24th DECEMBER 2010

　　She dragged the four stepped ladder from the corner of her small living room. The wire of the white string light clenched in her mouth, she trembled as she slowly climbed up the ladder and balanced herself to stand still on the top ladder. She then took the string light from her mouth and stretched her hands, took a tape out of seven tape pieces stuck on her left wrist and taped the light on the cornice. As she proceeded with decorating the light across the entire cornice, her ocean blue eyes got moist.

　　“This year again, no one to celebrate holidays with. This year again, no New Year’s Kiss.”

　　Iris was an independent thirty two year old woman living in a small house in Avebury, Wiltshire, England. She had lost both her parents and her brother had moved to London nine years ago. Since then she had been living alone. Initially she sent a lot of letters to her brother Graham in London, because he was the only family she had left. But he hardly responded. After two years she gave up. Now whenever Graham sent letters to her, she would keep them unopened inside the drawer of her broken mini wooden table. They had piled up over the years, so she started keeping the rest in the second drawer.

　　Since her family had gone, she only had one wish-to spend holidays with a man who would kiss her forehead before leaving for work. Working in a cafe across the street never really satisfied her needs but it at least got bread on her table.

　　The fairy lights were decorated successfully. More decorations were needed for the Christmas tree. All her old decorations were worn out. She threw all the old decorations in a white plastic bag and tied one of her old hair ties around it. She stood in front of the tall mirror and combed her already combed shoulder length semi blond hair. Her white t-shirt had a food stain. So she quickly changed into a faded brown t-shirt and her black jeans was perfect. She picked the keys from the broken wooden table, grabbed the white plastic bag with worn out decorations and her off white overcoat from the stand as she stepped out of the house, closing the door behind her. It hadn’t started to snow yet. She climbed into her white Chevy that she had bought third hand from a scumbag dealer who gave it to her with 30% interest. Her urgent need of a vehicle compelled her to spend all her savings into that third hand Chevy.

　　She inserted the key into the ignition. After three key twists the engine roared to life and the car started with a jerk.

　　‘Bollocks.’ She screamed. ‘I hate this car.’

　　She calmed herself down and drove slowly towards the garbage bin first, that was just outside her lane. She rolled down the window and flew the bag directly into the open can. There were no houses around her for at least 500 meters, which gave her the perfect view of the huge green hills, which soon will be covered with white snow, in front of her windows. Now the next destination was the decoration shop which was outside the village.

　　She looked at herself in the front mirror while driving through the thin lanes and smiled.

　　“So, what plans? Again dinner for one? Again just one glass of Grans Merlot? Which by the way is turning sixty-three years old tomorrow and only two glasses are left in that bottle.” She shook her head and scoffed. “How I wish, I could share that second glass with someone. Someone handsome” She shrugged her shoulders, “or just someone who would stick around no matter what.”

　　Her smile faded. Melancholy descended over her face. Celebrating Christmas and New Years alone since nine years wasn’t easy.

　　“I’m turning thirty three on the day after Christmas. Another year into old age. But this year I wont cry. I swear.” She closed her eyes for the briefest second and shook her head again.