Nicholas sighed. Why did Christmas have to come every year?
“Sure. Why not?” Nicholas said with a shrug as he took the candy cane into his hand. When he thought the street performer couldn't see him, he threw the candy cane into the nearest trashcan.
However, it turned out the street performer had decided to keep his eyes on Nicholas, and saw him toss it.
“Jerk,” the street performer yelled out. Nicholas frowned, but he didn't feel too bad. He had told the performer he didn't want it in the first place.
Nicholas shook his head and kept walking. Just holding the candy cane made him want to go brush his teeth. He hated this time of year with a passion. Just once, he'd like to go through a December without having to deal with candy canes.
He sighed deeply, and continued hurrying through the New York cold to his condo’s building.
And he sighed once more when he noticed that it had been decorated for the Christmas season with paper snowflakes hanging from the lobby’s ceiling and yellow-lit stars lining the path to the elevators. Soft Christmas music played overhead. Even the staff had gotten in on the holiday. The doorman wore a Santa hat.
Christmas was just so...
Everywhere.
He’d never understood why New York City celebrated the holiday at all. When he was a child, he’d imagined that NYC was the least sentimental place in the world. It was one of the reasons he’d decided to move there as soon as he turned eighteen. At the time, he thought that the city would be the perfect match for his personality. Busy, fast, and not sentimental. He was happy when he discovered that his peers were as focused as he was, not seeming interested in anything outside of their textbooks and GPA standing.
And yet, when it came to Christmas, all bets were off.
His rational, logical classmates would transform into holiday enthusiasts, forcing Nicholas to tag along as they visited the famous tourist hangouts: The Rockettes’ performance, The Rockefeller Tree, The Macy’s window in Herald Square.
Now, at thirty years old, Nicholas felt that he’d had enough Christmas for a thousand lifetimes.
When he’d tried to explain his nonchalant approach to the holiday, he was often met with scowls and gasps, as if he was some kind of monster. The word Grinch was often used in his presence.
He’d even had a woman leave him in the middle of a dinner date once he’d mentioned that he wouldn’t be interested in going to The Rink at Rockefeller Center during the holiday season.
Truthfully, he’d been trying to avoid the legions of tourists at The Rink. Every tourist who ever saw a Christmas movie wanted to go there and the place was always incredibly crowded in addition to being incredibly holiday focused. However, his short-lived dinner date assumed that he was trying to avoid Christmas altogether.
And maybe he was.
And what if he was? What was so awful about wanting a break from a holiday that was so...
Everywhere?
“Good evening, Mr. Kerstman!” A security guard greeted Nicholas at the door with a smile. “Another late night at the office?”
“Another late night at the office and another early morning in... a few hours?” Nicholas replied, groaning as he looked down at his pricey wristwatch. “You wouldn’t happen to have any tips for getting out of a 7AM meeting would you?”
“Just say you’re sick,” the guard said, laughing as he peered down at Nicholas. “I’m not sure anybody would believe it, though. Nicholas Kerstman never gets sick.”
“No. I get sick. I just don’t make a big deal out of it.” Nicholas tapped his fingers along his side, before giving the guard a wave. “Alright. I’ll see you in a few hours. Tell the wife I said hello and give her my condolences. Working at Macy’s? At this time of year? That my worst nightmare.”
“Sure, it can be a pain sometimes, but my wife has always loved the rush of the holidays,” the guard replied with a shrug. “Not everyone hates Christmas so much, Mr. Kerstman. Some people actually like it.”
“I don’t hate it,” Nicholas grumbled. He stopped himself from saying more, not in the mood to explain his relationship with the holiday season. “Goodnight.”
Nicholas then zipped right past the elevator, opting to take the empty staircase up to his condo as he hoped to avoid enduring another Christmas related conversation with his neighbors.
* * *
Nicholas almost tripped over the large box left directly inside the door of his condo.
He’d signed off on allowing large deliveries to be dropped off inside to save time. He swore slightly as he tried to maneuver around the giant box taking up all his walking space.
He could immediately tell who the sender was by the Christmas-themed wrapping. The package glittered with shiny paper despite needing to be shipped. His mother had never been one for subtlety, but a smile warmed his expression as he tore tape away from the package’s ends.