The Music Box

“ARE YOU ready to go?” Alvin Griffin asked as he pulled on a knit cap. A glance out the nearby window revealed dancing snowflakes in the glow of the porch light. It was the fifth of December and time for one of his favorite traditions, the presence of the snow adding to the magic. Alvin rocked back on his heels, barely containing his excitement. Tonight was their official kickoff to the Christmas season. “Come on or I’ll go without you.”

“No, you won’t,” replied Milo Abernathy. He stepped into the foyer, yanking up the zipper of his favorite hoodie, the cuffs tattered with loving use. His black hair stuck up here and there, as if he’d been napping instead of cleaning up their dinner dishes. “You’d wait forever.”

“Maybe. Do you really want to find out, though?”

Milo chuckled. “Okay, okay, just let me put my boots on.”

Alvin shot another look out the window while Milo sat on the stairs to slip on his boots. This was his favorite time of the year, the epic whirlwind of days that started with the spookiness of Halloween and segued into the yumminess of Thanksgiving, the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it trip to Christmas, and the culmination that was New Year’s. He fully embraced each and every one of the holidays, knowing he was blessed to have found a lover like Milo, someone who indulged him.

But it was this little known, often overlooked holiday that proved to be his favorite.