Christmas in Texas

“It’s a little warm out,” Calypso remarked, shrugging out of her jacket in hopeful anticipation of a cool breeze. “I thought you said it was supposed to snow in December.”

  “Ha!” Leo scoffed. “It snows in some places in December. Trust me: white Christmases are overrated. Nobody does the holidays like Houston.”

  It was midafternoon in one of Texas’s biggest (and definitely best) cities. The winter sun glared down accusingly at the Houston streets that had long since been baked white from the Texas heat. Calypso was feeling overwhelmed in every possible sense of the word: buildings taller than giants towered above her, making her dizzy if she looked up too high; she was unaccustomed to the warmth, as Ogygia had always been just the perfect temperature; and the amount of people was making it hard to breathe. She had never seen so many people in one place.

  She sighed, and nearly choked on the exhaust from a passing bus. “Everything is so different. It doesn’t even feel like the same planet.” The only nature she could see were occasional squares of grass spaced intermittently throughout the sea of pavement.

  Leo turned to her with his usual grin and handed her a Styrofoam cup. “This’ll make you feel better.”

  She took a tiny sip and almost spit it out. “It’s hot!”

  “It’s supposed to be.”

  “But it’s so hot outside, too!”

  Leo couldn’t help but laugh. “It probably doesn’t make sense, I know. But what you’re holding right there is the ultimate Christmas beverage, sweetened and whipped and peppermint-flavored to perfection: hot chocolate.”

  Calypso frowned at the little cup in her hands. “Whipped?”

  “No, no! Not whipped like what you’re probably thinking,” Leo explained. “Whipped like they mixed it really fast.”

  “Oh.” She took another, cautious sip. Warm, rich, frothy liquid rested on her tongue, the thick sweetness of chocolate countered by the distinct and surprisingly delicious bite of mint. Warmth—even more, to be exact—spread all across her skin as the hot chocolate settled in her stomach. She couldn’t help but smile. “That’s very good.”

  They walked along the wreath-lined street, weaving in and out of last minute shoppers. Leo couldn’t help but feel elated; he’d been nervous about what Calypso would think about Christmas in general, but she seemed to be enjoying it so far. What’s more, she seemed to be getting used to the big city atmosphere.

  He figured, all the same, that it might be a little too soon to take her to New York.  

  “I don’t know much about Christmas,” Calypso told him as they walked.

  “Here’s all you need to learn: it’s the best of all the holidays celebrated in America. People decorate their homes with wreaths and Christmas trees and colorful lights. Oh, and everyone buys presents for each other. Speaking of which…” He reached into his toolbelt and procured a square box about the size of his palm. “This is for you.”

  Calypso blushed. “Oh, Leo… oh, I didn’t get you anything!” She lifted the lid of the box and her mouth slipped open. “But I… I thought you said things like this were expensive!”

  “Not when you’re the world’s greatest goldsmith and one of your best friends can pull diamonds of the ground with her mind.”

  He picked up the necklace—a thin gold chain with a perfectly circular diamond dangling from it—and motioned for Calypso to turn around. He clasped it around her neck, letting her cinnamon-colored hair fall slowly through his fingers before standing back to see how it looked. His heart skipped a couple of beats. To say she looked good was an understatement. Her long hair fell in the most perfect curls, framing the necklace at her throat. The red dress she wore made her skin look breathtakingly warm and smooth, not to mention the dress was just a little short. Her brown eyes danced with laughter.

  “How does it look?” she asked.

  Not for the first time, Leo felt he was way out of his league here. “Uh… it looks…”

  Her smile slipped just a little. “Does it look okay?”

  “Incredible.”

  The smile returned with its usual ease. She took Leo’s hand and kissed him lovingly on the cheek. “Thank you, Leo. Merry Christmas.”

  When the sun had gone down, everyone gathered in downtown for the tree lighting. The enormous pine lit up with a myriad of colors, just like magic, Calypso thought. It glimmered in the darkness and in the hearts and eyes of the people around them. Carols were sung, candles were passed around and lit, and Calypso thought she had never been happier.

  She squeezed Leo’s hand. So maybe this new world was terrifying and confusing, but if miracles like Christmas happened often, Calypso figured she could get used to it.