“It was a family tradition, at least it had been for as long as I remember,” Hop said as he handed wrapped present to El. It was the size of a large book, yet the consistency made it seem like it was filled with beads and cardboard; It barely held it’s shape, somehow making the crumpled paper appear as if the reindeer on it were prancing.
El didn’t say anything, but took the gift out of his hands, and sat down next to him on the worn sofa across from the slowly dying fire. She tossed the gift between her hands as her brow furrowed. Hop knew that face. It was the face she made whenever she didn’t know what to say. He had come to love that face. A part of him loved teaching her new things. It made him feel young again.
“Tra…Tradition?” El looked up to meet Hop’s eye level. She’d heard that word before. It was always mentioned on the daytime Christmas movies she’d watch while Hop was gone.
“It’s like a shared thing that you’re parents do and then you do and then you do with your kids.” Hop noticed El’s eyes drop down to the gift in her hands. She looked like a part of her broke, all the light that was in her eyes melted, leaving her empty and pale.
“I…I don’t have traditions” The moment the words left her small mouth Hop’s heart shattered. She had no parents. She had white walls and doctors who poked and prodded her. She didn’t even know what Christmas was until a few months ago. Sure, Hop had adopted her and they’d been living in the same cabin for nearly a year, but she still had 12 years of nothing to make up for.
“Hey kid, don’t cry,” Hop said as he put his hand under her chin so she looked him in the eye. “We’ll make our own traditions? How’s that sound?”
El’s eyes lit up and a smile grew on her face. “Eggo Extravaganza?”
“Yea, Eggo Extravaganza. This gift will be one too.” Hop put his hand down, drawing her attention back to the shiny package on her lap.
“Thank you,” she said, with a slight grin. She knew about presents and Christmas, but she couldn’t figure out why she was getting one now. Presents were for the morning. Hop noticed that something was bouncing around in her head. She was trying to pull information out, make some kind of link to explain why she’d be getting a present early.
“I know it’s Christmas Eve,” Hop said, “But in my family we got one present early. Open it.” He leaned back on the sofa and smiled.
She carefully opened the gift, and a pair of red and green pajamas and a book appeared. They were like the flannel shirts and pants Hop had given her a few weeks ago when it started getting colder again. The book was skinny with a big green monster on the front. She was about to speak up when Hop interrupted her.
“When I was growing up, on Christmas Eve my parents would get us new pajamas to wear to bed and wake up in. We’d get a book too, and they’d read it to us before we went to sleep. It’s like an early present. And since it’s our first family Christmas, I wanted to make sure you’re part of that tradition too. Don’t worry, you’ll get more presents in the morning. And real ones, not just socks.”
That night, in her new pjs, El and Hop sat together on the sofa, warm and cuddly, reading How the Grinch Stole Christmas in front of the fire, thoughts of feasts and gifts running through her head before she went to bed, hoping her boyfriend would be hiding under her tree the next morning.
