Max wagged his tail and walked by her side as she headed for the stairs.
When Haley got to the top of the stairs her smile was radiant. There was a collective “ahhh” when everyone standing below looked up and saw her for the first time.
Haley could feel the love and knew this was the wedding she was meant to have.
As she slowly descended the staircase she looked around and saw all the people from her Christmas Camp—John and his kids, Madison and Blake; and Susie and Ian—she felt so blessed. They had been such a big part of the journey last year when she had rediscovered her Christmas spirit, allowing her to let Jeff into her heart.
Standing next to them was Laura and her husband. Laura wore a pretty black dress with a burgundy shawl. She knew how much Laura loved Jeff and Ben and felt thankful that she now was also included in that love.
The next person she saw was Gail standing next to Ben. She looked beautiful holding little Snowball, who had a burgundy ribbon tied around her neck. Ben looked distinguished and proud in his black suit. He touched his heart and had tears of joy in his eyes when he saw Haley was wearing Jeff’s mom’s dress.
When Haley looked over to her parents, she also saw tears of happiness in her mom’s eyes. When her mom mouthed the words “I love you,” Haley whispered, “I love you.”
And then there was Jeff, the love of her life, standing there, wearing his tuxedo, looking more handsome than she had ever seen him look. But what really mattered most to her was how he was looking back at her. In his eyes, she saw so much genuine love that it made her feel safe and cherished. She knew that together they could handle anything, and she couldn’t wait for their own adventure to begin.
When she got to the bottom of the stairs and he took her hand, he looked into her eyes and softly said, “I love you.”
She smiled back at him. “I love you, too.”
As he led her into the sitting room, she stopped and looked around in awe. The entire ceiling was covered with rows and rows of white twinkling lights. The only other light came from candles and the fireplace. It was magical. Now she knew why Trisha had wanted her to stay upstairs, so they could surprise her.
As Jeff guided her over to the fireplace, where her dad was waiting to officiate the wedding, she looked up at him and whispered, “It’s beautiful.”
The ceremony was equally beautiful. Haley and Jeff recited their own vows that had people laughing and crying all at the same time. It was a true celebration of their love. After the ceremony, Trisha orchestrated the picture taking, making sure everyone got a special picture with Haley and Jeff. The whole time, Haley was in a daze of happiness. She kept looking at her wedding ring and at Jeff, making sure it all wasn’t just a dream, that this was real. She still couldn’t believe she was married to someone who loved her and that she loved with all her heart.
They had just finished taking a picture with John, Madison, and Blake, when Trisha ushered them into the dining room to get a picture with the wedding cake.
Haley looked confused. “But we didn’t make a cake. We didn’t have time.”
Trisha, looking stern, walked up to Haley. “Any wedding I organize has a cake.” When Trisha moved out of the way, Haley gasped.
On the dining room table was her dream wedding cake. Just like the one that was destroyed at her parents’. Only instead of six different snow-white tiers, there were three smaller tiers, all in the shape of different squares so it looked like a bundle of Christmas presents all wrapped up with a pretty burgundy fondant bow.
Stunned, she looked at Jeff. “How did you do this?” She wiped tears from her eyes. “You know how much this meant to me.”
Jeff kissed her cheek. “I didn’t. Trisha did.”
Haley spun around to look at Trisha. “What? How?”
“Kathy showed me the picture on your phone and told me what happened . . .”
Haley looked from Trisha to Kathy.
Trisha continued. “I called in a favor with a pastry chef I know, a big favor because they pretty much worked around the clock to make it happen, and I had Gail pick it up and bring it here. I wanted it to be a surprise.”
Incredulous, Haley walked over to Trisha and took her hand. “Thank you. This means so much to me.”
Trisha smiled a genuine smile. “I’m glad I could do it for you.”
When Haley hugged Trisha, Jeff and Ben came over and hugged her, as well.
“Thank you, Trisha,” Jeff said. “For everything.”
Trisha smiled back at him and at Haley. “You’re welcome.”
Jeff picked up the cake knife. “Okay, who wants cake?”
Haley, laughing, took the knife from him. “We haven’t even had dinner yet . . .”
Jeff smiled and gave her a confused look. “So?”
Haley laughed and kissed him. “I love you so much.”
When they kissed, the photographer got the perfect shot. In the picture, you see Haley and Jeff kissing, and in the background, there’s Ben and Gail, also looking very much in love, and Kathy and Steve holding hands, and you know another Christmas Camp love story is about to begin . . .
Recipes
So you can re-create your own Christmas Camp Wedding greenery arrangements, here are some of the ideas that Haley used for her wedding at the Holly Peak Inn.
Christmas Camp Wedding Greenery Arrangement
Materials Needed:
1 14–16 inch wicker basket (with waterproof liner) or decorative container
1 floral foam (make sure it is for fresh flowers) and a tray for water
Wire wooded pegs to anchor pinecones
Douglas fir branches cut 12–14 inches long
4–6 holly branches with bright red berries
4–6 flowers of choice (Haley used white roses. Red carnations also last a long time.)
Several pinecones for your own Christmas wishes
Please adjust the amount of materials based on the size of the arrangement you would like. These approximate numbers are based on a basket 14–16 inches wide. The amount of branches you will use will depend on the fullness of each branch.
Additional Decorative Ideas:
Additional evergreens, like Balsam fir, if wanted for variety
Small red ornaments to hang on branches
Burlap or red velvet ribbon for a bow
Directions:
Cut all stems at an angle and soak in water for a half hour before creating.
Soak floral foam all the way through, put on tray and into lined basket.
Start by putting the Douglas fir branches into the foam, horizontally, all around the bottom, then adding diagonally and vertically in the middle, doing the top last. The goal is not to see the foam.
Next, disperse the holly branches all around the basket.
Add flowers (be sure to strip flowers of all thorns and leaves, just leaving the stem).
Attach pinecones to wooden pegs and add to the arrangement. Make your wish!
Tips:
Make sure tray always has water and store in a cool place away from the sun.
Mist lightly every few days with water and trade out flowers if needed.
Here’s Laura’s recipe for an easy delicious party appetizer you can whip up in no time, even if the power goes out!
Christmas Camp Goat Cheese Delights Recipe
Prep time: 10 minutes
Skill Level: Easy
Makes: 20
Ingredients:
1 pound of soft goat cheese
1/2 cup crushed walnuts
4 tablespoons parsley (flat leaf)
1–2 teaspoons black pepper (optional)
Honey to drizzle on top (optional)
Directions:
Combine crushed walnuts and parsley in medium bowl and set aside.
Combine soft goat cheese with pepper.
Use goat cheese to make 20 small bite-sized balls.
Roll balls in the walnut/parsley mix until generously covered.
Drizzle with
honey (optional).
Eat immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve at room temperature.
Serve with crackers and bread or eat alone.
Optional Ingredients:
Cranberries
Pecans
Pistachios
Rosemary
Thyme
Acknowledgments
I grew up watching and loving Lifetime and Hallmark Christmas movies where most of the couples didn’t declare their love or kiss until the very end of the movie. It always left me wondering, what happened after that kiss? Did they really get their Happily Ever After? Did they go on and date, get married, have a family? I wanted to know what happened next.
So when I wrote my TV movie Christmas Camp I decided to also write the Christmas Camp novel and sequel Christmas Camp Wedding, so everyone could continue the journey with Haley and Jeff and find out what happened after their kiss.
To do the TV movie and both book projects in the same tight timeline wouldn’t have been possible without the support and encouragement from my steadfast entertainment attorney Neville Johnson, my always encouraging Foundry + Media literary agent, Jessica Regel, and the truly talented and enthusiastic HarperCollins publishing team lead by Liate Stehlik and Jennifer Hart and my editor, May Chen.
From the moment I met May at HarperCollins, I am very thankful to say my publishing collaboration has been one of the most positive experiences in my career. I would also like to stay a heartfelt thank-you to associate editor Elle Keck, copy editor Anne Sharpe, Amelia Wood in marketing, publicist Pamela Spengler Jaffee, and cover artist Amy Halperin.
Before I send in the first draft of any manuscript, I’m truly blessed to have my mom, Lao Schaler, and bonus mom, Kathy Bezold, read everything I write and give priceless feedback, and my ingenious friend Heather Mikesell copyedit so I can write like the wind and make all my tight deadlines.
What a journey this has been! I couldn’t be more grateful for all the continued love and support from my family, including my dad, Harry Schaler, my grandparents Harry and Betty Schaler, my grandmother, Pat Crane, and the rest of the clan.
And for my treasured friends, Greta, Lee, Clint, Lorianne, Lisa, Amy, Tim, Denise, Delia, Heather, and Jeryl, who are like my family, who hung in there with me even when I basically had to disappear to make the TV movie and two books happen.
And finally, a heartfelt thank-you to you, my dear reader, for taking the time to share in Haley and Jeff’s story at Christmas Camp and at Christmas Camp Wedding. Thank you for also caring about what happened next . . .
About the Author
KAREN SCHALER is a three-time Emmy award–winning storyteller, author, screenwriter, journalist, and national TV host. She has written original screenplays for Netflix, Hallmark, and Lifetime Christmas movies, and is the creator and host of Travel Therapy TV and author of Travel Therapy: Where Do You Need to Go? Her travels to more than sixty-five countries inspired Christmas Camp, the novel and movie. Karen is passionate about telling uplifting and empowering stories that are filled with heart and hope. When she’s not traveling, you can find Karen in New York City or visiting her family in Washington State.
Discover great authors, exclusive authors, and more at hc.com.
By Karen Schaler
Fiction
Christmas Camp Wedding
Christmas Camp
Non-Fiction
Travel Therapy: Where Do You Need to Go?
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
christmas camp wedding. Copyright © 2019 by Karen Schaler. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins Publishers. For information, address HarperCollins Publishers, 195 Broadway, New York, NY 10007.
Digital Edition JANUARY 2019 ISBN: 978-0-06-288447-3
Print Edition ISBN: 978-0-06-288453-4
Cover design by Amy Halperin
Cover photographs © AnnaGodfrey/istock/Getty Images (roses); Dumitrita Albu/Christin Lola/Shutterstock (2 images)
William Morrow Impulse is a trademark of HarperCollins Publishers.
William Morrow and HarperCollins are registered trademarks of HarperCollins Publishers in the United States of America and other countries.
first edition
About the Publisher
Australia
HarperCollins Publishers Australia Pty. Ltd.
Level 13, 201 Elizabeth Street
Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia
www.harpercollins.com.au
Canada
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Bay Adelaide Centre, East Tower
22 Adelaide Street West, 41st Floor
Toronto, Ontario, M5H 4E3
www.harpercollins.ca
India
HarperCollins India
A 75, Sector 57
Noida
Uttar Pradesh 201 301
www.harpercollins.co.in
New Zealand
HarperCollins Publishers New Zealand
Unit D1, 63 Apollo Drive
Rosedale 0632
Auckland, New Zealand
www.harpercollins.co.nz
United Kingdom
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
1 London Bridge Street
London SE1 9GF, UK
www.harpercollins.co.uk
United States
HarperCollins Publishers Inc.
195 Broadway
New York, NY 10007
www.harpercollins.com
Christmas Camp Wedding Page 10