Renald was... happy. He had a pretty wife Claire who one might call a trophy wife with her tight ass and plump D-cup breasts if you didn't know she had a Doctorate and worked at a pharmaceutical company. His own work was well paying and well respected, and now here he was at a Christmas party. There was a nice spread of snacks out on the table as the main feast was being prepared. People either held flutes of champagne or cups of eggnog depending on their tastes on alcohol. There were many gifts under the secret Santa tree... and everyone was just chatting. Chatting about work, spreadsheets, crypto, politics, and...
"Is something wrong Renald?" the sweet voice of Claire asked her husband
Renald thought for a second and said "I'm not sure... the eggnog's good. This is a nice party... Was merely thinking about what I'd do at Christmas when I was a kid though. Eating junkfood while watching holiday specials on TV, having the whole family crowded onto one sofa, tearing into gifts like there was no tomorrow... This is nice but... When did we get so old?"
"Hey we're not that old."
"We're over the hurdle though, I've found my walks getting shorter recently and I've just felt more tired. You look good with whatever magic drugs your cooking up at work, but it feels more like everything's just so... Professional."
"Is that so bad?"
"Not necessarily it's just... It doesn't really feel like christmas you know? There isn't even a board game or two that people are about ready to flip the table over at."
"All those new board games are so complicated though."
"Then we should play monopoly!"
"No one likes monopoly really though..."
"Exactly!" Renald then took a swig of eggnog and then said "Sorry, it's just... This is all really nice..." He took another sip of the eggnog that was really well made "I'm just wondering if something may have been lost you know? It's like a.... Sterile Christmas?"
Claire chuckled and said "I can see that. Compared to my brothers and sisters wrestling each other to get gifts and food... This is pretty tame." The two talked more reminiscing about Christmas with their families when they were younger. When their grandparents were still alive. When the families weren't so split up it was too hard to get everyone in one spot... The couple had decided not to have children, but it kinda felt like something was missing in a way at Christmas. No little feet bouncing and bounding to get their presents as early as possible...
The party continued, the entrees for dinner were amazing, people were opening their gifts with most being pretty orderly... maybe thinking of reusing the wrapping paper themselves. Rarely someone would just tear into the wrapping paper... but that was rare. This was Christmas for the married couple aside from them giving gifts earlier. Renald got what looked to be a shaving kit, and Claire got a gift card to a chocolate shop. Renald supposed his old razers were getting dull and he probably should've bought himself something like this awhile ago... It was a practical gift, one he could use, and he wouldn't return it... In a way better than most of the toys he got as a kid that he played with once and then got left in his closet till it was eventually thrown away, but he had to admit it didn't inspire wonder in his heart like a cheap plastic robot dog toy with a remote control.
The night was young, but Renald felt like his heart was old and the party so sterile... It was about then that...