“I know, it’s going to be busy,” I chuckle nervously, “but Nicolas and I talked it through, and figured we’d give it a try! We’re flying to Quebec City tomorrow morning. I’m so excited to visit their Christmas Market! This way, we can sleep in and be rested for Christmas Eve, have dinner with his family, and then wake up early on the 25th to drive to Portland and see mine.”
Yeah… I know it sounds like a bit of a marathon.
We tried every combination we could think of, but this really felt like the best compromise to split our time between our families while also being mindful of Nicolas’s schedule. The plan is to spend tonight together, drop the kitties off early at their cat hotel before our flight, and then fly to Quebec and relax a bit before the festivities begin!
I do feel a little guilty about Nicolas waking up early to drive us to Portland on Christmas Day, but he knows how much it means to me to be with my family, especially with all my nieces and nephews home this year. He insisted it’d be just one early morning, and that he’d be fine.
“How long of a drive is that?” Linda frowns.
“Roughly five hours?” I admit. “But we’re hoping the roads will be empty on Christmas Day. My family’s expecting us for lunch, and Nicolas swears it won’t be a problem.”
“Well, heisused to it,” she says with a sympathetic nod.
I know it’s a little crazy, but it really was the only way for us to be together for Christmas. I didn’t want Nicolas’s mom to spend Christmas Eve without her son, since his twin brother will likely be working, and Nicolas knew I couldn’t bear to miss the big Christmas family lunch with my nieces and nephews tearing into presents…
Last year, we were apart and missed each other so much! We spent the whole holiday texting and calling whenever we could.So this year, we wanted to make it work together, even if it’s going to be a bit chaotic… but I feel confident in our plan! It will feel like a Christmas adventure, won’t it? And most importantly, we get to be together!
“No wonder he asked me if I could be the cats’ emergency contact!” Linda chuckles. “It’s so adorable. Did you know he had me list them as Muffin and CoconutValentine-Hanselin all our emails when we looked up cat hotels? That man is a gem. And a full-on cat dad.”
“He did that on their pet passports too,” I admit, blushing, “and we visited the cat hoteltwice. He’s been monitoring their reviews daily like it’s a stock portfolio!”
“I’ll never get tired of working for a man who keeps a folder just for his cats on his desktop,” she laughs. “Anyway, I hope you two have a wonderful time, darling. And don’t worry about the kitties; I’m sure they’ll be treated like little princes!”
“Thank you so much, Linda. You’re a peach.”
“You’re welcome, Ophie. I’ll head back upstairs now, but I’ll pop by for some Christmas fun! Have a lovely day, darling!”
She leaves with impeccable timing, as it’s my turn to order at the coffee machine. This week, they added some special holiday flavors: Peppermint Mocha, Hazelnut Latte, and Orange Hot Cocoa! Of course, we’ve tried and loved them all. We even have mini-marshmallows and popcorn samples! I love working for a gourmet food company; it always gets better!
I return to our office space with two steaming mugs, and Jenna practically leaps out of her chair to grab hers.
“Thank goodness for the vending machine,” she sighs. “If that thing ever goes out of service, I’ll quit!”
“I’m just glad the others are already on vacation,” I reply with a breath.
It’s down to the two of us in the secretaries’ office, but aside from the arctic cold today, we’ve had a merry week! Jenna puton a Michael Bublé playlist, we have a fireplace video on loop on Alice’s screen, and we’re not too busy, so we spend our day chatting about our holiday plans, the latest Christmas movies and our old favorites, and whose family makes the best food… all while answering phones, clearing emails, picking up task tickets and knocking out our last duties, of course.
“I still can’t believe you’re spending Christmas Eve in a restaurant,” Jenna teases, reaching for another slice of my bûche, which, I notice, only has a quarter left.
“I know!” I laugh. “But Nicolas’s family tradition is a fancy dinner out at a beautiful restaurant, and this year they picked an actual château! And the desserts are by that famous chef I like, I’m so excited to try them!”
“Yeah, yeah, I saw the photos of your hotel,” she rolls her eyes with a grin. “It is gorgeous and you’d better take a million pictures to show us, but still! No homemade dinner? No gift exchange? It’s a little weird…”
“Nicolas and I spoil each other all year,” I shrug, smiling, “and we’ll definitely do the whole gifts and homemade food thing at my parents’ house. Christmas Eve will just be… a littledifferentthis year.”
Alright, I admit it did take me a little while to get used to the idea, but that’s because it is so different from my family’s Christmas! But hey, not everyone celebrates the same way, right? And once Nicolas explained how his family does Christmas and why… well, it actually made a lot of sense.
First of all, his mom doesn’t put up decorations in her house. Solange Hansel lives alone now, and she never spends Christmas there, so she just doesn’t see the point. Secondly, many years ago, back when she still lived with her sons and husband, she decided that Christmas should be the one day of the year when she didn’t have to do any chores, which honestly? Fair enough! Since their dad was very busy working as usual, the whole familyagreed to go out to a fancy restaurant that year, and it has become their tradition every year since!
Finally, because they’re all quite wealthy and super busy, they stopped exchanging gifts a while back. Nicolas said they even tried doing gift lists one year, but nobody knew what to ask for! So instead, they donate to charity, which I think is genuinely lovely, thoughtful, generous, and way less stressful for all of them.
Sure, it’s not the kind of Christmas I grew up with… but that’s okay. It’shisChristmas, and I’m really curious (and kind of excited?) to see what it’s like. After all, it’s an adventure!Andwe will be in Quebec City, one of the most Christmas-y cities ever!
“Well, you’ll have to tell me how that goes,” Jenna shrugs. “As for me, I can’t wait to hit the slopes. It’s going to be nothing but snow, sisters, skiing, wine, and fondue for days!”
We keep chatting about our Christmas plans and favorite memories, and the rest of the (still freezing) afternoon flies by. It’s the last day of work, so the office is nice and quiet, and we get a steady stream of colleagues stopping by to say hi and snag a slice of my bûche. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of being praised for my baking skills!
As usual, Nicolas texts me updates—first from the airport and then again after he stops by his place to pack. I can’t wait to see him! Things are so quiet at the office that Jenna and I even have time to wash the mugs, tidy up, and wrap up the last few tasks while we keep chatting away.
