All I Want For Christmas

Chapter One - Home For The Holidays -- Carol

I stood frozen in front of my parents door.

I really didn't want to go in there.

"Uuuugh!" I groaned, leaning over to ring the doorbell, I really didn't want to be here. My sister had just birthed a baby, and my parents were bugging me about settling and all that shit. So I told them I'm gay. That sure shut them up pretty fast.

That was about a month ago.

And since then they've dropped hints that they want me to come home for christmas so they can "at least pick out a nice Polish Christian boy" for me.

Seriously, there is zero difference between any European parents. They all want to control their kids lives in all aspects, even my fucking sex life.

I hear the door unlocking and plaster a phony smile onto my face that will stay there till I can finally leave and go back to the other side of the country.

One of my sisters come to the door and grins at me "Carol!" I roll my eyes as she uses my full name, I haven't been called anything but CJ since I was in high school when I learned that Carol is ONLY a girls name in Alberta. She hugs me tightly

"Monika!" I feigh enthusiasm, hugging her back. We do that weird kissing on both cheeks thing before she ushers me inside and I drag my suitcase in with me, I could smell it before I saw it. My Mom baking in the kitchen as my Dad smoked one of his cigars, the rest of my siblings trimming the tree as their kids help them.

I set the bag of gifts I brought with me by the tree, putting my suitcase down and kissing my Mom on both cheeks, repeating this process with my other brother Gabriel and sister Kate and their spouses and my Dad.

As usual he offered me a cigar and I just shook my head, going to help my Mom with making the pierogies, I had always been more of a mommas boy.

The rest of the night was spent answering questions about my personal life in Toronto. About how much money I make, if i had a nice place to live, if I had met anybody, and I attempted to flawlessly avoid their questions.

When it was finally time to go sleep, I found out that I don't even get to have my room. Sure I had shared my room with Gabe when we were young, but he, his wife and two children needed the whole room, my two sisters also had spouses and a child each, so the other room and the basement were taken.

Fuck duplexes. Ours was nice and all but because each room had a mini bathroom and closet, not to mention the actual chimney, there was no room for another room.

Because I was the only single family member above the age of 18 apparently I didn't matter as much so they stuck me on the pull out in the living room.

Curling up with my pillow I fell into a light sleep. Only being woken at midnight by a grunt and thud coming from the back of the room. The chimney.