Candy Cane Kisses - A Christmas Collection

All That Glitters

by kristimcmanus

Stepping through the doors, I felt overcome by the sense of the season. Everywhere I looked I felt it; on the walls, covered in red, green, gold. The music played softly in the background, a white noise to height the sense of frivolity that could only come with this time of year. I knew a smile was already on my face before I walked into the shop I had passed countless times, but now, I could feel it aching my cheeks.

He stepped up behind me, his hand placing softly at my lower back. I didn't look over to him, still enthralled with the excitement of our plan. I could feel his eyes on me, and didn't need to look over to know he was grinning. He knew Christmas was my favorite time of the year, which was probably why he suggested this little adventure today.

This would be our first Christmas as since moving in together six months prior. To me, this was another step in solidifying our future together; decorating our home, our tree, as a couple. I knew it was silly, and didn't hold any significant meaning in the grand scheme of happiness and long lives, but it was exciting to me to think that we would be building this symbol of the season together.

When Cole suggested coming to Christmas in New York the week before, I was surprised. He had always left all the planning, all the decorating of our home to me. His easy going nature perfectly balanced my attention to detail and 'type A' master of lists and control habits. I had assumed, maybe foolishly, that he would just leave all the planning of our Christmas to me like he had everything else. But this, he explained, he wanted to do together. To take this latest venture hand in hand, no matter how small it was.

Standing here now, looking out over all the ornaments, décor and sense of the festivities that seems to hang from every corner, I was on cloud nine.

Finally, I looked over to find him smirking at me.

"What?" I asked, feeling my cheeks flush.

"Nothing," he shook his head. "This was the look I expected to see on your face when I brought you here. You didn't disappoint."

I laughed as I gently elbowed him in the side, unsure if he was teasing or complimenting me.

"How do you want to tackle this?" I asked, stepping to the side to pluck one of the little red baskets from the stack. "Do you want to browse the aisles and pick what we like? Do you have any idea for theme or color? What do you think about-"

Reaching out, Cole covered my mouth with hand in a teasing manner to silence my rambling. Once certain I was calm, he released me before picking up his own basket.

"How about this? We divide and conquer. We pick out the things that we like, then meet back here in about half an hour and see what we got."

While I liked the idea, the lack of coordination and planned execution left me feeling uncertain. I was an executive assistance to a VP at NBC; I thrived, and required, organization and plans to live. Cole knew this, but the smirk on his face left me certain that was the entire purpose for this suggestion of 'free for all shopping'.

"That way," he continued. "We will have built something together that is actually a little bit of both of us. If we walk around together, we will agree to like what the other suggests and maybe not pick things that we really like. This way could be fun."

Cole's idea of fun was sometimes quite different from mine. But if there was one thing I had learned over the last three years of our relationship, it was that sometimes his adventurous and spontaneous suggestions worked out being some of my best memories. Even if I felt like I was going to combust at the time from the lack of pre-emptive plotting.