“Do we have to invite your entire family this year for Christmas Eve?” Ian asked.

“Well, we do that every year, don’t we?” Lucia asked. “We have your family Christmas Day, right?” 

“I guess so. But a turkey and sweet potatoes doesn’t cost nearly as much as what we spend on Christmas Eve dinner for your family. I mean with the seven fishes, everything from shrimp, to lobster tails, to flounder and the rest. It adds up.”

“We don’t have to invite them if you think it’s too much,” Lucia said. She walked out of their large eat in kitchen and into their bedroom and shut the door. Ian knew that wasn’t a good sign, but he was concerned about costs that year. He’d been hearing rumors about a layoff right after the holidays, but he didn’t mention that. He hated to worry her.  

He followed her to the bedroom. She was sitting on the edge of the bed, a tissue in her hand. As soon as she saw the door open, she wiped her eyes. Lucia had grown up in a Boston suburb, which had a heavy Italian-American population. Seven fishes with pasta on Christmas Eve were a long-standing tradition for many of the Italians.

Lucia, who was short and petite, met Ian, who was of Irish descent, in college. After only six months of dating, he’d proposed and she readily accepted. She took a lot of ribbing from her friends and family about marrying the tall Irishman, but they were in love.

Married 22 years now, Ian and Lucia Riley were still the envy of friends and family. They lived modestly, but there was still a noticeable spark between them. “Maybe we could limit the menu this year,” Ian said, searching for a way to make her happy again without capitulating completely.

“It’s a family tradition. Everyone really looks forward to coming to our house. My sister makes the desserts and my brother brings the wine.”

Ian laughed. “Cheap wine. How about if we supply the wine and your brother buys the fish this year? It adds up baby.”

Lucia stood up and went back into the kitchen. Christmas Eve was only about a week away. She had already invited everyone. She hadn’t even mentioned it to Ian, because she assumed, they would do what they had always done. “I’ll call my family and tell them we’re going to skip this year. They’ll understand,” she said.

The couple didn’t talk about it the rest of the day. That evening, though, while they were trimming their Christmas tree, Ian asked, “Did you call everybody and let them know we weren’t hosting Christmas Eve this year?”

“I did.”

“How did they take it?”

“They were surprised, but they understood, I’m sure.”

“We can call my brother and sister and give them the same message about Christmas Day,” Ian said.

“Whatever you decide is fine,” Lucia answered. He called them the next day. It was only fair.

The next week was busy for both of them. Between work and last minute Christmas shopping, the time flew by. Lucia managed an ophthalmology office and Ian was a customer service manager at a large electronics store. They were both tired when they got home, which Ian hoped was the reason why they weren’t talking much. They didn’t even light the Christmas tree some nights.

When Christmas Eve arrived, Ian got up early. He told Lucia he had a few last-minute errands to run. She said, “Me too. I guess I’ll see you later.”

He left the house and got on the road. On a mission, he headed to the huge Italian market. He got right down to business, buying everything he needed. His cart was nearly full when he turned to go down the aisle. He was looking down so he didn’t see the woman who was pushing her cart up the aisle, while she checked her shopping list. Their carts crashed, making quite a racket, startling them both. They looked up, glanced at each other’s carts and started laughing uproariously. They abandoned their carts so they could hug. “Since when did you learn how to buy fish?” Lucia asked.

“That turkey is too small,” he answered. “I’m so sorry, Baby. I almost ruined your Christmas.” He kissed her. “It won’t happen again.”

“The only way our Christmas could ever be ruined, would be if we weren’t together,” she said.

The Riley family had the best Christmas celebration that year. In spite of a lot of laughter and hugging, somehow, they managed to get all the work done in time for Lucia’s family. Ian, simply couldn’t bear to disappoint Lucia. He had called her siblings and told them they had to surprise their sister and come to Christmas Eve dinner. Lucia had decided to surprise Ian.

Lucia’s brother brought a good wine to dinner.

And Ian didn’t get laid off after all.