Celebrate the Season--Let It Snow!

by Taylor Garland

  “Guess I need to take Charlie out,” Chloe said, reaching for her winter gear yet again.

  “Already?” Dad asked. “We just took him for a long walk.”

  “I know, but…” Chloe shrugged. “He’s whining at the door.”

  “Want me to come with you?” Dad asked.

  “That’s okay,” Chloe replied. “We’ll be back soon. You know Charlie doesn’t like to stay out in the cold too long.”

  She hooked Charlie’s leash to his collar and stepped outside. Charlie was pulling on the leash so hard that Chloe stumbled a bit. “Whoa, Charlie! I’m coming,” she said. Something wasn’t right. Charlie didn’t usually bark at the door like that—or tug so hard on the leash—

  Then it happened. Around the back of Mistletoe Cottage, Charlie got sick again.

  “Oh no,” Chloe whispered. “Poor Charlie. Poor boy.”

  There was nothing Chloe could do to make Charlie feel better besides stay with him and say kind things in a soft, soothing voice. Inside, though, her heart was racing, even though Chloe was trying her hardest not to panic. Something’s wrong. Something’s wrong with Charlie, she thought. It was obvious that his gastritis was back. But why? If he hadn’t eaten anything unusual—and Chloe was sure that he hadn’t—then it could only mean…

  We’ve got to get Charlie to the vet, Chloe thought. But they were snowed in! And it was Christmas Eve! Even if their vet back home was open, the office would probably be closed by the time Chloe and Dad could get there.

  Chloe forced herself to pause and take a deep breath. Panicking isn’t going to help anything, she told herself firmly. I’ll walk Charlie for a few more minutes, then tell Dad what’s going on. He’ll know what to do.

  When Chloe and Charlie got back to the cabin, Chloe carried her pup inside. “Dad!” she called as she walked inside. “Dad! Charlie got sick again!”

  “Uh-oh,” Dad said as he walked over to them, a look of concern on his face. “What’s going on, Charlie boy?”

  “He needs to see the vet, don’t you think?” Chloe asked, her voice high and tight. “This is the second time in three days! I’m really worried!”

  “Well, now, let’s stay calm,” Dad told her. “Remember when Charlie got really sick? He was much, much worse than he is now.”

  “I remember,” Chloe said.

  “And he didn’t get sick at all yesterday—remember that?” Dad prompted her.

  Chloe nodded.

  “So let’s just wait and see for a little while,” Dad said. “Who knows, maybe it’s all the unexpected exertion from his squabbles with Elsa.”

  “Maybe,” Chloe said. She hadn’t thought of the connection, but it was true—both times Charlie had been sick after a run-in with Sandy’s cat. She glanced over at Charlie, who was curled up in front of the fire, fast asleep. Maybe Dad was right. Maybe Charlie was going to be just fine.

  Only time would tell.

  “So—how are those cookies coming?” she asked.

  “Cookies! Right!” Jessica said, sounding overly cheerful. “Let’s get to it!”

  Sandy, though, was especially quiet. “I don’t really feel like it anymore,” she said in a flat voice. “Sorry.”

  Whoa, Chloe thought. What had happened? She and Charlie had only been outside for fifteen minutes, but in that time, everything had changed.

  Jessica sighed and disappeared into the kitchen.

  “Dad?” Chloe asked.

  “Jessica and Sandy had a fight,” he explained. “We should probably stay out of it. Come on—let’s go bake some cookies.”

  “I’ll be there in a minute,” Chloe said.

  As soon as her dad was in the kitchen, Chloe made her way to Sandy’s room. She tapped softly on the door, and then knocked again, louder, until she heard Sandy’s voice.

  “Come in.”

  Once again, Chloe found Sandy curled up on the bed, with Elsa in her arms. But this time, Chloe got right to the point. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  “My dad called,” Sandy said. “He was so excited. He said that the roads should be clear enough that he could get here tomorrow in time for dinner.”

  “Seriously?” Chloe squealed. “That’s awesome!”

  “Yeah—I mean, it would’ve been,” Sandy replied. “But my mom said no! I hate her so much!”

  “Wait—why?” Chloe asked. “This fixes everything! You’ll get to see your dad on Christmas, and he doesn’t have to spend the holiday all alone. It’s perfect!”

  “Tell it to my mom,” Sandy said. “She wouldn’t even discuss it! She said it would be awkward for everybody, and really unfair to you and your dad.”

  “Unfair? To us?” Chloe asked. “I don’t get it.”

  “Don’t ask me to spell it out for you,” Sandy said, rolling over to face the wall. “Ask my mom.”

  Chloe sat there for another moment, trying to think of something to say, before she finally realized that there was nothing she could say. Dad was right, she thought. We need to stay out of this.

  So without another word, Chloe slipped out of Sandy’s room. She didn’t feel like making cookies anymore, either. She’d rather sit with Charlie and take care of him.

  Charlie didn’t get sick again that afternoon, but Chloe could tell he just wasn’t feeling right. She decided that she wouldn’t leave his side—not for anything. Not even for a fancy Christmas Eve dinner at the lodge.

  “I know the fireside is especially cozy,” Dad said as the sun started to set. “But it’s about time to get ready for dinner.”

  “I’m sorry, Dad,” Chloe said. “I just can’t leave Charlie. What if he gets worse, and I’m not here to take care of him? I could never forgive myself.”

  “I know how much you love Charlie, sweetie, but you’ve still got to eat dinner,” Dad told her.

  Chloe shrugged. “I’ll just eat something here. Or you can bring me something back from the lodge. You should go ahead and have dinner up there! Jessica made a reservation, right?”

  “Come on, you know I’m not going to leave you alone on Christmas Eve,” Dad said gently. “Not even for dinner at the lodge. We’ll find something in the kitchen and take care of Charlie together.”

  “We can all stay home tonight,” Jessica added as she approached. “To be honest, I’m not really in the mood to get all dressed up again and trudge through the snow. I’d rather stay warm and cozy inside—all of us together.”

  Chloe flashed her a grateful smile. Now she wouldn’t have to feel guilty for ruining Christmas Eve dinner.

  “You know what?” Jessica continued. “We could have breakfast for dinner! There’s bacon in the freezer and plenty of eggs in the fridge.… I could make pancakes, or scrambled eggs, or—or both!”

  “And don’t forget the buttered toast,” Dad joked. “If we were snowed in for another week we wouldn’t be able to eat all that butter!”

  After dinner, Chloe took Charlie out again. To her relief, he seemed better. Standing outside Mistletoe Cottage, Chloe could see the little Christmas tree shining brightly through the windows. The cabin looked so warm and inviting on this frosty night.

  Just then, Chloe heard footsteps crunching through the snow. The sound made her jump.

  “Sorry to startle you,” Jessica called out. “I had to get something from my car.”

  “Can I help?” Chloe asked.

  “Maybe,” Jessica said playfully. “If you promise not to peek!”

  “That sounds mysterious,” Chloe said with a laugh.

  “It’s just a few small presents I picked up in town yesterday,” Jessica explained. “And I bought some wrapping supplies, too.”

  Chloe remembered the plain bag that contained Sandy’s presents. It would look a lot better with some real trimming. “Do you have any extra ribbon I could use?” she asked.

  “Sure,” Jessica said. “Help yourself!”

  Back in the cabin, Chloe rummaged around in the bag until she found a spool of red curling ribbon. “Thanks, Jessica,”
she said.

  “My pleasure,” she replied. Then Jessica turned to the others. “I have just a little bit of last-minute wrapping to do,” she announced. “I’ll be in my room—so do not disturb, unless you want your Christmas surprises to be ruined!”

  Chloe slipped the ribbon in her back pocket. Sandy was holed up in the bedroom again, but Chloe was sure she could find a time to add the ribbon to Sandy’s gift before Christmas morning. Maybe she could do it when Sandy brushed her teeth before bed.

  The clock on the mantel began to chime; it was already nine o’clock. “What do you think—teatime?” Dad asked.

  “Definitely,” replied Chloe.

  “You put the water on; I’ll set the tray,” Dad said. Chloe wondered what sort of Christmas Eve tea surprise he’d been able to manage through the snowstorm.

  Just as the kettle started to sing, Sandy appeared. “I’m just getting a glass of water,” she said awkwardly as she moved toward the sink.

  “Oh,” Dad said, sounding surprised. “I thought you’d be joining us for tea.” He gestured to the tray, and that’s when Chloe saw that he’d set it with three teacups—so smoothly that no one would’ve known that he had added one at the last minute for Sandy.

  “Well… I don’t want to, like, intrude,” Sandy said.

  “Not at all,” Dad told her.

  “Yeah! We have tea every night,” Chloe said. “And on Christmas Eve, it’s the last thing we do before going to bed.”

  “Room for one more?” Jessica asked as she appeared in the doorway.

  Dad smiled at her—a special kind of smile that Chloe had never seen before. “Always,” he replied, adding another cup.

  He carried the heavy tea tray and set it on the table. Then Dad poured tea for everyone—first Jessica, then Sandy, and finally Chloe. She always took her tea the exact same way—a splash of cream and two small spoonfuls of sugar.

  “Whoops,” she said. “We forgot the sugar!”

  Dad’s eyes twinkled as he reached into his shirt pocket. “That’s the Christmas Eve tea surprise!” he announced. “I bought these when we were shopping yesterday.… Of course, I thought we’d be having them back home, not in Mistletoe Cottage. Now, close your eyes and hold out your hand!”

  Chloe immediately obliged. Her dad was such a goofball about surprises, but his excitement was contagious. The paper bag rustled as Dad shook it—something light and delicate fell into her palm—

  “Sugar snowflakes!” Chloe gasped. The tiny white snowflakes glittered with sugar crystals; they were almost too beautiful to dissolve in her tea. Chloe placed one on her tongue and tasted pure sweetness as it melted.

  “Pretty cool, aren’t they?” Dad asked. “Cool—get it? Because they’re snowflakes?”

  “Ha-ha, Dad, super funny,” Chloe replied.

  “They’re beautiful,” Jessica said, holding one up to the light.

  “Look! It’s a blizzard in my teacup!” Chloe announced as she poured the snowflakes into her tea.

  “Too bad the real blizzard doesn’t melt that fast,” Sandy spoke up.

  Chloe glanced over at her. It seemed like Sandy was trying to make a joke, but after all her tantrums, it fell flat—especially with Jessica.

  “That’s enough,” Jessica said to her daughter. Then she turned back to Chloe and Dad. “How did you start having tea on Christmas Eve?”

  “Dad and I have tea almost every night,” Chloe explained. “Then, one year, on Christmas Eve, Dad had a surprise for our evening tea—Russian tea cakes! I was so excited about the special treat that on Christmas Eve the next year, he had scones and a special blackcurrant jam that came all the way from England and, oh, this was the best part—Christmas crackers, too!”

  “Crackers?” Sandy asked. “Like saltines?”

  Chloe laughed. “No, no, they’re like these bright tubes with strings on the end, and when you pull them, they go pop! And all this cool stuff comes out. Paper crowns and confetti and little slips of paper with riddles and stuff.”

  Sandy tried to smile, but she couldn’t quite manage it. She returned her teacup to the tray.

  Too late, Chloe realized her mistake. Here she was, going on and on about special traditions with her dad—when Sandy would’ve given anything to see her own dad for Christmas. “I’m sorry!” Chloe told her. “I shouldn’t have—”

  “Why are you apologizing?” Jessica asked. “Did I miss something?”

  “It’s—” Chloe began.

  “It’s nothing,” Sandy said, speaking right over her. “I’m just really tired. I think I’ll go to bed.”

  That’s just great, Chloe thought miserably. I’ve upset Sandy so much that she’d rather go to bed than stay in the same room with me.

  Chloe had a feeling that Sandy wanted the same privacy she’d longed for earlier. But that was not easy to get in Mistletoe Cottage. I’ve got to give Sandy some space tonight, Chloe thought.

  She stood up abruptly.

  “Sandy—hang on,” she said. “I’m going to get my pj’s. I’ll sleep on the couch tonight.”

  “You don’t have to do that,” Sandy mumbled.

  “No, I want to,” Chloe insisted. “That way I can keep an eye on Charlie—you know, to make sure he doesn’t get worse overnight.”

  Jessica looked from Sandy to Chloe, then back to Sandy again. “Nobody’s sleeping on the couch,” she said firmly. “Let’s keep Elsa in the kitchen so we can clean up her hair easily, and then Charlie can sleep in the bedroom.”

  “Mom! No!” Sandy argued. “Elsa sleeps with me every night! Why should she have to sleep all alone on Christmas Eve?”

  Oh, great, Chloe thought. Now Sandy’s going to be even more upset with me.

  “Elsa will be fine,” Jessica said. “She’s a tough cat. Besides, if she wasn’t constantly fighting with Charlie, they could both spend the night in the bedroom.”

  “But—but—what about Tom’s allergies?” Sandy said.

  “I think he’ll be okay, since Elsa will just be in one spot,” Jessica said, glancing over at Chloe’s dad. Chloe could tell how much her dad wanted to stay out of it.

  “I see. So in the morning, we’ll just lock Elsa up again,” Sandy snapped. “That’s a great way to treat her, Mom. Really awesome.”

  “Can you even stop yourself?” Jessica asked. “It is Christmas Eve.”

  “I know,” Sandy shot back. “I know exactly what day it is.”

  Then she turned around and marched back to the bedroom.

  At first, no one said anything. Then Chloe spoke up. “I really don’t mind sleeping on the couch,” she said as she pulled Charlie into her lap. “Neither one of us does.”

  Jessica shook her head. “You deserve to sleep in a bed,” she said. “Sandy will cool down. She always does.”

  Just then, they heard Sandy stomping down the hall, carrying Elsa’s food bowl. “Sorry to disturb you again. I didn’t want Elsa to starve while she’s all alone tonight.”

  Then Sandy caught a glimpse of Charlie on Chloe’s lap, and her face softened. “How’s Charlie? Is he okay?” she asked.

  “I’m not sure,” Chloe said honestly. “I think—I think he doesn’t feel very good. But he hasn’t gotten worse. Hopefully he’ll be back to normal by morning.”

  “I hope so, too,” Sandy replied.

  By the time Chloe finished getting ready for bed and said good night to Dad and Jessica, Sandy was already in bed with the lights out. Chloe got into her bed as quietly as she could, grateful to feel the warmth of Charlie’s body against her feet.

  Scratch. Scratch. Scratch-scratch.

  The sound of Elsa, scratching at the closed bedroom door, was unmistakable. And it made Chloe feel even worse about everything. But Charlie needs me, Chloe reminded herself. Staying close to him all night was the right thing to do.

  Lying in bed, Chloe noticed for the first time that the bedroom had a skylight. The night sky was cloud-free, making it possible for Chloe to see an especially bright star twin
kling through the darkness.

  “Sandy?” Chloe whispered into the darkness. “Do you have a Christmas wish?”

  There was no answer.

  Maybe she’s asleep, Chloe thought. Or maybe she’s just ignoring me.

  “I bet you wish you’d never have to see me or my dad again,” Chloe answered her own question.

  Across the room, Sandy stirred and sat up in bed. “That’s not my Christmas wish,” she replied. “I didn’t answer because I’m not sure what my Christmas wish is.”

  Chloe was quiet as she waited for Sandy to continue.

  “My wish used to be that my parents would get back together,” Sandy finally said. “I’d wish that for everything: Christmas, birthdays, shooting stars, dandelions. But now… now I think I just wasted a lot of wishes. They’re not going to get back together. Not ever. So I guess my Christmas wish is that I could see my dad tomorrow. But I know that’s not going to happen, either.”

  Now Chloe really didn’t know what to say. And Sandy seemed to understand that.

  “Anyway, what’s your Christmas wish?” Sandy asked.

  Chloe stared up at that twinkling star and said what was in her heart: “All I want is for Charlie to be okay for Christmas,” she replied.

  “Yeah,” Sandy said. “I want that, too.”

  Then Sandy flopped back into bed and rolled over to face the wall. Within a few minutes, she was asleep; Chloe could tell by her deep, even breathing. Chloe wished she could fall asleep, too. Instead, she tossed and turned, even after the rest of Mistletoe Cottage was quiet. Even after Elsa had stopped scratching at the door.

  Suddenly, Chloe gasped and sat up in bed. Elsa—out in the living room—all by herself—with the presents! Presents that were wrapped with ribbon! Ribbon that could make Elsa seriously sick if she ate it!

  In an instant, Chloe scrambled out of bed and raced into the living room. The tree was still lit, glowing softly in the dark room. Elsa, asleep by the still-warm fireplace, opened one eye, looked up at Chloe, and then went back to sleep.

  Chloe examined each present carefully. To her relief, the ribbons and bows seemed intact. The edges were cleanly cut, and there weren’t any teeth marks, either. There was no sign that Elsa had chewed on them.