“Okay, if I were Chris’ Christmas lights, where would I be?”  Blue eyes moved carefully over the opened boxes, their contents spilling out onto the floor, and she let out a growl, combing her fingers through her hair in frustration.  “Who am I kidding?  He’s probably got them under the bathroom sink or something.”

Crouching down, she began pulling various holiday items from the box closest to her, setting the things she planned on using in a pile and letting the others fall back into their cardboard home.  Quickly finishing, she pushed the flaps down and pulled the Sharpie from her pocket, labeling the side panel with ‘Christmas’ before pushing the box aside and reaching for the next.

This one held what appeared to be a stack of old clothing, so she marked it as such and stood, lifting the box to move it to a corner away from where she’d found his Christmas tree a few hours earlier.

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year . . .”  Singing softly along with the music floating up from the living room, she turned to head back to what she’d designated as the ‘Christmas Corner’, stepping carefully over the ornaments and rope tinsel she’d set aside to use on the tree.  Her shoe caught on a blanket, pulling it to the side and revealing two small boxes she’d looked over.  “Now what’s in you guys?”

Lifting the flap of the top box, she found what she’d been looking for . . . strands and strands of Christmas lights, still in their original packaging.

“Now we’re in business.”  Laughing to herself, she loaded her arms with the boxes she’d just found and most of the other tree decorations, then carefully made her way out of the storage room and down the stairs, feeling blindly for each step with her toes until she felt the soft rug at the base of the staircase.  She knew the floor plan like the back of her hand and hummed happily as she expertly weaved her way into the living room, then cautiously deposited her cargo on the couch.

This time last year, she’d been sitting in a different living room, in the middle of her own familiar decorations and traditions, while he’d been stuck in the holiday rush, touring right up to the last minute.  He hadn’t had a chance to decorate, leaving the walls and exterior bare and dark, a sore spot in a long line of brightly lit, festive yard displays.

Not that she’d complained.  It had given her a good excuse to have him at her place for the holiday, a quiet celebration for just the two of them, perfect for their first Christmas together.  She couldn’t even remember if he’d seen his home at all last December, but then he probably hadn’t even noticed, too relieved for the brief break to care if there was a wreath on his front door or a tree somewhere under his roof.

But this year had brought a change.  She’d been settled in for several weeks now, making herself at home in the space he’d invited her to share with him . . . and on this lazy Saturday afternoon she was entertaining herself by locating the decorations she’d decided to bring with her and pulling his out of their boxes, getting the house filled with the Christmassy cheer she liked to surround herself with.

Being here alone made it even more important, the task of making sense of the mess of holiday décor keeping her mind off the fact that she wouldn’t even see him for another two weeks.  He’d only be home for three or four days, just long enough to celebrate and get comfortable, before he had to head out again, jetting off to whatever New Year’s event he was scheduled to attend.

Two weeks of sitting alone in front of the tree, drinking eggnog and eating Santa shaped cookies while she listened to Christmas music or watched her favorite holiday movies, Tabs curled up in her lap, his purring motor going at full capacity . . . the idea was relaxing and cozy, but she knew she was in dire need of certain human companionship.  Those few days with him would mean everything, turning a comfortable room into her very own little corner of Heaven. 

Shaking her head, she thrust the thoughts from her mind and stood back, crossing her arms over her chest as she allowed her eyes to travel around the room, taking inventory of her progress so far. 

The wreaths that had been stacked in the corner were gone, now hanging on the front door and across the front of the house.  Strands of garland were wrapped around the columns framing the porch and draped across the mantle in front of her.  At the very bottom of the garland box, she’d found his stocking – fashioned from a soft red velvet, his name scrawled across the white trimming in a glittery gold script.  About an hour later, she’d unearthed her own – pulling it from a moving box filled with her favorite Christmas baubles. 

A smile lifted the corners of her lips as she stared at the two stockings, dangling on either side of the fireplace from the old-fashioned snowman hangers that her mother had passed down into her collection.

She laughed, her father’s sarcastic words floating through her memory as she turned her eyes over to the tree standing in the corner.  It was tall and full – its artificial limbs having rarely been spread to full capacity – so large that she’d had to put it together where it was to be placed and climb a step ladder to put the top section on securely.  The green bristles were thick, making for a fat green monstrosity that seemed to beg for the colorful decorations waiting patiently on the couch.

“I hope I’ve got enough lights to go around you, big guy.”  Her eyes narrowed critically, trying to judge how many strands she’d need to make the tree glow from top to bottom.  “He’s decorated it before.  Surely he knows how many feet of blinkers it takes to cover it.”  Walking back over to the couch, she pulled open the box holding the lights and lifted out the packages, quickly adding up the length as she counted strands.  “Yeah, this should be plenty.”

Out of curiosity, her fingers lifted the flaps of the other small box, an instant grin lighting her features before she snickered, grasping one of the familiar plastic plants between her fingertips.

“What’s he doing with a whole box of mistletoe?”  The question rang out unanswered, swallowed by the music pouring around her.  A blonde eyebrow arched, blue eyes glinting evilly as she picked up the small box and left the room.  “I don’t know what he did with it before, but we’re about to start our own tradition.”

Armed with a box of tacks and the small step ladder, she moved all around the house, adorning each doorway with a sprig of the festive greenery.  When she was finished, there were still a handful of pieces left in the box.  She set them aside, vague ideas of how she could use the leftovers flying through her mind as she turned back to the tree, determination flowing through her.

Her hands pulled her hair back into a quick ponytail, then she ripped open the first package of lights, keeping them out of harm’s way as she climbed the ladder.  She strategically wrapped the strand around the tree until she ran out of length, bringing her to a pause as she climbed down to grab the next strand of bulbs so she could continue the work.

The job moved quickly and before she knew it, she was finished and admiring the brightly glowing product, what appeared to be hundreds of colorful lights twinkling joyfully around the beautiful tree.

A soft thumping sound came from upstairs – barely audible over the stereo – and she looked up, listening carefully as the noise repeated, moving across the ceiling and over, going down the hallway to the staircase.  For a moment, there was only music, then there was a jingling just outside the living room door, followed by a furry streak running across the couch, a long string of gold tinsel trailing behind it.

The cat was hissing and pouncing, his fur standing on end as he tried to outrun the scratchy rope tangled in his collar.  Desperate to lose the pursuer, he ran under the tree, the tinsel sparkling until it disappeared behind him, getting lost somewhere in all the greenery.

For a moment, the branches shook violently, then all was still, no sign of the feline or the decoration visible on either side of the tree.

“Tabs?”  Her voice shook with laughter as she dropped to her knees, then laid flat on the floor, peering underneath the thick branches in search of her pet.

In the excitement, he’d somehow managed to wrap the shiny rope around the base of the stand and into the lower branches, then tangle himself up in it tightly enough that he couldn’t move.  Big green eyes shone brightly from his glittering prison, the blinking tree lights reflecting from the wide, glassy orbs.  “Mrow.”  His response was pitiful, perfectly matching the expression on his face, pleading with her to set him free.

“Okay, okay.  Hang on a second.”  She crawled underneath the tree, the bristles making her back itch as she inched close enough to reach the tinsel holding him in place.  Her eyes widened in awe as she got a closer look at the mess he’d made, the rope forming large golden knots in various places, caught in and around the branches.  “My God.”

“Mrow.”  This time, the sound was more insistent than miserable, the panic beginning to form on his feline features as he began to struggle.  “Mrow.”

“I know.  Settle down.”  Her fingers made quick work of tugging on the tinsel strapping him down, pulling it loose enough that she was able to maneuver him out of the rope.  “There you go.”

Now free, the cat made a production of rubbing against her, purring his gratitude as he made his way down her left side and out from under the tree, his collar jingling as he bounded away from the scene of his crime.

“Sure.  You have all the fun and I’ll clean up the mess.”  She growled, her eyes trailing around the under carriage of the tree, not sure where she should begin.

Her brow furrowed as she fought with the glittering, tangled mess, trying to find one of the ends so that she could work backward, unwinding the knot from around the metal pole.  The scratchy paper tickled her fingertips as she followed the rope, her hand moving all the way over her shoulder until she couldn’t see what she was reaching for.

With a sigh, she rolled over onto her back, enabling her to look up into the tree and locate what she thought could possibly be the shortest path to where she wanted to be. 

For several minutes, she concentrated on this one area, picking the gold strands away from the prickly needles, but finding no clue as to where she could begin to straighten out the disaster.

“That stupid cat needs feline Ritalin.”  Her feet pushed against the carpet, scooting herself so that she could reach a knot on the other side of the stand.  A jingling sound came from the other side of the room, then she felt a soft nudge against her leg.  Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes, fighting against the urge to kick the cat away.  “Don’t even think about coming under here.  You’ve had enough fun for tonight.”

Warm hands grabbed her hips and pulled, sliding her over the carpet until she was out in the open, her face itching from where the needles had scratched against her cheeks.  Before she could open her eyes, lips were pressed over hers, kissing her in a way that sent the room spinning even as she was lying on the floor.  Fingers trailed up her sides in a touch she recognized immediately, a smile curving her lips as she parted them further in response, her arms wrapping around his neck so tightly that he almost fell down on top of her.

He pulled back slightly, laughing as she opened her eyes.  “Looks like Santa came to our house early this year.”

She grinned, her fingers sliding into his hair.  “He did, huh?”

“Yep.  Left me exactly what I wanted, too.”  Leaning back down, her kissed her once more, then pulled away completely, his hands tugging on her until she was sitting up beside him.  “The place looks great, Mel.  I almost didn’t recognize it when I drove up.”

“I’ve been going through your storage room.”  Scooting closer to him, she leaned into his shoulder, sighing softly when his arm went around her waist and hugged her to his side.  “How long are you in?”

“I got a three day reprieve.  Snowstorms cancelled some of our stuff up north.”  He turned, his lips moving against her forehead as he continued.  “I have to fly out Tuesday morning, then I’ll be back here on the 22nd.”

“Mmmm.”  Inhaling deeply, she took in his familiar scent, childishly hoping that she’d take in enough of him while he was here to carry over until he came back again.  Smiling away the thought, she tilted her head back until she could kiss him quickly.  “I found your mistletoe.”

“I saw that.”  His shoulders shook with brief laughter as he got to his feet, offering her a hand to help her do the same.  “Did you use all of it?”

“No, there was some left.”  She arched an eyebrow at him, still sitting on the floor.  “There’s something strange about a man who has more mistletoe than doorways, Chris.”

“You think?”  Laughing, he tugged on her hands, jerking her to her feet and against his chest, his arms holding her tightly as he bent to whisper in her ear.  “Strange or not, I’m not about to let it go to waste.”

“Good.”  Her lips met his in a teasing kiss, making the briefest of connection before pulling back an inch.  “But it doesn’t really count if you’re not standing underneath it, you know.”

Lifting her off the ground, he stepped toward the hallway, moving down to press his lips against her neck.  “How many doorways do you think are in this house?”

“How about we find out?”  When her feet were solidly on the floor, she threaded her fingers into his hair again, guiding him back to her.  “Let’s see how long it takes you to lose track.”