It was an especially cold winter in Oregon that year. The snow was not what the citizens expected; it was felt like frozen rocks instead of soft pillows of white. Besides the weather being odd and often disappointing, some folks still enjoyed winter. Specifically, two friends loved the snow on Christmas Eve.
“Hey Benny! Watch your head!” Joe threw a snowball at his friend Benny, hitting him on the arm. Their feet crunched around in the snow, and their laughs echoed through the neighborhood. They made their way back to the porch of their home, which was lit up by a small lantern on the wall. Benny had made hot cocoa to warm them after being outside for a long time.
“This tastes delicious! Did you make this yourself, Benny?” Joe asked, wiping some of the drink off of his face.
“Well, I guess I made it myself. But that's only if you count using packets and hot water.” Benny poured more hot cocoa in Joe’s mug, seeing that his friend looked a little sad. “Hey, Joe, are you feeling alright?”
Joe put his head on his folded arms, “Yeah, Benny. I feel just fine.”
Benny frowned, knowing that he was clearly lying, “I've got a feeling you're just saying that to get me to leave you alone. You look sad, Joe.” He put his arm around Joe, “You can talk to me about anything, you know that right?”
Joe sighed, “You can read me like a book. Benny, this is my first year away from home. I miss my mom!” He started tearing up, and Benny patted him on the back. The brunet immediately thought of a brilliant plan to help his husband.
After a few hours of planning, the doorbell rang. Joe opened it, surprised to see that his mother was at the door. Behind her was a few of his other friends from the neighborhood.
“Mom! How did you get here so fast? And how did you know I missed you?” Joe gasped, hugging his mother.
“It’s a mother’s instinct, Joseph.” Joe’s mom winked at Benny, and he invited everyone to come and celebrate. The neighborhood had a small party at their house, making Joe feel so much better about Christmas Eve. Benny smiled, feeling the warm atmosphere around his living room.
“Benny… I can’t thank you enough…” Joe had not felt that happy in years.
“You don’t have to, Joe. I should thank you! I’m so glad I have someone to spend the holidays with! And look, we happen to be under the mistletoe!” Benny bent down and smooched Joe on the forehead. He giggled, and went off into the kitchen to make more hot chocolate. Joe rubbed his forehead, realizing the true meaning of Christmas: gifts do not matter when you have people around you who love you.