It rings with the Tremblay! Martine, the mother, will answer. She’s all excited. Last year, no one rang. A Christmas in a bubble. A sad Christmas. Like a tree with a ball. She spent it with her boyfriend and their two children. Like most days of the year.
But tonight, it’s back to normal, or rather, it’s back to special. We can be 20 on the 24th! Martine opens the door. It’s Aunt Marlène and Uncle Jean-François. Always the first to arrive. Nothing has changed.
“Hi, niece! Do you want to see my vaccination passport?
– Well not, well not, but many!
– Minister Dubé, with his beautiful low voice, said it: we can only celebrate between vaccinated. Me, I had my three doses. I triple stiff! You can scan me!
– I don’t have a scan, aunt. Come on, let’s kiss!
– Wô minute! I don’t think we can kiss.
– Are you sure ? Did not speak about it, seems to me.
– Yet it is important! There should have been a press briefing where François and Horacio would have shown us how to kiss each other at Christmas.
– Maybe we can kiss the elbow?
– Good idea, we kiss each other on the elbow! Smac!
— Smac ! »
Coats are not put away as soon as it rings again. Angèle, Martine’s sister, with her three children, 10, 7 and 2 years old. Aunt Marlene is worried:
“Are you all vaccinated?
– Yes, you have nothing to fear, Marlene!
– Even the last one?
– Edward !? 2 years ago !!! Yé do not vaccinate at 2 years!
– Yes, but the party is just for the vaccinated.
– What ?! Do you want me to leave it in the car?
– It’s not crazy, with a little heating. ”
Fortunately, Grandmother Justine arrives in the meantime: “Don’t you quibble! I’m going to give her her Christmas stocking right away, at the bel Édouard. Look, Edward, what’s in your Christmas stocking. A nice quick test! We are going to play with it right away, so that Martine will stop stressing! ”
The boots pile up in the bath. With the four Tremblay, Angèle, her three children, the grandmother Justine, the stepfather, the stepmother, the stepbrother Zachary, his blonde Fatoumata, the cousin Tony, her three guys, the neighbor Christine and her husband Amir, we are at 19. The only thing missing is Martine’s brother, Yannick.
Ding! Dong! It is surely him! Martine rushes forward. She opens :
“Merry Christmas, Yannick!
– Merry Christmas, sister!
– You are not alone ?
– Well no ! I am with my boyfriend Diego.
– I thought you broke…
– Yes, but we resumed yesterday.
– Merry Christmas, Martine!
– Merry Christmas, Diego! »
There is like a cold. And not just because the door is still open.
“Why are you facing that face, sister?” ”
Aunt Marlene arrives in the hall:
“Finally, here is Yannick! We are 20, we are full. Who is the handsome guy next door, your Uber?
– No, I’m not Uber, I’m Diego.
– He’s my boyfriend.
– He’s your boyfriend !? Does that mean he’s going to stay?
– I hope so!
– We can’t be more than 20. With him, that’s 21.
– With you too, that’s 21.
– It is surely not me who will leave, I was the first to arrive.
– Precisely, you took advantage of it enough.
– Eille! Your Diego will leave before me! Anyway, he mustn’t have been your boyfriend for long, I’ve never seen him at Christmas!
– We’ve been together for two years. If I’m going, I’m going! ”
Cousin Tony tries to calm things down: “I think I have a solution. We’re all going to take turns going outside to smoke, so we’ll never be 21 in the house at the same time. »Angela’s youngest, Charlotte, rolls her eyes:
“Tony, you are the only one who smokes here !!!
– Well, you could start, in solidarity with Yannick and Diego. ”
Marlène turns to Martine:
” Say something !
– What do you want me to say? I’m not for leaving my brother and his boyfriend on the porch. Give me your coats!
– Ah well, if it’s like that, I’ll call 911 to tell them that we’re 21! ”
Brother-in-law Zachary has an idea: “Wait! Hold on ! We should do a freelance! We put all our names in the punch bowl, the last name we picked up goes. “His girlfriend, exasperated, retorts:” Nice evening! ”
The stepfather intervenes: “Calm down, everyone! There is surely a buffer in their regulations. There are five of us here three times vaccinated, we should count just for four. In the background, we are 20. ”
Marlène, the grumpy woman, does not seem to adhere to this method of calculation. Angela comes down the stairs: “I went to sleep Édouard upstairs, I’m going to give our hosts 20 dollars for the rent on their second floor.” So, for this evening, the house is two different accommodations. We are 20 at the bottom, and 1 at the top. We respect the rules! Marlène is not opposed to it.
Once again, a child saved the world.
Once again, a child saved Christmas!