Christmas with Joy

“My wife loves Christmas,” John said. “According to her there are only two seasons, Christmas and summer.” The man was talking to his friend and co-worker, Joel, while they rode the train home from work. John was the shorter man and still trim. Joel, was tall and portly.

“And that bothers you?” Joel asked.

“Maybe. I mean we have a storage room just for Christmas stuff and there’s a long row of shelves in the garage filled with more decorations.”

“My wife is happy with just a tree. And usually, I have to buy it and decorate it. One year I didn’t bother, so we didn’t have one.” The train pulled into the station. The men watched people exit carrying shopping bags, another sign that the holidays were near.

The train started moving again. It exited the tunnel and slowly climbed the trestle so the train was elevated, above the city streets. Looking out the window, John pointed to the houses, nearly all of them decorated for Christmas. “When I get home tonight, Joy’s going to say, “Let’s finish decorating the backyard after dinner.” He turned away from the window and looked down at his hands. “I’m tired tonight, Joel. You know I turned 50 last week?”

“Yeah, I bought the cake, remember?”

“Right, right, you did.” He shook his head. “I feel like Ebenezer Scrooge lately, but she drives me crazy this time of year. I mean who decorates the back yard?” He grinned in spite of himself, secretly proud of Joy. “Did I tell you her whole family and half of mine are coming for Christmas dinner? Gonna be 32 of us.” He rubbed his temples with his forefingers.

Joel glanced out the window now. The houses and the yards were getting bigger. The holiday decorations were more lavish too. Their stop was just two stations away.  “Thirty-two of you. You want to guess how many of us are going to be sitting at our dining room table for Christmas dinner?”

“Thirty-three?”

“Go to hell, my friend,” Joel said. The men laughed. “Exactly two of us, Louann and me.”

“Peace and quiet, a novel idea,” John said, but he sensed a longing in Joel for something more. “Listen, why don’t you and Louann come to our house for Christmas? Joy will be making enough food to feed fifty people, anyway.”

“Do we have to bring anything?” Joel was smiling.

“Actually, you have to bring a canned, or boxed, healthy food item. Joy will insist.” John hesitated for a moment. “Actually, Joy would never insist. She’ll say how happy it would make her if the guests did that. I think it’s her Southern roots.”

“A charity thing?”

“No, she stores the food in our bomb shelter just in case.” Again, the men laughed. “Yeah, she organizes her army and they give the food to a soup kitchen.”

“I’ll ask Louann. Maybe she’ll go for it,” Joel said. The train pulled into their station and the men got up to leave. As they walked down the platform toward the steps to the parking lot, Joel suddenly stopped. “Wait, do you stand around the piano and sing Christmas Carols or anything like that?”

“Maybe.”

“Louann won’t like that. Bad pipes.”

“Well, if she doesn’t want to sing, she can always wash dishes.”

Joel shook his head. “I’ll let you know tomorrow if we’re coming to dinner, wise guy.”

On his way home, John called Joy to let her know he’d be home soon. “Hi honey,” she said. “I ordered us a pizza. Will you pick it up?”

“Too tired to cook?” He stopped at a traffic light.

“Too busy. I got all the decorations for the backyard out of the storage room so you wouldn’t have to do it. We can get them up and lit as soon as we finish eating.”

John felt weary. He knew they could put the rest of the decorations up that weekend. But he didn’t suggest it, because he knew that Joy, unable to wait a couple of days, would do the job herself. For some reason he thought about Joel. He’d never trade places with him “Okay, sure, let’s do it.” The light turned green and he pressed the accelerator. “I invited Joel and Louann to Christmas dinner. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Not at all,” Joy said. “Oh! I almost forgot to tell you. I found a miniature Dickens Christmas Carol display at Macy’s this afternoon. I’m thinking of putting it on the front hall table. What do you think?”     

“I’m sure that’s the right spot for it.” He pulled up to the pizza parlor and parked. “Scrooge turned out all right, didn’t he?”

Joy laughed. “Almost as good as you did, honey.”