Decorating the christmas tree

Slemo challenged me to write this piece a while back... just that I hadn't been able to find the time... I still don't have the time... but I need to do something desperately to take my mind off things for a little while...

There was the scent of ash and brine stone that not so subtly lingered. The heat from the the room was intense and almost suffocating. It was so bright in the room that it seemed to glow bright red.

Then the lights went out.

He sighed. 'Power outage,' he thought to himself. 'Right on time too.' But he didn't need light to see what he was doing. It was an age old routine for him. Decorating his Christmas tree. He reached for the box at the floor and continued.

Christmas. What a wonderful time of the year.

Couples reunited over the holidays. Holding hands while walking down streets lit up with Christmas decorations. Kissing each other under the mistletoe. Making passionate love under the starlight. People randomly hooking up in the spirit of Christmas.

He placed the first of his decorations on the tree.

The food. Yes. How can one forget the food! Always plenty to eat! Turkey, mash potato, mac and cheese... The list of food just goes on and on. Banquets, tables filled to the brim with foods that tease and pleasure the palate endlessly. You could just eat and eat and then some more.

The second of the decorations went on the tree.

Sleeping in on Christmas morning. Lazing around; a comfort of doing something so obscenely simple; yet is denied to us on working days. Lying in bed daydreaming. Just doing nothing at all.

Smiling to himself, he placed the third decoration.

The shopping! Oh! The shopping! Every woman's dreams come true! Huge discounts! Malls opened till late. Buying things that you don't exactly need but get anyway because well... its Christmas. A small splurge won't hurt. We'll just tighten our belts later on. Okay, maybe a little bigger than a small splurge. But its all in the spirit of Christmas.

He rolled his eyes and placed the fourth decoration on the tree.

Then comes the showing off. My gift to my wife cost me 12,000 pounds. I bought my girlfriend a brand new diamond ring for Christmas. Ego masturbation via expensive gifts for your loved ones and the best part? Showing it off to everyone who can see it.

Smirking, he added the fifth decoration.

The poor people. Looking through windows at fancy restaurants where people feasted. Waiting in the cold desperately for any kind of hand out. Picking scraps from the rubbish bins. Their hearts full of bitterness and jealousy towards those who had everything they wanted and more for Christmas.

Yes. Yes. This is more like it. The sixth decoration took its place.

Traffic jams. Overcrowding. Hatred. Blinding hatred. Alcoholism. Robberies. Car accidents. People screaming their pain out for all their lacking during Christmas. People furious at themselves for not being able to get what they wanted for Christmas. Not being able to afford to. Angry at themselves for spending Christmas alone because they have no one else. Bitterness.

The final decoration took its place at the tree.

At that second, the lights came back on. The screams of the damned returned to the room. The heat burned a thousand times hotter than it has been a second ago.

'I guess the break's over. Even the damned deserve a small reprieve. Its Christmas after all. '

Lust, gluttony, sloth, greed, pride, envy and anger.

My seven favorite decorations for Christmas.

'You gotta love Christmas,' and what was once the most beautiful face in the world, lit up.

'Awesome for business.'