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All three of us had decorated the tree together the week before. It had been a fun and somber event somehow at the same time, since it had always been something Avi, Brit, and I had done in the past. But having Alessa around to gush over all of Avi's handmade ornaments, and ask about the ones we'd picked up on vacations had given Avi a bit of a distraction as he explained the meaning of some, or blushed over how badly he'd colored outside the lines in his ornaments from his early childhood.
We'd all been up late the night before, watching just about every Christmas movie in creation while eating Chinese food which was, in Alessa's opinion, a tradition of some sort.
Then she'd put Avi to bed, and we had Brio and Salvatore show up with the presents we'd stashed at their apartments since Avi didn't believe anymore, and was a snoop of epic proportions.
The presents spilled out from under the tree in brightly colored, mismatched, happy paper. Most were from me, with a lot of insight from Alessa on which video games or electronics or board games to pick up. But my mom, brother, and a bunch of the guys had also dropped off boxes as well.
"I'm still a little worried about that giant wooden crate from Brio," Alessa mumbled as we heard Avi coming toward the door. "I say if it is something sharp and dangerous, we stab Brio with it on principle."
"Deal," I agreed with a chuckle, giving her leg a squeeze as we rose from the couch.
"Merry Christmas!" we both called as soon as my bleary-eyed son moved out into the hallway, still rubbing the sleep from his lashes.
"Merry Chris..." he started before his eyes landed on the tree. And the over-abundance of cheer we'd bought for him. "Wow," he said, eyes huge.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" Alessa said, throwing a hand up. "If I had a pile like that at your age, I would be ripping packages open with each hand and my teeth," she declared, dropping down onto the couch with her cup of coffee.
She'd given me her present before we'd even gotten up to brush our teeth.
I swear she'd opened her eyes, half rolled off the bed, reached under, and produced a box in red and white striped paper.
"I racked my brain on what to get the man who has everything," she said as I reached for the tucks of paper at the side, my heart swelling in my chest that she'd gotten me anything at all. It had been a long time since I had a Christmas present that wasn't from my mother or brother or son.
And what did I find in the box, you might be wondering.
A box of x-rated toys.
We'd gone ahead and tried one or two out before we'd finally gotten out of bed to get some coffee.
I'd struggled a bit with her present, so accustomed to buying things like jewelry or perfume, but knowing she had no interest in anything like that.
"Here, baby," I whispered, handing her the oversized box.
Avi paused in his gift opening to watch Alessa tear at the paper to find... well... a suitcase.
"Oh," she said, a half smile frozen on her lips as she looked up at me.
"Open it," I suggested, smiling at her confusion.
Inside, she found the tickets and itinerary to the two-week trip to all the theme parks in Florida.
"Oh. My. God," she gasped, shooting me a wide-mouthed, round-eyed look.
"What is it?" Avi asked.
"Your dad is taking us to Disney!" she said, practically vibrating with enthusiasm.
"Oh, think of the rides!" Avi said, just as excited as she was.
"Think of the food!" Alessa shot back.
I watched her jump up, likely wanting to throw her arms around me, but remembering herself at the last second.
"This is the best gift," she said, voice a little thick. "Thank you."
"I figured it would be good for all of us to get away after the new year," I told her, patting the spot next to me so I could give her a small hug when Avi was distracted by his presents again.
"That's it," Avi declared, looking a little dazed an hour later.
Chaos was around him. Boxes and paper and partially-opened toys.
"Actually," Alessa said, getting up and walking over toward the fireplace, grabbing a small box I'd somehow missed before, and bringing it back over toward the couch, patting the coffee table for him. "I got you one extra one," she said, making my heart constrict that she'd gone out of her way to get him something else after she'd already spent so much time helping me pick out presents for him.
Avi dropped down on the coffee table, taking the present from her slowly, like he was afraid he might break it as Alessa gave my knee a little squeeze.
