The snow has been falling since midnight. Several inches of it have accumulated now. Not the wet, slushy snow that’s such a regular part of the New England landscape but light and fluffy snow. You know the kind…the kind that as you walk down the red brick sidewalk it flies around as if you were in a snow globe freshly shaken by a young child. Speaking of which, three young boys come running past me. Three buddies who just got let out of school early and are anxiously awaiting the arrival of Christmas. They’re on their way to ol’ Mr. Broner’s store to get a pack of baseball cards and even though they complain about the stale gum inside, they savor it like it’s the best meal they ever had. Heading further down the sidewalk I come across Ms Sword sweeping the snow off the step of her sewing shop. Just as she looks up, I offer her a tip of my hat and a quick wink which always gets me a big smile from her. It’s been difficult these last couple of years since my wife passed but Ms Sword has been an angel from above with the occasional home cooked meal and always a kind word. A few doors down I reach my destination…Aaron Hats. In this day of vinyl sided buildings that all look the same Aaron Hats is a breath of fresh air with it’s old brick facade and black framed windows.

It seems it’s become an annual tradition for me. My new Christmas hat. It’s usually a Stetson fedora but there’s always the hope that Mr. K will be unpacking a new shipment of hats…something unique, something I’ve been waiting for my entire life but didn’t know until I see it being unpacked. There’s just something special about being the first to try on a hat even before it gets put on display. No such luck today though. Mr. K is happily busy serving four customers at the same time. I don’t know how he does it. Watching him is like watching Harry Connick Jr singing, playing the piano and conducting his orchestra all at the same time. He makes it seem so easy while not one part, or customer in Mr. K’s place, wants for anything more. I browse while he makes quick work ringing up the latest customers and sending them on their way hat box in hand. I finally decide on a Cavanagh Ivy cap. It’s not the same Cavanagh I’m used to from years ago but still a good cap from Italy. I pay for my cap but before he hands me my bag Mr. K excuses himself and disappears to the back room. A moment later he comes out with one of the most beautiful red and white Poinsettia plants I’ve ever seen. Mr. K hands me my cap and the Poinsettia. I stand there like a mannequin in his window not knowing what to say. He knows he has stunned me and simply says “thank you and Merry Christmas”. I’m not one to be short of words but all I can say is…

Merry Christmas.

PS: This post is a work of fiction.