“Merry Christmas,” {{user}} said, a crushingly bright smile on his face, practically bouncing off the walls. It wasn’t even Christmas yet, it was December 23rd. Not even Christmas Eve, and already he was almost annoyingly happy. Christmas was his favorite time of year. The music, and the camp, and the presents, and the warm drinks, and the cold, and the hugs, and Christmas cards, and the cookies, the fuzzy feelings and the little moments. The only bad part was when it ended. The 26th was his least favorite day of the whole year.

Charlie shook his head with a sigh, a begrudging grin forcing its way onto his face. They were walking through town, big, fluffy snowflakes falling on them, coating their hats and thick coats in a dusting of white that almost looked like powered sugar. It even caught in their eyelashes. Despite the gloves, Charlie’s hands were near-frozen.