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Stan often thought long and hard about celebrating two holidays, Christmas and Hanukkah. Growing up, Christmas for him was just a few hours at one of his friend’s houses giving gifts and playing games. Now as an adult with a boyfriend who doesn’t really believe in any religion and just celebrates Christmas because of gift-giving, Stan sees it more of a nuisance. Richie has weird traditions during the days leading up to the holiday and Stan sees it being more of a big deal than he originally thought (even if it is still a nuisance).
Before they started dating, Stan and Richie were “dormmates” for the first year of college and then moved into an off campus apartment for the rest of college. During the 3 years in an apartment, Richie took off with his celebrations of both Halloween and Christmas. The entire apartment was covered in the red, white and green (for Christmas) and black, white, orange and purple (for Halloween). Stan often watched the horror unfold before him, even when they started dating just before senior year of college.
“Staniel can you hand me the tape? I need to wrap this door frame.” Richie says holding the green tinsel right where he needs it to be.
“Fine but if any paint gets ripped off, you’re repainting it!” Stan says with a roll of his eyes.
Stan’s parents are flying from Derry to come to the Stozier household for the first time and Stan is absolutely beside himself since Richie will have the entire apartment covered in Christmas decorations. There are a few tables and benches with Hanukkah items and a copy of the Torah sitting proudly on the table beside the fireplace. But there’s more of the Christian holiday items placed around the dwelling.
Bells decorate the door handles, Christmas coloured ribbon are dangling from the kitchen drawers and tinsel lines the skirting of where the kitchen cabinets meet the ceiling. And with Stan’s parent being highly religious, Stan is starting to worry that Richie’s overboard excitement might tip his parents off. Sure they love Richie but they trash the idea of Christmas and the apartment is looking like the North Pole more and more by the minute.
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“Richie, don’t you think you’re going a little overboard?” Stan asks finally after like an hour of watching his overly excited boyfriend. “Christmas is lame.”
“You’re lame! You, you Grinch!” Richie squeals in shock and wacks Stan’s arm with a wooden box containing the star for the top of the tree.
“Oh. Ow.” Stan yelps and retreats into the second spare room to continue his study.
His ‘office’ is touched up slightly with ribbon and tinsel either wrapped around the legs of the desk and chair or stuck to the trips of the bookshelf. The only untouched room in the entire apartment is the 1st spare room that the boys use as a guest room. Christmas often causes a mass amount of decorations to be placed on every inch of the apartment; unlike Halloween. Stan’s not claustrophobic but if he was he would make Richie take everything down in a heartbeat. The crisp snow-white walls now have tape marks, the amount of painting that they’d need to do … If Stan was Eddie, he was sure he’d have a panic attack. But he isn’t, but in true Stanley fashion, he rolled his eyes at Richie’s childish behaviour.
Since Stan’s parents are coming, Stan wanted to make sure that it had zero correspondence to the holiday. Richie seemed okay with it and Stan still hopes he is.
knock knock
Stan sighs and saves his documents.
“Stanny?” Richie’s voice sounds small, almost like a whisper.
“Yeah?” Stan replies, trying his best to mimic Richie’s softness. Richie cracks open the door and moves slowly to the seat in front of Stan’s desk. (Stan sometimes works from home so client occasionally come over)
“I know I went a bit overboard, I can take some - “
“Richard, you don’t have to. I made a compromise with you and my parents should understand. They love you, even if you do like Christmas and seem to be an atheist.” Richie smiles.
“Of course birdman.” Richie gets up from the chair. “I’ll let you go back to your work, Mr Grinch.”
Stan laughs and walks Richie out, kissing him lightly before closing the door behind the tall comedian.