A story from Boughs of Evergreen: A Holiday Anthology

FROM ALL OF US TO ALL OF YOU
by OFELIA GRÄND

Simon hates the Holidays. It's the same every year - awaiting the dreaded Christmas Eve, when his father gets drunk, while the family fake Christmas spirit and strain to hear the TV over Dad's snoring. This year, Simon's sister is celebrating Christmas elsewhere, leaving him to deal with their parents on his own. But there's a glimmer of hope. A work colleague introduces Simon to her son Hannes at the Lucia Day celebrations, the trouble being that Simon mistakenly believes it's a blind date, and as if that isn't embarrassing enough, Hannes wants them to be friends, and Simon's starting to see signals that aren't there. He's beginning to wonder if he'll make it through Christmas with his sanity intact.

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ABOUT BOUGHS OF EVERGREEN

Boughs of Evergreen is a two-volume collection of short stories celebrating the holiday season in all its diversity. Penned by authors from the UK, the USA, Scandinavia and Eastern Europe, these are tales of the young and the not-so-young from many different walks of life.

Themes of family, friendship and romance take readers on a journey through some of the major holidays, both past and present, including Thanksgiving, Advent, St. Lucia Day, Hanukkah, Eid, Saturnalia, Winter Solstice, Yule, Christmas and New Year. In each we find at the very least hope, and often love, peace and happiness.

Proceeds from sales of this anthology will be donated to The Trevor Project. The Trevor Project is the leading national organization [USA] providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) young people ages 13-24. For more information, visit: www.thetrevorproject.org.