Day 22: Ordinary

A sure sign of the end of the Christmas season was the appearance of dried-out evergreen trees alongside the usual trash on the sidewalks. It always made Kurt a little sad. So much effort and care went into holiday preparations only to be tossed aside carelessly a few days later.

Returning home after a quick trip to the store, Kurt made his way to the living room, turned on the tree lights, and sat on the floor in front of the tree. Blaine found him there a short time later. As attuned to Kurt's moods as he was, he simply settled beside him quietly.

"I suppose we should take it down soon," Kurt sighed.

Blaine shrugged. "I'm in no hurry. Thanks to my allergies, it's artificial, so it's not like it's going to dry out or anything."

"I know we can't keep the tree up forever, but every year when we take it down – it's almost like Christmas never happened. Everything becomes, I don't know…ordinary again."

Blaine smiled, leaning over to lay his head on Kurt's shoulder. "Nothing's ever ordinary when I'm with you. Every day is extraordinary."

Kurt rolled his eyes, but threaded his fingers with Blaine's. "You're so full of it," he muttered.

Blaine chuckled softly. "Well, it's true. My life with you is never ordinary. Life with you at Christmas just has more twinkle lights."

They stayed like that for a while, basking in the soft glow of the tree as the late afternoon turned to evening. No other lights were on in the apartment, and the effect was almost magical.

"Maybe we can leave it up another week?" Kurt whispered.

"Or two," Blaine answered gently. Life could stay extraordinary with twinkle lights a little while longer.