“Merry Christmas, darlings!”

Golden light poured in as soon as she tore open the curtains, and the both of us hide our faces.

“Oh, come on! It’s Christmas! Don’t you want to see what I got you two?”

This is the only time when the shop is closed, and Phaedra loves to make the most of it, even if it means dragging us out of bed at seven o’clock in the morning. Her inner child always comes out on this day, and sometimes Atlas and I wonder if she still believes in Santa, but we do not risk asking such a question. When she’s happy like this, we know we’re in for a wonderful holiday.

We bound out of our room to the Christmas tree, alight with every color you can imagine. Two small boxes are tucked under the lower branches, and Atlas and I swipe them almost immediately.

“Carefully, you two,” Phaedra chuckles. But before she finishes her sentence, scraps of wrapper paper and tape litter the floor. We slowly open our boxes, our eyes bright with joy.

I received an amulet necklace, and I dangle the leather cord from my fingers. The pendent sways back and forth before me, and I’m nearly hypnotized by its beauty until Atlas exclaims, “Look what I got!”

He shows me his wrists, bands of green wrapped around each. I’ve seen Phaedra carry around those jade bangles in a small box whenever she rearranged the items in the shop.

“What I gave to you are things I once owned by dear friends of mine,” Phaedra explains. “And I…” she swallows, carefully gathering her words. I’m about to reach over to comfort her, but then she adds, “I want you to have them because the both of you are dear to me too.”

When she smiles down at us, the sadness she tried to hold back quickly faded. Warmth welled in our hearts, and when we’re about to go to the kitchen for breakfast, a screeching sound turns us towards the window. Stepping across the blanket of snow, the mailman approaches our front door, this week’s newspaper in hand.

“Let me get it this time for you, Phaedra,” I say, approaching the stairs down to the shop. But her hand presses against my chest, gently pushing me back.

“Thank you, dear. But I got it, okay? You guys wait here.”

“No, it’s okay. You don’t have to—“

“I said wait here!” She hisses, without hesitation pushing me further back with more force and rushing down the stairs.

I do not know what the sudden burst of anger means, but I patiently wait in the kitchen with Atlas anyways.