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1172 Words
I pulled the change the bookstore owner had given me out of my purse when I saw a Salvation Army Santa set up on the sidewalk outside the store. He hadn't been there when I walked in. He was ringing his bell and had such a big smile on his face. He wasn't like the other Santa impersonators I had seen collecting money for the past few weeks. He looked real. His beard didn't even seem fake. He had the rosy cheeks and everything. Although, my cheeks were probably rosy too from the cold.
I stepped up to him and placed the change into his basket. Maybe the spirit of Christmas the shop owner had given me would spread to him next.
"Merry Christmas," Santa said and continued to ring his bell.
"Merry Christmas, Santa." It sounded silly saying it aloud. Santa wasn't real. He was a part of my childhood that I still held on to in my heart though. And I had never seen a more realistic impersonator.
He rung his bell again and winked at me, like he could read my thoughts.
I smiled and continued to walk down the sidewalk. It was fitting that he had suddenly appeared outside the store that held the most Christmas spirit. I turned around to see him once more, but he was blocked from view from all the people on the sidewalk. It was almost like he had disappeared.
I pulled my hat down a little lower and kept walking. It took every ounce of restraint to stop myself from humming Christmas carols. This was going to be the best Christmas Eve ever. I could just feel it.
My feet stopped in front of a department store window. There were stockings hung along a fake fireplace. I suddenly had the best idea. I pushed through the doors. There were still a few hours before James would come home. That gave me plenty of time to figure out a way to make him believe Santa was still real.
First came the stockings. Then some of his favorite dark chocolate candy. What else did Santa always put in my stocking? I smiled to myself. I should have asked myself what my parents had put in my stocking. But today I was a believer. I grabbed a few other things and walked over to the closest checkout.
Which just so happened to be by the lingerie section. My feet stopped on their own accord again. Head. Was Rob right? Was that all that James really wanted? I thought about last night. And how he had ended up on top of me instead of putting a star on the top of our tree. I bit my lip. It wouldn't hurt to look to see if they had anything good.
I wandered through the section until I came to a sexy corset thing with garters in what could only be described as a sexy Mrs. Claus costume. I paused, but only for a second. If I was being Santa, I needed the outfit to go with it. I grabbed my size. I didn't have time to try it on. James would be home soon and I needed to wrap the new presents and get ready for dinner. We were going out to some fancy restaurant he said had the best Christmas Eve dinner. I wasn't sure what that meant. Christmas Eve dinner wasn't a big thing at my house. I'm pretty sure I just ate cookies the night before Christmas.
But I wasn't going to be late. It was the one thing so far he had told me he wanted to do. Everything else was just me trying to force him to do things I did growing up. I draped the Mrs. Claus costume on top of the other things in my basket.
Well, one thing was for sure. I definitely didn't wear anything like this on previous Christmases. New Christmas tradition - check.
***
I reached behind my back to try to zipper my dress up the rest of the way. Usually I had James do it for me. But this dress was so low cut in the back that I was able to zipper it myself. I stared at my reflection in the mirror. The dress was low cut in the front too. I had found the perfect red lipstick to match the red shade of my dress. And I'm pretty sure I was wearing more mascara and eyeliner than I ever had in my life. Melissa had been sending me YouTube makeup tutorials. I had taken the hint and tried to learn a few things. I took a deep breath. James was going to love this.
I started to hum It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas as I pulled on my stilettos. Tonight was going to be the best Christmas Eve either one of us could possibly have. I just knew it. I heard the front door open and I rushed to the stairs.
"Merry Christmas Eve, James!" I yelled from the top.
He appeared at the bottom of the stairs with a huge smile and an arrangement of poinsettias in red and white.
I made my way down as quickly as my heels allowed.
"I'm pretty sure all my Christmas dreams have already come true," he said. "You're breathtakingly beautiful." He grabbed my hand and spun me in a circle.
I smiled up to him as he pulled me against his chest.
"Merry Christmas Eve, baby." He ran the tip of his nose down the length of mine.
"I'm so excited I can barely stand it," I said. "And you even bought a Christmas decoration." I lifted the flowers out of his hand. "They're beautiful."
He didn't say anything. I turned around to see him staring at my legs.
"Is it too short? You didn't mention the name of the restaurant so I couldn't look it up. If it's not appropriate..."
"Penny, you look absolutely stunning. I was staring because I can't take my eyes off you."
"You look very handsome yourself." And he did. He was wearing a dark suit with a green tie. I loved the tiny bit of Christmas spirit in his outfit.
His phone started ringing, but he ignored it. "Ready to go?" he asked.
"Aren't you going to answer your phone?"
"No, I already know it's Rob." He grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the door.
"And you're not answering it because...?"
"Because I already have plans with you."
"Oh, James, does he usually come with you to your Christmas Eve dinner? He can come if you want. I want tonight to be exactly what you want."
"And I want to spend the evening with you. Besides, this place is supposed to have amazing food."
I stopped in the foyer. "Haven't you eaten there before? I thought this was a thing you used to do every Christmas Eve."
He laughed. "No. The restaurant only opened a few years ago. I just thought you'd like it."
- Writer
