"This one! Oh! Oh! Now this one is perfect! Look its all green and foliage-tastic!" The young carpenter jumped around the forest.
"Foliage-…tastic? Really Luke? And just when I thought you couldn't get any stranger, but I'm often wrong." I said somewhat under my breath, not to distract the eccentric one. I watched my finicky co-worker skip from tree to tree.
"Perfect." The blue-haired carpenter whispered. He finally stopped in front of a particularly shapely tree. Satisfaction glowed in Luke's eyes. As if they didn't glow like that every other day. I rolled my own eyes and leaned on my axe, un-impressed.
"What's the pleasure in this anyway?"
"The pleasure in Christmas trees?" Luke gaped, suddenly directly in front of me, practically knocking me over.
"Yeah, Christmas trees." I shook the clumsiness off.
"Duh! Christmas trees!" Luke hollered, shaking me until I saw stars. He ran off to hack at the trunk of the greenery. Leaving me stirred into pudding.
"That really answered my question…"
"It smells like roasted chestnuts." Luke stated, admiring his handiwork on the tree. Silver bells with lace ribbons, fabricated ornaments, trinkets in every corner, and half-eaten popcorn strands lined the décor of green.
"No, Luke. You smell like roasted chestnuts."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"I'm not sure, but I am sure it's not normal." I stated. Luke scowled. "You've been working on this all night. Can we please go to bed?"
"Why haven't you?" Luke inquired.
"You ramble when you work. It's really loud too." Again another, more intimidating but of course not scary, scowl came from Luke.
"Have a little spirit, kiddo." The blue-haired wonder chimed.
"Do not call me that!"
"Bo!" Such a squeaky voice. "Wait up! Bo!" I stopped in the middle of the bridge as Chloe ran up behind him. I sighed and reluctantly spun on the worn heel of my shoes. Maybe I'll get new shoes for Christmas. Maybe not.
"Yes?" I said, trying not to sound too annoyed. But oh my goddess was I; it wasn't my time of year.
"Are you going to town?" She smiled.
"Yeah… we need more… popcorn."
"Can I come? Huh? Huh?" She giggled and put her mittens to her flushed cheeks.
"Might as well." I shrugged. She was more tolerable than Luke, anyhow.
We crossed the bridge and shuffled through the snow on the downhill side of the mountain. The pond by Molly's farm had frozen over and a frosty wind blew ice chips towards the two of. I spat and dug my hands into my pockets deeper than before.
"Look! Molly decorated her house too! It's so shiny, I think I could just die!" Yes, her farm was most definitely, shiny. I never thought I was one to be particularly grouchy, but it did get a tad irritating when every time Chloe saw a Christmas light, heard a bell or drum, she squealed. Not just squealed. But squealed. You know…
It was a long walk to the shops, considering they stood on the icy shoreline for ten minutes while the little girl admired the lights on Toucan Island. Oh yes they were very bright. So bright. And it went on. And on. And on.
The smell of pine and oranges rode the wind that blew through Harmonica Town. Maya had dragged Chase into helping her string lights on the Inn, I remembered from a few days before. What a sight that was, neither of the two were really good at that. Contradicting that, quaint little poinsettias grew in the windows of Town Hall, and holly hung from every corner.
The chill was growing ever more with each minute passing. I hurried myself and Chloe to the general store and turned the knob quickly, hoping for a refreshing heat. No budge. I wiped the window of frost and peered in, Chloe doing the same. Wide-eyed, it was decollate.
"It's Christmas Eve, Bo. You thought they'd be open?" I twitched and bit my tongue. She didn't say anything the whole way down?
"Shit."
"What did you say?'
"Nothing…" I've been hanging out with Owen and Luke way too often…
"Well I'm sure the Inn is open! They always are." Chloe stated cheerfully and began dragging me along, but I refused to move. She huffed and puffed as I dug in my heels, but soon tripped over myself. She went on happily.
"With my luck, they'll be closed anyway." I said under my breath.
"You're not a real Christmas guy are you?" Chloe frowned.
"I just don't get all the hubbub. It's just like any other holiday." I yawned. She gasped.
"You are so naive!"
"Excuse me? I'm what…?" She stood in front of me. Arms crossed, chin up. I lifted one eyebrow.
"It's not just a holiday. Have you ever had a feeling like the kind you get when you drinking hot cocoa on a cold winters day, with the snow falling in buckets? Like when you're sitting in front of a fire and…" She zoned off and I continued to stare at her like she was… less tolerable than Luke.
They made it to the Inn after she came to, and sure enough they had popcorn left over from their 'most extravagant tree to date!'… yeah, we've heard that before. I headed for the door when Chloe tugged on my coat sleeve and looked up at me with those eyes you can't say no to. I looked back at her, scared to some extent.
"We should stay and have hot cocoa, right? We're all family, right?" Oh did that hit me. Right in the Adam's apple, and boy, did it hurt.
"Did you bring popcorn?" Luke jumped like a homesick puppy in the snow.
"Yes I got your goddess-damn popcorn Luke. Don't eat it this time."
"Hey." He retaliated with a hint of I-Have-No-Comeback.
"Bo, watch your mouth." Dale spoke echoes from the other room.
"Yeah. Merry Christmas."
I woke up the next morning, not by myself, but when Luke appeared over my bed and began violently yanking on my arm. He's always bragging about his strength, but sometimes I don't really think he knows how strong he really is. With a couple more pulls I was onto the wood floor.
"Bo! It's Christmas! Are you up?" He picked me up from the ground and stared me straight in the face. In that moment, I really wish Luke showered more often.
"I wish I wasn't." Genuinely, I groaned. I was then being drug into our living room where the tree remained. There were only a few presents under the leaves, but this guy acted like there were hundreds. Luke nearly dove into the tree and came out with an average sized box with bright red wrapping and a gold bow.
"I want you to open this first." He smiled and handed me the package. I took it carefully and slowly pulled the ribbon loose. It was all very quiet as I tore the paper.
Can you guess what I got?
Shiny new shoes.