Stephen loved this holiday. Unlike his father, he didn't mind going to Mass. It was a beautiful ceremony, and he enjoyed the rituals that he'd known since his youth. However, he enjoyed the rest as well. His father would call him sentimental or irrational, and he knew that there was no logical explanation, but Christmas was the season of giving.
He walked around the crowd, talking to different people. He barely nodded at some, and spent more time with other, but this was not an obligation that he minded.
He was moving along when he heard someone call his name.