SquidgeWorld Archive

"You know, Jim, I was thinking about how I'd like to spend Christmas this year," Blair commented as he hung another ornament on their freshly-cut Douglas fir.

"Yeah, and how is that?" asked Jim, following suit by hanging ornaments of his own.

"I want to do something different," said Blair, stopping to make sure he had Jim's attention. "I want to volunteer at the local homeless shelter." Before Jim could comment, he rushed on. "You know how the PD has a toy drive every year, and how they collect winter coats for the kids; well, the shelter needs help handing all those things out. And then there's serving the Christmas dinner..."

"Whoa, there, Chief." Jim grinned. "Slow down a little. You don't have to convince me. I think it's a great idea."

"You do?" Blair stopped his decorating to give Jim a slightly flustered look. "It's just that every year we spend so much money on gifts that neither one of us really needs.... I thought it might be nice to give something to people who would really appreciate it."

"I'm with you a hundred percent." With a flourish, Jim hung the final ornament and plugged in the lights. The tree burst forth with a sparkling, multi-hued glow, suffusing the loft with a soft, warm light.

+++++

Christmas morning, Blair woke Jim early. Blinking his eyes, Jim rolled over and looked up at the still-dark skylight. Growling, he tried to pull the blankets over his head, but Blair yanked them back down.

"Up and at 'em, Jim!"

"Go away. It's not even light yet," Jim grumbled.

"We have to get to the PD to pick up the coats and gifts," Blair insisted. "The kids at the shelter will be up early, expecting Santa. We don't want to disappoint them."

Jim opened his eyes and looked at the clock. Five A.M. He sighed and threw back the covers. "Just give me a few minutes to get dressed."

"I've got eggs and toast waiting for you," Blair said. "And coffee. Lots of coffee."

"I'm going to need it," said Jim, watching Blair's back as the younger man trotted down the stairs and headed toward the kitchen.

+++++

It was a good thing the weather had held. It was a crisp, cold morning, but a high pressure ridge had held off the rain and snow. Jim and Blair were able to fill the bed of the pick-up with boxes of gifts and coats for the shelter's kids. They drove up to the building, parking near the back door to unload the goods. Shelter personnel came out to help. Soon the gifts were piled around the lighted tree in the main room, ready for the children. Blair grabbed his guitar from behind the seats in the truck's cab and followed Jim, who was carrying in the last of the boxes of coats.

It wasn't long before the children began arriving. Some had spent the night at the shelter with their parents, others came in off the street to warm up and maybe get a hot meal. Blair was particularly moved by a small girl in a ratty, lightweight sweater who, despite the cold and her lack of proper clothing, still greeted him and the other volunteers with a huge smile and a hug.

"Merry Christmas, Mister," she said, planting a big kiss on Blair's cheek.

"You can call me Blair," he replied, returning her smile. "I think we have something here you'd like." He searched under the tree for a wrapped gift labeled for a girl aged three to five and pulled out a colorful package. "But before you open that, why don't you come with me and we'll see if we can find you a nice, warm coat?"

"Okay." Hugging the gift to her chest, she followed Blair over to where the coats were piled. After several minutes of digging through the offerings and trying on different ones, they finally found a coat that fit. She burrowed into the warmth, almost more grateful for the coat than for the present. Running over to her beaming parents, she held out the package. Getting their nods of approval, she tore into the paper, revealing a new baby doll. Squeals of delight echoed around the room. "Look what Santa brought for me!" she cried, holding the toy up for the other children to see.

The morning went quickly as the gifts were sorted and handed out, and the children and adults fitted with warm, winter coats. The PD had also taken up a collection to provide the shelter with a number of games to entertain their guests. Children and parents alike began to gather around the tables, playing everything from Chutes and Ladders to Monopoly and Scrabble.

Jim and Blair slipped back to the kitchen to help with the preparation of the huge holiday meal that would be served shortly.

"Did you get a good look at those kids' faces?" Blair whispered to Jim as he pulled a ham out of the oven while Jim carved one of the dozen turkeys baked and donated to the shelter.

Jim grinned. "Yeah, it kind of makes this all worthwhile, even if it is a lot of work for a day off."

Blair gave his partner a playful slap on the arm. "Stop complaining. You're not fooling me. You're having a good time, admit it."

"I enjoyed handing out the gifts to the kids," Jim admitted. "It felt more like Christmas than many I spent as a child."

"See? I told you it would be fun." Blair hefted the pan with the ham and carried it out to the large buffet table.

Jim followed with a platter of turkey meat, standing next to Blair in the serving line. His partner had moved away from the meat and picked up a ladle for the green beans and corn. "I never said it wouldn't be," he protested weakly.

The conversation was cut short as people began to move through the line, getting a good, hot meal for the first time in several days for many. Jim and Blair greeted each guest, chatting with the more talkative ones and wishing each a happy holiday.

After the serving was complete and most of the guests settled in to eat, Blair unpacked his guitar and began strumming out Christmas carols. As he began to play 'Silent Night', a lone, clear voice rang out, singing the beautiful hymn along with Blair's accompaniment. Soon, others joined in. As people finished their meals, more voices were added until everyone at the shelter had joined in. Lights were dimmed so that the Christmas tree and candles predominated, and the music filled the shelter's dining hall.

One by one, as the hour grew late, parents took their children off to bed. Many were clutching their new toys, and all wore their warm hand-me-down coats. Jim and Blair finally were able to pack up and prepare to leave.

"Thank you for all your help tonight," Angie, the shelter's manager, said to them as they walked toward the back door. "It really means a lot to our patrons to have people such as yourselves give up your own holiday to help make theirs better. I hope we can count on you again sometime."

"Sure, we'd love to," Blair answered for them both, grinning when Jim made no move to protest. "Well, good night and Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas to both of you!" Angie stood in the back door and waved as the two men drove off toward home.

+++++

"Man, I'm exhausted!" Blair dragged himself into the loft and hung up his coat. It was late and his main thought was getting to bed as quickly as possible.

"Just one more thing," said Jim. He was standing next to their Christmas tree and gesturing for Blair to join him.

Tired, but curious, Blair walked over to the tree. Jim bent over to reach beneath the branches, pulling out the lone present resting there and handing it to Blair.

"What's this? I thought we'd agreed that we weren't going to exchange presents this year," Blair protested, playing with the colorful bow on the package.

"Just open it, Chief." Jim wore a patient smile as he prodded at the gift.

Cautiously, Blair peeled back the blue and silver paper to reveal a first edition copy of one of Sir Richard Burton's many books. "Oh, Jim! This... this..." His voice trailed off as his fingers brushed reverently over the worn cover. "This is too much! How did you know?"

Jim chuckled, pleased at the stunned reaction his gift had evoked. "You thought I didn't notice you drooling over that book when we were at the antique books store last month? I knew you'd never be able to afford it on your TA's salary, so I stopped by during lunch and got it for you."

Blair looked up, his eyes shining. "But it was so expensive! You really shouldn't have. I don't have anything to give you in return. I couldn't even begin to match this." His fingers continued their stroking of the book's cover.

"You already have," Jim replied, grinning. "Today was the kind of gift you can't wrap up and hand someone, but that means more than anything you could buy. I had a great time today, and I'd like to do it again sometime."

"Really?" Blair beamed his biggest smile at Jim. "I'm glad you said that, because I signed us up for New Year's Eve..."