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"Emil, next time we have to get the tree situated before Christmas Eve, all right?" Marta said frustratedly as she sorted through the large box of lights they'd brought when they moved.
"Gladly," Emil agreed, himself busy with a box of ornaments. "Maybe, in the event that we get caught up in such a weird string of events again, we should start getting tree stuff as early as Halloween."
There was a brief silence, before they both laughed.
The Castagniers hadn't planned to put up a Christmas tree at the very last minute, but they'd had so much bad luck with it that it was just as funny as their laughter at the subject would imply. It all started when Lloyd had visited at the end of November, and had promised Emil that they'd go into the forest and chop down a tree. However, neither of them had any experience with chopping trees down, nor did they have an axe, but Lloyd insisted that they could chop down a tree with swords.
That night ended with both men in the hospital.
After that, Emil went to the one tree retailer in town who had to physically go and get a tree for them, which took four days. Now, the retailer had neglected to mention that since this was a real tree, it'd need maintenance to stay alive; needless to say, it lasted two weeks before it died, leaving evergreen needles all over their living room floor.
After that, Marta suggested they get a fake tree, and so she and Emil searched tirelessly for one that looked just as magical as a real one would. They found one and ordered it, just for it to come in and be the skimpiest thing either of them had ever seen. A palm tree would've been more full.
So now they were faced with attempt number two at ordering a tree online, which had actually come in December 21st, but Emil then came up with the idea of waiting until the 24th to put the tree up, as a surprise to their daughter, who had only seemed to get sadder every time something went wrong with one of the trees.
Marta's heart broke every time she'd noticed it, too.
"Do you think Clare would like a tree that's more lit up, or one that has more ornaments?" asked Emil. "Or maybe one with a specific theme..."
"Well..." Marta thought. "She did say she really liked the Nieves family's tree, and the Kresniks' tree, and they both have in common that they have a lot of color in them. Oh! I have an idea~! How about, instead of using some strings of multi-colored lights, we use a bunch of strings of one-color lights, together?"
"Isn't that a fire hazard, Marta?"
"Don't worry, it'll be fine!" Marta waved it off. "We just have to be sure to not plug them all into the same outlet, and we're golden! Right?"
"I don't know..."
"Emil! Don't be a party pooper, this is for our only daughter!"
"I know, but..." Emil looked around the room. "How many outlets do we even have in here?"
"Oh, right..." Marta looked around this time. "I guess we need to keep in mind that electrical capabilities in such a remote area as this one aren't as great as in Palmacosta, huh?"
All of a sudden, Marta felt homesick. She hoped her father was doing all right this Christmas. It'd be the first one that she wouldn't be with him for...
She was brought back to reality when she felt Emil's arms giving her a strong hug.
"Is it too much?" He asked.
"No, I just..." she said softly. "I really miss Daddy, and I hope he's doing okay without me being around. This time of year has been bittersweet ever since we lost my mom, and I'm just hoping the fact that I don't live in Palmacosta anymore isn't too much for him. I don't want him feeling alone... you know?"
Emil smiled. "Well, if it helps, I sent him a care package. It had some easy-to-transport homemade snacks and a copy of our daughter's Christmas story she wrote in school."
Marta smiled then. "That story was pretty cute."
"It was. So don't worry, I made sure to let him know we'd be up late with this tree and to call us if he ever needed reassurance that he's not alone." Emil picked up a string of lights from Marta's box. "How about just red, green, and white? You know, festive colors."
"You're so good at this." Marta smiled at her husband.
"I try my best." Emil affectionately tousled her hair, gently, giving her a kiss on the forehead before they both got up to decorate the tree. The lights were just the beginning. After stringing them up- making sure that they all worked, of course- strings of golden jingling bells, red and green plaid ribbons, and beautifully intricate ornaments followed. Apart from the sets that Marta had bought, of which she bought at least three new ones each year, there was a special box of ornaments that were given as gifts from friends that always went up last, because the couple liked to remember how they'd gotten them. There was the one that was a gift from Colette, the one from Regal, the two they'd just gotten yesterday from Cheria and Asbel as a friendship gift...
And, because Emil wanted to see Marta smile even more, he made sure to toss some tinsel on the tree to make it even more sparkly.
"It's so beautiful!" Marta said when they both stepped back to admire it. Emil had moved all the gifts under the tree, and together, everything looked amazing, almost like the trees in the movies.
"Yeah, it sure is." But Emil wasn't looking at the tree; his loving gaze was fixed on Marta.
"Oh, Emil." Marta smiled, content. "I'm so happy. Despite all the setbacks, we were able to do something this amazing."
"I'm happy, too. I mean, I like the tree, but mostly, I'm just happy that it's made you happy. This hasn't been the easiest year for us, so I'm glad you can smile about this now."
The couple hugged then, the light from the tree illuminating them, before deciding to retire for the night. Marta couldn't wait to see her smiling child's face when she not only saw her gifts, but the impressive Christmas tree that they were resting under.