Dave and Melissa Daymont of Thornberry Apartments in Cloverdale formally exchanged Christmas gifts today. This was done after church as per tradition. A kiss followed the exchange. Afterwards the couple stood, walked around the coffee table to the newly decorated Christmas Tree and placed the gifts beside the plastic manger scene Melissa was given on her tenth birthday. Another kiss followed.
“Are we ready to move on?” Dave asked. Melissa nodded. It was time for Melissa’s favorite part of the ritual. Dave reached over to his computer and double clicked on iTunes, bringing up his favorite Christmas songs. He scrolled down, passing the Alvin and the Chipmunks Christmas Hits, passing the Lawrence Welk Christmas Wonderland Album, and stopped at his favorite - An Album of Christmas Carols for a Romantic Interlude. He clicked on ‘play’.
The sound of a full orchestra poured from the laptop's small, but impressive, speakers. Dave took Melissa by the hand. They both looked at their tree with its silver balls, artificial branches with green plastic pine needles, and popcorn strung the night before on long strands of string. All strung while they watched Melissa’s old VHS recordings of The Hallmark Channel’s Christmas Specials from the 80’s and 90’s. Melissa’s popcorn stings were more colorful than Dave’s. They had a cranberry between every 20 popcorn kernels. Dave pricked his finger with the needle on his first attempt at stringing a cranberry. It upset him, so he gave up on the berries and stuck with the popcorn.
Melissa cuddled up against Dave. They both filled their lungs and sang to the orchestra’s accompaniment of “Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree....” The spirit of Christmas was so strong in their apartment they neglected to monitor their sound levels. Moments after they started the second verse, the upstairs neighbor stomped on the floor telling them to quiet down. They both looked at each other. Dave winked. Melissa giggled.
Dave departed with tradition by singing the third verse in Norwegian He went to Norway on an LDS mission and felt it an appropriate time to use the nearly forgotten language. He forgot some of the words but that didn’t stop him. He made up new ones as he went along - knowing Melissa wouldn’t know the difference.
“Oh Honey...,” Melissa said at the end of the carol. “Your Norwegian really gave me goosebumps. Are we ready for some Christmas Cheer?” Dave winked at the suggestion. Melissa giggled.
They walked arm in arm to the kitchen. Half of last Christmas’s fruit cake sat on the table. It came straight from the freezer and thawed while the couple attended Sacrament Meeting. Their Christmas mugs sat next to the fruit cake. Washed and cleaned from sitting 12 months in the cupboard above the dishwasher. Melissa opened the Meadow Lands Egg Nog and poured. Her glass was nearly filled first, then Dave's.
“Oh.... not to much for me. You know it makes me tipsy,” Dave said with a wink. Melissa giggled.
“Are we ready for the hard stuff?” Melissa said while walking to the fridge.
“Bring it on baby,” Dave shouted. More stomping from the upstairs neighbor followed. Dave shot a wink at Melissa. Yes, you got it right.......... she giggled.
Melissa returned with a 2 liter bottle of Sprite. She topped both mugs with the bubbly. She mixed the egg nog with the Sprite using a Christmas spoon with Santa Head. They took their mugs in hand and returned to the tree.
“A toast,” Dave suggested.
“Yes, our Christmas Toast,” Melissa replied. Dave cleared his throat. He thought for a moment. He wanted to say something profound but his mind suddenly went blank.
“Its loosing its fizz,” Melissa whispered, hoping to spur her husband on.
“Ahhhh. Emmmmmm. OK, here we go,” Dave said. He cleared his throat once again before continuing. “Scrooge once said, ‘I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.’ As head of this family I wanted to add my Amen to that.”
“Amen,” Melissa chimed in as she raised her mug to consume the longed for treat.
“Oh, not yet,” Dave stopped her just as the mug's rim reached her lips. “I have one more thing to add.” Dave cleared his throat once again, then spoke, “And God Bless us Every One.”
Melissa giggled and Dave winked. Arm in arm they raised their mugs overhead to salute the twinkling star atop their tree. Snow fell gently outside and the sound of passing carolers filled the apartment with the spirit of Christmas as they sipped their egg nog and enjoyed their time together.
The Daymonts of Thornberry Apartments in Cloverdale wish all of you a very merry Christmas.
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