Hanna
Seasons Greetings, neighbor š š
Hanna
Just a friendly word from the apartment across the wayā¦
Hanna
You forgot to close your curtains š³
Max
Oh man, Hanna ā Iām sorry about that!
Max
I didnāt realize anyone else was here during holiday break.
Max
My building is deserted. My roommates went home.
Hanna
I think itās just you and me.
Max
Thanks so much. You saved me some embarrassment š
Max
Imagine if Iād been completely in the buff!
Hanna leans against the wall near the closed curtains of her window.
She tries NOT to imagine that full image of Maxā¦
Especially since she canāt stop thinking about her glimpse of him with his shirt offā
Muscled chest and rock-solid armsā¦
Tousled dark hair against a handsome square jawline.
Sheās always been curious about her neighbor Max, but now she is even moreā¦
Why the heck is someone like him alone during the holidays?
Doesnāt he at least have a girlfriend back home to visit?
Hanna
No problem. Happy Holidays!
Max
LOL. Right. Iām not very into the holidays.
Hanna
Who are you ā Scrooge?
Max
Bah Righteous Humbug š¹
Max
I notice you didnāt go home to celebrate the holidays, either.
Hanna
True, but itās not because I dislike them.
She peeks through the crack in her curtains.
When she sees Max standing in front of his window, her heart leaps.
Hanna blushes and moves out of the way.
Max
Why donāt you just open the curtains?
Hanna
Yeah, but Iām still in my pajamas!
Max
Lord knows Iāve seen a pair of THOSE before.
Hanna
Well, mine are baggy and flannel and for MY eyes only!
Hanna
Anyway, to answer your question about winter vacationā¦
Hanna
I almost went home with one of my friends butā¦
Hanna
I felt like having a quiet holiday break. Thatās all.
Hanna peeks out the curtains again.
Max is still there, dressed in a tee shirt and jeans, his hair carelessly ruffled.
And he still looks SO cute.
Max
Hah ā I see youāre not done playing your reindeer games š¦ š¦
Hannaās pulse beats double time, but then the timer on her oven goes off.
Hanna
Gotta go. Iām making gingerbread men.
Hanna spends the rest of the evening baking, but she canāt get her mind off her neighborā¦
And sure enough, sheās back at the window that night, peeking through the curtains again.
Maxās apartment is dark.
Seeing an opportunity to spread some holiday cheer, she runs over to his door with some cookies.
Then she decides to REALLY get Max into the holiday spirit by opening her curtains to reveal her decorated apartment.
She turns on the TV and waits.
Max
Finally ā you opened the curtains!
Max
Thereās also a plate of gingerbread men who showed up to watch football with me.
Max
Are you the one I should thank for that?
Hanna
Yup! Have I won you over to the yuletide side yet?
Hanna
Youāre still resistant even after witnessing my winter wonderland decorations?
When she glances toward Maxās window, she sees the glow of his own TV.
The light dances on him, where he sits on his couch.
It feels comforting to know that theyāre both watching TV at the same timeā¦
Max
Sorry, but even your amazing decorations wonāt win me over.
Max
They remind me of home and how itās snowing there right now.
Hanna
Why is that such a bad thing?
Max
Maybe we should just talk about what weāre watching on TV instead. Deal?
Hanna
Fair enough. But you wonāt want to know what IāM watching.
Max
Since you put it THAT wayā¦
Hanna
Itās Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.
Max
Actually, I used to watch Rudolph when I was a kid.
Hanna
Whoaā¦and here I thought you were BORN jaded.
Max
Arenāt YOU too old to be watching that movie though?
Hanna
No! I love Rudolphās little red nose and Hermey the elf who just wants to be a dentist!
Hanna
I watch it every year, mostly becauseā¦
Loneliness hits Hanna like an avalanche of snow, leaving her with a burn of longing.
Hanna
Watching Rudolph used to be a family tradition.
Hanna
Dad would hand-make one of the toys from the Island of Misfit Toys for me.
Hanna
And Mom would hide red bulbs around the house for me to find.
Max
Wow. Your parents sound great.
Max
But Iām just wonderingā¦
Max
Why wouldnāt you want to go home during the holidays if thatās whatās waiting for you there?
An ache settles around Hannaās heart.
Hanna
Thereās nothing to go home to anymore, Max.
Hanna
My parents died in a car accident a couple years ago, so the holidays areā¦
She hits send because she canāt finish typing.
Max
Iām really sorry to hear that.
Max
I shouldnāt have asked.
Hanna
Itās okay. Itās just that this time of year is harder than mostā¦
Hanna
Especially since I donāt have family anywhere else.
As she swallows back the lump in her throat, Max walks to his window.
His body is silhouetted by the glowing light.
Max
I know this wonāt make you feel any betterā¦
Max
But I donāt have anyone to go home to, either.
Max
No. My reason for staying here during break isnāt as awful as yours, butā¦
Max
Well, last Christmas, my parents had an epic blow out.
Max
My mom was never around much anyway, and she took off to Greece with her newest boyfriend.
Max
And Dad was always just as distant, so when he went to live in Costa Rica.
Hanna
That doesnāt mean that it wasnāt hard.
Hanna
Youā¦didnāt want to spend the holidays with either of them this year?
Max
No. I tried to contact both of them this year to get together, but it didnāt pan out.
Max
But, hey ā they did send gift cards š
Hanna
Now I can see why you donāt have the heart for the holidays.
The light from his screen reveals the loneliness on his face.
Max
I wish I had the same heart that you still do.
Max
Even after losing so much, YOUāRE still able to see whatās good about the holidays.
Max
Iād do anything to get that back.
It seems Max is just as alone as she is during this season of togethernessā¦
But even with him so close by, theyāre each isolated.
Hanna
Maybe you CAN get your holiday heart back, Max.
Hanna
But you have to work at it.
Max
Well, if thereās anyone who could give me hope, itās you.
Max turns off the TV, and his apartment gets cloaked in darkness.
His texts stop. Hannaās confused.
Eventually, Hanna turns off her own TV.
She spends a silent night full of loneliness.
When morning comes, she forlornly looks into Maxās window, expecting to find emptiness.
But what she discovers makes her do a double takeā
Snowflakes, candy canes, and bright lights glimmer back at her.
Hanna
Max? Whatās happening over there?
Max
I couldnāt stop thinking about you and your storyā¦
Max
And it suddenly hit meā
Max
That holiday spirit really isnāt out of reach, because it lives right across from my apartment.
Hanna presses a hand over her pounding heart.
Max
Yeah. So I decided to start with some late-night shopping and decorating andā¦
Max
Well, youāll see when you open the door.
Still confused, Hanna opens her door to find something waiting on the floor.
Hanna
Just like my mom used to hide for me?
Max
Youāll want to check the rest of the hallway for five more.
With a surprised, overwhelmed laugh, Hanna begins to searchā¦
And then laughs even more when she finds the next bulb behind a potted plant.
By the time she finds the last one, sheās as elated as she used to be with her mom.
Max
Now thereās something else waiting at MY doorā¦
At Maxās, Hanna sees a stuffed beige teddy bear with magic marker dots on its furā¦
A makeshift Spotted Elephant from the Island of Misfit Toys?
Joy washes over her as she scoops it into her arms and squeezes it tight.
Inside his apartment is a winter wonderland.
His green-blue eyes sparkle.
Hanna
I canāt believe you did this.
Max
Somehow you got me hooked on Christmas songs, gingerbread men, and holiday movies.
Max
I feelā¦just like I used to.
Max
Hanna, you made me realize that the season is what WE make of itā
Max
And instead of keeping all that distance between your window and mineā¦
Max
I really want to make something of the holidays with YOU.
Max
Because youāre amazingā¦
Max
Even after life dealt you a blow, you didnāt quit.
Max
And that gives meā¦hope.
Max holds out his hand, inviting her into his festive apartment.
She responds with a joyful laugh.
Max
Happy Holidays, Hanna.
She melts into his smile as he brings her over the thresholdā¦
Into a place of bright, colorful lightsā¦
And the warmth of a beautiful, hopeful new season.
