Free Santa Hunk by Kirsten Mortensen Page A

strange.
    And who knows? It might
upset her.
    I do like to think that
even if they don’t remember Clare, that last Christmas with her still happened,
somehow. Which, if you think about it, is the nicest way for it to happen,
right?
    They had a beautiful Christmas
day, and shared their love with her. And they never had to say good-bye …
    Me, on the other hand …
    I miss her.
    I miss her something
awful …
    I eventually gave away
most of her stuff to charity.
    But I kept her Christmas
decorations.
    And now that Josh and I are
together—we bought a house last summer—I have lots of space to decorate.
    Of course I always think
of her as I’m putting the decorations out. Her collection of stuffed reindeers.
Her ceramic candlesticks shaped like Christmas elves. Her hand-blown glass
Christmas tree ornaments.
    And Josh rolls his eyes.
“You are soooo into Christmas, babe,” he says to me.  
    And I nod and think yeah,
you’re right. I’m so into Christmas …
    And I still think that maybe
I’ll see her again someday.
    So I look for her, every
year, especially around Christmas. Because when you think about it: people are
used to thinking that All Saints Eve—Halloween—is the time of year when the
veil between this world and the supernatural world is thinnest.
    But it’s Christmastime,
when the nights are long and the trees are asleep—that’s when the magic comes
closest.
    Isn’t it?
    Seems to me that it is.
    Anyway, I know you’re
happy, Clare.
    I know that you’re happy,
because you’re with the one you love—the one you were meant to be with.
    Merry Christmas, sweet Clare!
    Merry Christmas ...