It had to be…”Octopus!” I yelled.
He kept going, but his face lit up after octopus. I had to be close.
“Squid!” Wes yelled.
My dad clapped. “That’s it!” He grabbed another card, and Wes turned to me.
“Good one,” I said.
“Thanks to you,” he said with a grin.
We turned back to my dad who now had on a very angry and annoyed expression on his face. I giggled, and tried to guess what in the world he was trying to be.
Wes gave a guess. “Uh, cranky.”
“Toddler,” I tried.
But my dad shook his head. Then he formed a heart over his chest. A tiny one. Then it was expanding, the space between his hands widening…
Back to the angry expression…
“The Grinch!” Wes and I yelled in unison. The timer went off with several beeps.
Which meant we had won just in the nick of time! My dad ran over and wrapped us both in a hug.
“We did it!” he said.
Then we turned and totally rubbed it in Hugo’s, my mom’s, and my brothers’ faces.
Which quickly ensued a roughhousing match between all the guys. My mom laughed from the couch, and I quietly moved toward the stairs.
At the foot of the staircase, Wes caught up to me. “You’re not staying?” he asked, a huge grin still on his face.
I tried not to stare at his wonderfully messy hair. “I, uh, promised my friend I’d help her with something. And then I’m going to a party later.”
“Oh,” he said, the smile mostly gone now.
I wondered what to make of that response. Then something sprang to my mind, and I said it out loud before I could start doubting myself. “You should come,” I said. “I mean, you and Hugo. Should come. The party’s at Tori’s house. Starts at eight.”
Wes smiled again, and the perfection of it lit a fire in my chest. “Okay,” he said, taking a couple steps back toward the living room. “Maybe we will.”
He went back to the roughhousing match, and I headed to my room, but not before stealing one last glance at Wes. He threw one of my younger brothers on the couch with a huge roar before glancing up at me.
My stomach did a flip, but just like that, he was back to playing.
I wasn’t sure how I was going keep my crush for him in check when he had that irresistible smile.
But for now, journaling about it where no one but me would ever know definitely helped.
Eight
Ella
Harper and I had less than twelve hours left to make Christmas happen for Melissa and her family. And so far, we’d managed to raise less than eighty dollars.
I could tell she was disappointed, but I assured her we could do a lot with that much money. Get Melissa and each of her two brothers one great gift each. Maybe buy a few groceries if we found some good deals.
Harper was the queen of finding good bargains, and today she’d be testing her skills at our local big box store.
I was on my way to pick her up so we could head there, but I had to make one stop first.
My old house came into view, and I slowly entered the driveway. I hadn’t been here in months. Almost a year. I could have recognized it anywhere, but at the same time, it felt foreign to me. Like I hadn’t lived there in years.
I wondered if Sophia was home. The garage was closed, so I couldn’t tell if her car was there, but Lindsay’s car sat parked right in front of mine.
Ella: I’m here.
I sent the text to them in our rarely used group message and waited.
Sure, I could have gone to the front door, but maybe I wasn’t welcome here anymore, even if this had been my childhood home.
My stepsisters and I got along fine now, but maybe it’d be better if I didn’t run into Sophia. I had no idea how she felt about me after everything that had gone down between us the last time we’d seen each other.
The front door opened, and I exhaled.
It was Lindsay. She waved to me, and I got out of my car, only turning back to grab the overstuffed gift bags from my front passenger seat.
When I made my way toward her, Courtney joined Lindsay on the porch. They were still in their Christmas-themed socks. Lindsay wore a super long red cardigan and jeans while Courtney sported an off-white sweater dress and leggings.
“You both look so cute,” I said, giving them each a hug.
“Thanks,” Lindsay replied.
Things were still a tiny bit awkward between us, but that was okay.
I handed them their gifts. “I just wanted to drop these off.”
Lindsay beamed down at her present. “Oh, I want to open it, but I also want to wait until Christmas morning.”
“Me too,” Courtney said with a smile.
“Then wait,” I said. “Anyway, I just wanted to make sure you guys got these. And to say Merry Christmas.”
They nodded. “Merry Christmas, Ella,” Lindsay said.
“And thank you,” Courtney said. “But wait right here.”
They ran back inside and came out a few seconds later with a large wrapped box with a huge bow on it. “For you,” she said.
“Oh,” I said, surprised. I took it. It was kind of heavy. “Thanks!”
I wondered what it was. Big Christmas presents were the best, and I couldn’t wait to open it.
“You guys are awesome,” I said, not believing they’d gotten me something too.
We said our goodbyes, and I made my way back to my car. Once inside, I turned on the car and then looked at the gift one more time. I noticed the tag in the corner.
To: Ella
From: Lindsay, Courtney, and Sophia
I stared at Sophia’s name for several seconds. Maybe it was the season. Or maybe Sophia was finally starting to come around.
Despite the cold, my heart warmed.
Nine
Tori
No matter how many times I did what the tutorial said word for word, I could not get this Christmas bow quite right.
It was driving me nuts.
Why did things never end up looking like in the picture? I rolled my eyes and started over.
The doorbell rang, and I gave up.
My parents were out with Isabella while I finished up here, so I was the only one home.
I made my way to the front door.
It was Noah.
He gave me a small smile. “Can I come in?” he said.
“Hey,” I said. “Sure.”
He wasn’t supposed to show up until tonight. Maybe he was here to help after all? “I thought you were going to spend time with Emma before the party?”
“I was. I am,” he said. “But I realized something.”
I blinked back at him, wondering what he was talking about.
“Well, Emma helped me realized something,” he said, shoving his hands in his pockets.
“What’s that?” I asked, really curious now.
He took a step toward me and gave me that look that still made me weak at the knees. “We promised we’d hang out with Emma and Isabella and do some Christmas stuff together, and we totally haven’t done that.”
I thought about it. “Yeah, we have. We—” I began, but I was coming up blank. “Didn’t we…Surely, we…”
“You’ve been so busy with this party and gift shopping, and all of that’s great, but you’re forgetting one thing, Tor,” he said.
“What?” I asked. I was pretty sure I had shopped for everybody on my list. Was I forgetting something obvious?
That was the last thing I needed right now.
Noah wrapped his arms around me and brushed my lips with his. “All of this is cool, but it’s not what Christmas is about.”
Huh?
He went on. “It’s about spending time together. We’ve hardly done anything together lately, much less with Emma and Isabella. And Emma reminds me about that every day.”
“Oh,” I said, the sinking feeling in my stomach telling me he was right. Isabell
a had been asking me endlessly too when we’d all hang out together, but I kept saying no. Not until all of this was perfect. The party. Christmas gifts.
“You know this party is going to be great regardless,” he said, looking around at all my decorations. “Because we’re going to be together, not because the balloons are just the right shade of green.” A smile played on his lips.
I relaxed, knowing he was onto something.
“And the girls don’t care what kind of presents they get. I think they’re most excited about all the things they want to do. Like build gingerbread houses and bake cookies and all that,” Noah said.
“Oh my gosh,” I said. I’d totally forgotten about the holiday experiences. “We haven’t done any of that! I’m the worst sister ever.”
How had I not made time for all of that?
For making memories with Isabella, Noah, and Emma?
I took Noah’s hands. “I can’t believe I let this party take up all my time.”
He smiled and rested his hand on my cheek. “Just for the record. You’re not the worst sister ever.” He checked his phone. “And it’s only noon. We still have plenty of time to do some cool things before this party starts.”
We could totally do a ton of fun stuff with our sisters before tonight. But… “We don’t have any supplies. We’ll have to go by the store and—”
Noah smiled. “All taken care of. I already went by the store. Emma’s grabbing everything from the car as we speak.”
As if on cue, Emma came through the front door with tons of bags in her hands. I could see bags of candy and baking ingredients. “Tori!” she said.
We went over and gave her a hand.
Then my parents and Isabella walked through the front door, and Isabella ran straight to Emma.
My mom walked over to me. “What’s this?” she said.
I took Noah’s hand. “Is it okay if we use the kitchen for a few hours?”
“We’re gonna build gingerbread houses and make cookies for Santa,” Noah finished.
My mom nodded, clearly approving. “That sounds like a great idea. Your father and I will be in the den watching a movie. You guys have fun.”
My mom left, and Noah turned to me. “So you think Emma and Isabella still believe in Santa?” he asked.
I shrugged. “I’m not sure. I think Isabella’s gotten to that age where she’s doubting the whole Santa thing, but she also doesn’t want to give up the magic.”
“Emma too,” Noah said. “But it’ll be fun all the same.”
We went into the kitchen and found the girls setting up Isabella’s phone and new tripod so they could record the afternoon’s Christmas adventures for their YouTube channel.
Noah was on cameraman duty, zooming in as needed and double-checking their sound. Meanwhile, I set out all their ingredients in pretty bowls.
“Let’s start with gingerbread houses,” Isabella said.
Emma squealed. “This is my favorite! Mostly because I get to eat it. That’s always my favorite part.”
Both girls giggled, and Noah met my gaze and chuckled.
I walked over to him and gave him a peck on the cheek. “Thank you,” I said.
“For what?” he said, giving me a quick kiss on the lips.
“For this,” I said. “For making me step back and remember what Christmas is really about.”
Ten
Lena
Today was the big day. Christmas Eve.
Most people around here began their Christmas celebrations tomorrow morning, but for us, everything started tonight.
All of our relatives were due to arrive in a few hours, and the good news was that the cleaning and chores were pretty much done. For now.
But the bad news was that now the cooking began.
I didn’t like cooking, and I never would. I didn’t understand people who did.
But what I really didn’t like was holiday cooking.
It took FOREVER.
Every year, we made tamales from scratch. My mom made this huge pot of masa or dough. Like big enough for a kid to fit inside.
The hard part was taking that masa with a spoon, putting it on the corn husk, tossing some chicken or whatever on top, then wrapping it up.
Now, multiply that times a thousand until you couldn’t see our kitchen table anymore. You could see why I wasn’t crazy about tamales. Sure, they were delicious and we only had them once a year, but were they worth all the trouble?
I argued not.
Within minutes of starting the endless task, I was so over it, wishing I was on the couch watching TV with my dad instead.
Or practicing my corner kicks in the backyard. Or helping Harper figure out how to fundraise some money for that family in time. Anything would have been better than this back-breaking, grueling work.
This was the worst Christmas ever.
I probably said it every year at some point, but I couldn’t believe it been over an hour and there was still 85% of that masa left.
I just wanted to cry and beg my mom to let me off the hook.
But she was wrapping tamales like our lives depended on it. My uneven rows of various-sized tamales hardly compared to her multiple, tall, and neat rows of identical ones.
Maria wasn’t far behind.
I stared at her, annoyed. She could be such a suck-up sometimes.
Like me, she probably had somewhere she wanted to be tonight.
The only thing keeping me going was the thought of Tori’s party later. If I didn’t help my mom get all these tamales done, no way would she let me go to that party.
Maria looked up and smiled at me.
I didn’t smile back.
I couldn’t wait to get out of here and hang out with my friends.
Eleven
Harper
Ella and I crunched the numbers one more time, but no matter how many times we did, my disappointment only grew and grew.
Our shopping cart contained an afghan for Melissa’s parents to share, a couple of remote-controlled fun-looking monster trucks for her brothers, and a curling iron and other hair accessories for Melissa. She had asked me one time how I always did my hair so perfectly, so I thought maybe I could teach her sometime.
Except we didn’t have nearly enough money to buy everything we’d picked out, much less the groceries I’d been hoping to get too. Everything the four of us had scrounged together hadn’t added up to much.
I sighed among the crowds of busy shoppers. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but it feels hopeless,” I said. “I really thought we’d be able to do more, but at this rate, we’ll be able to get her brothers something and that’s it.”
Ella gave me a small smile. “Melissa and her parents will be thrilled either way. It’s the thought that counts, Harp. I’m really glad we ended up doing this, even if we can only provide them with a couple of small gifts.”
“I know,” I said, still disappointed. “It’s just that they deserve so much better. They’re such a nice family. Her dad helped us fix the kitchen sink a couple months ago and he wouldn’t take any payment. I just wish we could do something nice for them.”
“But you are,” Ella insisted. “You totally are. Those boys are going to love these monster trucks.”
“You’re right,” I said, even though I was feeling totally deflated.
I wished we could do more.
We got in line, and I took out the other items to take back while Ella waited at the front of the store with our cart. “I’ll be right back,” I said.
She nodded and inched forward. It was clear we were going to be here a while.
I took my time locating the aisle the thick and warm afghan belonged. The red and brown and tan colors had caught my eye, and I thought it would be perfect for Melissa’s parents on a cool night.
Maneuvering around several people rushing to and fro, I spotted the place where I’d found the afghan earlier. Before I could reach it, though, I noticed an older lady standing in front of a displa
y of large-screen TVs. There was a Hallmark Christmas movie playing, and it was obviously about to end because an entire family sat around a Christmas tree, decorated with lights and colorful spheres, and surrounded with wrapped gifts.
What she was staring at, though, wasn’t the gifts but the happy kids itching to open their presents, their parents sitting together and smiling. Obviously, they were the happiest family in the world. All was well.
But this lady wiped at her eyes, and I wondered if she was okay. Maybe she wasn’t feeling well. I looked around, but she seemed to be alone, a shopping cart with some toiletries nearby. If I had to guess, I would have said she was going to be traveling soon because all she had were the tiny travel sizes of shampoo and such.
I quietly approached her, arms full of things I was supposed to be taking back, and my heart broke at the sight of her tear-filled eyes.
Was I the only one in this store full of people who could take the time to ask her if she was okay?
Several men and women walked by without a word or second glance to her.
Gently tapping her on the shoulder, I said, “Ma’am? Are you okay?”
She jumped a little, surprised.
“I’m sorry,” I said quickly. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I was just kind of worried.”
She wiped at her tears and gave me a small smile. “I apologize,” she said. “You must think I’m a silly old woman to be crying in a store like this.”
“Not at all,” I said. “I just hope you’re okay.”
Was it something on the TV? I wondered.
She sighed, grabbed a tissue from her purse, and wiped at the tears. “You must forgive me. The holidays always make me a little blue. You see, I lost a daughter several years ago, but Christmas was her favorite time of year. She loved Hallmark movies. We used to watch them together, and now…”
“Oh, I’m so sorry.” I frowned, putting my hand on her arm. “This must be so hard for you.”
She dabbed at her eyes again. “I’ll be okay. But thank you.”
#AllIWantForChristmas Page 3