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Tweak says, "plus ultra!!"

Eddie Kaspbrak (ekaspbrak) wrote in snapthread,
@ 2019-12-14 18:51:00

Entry tags:

eddie kaspbrak, stanley uris

Who: Eddie Kaspbrak and Stan Uris
What: Hallmark’s attempt to be inclusive by using Hanukkah as a plot device
Where: A big city with very few Jews, apparently
When: Now
Rating:A for Awkward

It had taken a lot of coaxing, a littler bartering, a few promises, and more begging than Eddie would ever admit to actually get Stan to try the doors again. The first and only time his friend had allowed himself to be talked into it they’d found themselves dumped back into the middle of the source of their childhood trauma. Well. The source of most of their childhood trauma. It wouldn’t be fair to blame Neibolt for all of their problems when their parents, Derry, and Henry Bowers had contributed. Either way they had wound up in the last place they had wanted to visit and the two of them had sort of decided to never try those doors again. That, of course, was before Eddie decided he needed to buy gifts. Before he realized just how close the holidays were and how they lacked anything more festive than the ugly sweaters Richie had brought back for them. Eddie could, at least, find a place and purchase a few gifts. Maybe they could get a menorah too and celebrate Hanukkah with Stan.

As they made their way towards the door, Eddie looked back at the other man. “Come on….” He all but whined, sounding nearly as bad as Richie as he tried to get Stan to follow. “I’ve been hearing good things about the doors this time. Richie went through and came back unscathed. How bad could it be?” Yes, famous last words but Eddie was hopeful this time. He was pretty sure things were going to turn out okay. He hoped things would turn out okay or Stan would never trust him again. Once the other had joined him, he reached out and took ahold of Stan’s hand. They’d do this together. “If it’s bad, we’ll leave. We won’t even try another door. We’ll just go.” He promised.

He opened the first door he came to and gave Stan a hopeful look, a comforting squeeze to his hand, before he stepped through…

It was strange how a great week could turn out so horribly. Just yesterday things seemed to be going his way. Eddie was in line for a big promotion and had managed to impress an important client. The account was all but his. He just needed to come up with an idea for a new toy line. It wasn’t a problem. He was creative enough and his boss had promised him the client wouldn’t actually be asking for ideas until after the holidays. It hadn’t worked out that way. Eddie and the new client, David, were kindred spirits in a way. They both loved children, loved making toys, and loved the holidays. He’d been invited to a big holiday party and, assuming they were talking Christmas, Eddie had proclaimed himself an expert. He was more than happy to take charge of whatever activities were on David’s list for the party. Christmas was his favorite time of the year. Unfortunately, David wasn’t throwing a Christmas party. He was throwing a Hanukkah party and Eddie knew absolutely nothing about Hanukkah. This account could be his, that promotion could be his if he could just show them what he was capable of. There was no way he could do that if he was fumbling his way through dinner and embarrassing his boss and himself all night long. It was just lucky his friend, Samantha, knew someone who could help.

Samantha had something of a crush on her son’s teacher. Eddie heard about it often enough when she was dropping the boy off at school and, probably, staring at him. Now he could see why. The guy was handsome. Taller than Eddie with a cute button nose, dark curly hair, and the prettiest eyes he’d ever seen. He had to remind himself that he had a boyfriend who he loved (and that Stan had a girlfriend whose Christian family he was trying to impress) as he extended his hand. “Edward Kaspbrak. I guess you’ll be teaching me about Hanukkah. I hope you’re a good teacher.” He said, flashing the other man a smile. He only had eight days to become an expert, after all. His father had said they probably didn’t actually expect it, but Eddie liked to exceed expectations.

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ekaspbrak
2019-12-19 07:21 pm UTC (link)

By the time Eddie was done with him Stan was going to love fruitcake and everything Christmas. It would, rightfully, never take the top spot of seasonal holiday in his heart but that wasn't what Eddie was going for. He was just here to help Stan impress his girlfriend's family. If the other man gained a newfound love and appreciation for a holiday that wasn't his own then all the better. It could only help in the long run if Stan wound up married to this woman and they had to figure out how to incorporate both Christmas and Hanukkah into their lives.

"Is it important to the celebration of Hanukkah?" He asked because that sort of thing actually did sound important. Maybe he wasn't actually converting. Maybe he wouldn't need a menorah ever again but if he wanted to appreciate Hanukkah, really appreciate it, he should try to keep with the traditions. He should take the time every night to light the candles and pray. He should think of what it would've been like to grow up with these traditions and what it meant. Who knew? Maybe he'd grow to love Hanukkah just as much as he loved Christmas.

He still allowed Stan to lead him away and back towards the dreidels and gelt. It seemed obvious that Stan loved his traditions and found childhood memories of this season as much as Eddie loved his own. It was nice to see. The man he'd been dating since moving to the City didn't really care for the Holidays. Which was weird. The two of them probably should've have worked out together all things considered but Eddie thought he loved the guy. Anyway, things would change whenever they married and adopted children. His boyfriend would become his husband and gain a new respect for what they had and the traditions they'd be passing along.

He mentioned none of that at the moment. He and Stan hardly knew each other. It wasn't the time to get into anything more personal than what they were already discussing. He opened his mouth to ask for an explanation when a sound from the nearby staircase caught his attention. He turned to watch as an older woman came down into the store to greet them, smiling widely at Stan.

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stanbyme
2019-12-27 07:56 pm UTC (link)

"You know how most everyone who celebrates Christmas has the Christmas tree?" Stan suggested looking for something to compare the menorah to. "It's sort of like that for Hanukkah. Every night we light another candle of the menorah and we say a prayer until we've lit all eight candles." He explained a little bit more about it, it was easy to get caught up this time of year in the whole sort of idea of needing to buy gifts and plans and things like that, he liked that each night of Hanukkah started with a prayer, something to center them and remind them why they were there in the first place.

"Even when I was a kid I always loved watching the menorah get lit," He told Eddie, in a moment of further honesty, it was probably more than Eddie really needed to know, he was just trying to get down the basics after all. It wasn't like he was going to really celebrate Hanukkah after all. "My whole family would gather around the table while my grandfather would lead the prayers as the candles were lit." It was one of those special memories to him, along with so many others that came along with this particular holiday.

The gelt and dreidels though, those were more fun and more easily understood by the goy of the world, like Eddie.

He just hoped he wouldn't lose some of the wonder and love of this season after he got married, if that was even going to be an option after all of this. He respected a love of Christmas, it just had never been his holiday and he didn't want to lose his own traditions by finding himself in a family that only wanted to celebrate Christmas. Of course just as those traitorous thoughts came into his head who should come down the stairs but his mother. "Oh Stanley," She smiled warmly at him her arms out stretched as she approached him and then wrapped him up in a tight embrace.

"Hello mother," He greeted her, hugging her as well even if not quite as tightly. "I was just showing my -" He paused not sure how he should describe Eddie, "my friend, Eddie around, he's trying to learn about Hanukkah this year." He explained.

"Oh," His mother turned to take in Eddie where he still stood by the dreidels, "And you didn't think to ask for my help, Stanley?" She tutted, it wasn't really a question of course, her attention was entirely on Eddie now. "And what is it that you hope to learn young man, has my Stanley taught you anything yet?"

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