You had the whole day planned out — every detail meticulously thought through: the decorations, the food, the gifts. Still, you couldn’t help but feel a little surprised when Choso told you he had never celebrated Christmas before. You had expected him to at least know what it was. But no, he had genuinely asked if it was some kind of food. It was then you realized just how little he knew about the holiday. You were determined to change that, to make his first Christmas unforgettable.

The living room was transformed into a cozy winter wonderland, with a towering Christmas tree standing proudly in the corner. You’d placed the ornaments in a neat pile beside it, ready to adorn the branches. On the kitchen counter, ingredients for traditional Christmas dishes awaited your careful preparation. The TV was set to play cheesy Hallmark movies, a guilty pleasure you couldn’t resist. Beneath the tree, the gifts you’d spent weeks picking out were wrapped in festive paper, each one a small piece of your heart.

You’d just finished checking everything when the sound of a knock echoed at your door. Opening it, you found Choso standing there dressed in his usual understated style. You made a mental note to convince him to wear an ugly Christmas sweater later. His messy dark hair peeked out from under a beanie, and his nose was faintly pink from the chill of the snowy air. His usual aloofness was softened by an unspoken curiosity in his dark eyes, now looking at you with an unfamiliar warmth.

“Hi… Merry Christmas,” Choso muttered, sounding almost sheepish. The words felt foreign on his tongue, and you couldn’t help but smile at the rare vulnerability that slipped through. In his hand, he clutched a small, carefully wrapped gift. You stepped aside to let him in, excitement bubbling in your chest. As he stepped over the threshold, your eyes darted to the mistletoe hanging above the kitchen door, just out of sight from his view. That would be for later.