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Josefina and I break out into a fit of laughter while my mom covers her eyes.
“Ay, Dios. ¿Dónde está la natividad?” My mom searches through the plastic bags of stuff I bought.
I cringe. “I forgot to grab one.”
“No, no, no. That’s unacceptable. I think I have a spare one from the flower shop.” Mom rushes out the front door and toward the store.
Josefina steps outside and returns with the fake Christmas tree. “Where do you want to put this?”
“I’m thinking Julian’s office.”
She steers me in that direction. “He’d absolutely love that.”
“Wait until you see the ornaments I bought. They’re truly one of a kind.”
Her cackle bounces off the tall ceilings, making Lily and me burst into laughter too. Mom shows up with a nativity scene and sets it up on a coffee table in the waiting room while Lily gift-wraps Sam’s desk.
Josefina and I enter Julian’s office and get to work assembling the Christmas tree in the corner opposite his desk.
“What gave you this idea?” She plugs in the cord in a socket, and the bulbs covering the tree flicker to life. The twinkling lights reflect off every shiny surface, nearly blinding us with their sheer intensity.
“Well, it all started with finding the Christmas tree at the art store in Detroit, and the plan kind of spiraled from there.”
Ay, Dios. ¿Dónde está la natividad?:Oh, God. Where is the nativity?
“Does Julian know?”
“Vaguely.”
She laughs while shaking her head. “You two and your pranks.”
“Do you think he’ll hate it?”
“Maybe for a moment. He hasn’t decorated his house for Christmas, let alone his office.”
I gasp. “Like ever?”
She nods.
“That’s blasphemous.”
“I know. I bought him a fake tree because of his allergies, but it’s still in the garage gathering dust.”
“Why?”
“I haven’t wanted to ask. But I know this”—she motions at the pile of ornaments waiting to be hung—“will be good for him.”
“How so?”
“Because this is what life is all about.”
My brows tug together. “Decorating?”
“Livingrather than going through the motions.”
Her comment hits far too close to home, so I thrust myself into the task of hanging the first ornament.
Ho for the Holidays.
