Christmas Lights

This was Written for the WL Christmas Challenge.

 

Dennis stood before the Advent calendar on the hall wall and smiled. Skyy had faithfully moved the small plastic candy cane each morning to mark how many days were left until Christmas. It presently sat in the pocket with the number twenty-two on it.

Their home had been decorated inside and out, Carols had been playing since the Santa Claus Parade the end of November and all their cards had been written out and mailed.

He’d done his part of the tree this evening while his partners were out, by stringing the five hundred mini lights with just a wee bit of help from Jack Daniels. It was the same thing every year. No matter how carefully he packed away the strings of lights when the previous tree was dismantled, they somehow became a tangled mess over the summer.

This particular task had been designated his responsibility the first Christmas they’d spent as a threesome. That was almost four years ago, and new traditions had come into being each year since then. So now with the lights untangled and hung for another year, all he had to do was enjoy the time it took his two lovers to complete the job he’d started. He planned to spend what was left of the evening, sitting back and watching his partners trim the tree while he sipped on a cup of the homemade whiskey-laced eggnog he’d mixed that morning specifically for this occasion.

His smile widened as he thought of Skyy once again being called in early October to assure him taking the position of head elf for Santa at one of the biggest and busiest malls in town. He looked so dang adorable in his costume and the kids loved him, so the mall manager knew he wouldn’t be easily replaced. That had become their first major tradition.

Next came Dusty’s resolve to provide a Christmas for a less fortunate family. The first year had involved a fellow employee; a single mother with four children. Each year since, Dusty had made it a point to locate a family who would most benefit from some extra help, and then the gathering of gifts and treats began along with the collection of monetary funds. This year was no exception and they’d be delivering everything to a family of eight on Christmas Eve. The father had recently lost his position in a company he’d worked at for over twenty years.

Then there was the little party Skyy had for all four of their nieces and nephews so their parents would have the time to shop with less stress. That had been a week ago and as usual Dusty went into hiding. He loved the kids but had a hard time coping with the whole gang at one time; especially since this year with the twins just under a year and the oldest only six with a three-year-old in between. He knew that the number would increase and then he wouldn’t be able to escape from this particular event because his assistance would be required.

Dennis briefly wondered if Dusty and Skyy had finished their gift shopping. He took pride in the fact that he had. That in itself was unusual as he was more often than not the last one to get it done. Heck, he even had everything wrapped and hidden in one of the spare bedrooms.

The slamming of the back door heralded his Brats’ return and drew Dennis from his thoughts. His timing as he walked into the kitchen coincided with theirs. He glanced at the clock on the wall which read nine-twenty.

“You’re a little later than I expected.” It may have appeared to be a statement but was really a question.

“When I went to get Skyy at the mall, Slade remembered he had to pick up another dozen boxes of chocolates for customers,” Dusty explained, passing his jacket to Skyy who was holding an extra hanger.

“How did the gift wrapping and sorting go at the Lion’s club?” Dennis smiled when Dusty groaned and rolled his eyes.

“I enjoyed it but I don’t know if Slade or Jayden did,” Dusty answered, getting a can of pop out of the fridge and handing one to Skyy. “Their gift wrapping abilities are on a par with their cooking skills.”

“That bad, huh?” Dennis commented and then laughed when Skyy began snickering. “And how was your evening, Sport?” He gave the younger man a hug.

“Not too shoddy considering it’s the last Saturday before Christmas. We think a lot of parents are leaving their kids home to get surprise shopping done.” Skyy returned the embrace and looked up. “I’m not hungry, Den, cause I ate something while waiting for these guys to show up,” he added, knowing Dennis always kept his supper waiting for him when he was working evenings. 

“Then how about I make up a snack platter while you two work on the tree?”

“Did you get the lights on?” Skyy asked, heading out of the room.

“Of course,” came the answer and Dennis turned to gather Dusty into his arms. Giving Dusty a light swat on the seat of his jeans after a brief hug and a kiss, he ordered, “Go help Skyy, Grease-monkey.”

Dusty entered the living room in time to see Skyy carefully emptying a bin of decorations and immediately pitched in to assist with the inevitable categorization of each item. He would have preferred to just get on with putting it all on the tree, but Skyy was inclined to be a bit of a perfectionist.

A short time later, Dennis came in carrying a tray containing a platter of sandwiches and a couple more cans of pop. He had an unopened bag of chips under his arm. “Make some space for me to put this stuff down, guys,” he requested, eyeing the array of paper and boxes spread over every flat surface in the room. As soon as his hands were emptied and he’d complimented his partners on their efforts so far, he left to fetch the eggnog.

Dennis settled back in his chair and expelled the deep sigh of the truly contented. The tree was coming along beautifully but still had a ways to go. He listened with an amused grin on his face to his two partners bantering back and forth. ‘At least they aren’t talking about the weather,’ he thought and almost shuddered at the memory of what had taken place a few nights ago.

The weather had been fluctuating since the beginning of December. Abnormal double-digit temperatures interspersed with cold ones had keep folks wondering what Christmas would be like. Skyy, as optimistic as always, was positive they’d be having a white Christmas. Dusty, on the other hand, was equally adamant that they’d be having a green one.

Raised voices had resulted in Dennis heading for the kitchen.

“Green!” Dusty insisted, glaring at his fellow-Brat who was sitting across from him.

“White!” was Skyy’s zealous comeback as he leaned across the table separating them.

Dennis’ hand landing solidly on the table between them attracted their attention and they gazed upward. Their Top didn’t appear to be in the best of moods. 

“This bickering is over!” he unwaveringly proclaimed, sternly eyeballing first one Brat and then the other.

“Hmm, are we in trouble?” Skyy nervously inquired.

“Not unless I hear another word about the weather,” Dennis scolded. He hated the prospect of having to physically chastise his Brats during the holidays. But if push came to shove, he was more than capable of doing so, and both young men knew it.

“Okay, mum it is,” Skyy easily capitulated. 

“I promise not to mention a green Christmas again,” Dusty vowed, emphasizing the colour and sending Skyy a teasing grin.

Dennis’s chin dropped to his chest. He closed his eyes and waited for the dispute to start up again. But a moment later, he was able to let out a deep sigh of relief when Skyy merely smiled. The younger man had not reacted to their partner’s baiting, choosing instead to avoid an argument.

Skyy had never really been confrontational, although he was perfectly capable of standing up for himself, his loved-ones and his principles. Unfortunately, Dusty sometimes got a bug in his ear which would led to him getting belligerent and arguing just for the hell of it. Being right or wrong rarely played a part in any heated discussion Dennis’ oldest Brat got into.

Coming back to the present, another glance assured Dennis that the tree was almost finished as he lightly toyed with the small book on the table beside him. It was hard to believe that every Christmas Eve after gifts had been delivered to family and friends, and after they’d danced a good part of the evening away to the sounds of the season, the last activity would be him reading ‘The Night Before Christmas’ to his partners. After all, they were three grown men. Why would they be enjoying a children’s story? Dennis surmised that it had something to do with the book being the only tangible proof Skyy had of having celebrated Christmas as a child with his mother. Dennis silently vowed to himself that the story would be read as long as he was able to do so.  

“Here’s the new tinsel, Dusty!” Dennis’ thoughts were interrupted by Skyy’s announce. New tinsel every year was a given after the unpleasant incident old tinsel had caused that first Christmas together.

“Sorry, little buddy, but you’re on your own now,” Dusty declared and headed over to sit on the floor in front of Dennis. “You’re just too picky for me to please, so why put myself through the torture?” He reached for a sandwich, took a bite out of it and leaned back against Dennis’ legs. His head tilted towards the hand that came out to stroke it.

Skyy was half way through the last box of tinsel when something fluttering past the big bay window caught his interest. He gave a whoop of excitement and dropped the box, unmindful of its’ content scattering across the floor. He made a beeline for the front door, flung it open and ran outside.

Dennis and Dusty glanced at each other quizzically, shrugged their shoulders and got up to follow. They soon knew the reason behind Skyy’s obvious glee; snow was beginning to fall.

“It’s snowing! It’s snowing!” Skyy crowed in delight as he pranced about the veranda.

“Not really,” Dusty scoffed. “It’s more like tiny ice pellets.”

Skyy scooped up a handful and tried to make a snowball. He planned to throw it at his fellow-Brat until he saw the warning in Dennis’ expression. “It’s not sticky enough yet anyway,” he muttered as he tossed down the snow and wiped his hand on his pant leg.

“Give it time, Sport,” Dennis kindly advised.

“It’s gonna melt,” Dusty interjected in hopes of getting a rise out of his younger partner. “Just wait and see if it doesn’t.” His teasing mood was brought to an abrupt halt when he felt Dennis’ hand move against his backside. “I’m just tormenting him, Den. It’s only in fun.”

“And it’s to stop,” Dennis growled in his ear before slightly raising his voice so Skyy could hear. “Okay guys, let’s get back inside. It’s cold out here.”

Cuddling up to Dennis and trying to stop his teeth from chattering, Skyy rubbed his hands together and merrily listed off the chores accomplished over the last few days. “Baking done, house all decked out, shopping completed, right?”

“No!” Dusty proclaimed. “I still have my parents’ gifts to pick up. At least I know what I am getting them. That’s always the hardest part.”

“We still have last minute treats to purchase, Skyy,” Dennis reminded him, “and a super-sized turkey.”

“Yeah, we really need a humongous one ‘cause we’re having everyone here this year.” Skyy sighed before murmuring, “Well, just about everyone. Our family dynamics have changed over the last year. Nonna is the only one from my eclectic group who will be here, but Laura and Jacob’s twin sons have been added to the mix. And then there’s Curtis and Beverly’s newborn daughter. So this is going to be the best Christmas ever!”

“You say that every year, Buddy,” Dusty jogged Skyy’s memory.

“That’s cause it just keeps getting better, D.”

“Well it’s gonna be impossible to beat last year’s.” Dusty held up his left hand and turned the ring on his third finger. All three of them wore identical bands.

“But our commitment ceremony and Christmas were two separate events, D. I’m talking about only one of them.”

“Okay, but what if one of us got sick or injured?” Dusty wondered if Skyy had ever given that possibility a thought.

“We’d still be together as a threesome, right?”

“Of course!” Dusty glanced past Dennis to reassure his younger partner.

“Then it can still be better than any of our past Christmases.” Skyy snuggled closer to Den’s big warm body in hopes of dispersing the chill he’d picked up while outside.

Dusty grunted, knowing when he was defeated. He looked up at Dennis. “Can’t win, can I?” he chuckled.

“Not against an optimist,” Dennis agreed and tightened his arms around the two men who were cuddling up on either side of him. “We may as well accept that no matter what, our younger partner will always see the wonder and magic of this special time of year.”

He dreamily gazed around the decorated room, taking in the radiant glow from the crackling fireplace, the soft glimmering of candles on the mantle and the merry twinkling from hundreds of tiny lights on their Christmas tree. Feeling a hand gently stroking his cheek he glanced down to see Skyy patiently smiling up at him.

He stared into Skyy’s gorgeous face and his eyes misted slightly as it suddenly hit him that his all-time favourite Christmas lights were the ones dancing in his youngest Brat’s exquisite violet-blue eyes. 

The End

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Eggnog Recipe

4 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
3 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup whisky (Rum or Brandy can be substituted)
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup heavy cream

In a saucepan, beat the eggs and sugar until creamy. In a second saucepan over low heat, heat 2 cups of the milk until hot. Slowly add to the egg mixture, stirring continuously. Cook over low heat, stirring, for 15 to 20 minutes or until the mixture reaches 170°F and has thickened. Stir in the remaining milk, vanilla, whisky, and half the nutmeg. Chill 3 hours.

In a medium bowl, beat the cream until soft peaks form. Fold into the milk mixture. Ladle the eggnog into a punch bowl and sprinkle with the remaining grated nutmeg.

And enjoy with friends and family.