Gail’s eyes filled with tears of gratitude. When she looked up at Haley, she nodded and whispered softly, “Thank you,” and then opened the door so Haley could come in.
About an hour later, the two of them were putting the finishing touches on the tree. Gail stood back and admired their work.
“Haley, thank you so much for this.”
Haley joined her by the tree. “You’re welcome. I haven’t decorated a Christmas tree in a long time, but I have to say, even though I’m biased, this tree is one of the prettiest I’ve ever seen.”
Gail put the last star on the tree. “It really is beautiful.”
“I can come back tonight when I get my phone back and take a picture of you with the tree if you want to send it to your son.”
Gail smiled. “I would love that. Thank you.”
A knock on the door surprised them both.
“Apparently, I’m very popular tonight.” Gail laughed as she headed for the door. When she opened it, Laura was standing in the hallway holding a tray with two Santa mugs and some sugar cookies.
“I thought you girls might like a little snack.”
When Gail opened the door wider so Laura could come in, Haley’s eyes immediately focused on the sugar cookies. They were the round ones with white frosting and crushed pieces of candy canes.
Laura put the tray down on the dresser. “I brought you our famous hot chocolate and our Christmas Camp sugar cookies that are made from a secret recipe . . .”
“Ben’s grandmother’s recipe,” Haley added.
Laura smiled. “That’s right. Ben thought you might like to try one or two . . .”
As she looked at the cookies, there was nothing Haley wanted to do more, but she willed herself to be good. She just wished being good didn’t feel so bad. It didn’t make it any easier to watch Gail take a bite of one of the cookies, looking like she was in heaven.
“These are incredible.” Gail studied the cookie like it was a treasure. “Haley, you have to try one.”
But when Laura held out the tray to her, Haley clasped her hands behind her back and shook her head. “I can’t. Remember? I’m trying to cut back on sugar. They do look amazing, though. Too amazing . . . that’s the problem.”
Laura laughed. “Well, I’ll leave them right here in case you change your mind.”
“I won’t,” Haley said. “I’m very disciplined when I set my mind to something. But thank you.”
Laura looked at the tree they were decorating. “Gail, your tree is looking wonderful. I love what you’ve done with all the stars. It’s so perfect with the room.”
“Isn’t it?” Gail said, glowing. “It was all Haley’s idea, and she has been helping me. I couldn’t have done it without her.”
Haley blushed. “I haven’t done that much.”
Gail walked over and gave Haley a hug. “Yes, you have. More than you know.”
As they hugged, Laura flashed Haley a grateful smile and mouthed the words “thank you.”
“Well, it looks like you girls still have some work to do, so I’ll let you get back to it. If you need anything else, you know where to find me.”
“Thank you, Laura. That was very thoughtful of you to bring us up a treat,” Gail said.
“You’re welcome.” Laura smiled back at them. “Enjoy. Have a good night.”
After Laura left, Gail took another bite of her cookie and studied it like she was trying to figure out the secret of its flavor. “Um, these really are so good. Are you sure you don’t want to try one?”
Haley shook her head and forced herself to look away from the cookies.
“Okay, but surely you can have some hot chocolate? I had some earlier. It’s not very sweet. They use dark chocolate and not a lot of sugar. I think you’re allowed a little something. To celebrate our decorating success.”
Gail handed her a Santa mug, which Haley took, not wanting to hurt her feelings. Gail then held up her mug for a toast, and Haley joined her. “To our beautiful tree, new friends, and new Christmas memories.” She smiled as she looked into Haley’s eyes.
Haley smiled back and continued the toast. “And to joy, Ben’s theme word of the day. I think we nailed it!”
Gail laughed and so did Haley as they clinked their mugs together.
Chapter 16
The outdoor Christmas lights at the Holly Peak Inn glowed brightly against the night sky, casting colorful reflections on the fresh snow.
Inside, Haley was cuddled up in a chair in the sitting room, sipping hot chocolate out of a Santa mug while staring into the crackling fire. Her computer was open on her lap, but the page on the screen that said Tyler Toys Campaign Ideas was still blank. She looked up when she heard Jeff come in.
“Working?” he asked.
“Your dad said it was okay. We’re officially done with all the Christmas Camp activities for today, so I’m not breaking any rules.”
Jeff laughed. “It’s okay. I believe you.”
Haley sighed and put down her hot chocolate. “Sorry, I’m just a little on edge. I’m running out of time to come up with an amazing toy campaign, and so far this is all I have.” She picked up her computer and turned it around so Jeff could see the blank screen.
He raised his eyebrows. “So, you’re having trouble?”
“That would be an understatement.”
“I’m sure something will come to you,” Jeff said as he walked over and put another log on the fire. “So how does your tree look with all the star decorations?”
Haley looked confused for a second. “Oh, those weren’t for me. They were for Gail.”
“Gail? I thought they were for your tree. What did you end up choosing as your theme, then?”
“I haven’t decided yet.”
Jeff frowned. “So you haven’t decorated your tree at all?”
“Not yet. It’s still outside. I told your dad I’d do it before I go to bed. I wanted to try to get some work done first. I just don’t understand.” Haley dragged her fingers through her hair. “Coming up with creative campaigns is what I do best, and here I am surrounded by everything Christmas, but still nothing has come to me.”
“Maybe you’re just trying too hard.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean maybe you’re forcing yourself to come up with Christmas ideas instead of just experiencing Christmas and letting the ideas come naturally.”
“There’s nothing about a traditional Christmas that’s natural to me. That’s why I got sent here in the first place. No offense.”
“None taken,” Jeff said. He was still working on the fire. “I’m just saying you probably need a break. Inspiration usually hits when you’re not trying so hard to find it. Right now you’re surrounded by Christmas, so maybe you should just relax a little and take it all in.” He picked up her empty Santa mug. “So, you finally tried our famous hot chocolate. What did you think?”
Haley smiled. “It was good. It was really good.”
“So, it was worth the calories?”
Haley nodded. “Totally.”
“Laura will be glad to hear it. I’ll let you get back to work. Good luck.”
“Good night,” Haley said as she watched Jeff leave and then turned her attention back to her computer. She put her hands on her keyboard and started typing.
Tyler Toys Santa mugs . . .
She stopped, looked around the room, glanced over to the table where Ben had left his Santa collection, and started typing again.
Tyler Toys Santa collection . . .
She spotted a snow globe and continued typing.
Tyler Toys snow globes . . .
Her hands stopped moving on the keyboard. She stared at the screen, frustrated that her only ideas were boring clichés. She needed something fresh, fun, and new if she was going to compete with Tom. But when still nothing came to her, she shut her laptop and stared up at the ceiling. That’s when she realized how tired she was. She shut her eyes for a moment but then opened them qui
ckly. She’d almost forgotten. She’d promised Ben she’d decorate her tree tonight. She still needed to mark that activity off her list.
Groaning, she forced herself to get up and put on her winter wear. “All right, let’s make this quick,” she said as she hurried outside and headed straight to the back of the inn where she’d left her little tree. She was just picking it up when Ben came around the corner. He was carrying a snow shovel, and by his rosy cheeks and heavy breathing, you could tell he’d been working hard.
He smiled when he saw Haley but looked a little confused. “Haley, what are you doing out here with Jeff’s tree? He should be bringing that in himself.”
Haley laughed. “This isn’t Jeff’s tree. It’s mine.”
“Really, that’s your tree? The one you picked out today?”
Haley held it up proudly. “Yup, it sure is.”
Ben looked surprised. “Sorry, I thought it was Jeff’s. He picks out a tree just like that every year.”
Now it was Haley’s turn to look surprised. “What? Really?”
Ben nodded. “He’s been doing it since he was a kid. He says all the other trees are too perfect.”
“Seriously? That’s what I always say, too. When I was growing up, my family didn’t have a lot of money, and one year, when I was about ten, we couldn’t afford a tree. I, of course, didn’t understand. So I went around the neighborhood until I found a big tree branch I could reach, and I tore it off. I took it home and wrapped the bottom in a blanket so it would still fit in the tree stand and then I decorated it for Christmas.”
Ben smiled knowingly. “A Charlie Brown Christmas tree.”
“Exactly. After that Christmas, we never had a perfect tree again, even when we could afford one.” Haley shook her head, remembering. “We’d go to a tree lot, and I’d see a funny little tree like this one. I’d always feel sorry for it, thinking no one would ever take it home.”
“So you got it and took it home.”
She nodded. “You know I haven’t thought about that in a long time . . .”
“It sounds like a wonderful tradition,” Ben said. “I’m glad you’re honoring it while you’re here.”
“I guess I am.” She looked at her little tree. “I haven’t had a Christmas tree in years. I’ve been so busy traveling around during the holidays, I never bother to get one anymore. Now I just need to figure out how to decorate it.”
“I’m sure something will come to you. I look forward to seeing it when you’re done.”
“Wish me luck,” Haley said.
“I wish you joy . . .”
Haley smiled as she went inside. After she dropped the tree off in her room, she went back downstairs to the library and started looking through the boxes of decorations, searching for some inspiration. She found a box of pretty birds and a decorative bird’s nest, obviously meant for a nature-themed tree, but while they were cute, they weren’t really for her. In the next box she opened, she found a bunch of adorable little elf ornaments and picked one up. It was dancing. She wiggled her own arms around like she was dancing but then put the ornament back in the box and picked up another. This elf was licking a red-and-white-striped lollypop. “Ah, so you like sugar, too?” She laughed. She put that elf back and decided to try another box. In this one she found some stunning crystal snowflakes. When she held one up to the light, it cast sparks of light all around the room. It was beautiful, but it still didn’t seem right.
She was about to give up when she saw a little box standing all alone in the corner. She went over, picked it up, and brought it back to the table. As she got a closer look, she wrinkled her nose. It smelled musty and looked very old. There was yellowed string wrapped around it that she carefully untied. When she opened it the first thing she found was a lot of tissue paper that had also yellowed over the years. The paper surrounded another box that was covered in white velvet. She took it out and set it on the table. “So, what do we have here?” she asked, intrigued. When she opened the lid and looked inside, she found about a dozen tiny white-and-silver angel ornaments. She laughed and shook her head. “More angels? Seriously?” But when she looked closer, she saw they were exquisite. When one of the angels glowed in the light, she knew they belonged in her room, on her tree, with her.
“Okay, you’re coming with me,” she said as she picked up the box and headed for her room. “I have some of your friends waiting for you.”
A few minutes later, as she sat on her bedroom floor next to her little Christmas tree, she carefully took one of the angel ornaments out of the box and looked for a place to put it. She picked one of the highest branches and tested the ornament’s weight before she tried hanging it. It was perfect. Haley smiled and picked up another angel. “Now, where should you go?”
Just as she was trying to figure out where to hang her next angel, Max came trotting in. Apparently, she hadn’t shut her door all the way.
He sat down next to her and sniffed the angel.
“She’s pretty, isn’t she?”
Max barked and wagged his tail while watching her.
“Shhh! You can only stay if you behave yourself.”
Max immediately lay down and looked up at her with his big, brown, innocent eyes.
Haley struggled not to smile and then turned her attention back to decorating. As she put another angel ornament on her tree, she didn’t even realize she had started humming “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” . . .
WHEN JEFF WALKED into the library, he found his dad in the corner decorating a beautiful Douglas fir. It stood about six feet high and was perfectly shaped.
Ben smiled when he saw him. “Son, come over and join me. I could use some help.”
“It looks like it.” Jeff laughed. “I think this tree is even bigger than the one you picked out last year.”
“It might be a little bigger, but what can I say? It spoke to me.”
“And, of course, you always listen.”
“It would be rude not to.” Ben grinned as he put another ornament on the tree.
Jeff was still laughing. “You know the trees we put in here, that always have our homemade family ornaments, are my favorite.”
“Mine too.” Ben took another ornament out of its box and held it up proudly. It was a picture framed with Popsicle sticks of Jeff when he was little. He was adorable. “Remember this one? You made it in fifth grade.”
Jeff laughed as he took the ornament from his dad and gave it a closer look. “Seriously, Mom kept everything.”
“She sure did. She used to say that every single ornament held a special memory.”
“That’s why it would always take you two so long to decorate. Every time you took out a new ornament, you would reminisce about it,” Jeff said, handing the Popsicle picture frame back to his dad.
As Ben found the perfect place for it on the tree, he turned back to his son. “If I remember right, you always loved to help.”
Jeff smiled, remembering. “You and Mom would tell me that I was in charge of decorating all the lower branches, because those were the ones I could reach . . .”
“Oh, that wasn’t the only reason . . . I also didn’t want to have to lean over and strain my back!”
They shared a laugh.
“So, who’s going to do the lower branches this year?” Jeff asked, picking up a funny-looking pinecone with a felt Santa hat on it and two pieces of black felt glued on for the eyes.
“Guess.” Ben grinned back at him.
Jeff laughed. “I was afraid you were going to say that.” He had to kneel down on one knee to get low enough to put the pinecone on one of the lowest branches.
“Well, if you’d just give me some grandkids, we could pass the tradition on to them,” Ben said, giving him a pointed look.
Jeff looked up. “I think you’re putting the cart before the horse, or as you would say, the reindeer before the sleigh. I’m not even dating anyone, so don’t hold your breath on the grandkids.”
Ben chuckled. “Anything ca
n happen at any time, especially at Christmas.”
Jeff laughed and stood up. “Whatever you say, Dad.”
Ben handed him another ornament. It was a simple silver star made out of tinfoil and covered with gold glitter. “I forgot about these stars we made that Christmas.”
“I think we made about a dozen of them and took them to the community center.”
“But Mom made sure we kept a few to always remember . . .”
“And now we are remembering.”
Jeff handed the star to his dad. “Here, you put this one up.”
Ben nodded as he took the star, looked for the perfect place to put it, and reached up high to place it next to one of the white twinkling lights so the light reflected off the foil.
“Nice.” Jeff patted his dad on the back. “I gave Haley a box of star ornaments today. I thought they were for her tree, but she apparently gave them to Gail.”
“I know,” Ben said. “Laura told me. She also told me that Haley stayed and helped Gail decorate her tree, knowing how Gail always decorated with her son. That was a very kind thing of her to do.”
Jeff looked surprised. “I didn’t know she helped Gail. I thought she just gave the stars to her.”
“No, she stayed and helped her decorate, and Laura said Gail was very grateful.”
“Huh.”
“You’re surprised?” Ben asked.
“I guess I am,” Jeff answered. “I just know Haley is all about getting everything done here as fast as she can so she can get back to work. I just wouldn’t expect her to be helping anyone else.”
“I also saw the tree she cut down.” Ben gave Jeff a knowing look. “It looked familiar.”
Avoiding the look, Jeff picked up a candy cane and put it on the tree. “Yeah, she did a good job cutting it down.”
“She made an interesting choice,” Ben said.
Jeff avoided his dad’s pointed look. “She just picked the smallest one because cutting it down involved the least amount of work.”
“Actually, she told me, since she was little, she has picked funny little trees like this, because she wanted to make sure they got a good home. Sounds like someone else I know . . .”
Christmas Camp Page 13
