JAMES THE CHRISTMAS GROUCH

14

Spaghetti? Oh my God. I ran into the kitchen. There was a lasagna assembled on the kitchen counter. My mom always made lasagna on Christmas. I had told James that a few weeks ago.

James came up behind me and kissed the back of my neck.

"Why won't you just admit that you did all this?" I couldn't seem to stop smiling. This was hands down the most wonderful gift I had ever received.

"Because I didn't." He lifted up the note that was lying next to the pan. We both looked down at it.

Dear Penny and James,

May the love that you share grow and grow and put smiles on your faces every day of the year. Take the joy from one day and spread it to all of them. That's the true spirit of Christmas.

-S

P.S. Put the lasagna in the oven for 35 minutes at 375 degrees.

It wasn't James' handwriting. I stared at the note.

"See, it wasn't me," he said again. "S probably stands for Santa."

I laughed. "Santa made us lasagna?"

He shrugged. "He seems like a talented guy."

"Mhm." I wrapped my arms around him. "All of this must have taken all night. I just hope he can see how appreciative I am."

"Well...if he sees you while you're sleeping..."

I laughed and pressed my face against his chest. I wasn't even sure if the smell of Christmas was my favorite smell anymore. I'm pretty sure it was James' cologne.

A knock on the door made James groan. "It's so early," he said. "We haven't even had time for round two."

"I think it's sweet that they came so early. It means they want to spend time with us on Christmas."

"Go answer the door. I'll put the lasagna in."

"For breakfast?"

"New tradition," he said with a laugh.

Actually, I was kind of in the mood for breakfast lasagna. These new traditions were pretty wonderful. I opened up the door. Mason, Matt, and Rob, were all standing there with huge smiles on their faces and presents in their arms.

"Merry Christmas!" Mason said and gave me a hug. "Thanks for inviting us." He placed a kiss on my cheek and went to put the presents under the tree.

Matt hugged me and lifted me off my feet slightly. "Merry Christmas," he said before setting me back down on my feet. "Last night was my favorite anti-Christmas ever."

I laughed as I watched him join Mason by the tree.

"Looks like a few little elves were busy in here last night," Rob said. "It looks great."

He didn't say it, but the way he was looking around made me think that he had helped.

"Did you help James with this?" I asked.

"James? Psh. No. This was clearly the work of Santa. James is a Grinch, remember? And I most certainly had nothing to do with this. It's a little over the top if you ask me."

I laughed. Yup, he definitely helped. "You know, I thought James was a Grinch too. But I'm not so sure anymore." No one that spent the time to do all this was a Grinch. I turned to see James coming toward us.

"Do you want some help with that?" James asked and reached for the present Rob was holding.

Rob awkwardly jerked away. "No. It's not for you."

"I can still put it under the tree," James said and reached for it again.

Rob took another step back.

I was pretty sure I noticed the precarious placement of the present at the exact same time as James.

"If your d**k is in that box and you're planning on giving it to Penny, I will knock you out."

Rob's eyes bulged. "What? I'm not going to d**k-in-the-box her."

"Then give me the present," James said and reached for it again.

"I need to use the restroom!" Rob said and started to walk down the hall. Right before he entered the bathroom he turned around and let go of the box that was positioned in front of his waist. The box didn't move. "It's my d**k in a box!" he sang.

I started laughing hysterically.

James stepped toward him, but Rob had already gone into the bathroom and slammed the door. James turned back to me. Soon enough he was laughing too.

By the time Rob came back out of the bathroom, we were all sitting by the tree with huge smiles on our faces. I took a look around at all the new people in my life. This group of friends that had adopted me as one of their own. And I felt so loved.

It didn't matter what was under the tree. James had already given me the greatest gift. And the fact that he was wondering about where the presents in the stockings came from gave me hope that maybe a small part of him believed too. All the Christmas music and movies and decorations in the world didn't compare to this feeling at all. The warmth in my chest wanted to bubble over to tears. But I didn't want anyone to mistake my happy tears for sad ones.

"I'm going to go check on the lasagna," I said and excused myself from the group. I took a deep breath when I entered the kitchen and looked out the window. The snow was falling, blanketing the city in white. It was like the whole city stood still for Christmas.

"Merry Christmas, baby," James said and wrapped his arm around my back as he joined me by the window.

"Merry Christmas, James." I smiled up at him.

"I need to tell you something important."

It was the same thing I had said to him earlier. When I told him he was home to me. I was pretty sure he was going to confess to reading my note to Santa. "And what is that?" I turned away from the snow to give him my undivided attention. Because despite the magic of a Christmas snow, I was enjoying what was right in front of me more. I stared into his brown eyes.

"When I was little, I loved Christmas. But for the past several years, Christmas was just another day. And honestly, I was relieved when it was over." He tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear. "Maybe I had turned into a little bit of a Grinch."

"Just a little." I bit the inside of my lip so I wouldn't smile too hard.

"Now everything's changed. No day with you is just another day. Every day seems better than the last. And I think I forgot how magical Christmas could be until I met you. So thank you. For reminding me."

"I hope that every Christmas is as wonderful as this one," I said as I wrapped my arms behind his neck.

"It just gets better from here, baby."

"How did Santa know?" I said and looked up at the ceiling. A sprig of mistletoe was hung directly above us.

"Like I said earlier. He's a pretty talented guy." James' lips brushed against mine. I stood on my tiptoes to deepen the kiss.

Santa was definitely talented. And for just a second, I let myself believe that maybe James really hadn't decorated our apartment. Maybe Santa really did exist. I never wanted to lose the Christmas spirit. And as long as I had James, I knew I'd never become a Grinch.

***