tree would go up. the lights would be lit. the christmas spirit would sweep down on us like a nor’easter, and we’d savor every breeze.
there’d be secret shopping trips where i found just the right gifts for the woman i planned on spending every moment with until we were all out of moments. perfect gifts that, regardless of price, told her that i had thought a lot about these items, that i really knew her, and that i’d picked just exactly these things because i knew without question that she would love them. and when she opened them, and when she saw the thought and care that went into their 