lisa was laughing so hard on Joshua’s couch that she almost fell over. “I can’t believe you’ve never had coffee in your life!” she exclaimed, still chuckling.

Joshua laughed as well. “They say it’s bitter, and it smells rancid. Why would I drink that?”

“But it’s so silly to dislike something you never tried,” Lisa pointed out.

Joshua tilted his head from side to side, almost in agreement. He glanced at the bare tree standing next to the window. “Change of topic, I’ve got an idea!” Joshua exclaimed, springing to his feet. “Wait here!” 

Lisa was still wiping the tears away from her face from the laughter when he came back carrying a large cardboard box.

“What’s that?” Lisa asked, smiling.

“Do you want to decorate the tree?” Joshua asked, bursting with excitement as if he had the greatest idea of all time!

Lisa’s smile vanished, replaced by a bitter and hardened expression.

“What’s wrong?” Joshua asked, surprised once again by her reaction.

Lisa put her glass down on the coffee table and stood up. “I don’t do Christmas stuff.” She dismissed with a grimace of disgust. “I should go.”

Joshua put the box down on the floor. “What do you mean, you don’t do Christmas stuff?” He was smiling, probably thinking she was joking.

Lisa shook her head. “It’s just… It’s a long story. I just don’t like Christmas, okay? I never did.” She said hastily, walking towards the door.

“Okay, but wait!” Joshua walked towards her. “So you’ve never decorated a Christmas tree before?”

“No,” Lisa replied.

Joshua smiled. “But it’s so silly to dislike something you never tried.” He said, echoing her words.

Lisa dropped her head back, not sure how to argue with herself.

“I’ll tell you what. I’ll drink a cup of coffee if you decorate this tree with me,” Joshua said.

Lisa smiled, titillating at the idea of seeing him drink his first cup of coffee. It would be like seeing someone watch your favorite movie.

***

It was almost midnight when Lisa hung the last ornament on the tree. A shiny silver ball ornament covered in tiny hand-painted blue snowflakes. She looked at her reflection on the shiny decoration and couldn’t believe she never felt so peaceful as she did now. 

Turns out, the act of hanging ornaments and bows to tree branches, spaced neatly and in a pleasant, colorful pattern, was relaxing and enjoyable. She could even tolerate the Christmas music in the background, topped by Joshua’s cheerful chatter.

She took a couple of steps back to look at it, then Joshua crouched down behind the tree. “Hang on, now it comes to the best part.” She heard a click, and then the tree lit up with hundreds of sparkling lights, like a diamond under a spotlight.

“It’s beautiful.” She whispered, inebriated by the scent of pine, feeling her eyes well up with tears. 

For the first time in her life, she had a glimpse of the Christmas everybody seemed to be so fond of. 

Growing up in a trailer park with an abusive, addicted mother, she never celebrated any holiday. Even less when she ended up in a foster home at eleven, after her mother was admitted to a rehab facility, out of which she never walked out.

The mere thought of Christmas always sent a wave of bitterness through Lisa's veins. For Lisa, Christmas became a symbol of all that she lacked. It was a painful reminder of the love and family she had been denied throughout her life. And so, while the world around her reveled in the holiday spirit, she retreated further into her own darkness, shielding herself from the emotions that Christmas brought.

But here she was now. Standing in the living room of a neighbor she barely knew and who somehow convinced her to do what she thought she’d never do. For many, decorating a Christmas tree was just a small thing. But for her, it meant the world. It meant it was possible to see the joy beyond the darkness. It meant that, perhaps, she didn’t have to escape and hide from her emotions anymore.

A tear finally eluded her eye and ran fast down her cheek, tickling her skin.

“I knew you’d like it,” Joshua murmured. She looked at him, at his sweet smile, illuminated by the golden light of the tree, and felt grateful for this stranger who turned her day, and maybe life, upside down.

They stared into each other’s eyes when they were startled by a sudden loud noise coming from behind them. They both turned their heads, but in a blink of an eye, everything was black.

***

Lisa’s eyes were wide open and her heart was beating fast. She wasn’t standing in Joshua’s apartment anymore, but sitting on her blue velvet couch, in front of her TV, still playing a Friends episode. She blinked fast, feeling disoriented when the loud noise startled her again. This time she turned towards her window and saw fireworks going off on the street, probably by some teenagers who couldn’t wait until New Year’s.

Panting, she rubbed her face, trying to clear her spinning head. She took a deep breath and exhaled when she heard a soft thud on her door.

She gasped and glanced at her door, trying to decipher the sound. It definitely wasn’t a knock, but she wasn’t sure what it was. She heard something brushing, so she walked to the door, driven by curiosity.

From the peephole, she could only see black. She opened the door, and before she could realize it, a large tree fell on her causing her to shriek.

“Sorry, sorry, sorry!” A man’s voice said as he pulled the tree back up. A familiar smile peeked from behind the tied-up branches. 

“That’s okay,” Lisa mumbled, still disoriented from the sudden awakening.

“I’ll quickly get this thing out of the way,” Joshua said while continuing to drag the tree towards his door.

“That’s okay,” Lisa repeated, stepping back to close the door, but stopping halfway through. She opened the door again and the words flew out of her mouth before she could realize it. “Do you want some help?”

Joshua looked back at her, a bit surprised, displaying his bright smile again. “Thanks! That would be nice. I’ll get you some wine in return!” He said.

“Oh, there’s no need,” Lisa said while grabbing a side of the tree. “You’ve done plenty already.” She couldn’t help but smile, looking at the puzzled expression on Joshua’s face as they carried the tree into his apartment, wondering if he also had the silver ball ornament with hand-painted blue snowflakes in his ornament box.