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“Ah... that’s a funny story. I always have two trees: one from the beginning of December until the twenty-third, and then I put up the big one on Christmas Eve.”
Dom stared at me but didn’t comment as we passed a huge, decorated duck. That made me laugh, especially when Theodore said, "People these days. What's a duck got to do with Christmas?"
"Just enjoy it, Dad," Dom said.
"I am. Just wondering what the purpose of that is."
We were surrounded by white, yellow, and red lights. The crowd chattered happily. The smell of eggnog and mulled wine was thick in the air, even more so than at an outdoor Christmas market. I especially loved the trees made out of lights and the giant reindeer.
"Can you take a picture of me with the reindeer? And with Theodore?" I asked.
"Sure," Dom said.
"Nonsense!" Theodore exclaimed. "Reese, you don't want me ruining your picture."
"You're not. Then maybe we can all take a picture together, a selfie or something. Come on, give me a smile, Theodore," I said as I stood next to him.
"How do you know I'm not smiling?" he asked in a belligerent tone.
"I had a hunch."
He burst out laughing. Actually burst out laughing.
Dom, who was about to take a photo of us, lowered the phone slightly and looked at us incredulously. I winked at him.
God, this is such a great day.
He snapped a picture just then, even though neither Theodore nor I was posing. But that was fine. I always thought candid pictures were the best anyway.
"Come on, let's all take a picture," Dom said before asking another guy who was standing in line to get a picture with his family to take one of us.
As Dom headed back to us, I noticed his smile was a bit different today. I wasn't sure why, but he looked happy, and that was all that mattered. He came next to me, putting an arm around my waist. Dora joined us in the picture, the three of us standing behind Theodore's chair.
The stranger snapped a few and then said, "Okay, that's it. I think you can find something you like among these." From his impatient tone, it was obvious he wanted us to move.
He had a point. We didn't have to monopolize the reindeer, even though it was one of my favorite parts.
"Let's move to the igloos," I said.
“The what?” Theodore asked.
"Well, that's what I call them because they sort of look like it."
"The giant balls there?" he said, and we all started to laugh.
"Yes, Dad, the giant balls," Dom replied with a grin.
We headed toward them, taking in all the lights and decorations as we walked.
"You're right. They do look like igloos," Theodore said once we were right in front of them. They were mostly gold, but some were red as well.
"I've always thought about what it must feel like to sleep in an igloo," I told Dom. "Then I remember that I hate the cold and would probably be freezing."
"I'd warm you up with some skin-on-skin contact," Dom murmured into my ear.
"Now that you mention it, I'm going to think about it some more. But for right now, I'm ready to explore this one where it's warm and cozy."
I darted inside the igloo, and Theodore joined me. I looked around then back to him, and to my astonishment, his eyes were a bit glassy.
