“Aww, that’s sweet,” Norris said. "How tall are your brothers?"
"Aiden is 6’4”, Alex is 6’3”, and Andrew is 6’6”. Dad is also 6’6”. So compared to them...” She swept her hand up her 6’1” body.
Norris chuckled. “What about your mom?”
“5’8”. Not short, but the height comes from my father’s side. Anyway, because Mom’s Jewish and Dad’s Christian, we’ve always celebrated both sets of holidays. Mostly we did them separately, but since things get so hectic in December, we did one celebration for Hanukkah and Christmas, and called it Christmakkah. We had a Christmas tree and lit the candles on a menorah, and we cooked potato latkes and leg of lamb.”
“Sounds like the best of both worlds,” said Norris. “Not to mention delicious.”
“Just you wait,” said Annabeth. “My brother Aiden married an Indian woman, Radhika. They celebrate Diwali around the same time. It’s another festival of lights. I don’t know if you’ve heard of it...”
“I have, actually. One of my roommates in grad school was Indian. He used to Zoom with his grandma in India every week, and she wanted to make sure he was celebrating properly. He put these tiny little candles in clay holders all over the apartment for Diwali, and he walked around with his phone showing them to her. He said they were called... Um...” Norris scratched his head.
“Deepas,” said Annabeth. “They’re really pretty. So for Radhika, we lit clay deepas and put them by the menorah, and we hung strings of electric deepas on the Christmas tree. Radhika made samosas, because latkes weren’t enough deep-fried foods. And from then on, we celebrated Christmakkali. At least, we did until my brother Alex married a witch."
Norris almost dropped the bag of hot chestnuts, he was so startled. "A witch?! Like a witch who breaks curses?"
She laughed. "Julie calls herself a witch and I think she does cast spells, but not the Harry Potter sort. She’s a pagan.”
"Oh.Thatkind of witch.”
He looked so disappointed. Annabeth was charmed. She loved that he’d been all ready to believe that her sister-in-law could turn people into newts. "Anyway, Julie celebrates the Winter Solstice. So we started celebrating Christmakkalistice."
Norris propped his chin on his hands. "Please tell me Andrew married into yet another cultural tradition, and you now celebrate Christmakkalisticekwanzaah."
"No, Andrew married a Jewish guy, Mike. So it’s still Christmakkalistice." She mentally braced herself. Now she was getting into the hard stuff. "I always loved the winter holidays. It was so much fun being with my family and getting to experience all the different traditions. I even kind of liked the holiday rush at my job. Sure, it was stressful, but I also got a kick out of hearing all the ridiculous drink orders. Until last Christmakkalistice."
Norris put his arm around her waist. "Oh no."
"Oh no is an understatement. I was dating a guy –well, IthoughtI was dating a guy. Actually, I was dating a cheating toad. A charming cheating toad. He charmed me into letting him move into my apartment. He was supposed to come to Christmakkalistice, but at the last minute claimed he had to help out a sick friend. He told me I should go ahead and have a lovely Christmakkalistice with my family."
She took an angry gulp of hot cider. "I'd been there for a couple hours when I realized that I'd left Andrew’s Christmakkalistice present at home. I drove back to get it – I don't live that far away – and you know what I found when I opened my own front door?"
Norris looked outraged on her behalf. "The cheating toad was cheating?"
She’d had a year to get over it, but she was still so angry, she felt like heat waves were radiating out of her head. "The cheating toad was not only cheating, he was cheating on MY bed! Wearing nothing but a Santa hat! With some blonde woman wearing nothing but an antler headband!”
She was pleased to see that Norris also looked as if he was about to spontaneously combust. “How dare he! On YOUR bed! What a horrible Christmas cheater! No wonder you chose the elf hat to wear at work, when your other choices were the cheating toad’s Santa hat and the cheating blonde’s reindeer antlers!”
Annabeth blinked hard, pushing back tears. It was strange how telling the story didn’t make her want to cry, but Norris’s empathy and understanding and anger on her behalf did.
She gulped and went on, “It gets worse.”
“HOW?!” His face was flushed, his eyes almost incandescent with rage. “How could it possibly get worse?”
“My bed—my cheated-on bed—was the only piece of furniture still left in the apartment! The cheating toad had pulled up a moving van and moved out all the furniture – including a very expensive sofa I’d bought before I met him.”
“A THIEVING toad!” Norris exploded. If she didn’t know it was impossible, she’d swear that his eyes were literally glowing with righteous fury. It had to be a trick of the light, but she appreciated it.
“That sofa was the only valuable thing I owned. The rest of the furniture was just grad student junk. I told him he was welcome to it and the cheating blonde reindeer, but he’d better unload my sofa right now!"
"And he refused?"
"Worse," Annabeth said grimly. “He acted all embarrassed and said he would. He got dressed, and the blonde in antlers got dressed, and they went out to the moving van. But instead of opening the back, they both jumped into the cab. You know what came blasting out of the stereo as soon as he turned on the engine? ‘I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus!’"
“The worst!”
Annabeth concluded, "The cheating toad stuck his head out the window and yelled, ‘Merry Christmakkalistice!’ And then he and the blonde laughed like hyenas and drove away."
