Marti stood on a small stepladder beside the fireplace, gingerly placing Christmas ornaments on a tree that reached to the vaulted ceiling.
“What do you think?” Marti leaned back slightly to admire her handiwork. “It's Santas this year.”
Indeed, the entire tree was trimmed in a variety of Santa ornaments. Last year, Christy remembered, it had been lambs. Marti was the only person Christy knew who had a different theme for her Christmas tree every year.
“It's nice,” Christy commented. “Are you all done? Do you need any help?”
“I believe I'm finished, dear. Wait until you see it with the lights plugged in. I used red lights this year. Gives the room a wonderful, festive glow.”
Dad came in, carrying in a suitcase in each hand, “Christy, could you help your mom bring in the smaller bags? Where do you want us to put all this, Marti?”
Marti descended from her decorator's loft and pointed up the stairs. “I thought you and Margaret would enjoy the morning glory room. It's the second on the right. David is in the daisy room at the far end of the hall, and Christy is next to him in the violet room.”
“The rooms have names?” Christy asked, curious to know if the house really came labeled that way or if her aunt's dramatic flair had affected everything in the house.
“Oh, yes! This is a bed-and-breakfast. Bob knows the owners, and they went to London for the holidays. He rented it from them for a song. You'll be favorably impressed with the accommodations, I think. A fireplace in nearly every bedroom!”
“I can't wait to see my room,” Christy said.
“Don't forget to help me with the bags,” Mom reminded Christy.
Marti added, “Then your mother and I need to make a quick run to the grocery store to stock up on food for the week.”
Christy hurried to carry in the bags and waved good-bye as Mom and Marti took off for the store. With anticipation, Christy grabbed her luggage and headed up the stairs to find her violet room.
She decided the first room on the right must be Bob and Marti's. In the center was a four-poster bed with a sheer canopy draped over the top and down the sides. Everything was in red roses and dark cherrywood.
She ventured on down the hall, the thick carpet crushing softly under her feet. The next room turned out to be her parents' morning glory room, with bright blue morning glories painted in a border trailing up the walls. The blue bedspread, rug, towels, and curtains lent the room a cheery look, and Christy knew her mom would like it.
Closing their door, she tiptoed across the hall, feeling as though she were exploring a great castle. The door on the left opened to reveal her violet room. Christy held her breath when she saw it.
It looked like something out of a storybook. In the corner, a fire glowed in the fireplace, and against the wall was a white wrought-iron daybed with a heart in the center of the back, frosted with a deliciously thick down comforter. Little bunches of violets were everywhere—violets tied with pink ribbon on the wallpaper, pressed violets in small, narrow frames on the nightstand, a soft blanket with embroidered violets over the antique trunk at the end of the bed, and even an oval throw rug by the door with a large clump of violets in the center.
But what captured Christy's heart was the window seat beneath the large double windows. It looked too enchanting to be real. She dropped her bags and approached the seat as if it would run away if she went too fast or startled it. Gently touching the narrow, cushioned seat and fingering the lace on the violet-covered throw pillows, she decided it was indeed real and hers for the next six days.
“Is the room to your liking, miss?” Bob asked, standing in her doorway.
“Oh, you startled me!” Christy said as she turned around. “Yes, it's gorgeous. I love it!”
Just then they heard hoots and hollers outside. Christy leaned her face close to the window and could see David pelting Dad with his meager supply of snowballs. Bob joined Christy in spying on the war about to break out.
“Come on,” he said, tagging Christy on the arm. “We can go out the back through the kitchen and ambush them.”
“Let me find my gloves.” Christy quickly rummaged in her bag and then slipped the gloves on as she galloped down the stairs behind Bob.
Like two secret agent scouts, Bob and Christy crept along the side of the house until they saw Dad and David rapidly tossing snowballs at each other.
“All right, here's the plan,” Bob whispered. “We need a fair supply of ammo before we rush them. Let's make a dozen balls each, store them here, and then we'll carry as many others as we can and still throw.”
Christy gave her uncle a playful salute and set to work on her dozen snowballs. Next, she and Bob loaded more snowballs in the crooks of their left arms.
“On my signal.” Bob held up his right hand and watched for a break in the skirmish between Dad and David. “Okay, now!” he ordered, snapping down his hand and running into the fray, hollering and throwing snowballs as if he were a ten-year-old.
Christy followed right behind him and lobbed her first shot at Dad. He was caught off guard, and the missile hit his right ear. David and Dad's surprise allowed Bob and Christy two more excellent shots before her brother and father retaliated. The battle raged, chilly and full of laughter, as Bob and Christy each took turns returning to the side of the house for ammo.
In a bold move, David cut across their lines, found their secret stash, and used the last few snowballs on them. Bob managed to scoop an armful of snow down David's back before Dad called a truce.
Just then the car containing Marti and Mom turned into the long driveway.
“Quick,” Bob said. “Everyone hide, and let's give the ladies a surprise welcome!”
David and Dad scrambled to hide together behind the family car while Bob slipped behind a tree. Not sure where to go, Christy headed for the side of the house but felt sure Mom and Marti had spotted her. She decided to play it cool and act as if she were out for a stroll.
“Hide, Christy!” David yelled in a hoarse whisper as Marti parked the car and turned off the engine.
Mom opened her door and greeted Christy with, “Are you out enjoying the fresh air?”
“Yes,” Christy answered, scooping up a handful of clean snow in her gloved hand and licking it like a snow cone.
Marti exited her door, pulled a bag of groceries from the backseat, and said, “Where's Bob?”
Christy hesitated and then decided honesty was always the best policy. “He's hiding in ambush behind that tree over there.”
“Christina,” Marti scolded, “where do you come up with these things? Do teenagers take smart-answer classes in school these days?”
When Marti was a few feet from her, Christy held out her handful of snow, “There's something wrong with this snow. It doesn't smell right.”
“What do you mean it doesn't smell right?” Marti asked.
Christy sniffed at the snow mound, “I don't know how to explain it, but it doesn't smell like Wisconsin snow.”
Mom lugged two sacks of groceries from the backseat and said, “Then, for heaven's sake, don't eat ifr, Christy. Snow isn't supposed to have any kind of smell.”
Christy looked at her aunt with questioning eyes. “What do you think? Does it smell funny to you?”
Marti leaned over, ready to delicately sniff the white stuff. Christy playfully pushed the handful of snow into her unsuspecting aunt's face.
Dad, David, and Bob took that as their signal and sprang from their hiding places, yelling so loudly that Marti dropped her bag of groceries and ran into the house, screaming.
Mom planted her grocery bags in the snow and began to fling a few feeble balls at Dad. David snuck up behind her and shoveled a handful of snow down her jacket.
Letting out a yelp, Mom scooped up snow in both hands and showered the blessing back on David.
Mom, Dad, Bob, and David were all laughing and brushing the snow from their faces when Christy heard Marti calling to her from the window above
her. “Oh Christy darling,” Marti called. “Up here!”
Christy looked up just in time to see Marti tip a glass of water out the open window. Before Christy could move, the wet bullet found its mark and dripped down her face.
Christy shook off the startling wet surprise and called out, “Okay, okay! We're even, Aunt Marti.” Christy waved her surrender at her aunt.
“That's the way I like it,” Marti said with a satisfied expression.
Christy went inside to change and met Marti upstairs in the hallway.
“I couldn't resist the opportunity,” Marti said with a giggle. “You're a good sport, Christy.”
“So are you. You must have been pretty feisty when you were my age.”
“Oh, I was!” Marti agreed. “Just ask your mother! Now, put on some dry clothes, and join us downstairs for cocoa.”
Marti trotted down the stairs, and Christy thought, Your poor mother!
Once Christy was changed and seated at the kitchen counter, she asked, “Do you think we'll be able to do a little shopping somewhere up here today or tomorrow? I need to buy one more present.”
She didn't want to mention that the only person she didn't have a gift for was her aunt, the person who had everything.
“The only shopping is at the Lake Arrowhead Village. I don't care to go there tomorrow,” Marti said crisply. “It's Christmas Eve day, and the crowds will be unbearable.”
“I could take you over,” Bob said smoothly. “Or if you like small gift shops, I noticed one about a half mile down the road. I could take you down there, if you'd like.”
“I could walk, if it's only a half mile.” Christy accepted the mug of cocoa Bob held out to her.
“What's only a half mile?” Mom asked, joining them in the kitchen.
“A little gift shop. I still have one more present to get. Is it okay if I walk down there?”
“By yourself?” Mom asked.
“Mom, it's only down the road.”
“I suppose it's okay. Thanks, Bob.” Mom received her mug of cocoa. “You'll have to hurry, though. It's already after two. It gets dark faster up here in the mountains, so you would have to be back here before four, I'd say.”
“That's fine. I'll leave right now.”
“I imagine David will want to go with you,” Mom said.
“Mother,” Christy said with pleading eyes. “Please, may I just go by myself? He's not exactly a gift shop kind of kid.”
“I suppose you're right. Just be careful, okay?”
“I will, Mom. I'll stay on the road, I'll be back by four, and I promise I won't talk to strangers.”
Christy hurried to her room to grab her coat and some money.
Bob was waiting for her by the front door. “At the end of our driveway, turn left,” he explained. “Then keep heading straight down the road for about a half mile, and you'll see the shop on the right. I think it's called the Alpine Gift Shop. Do you want me to pick you up in an hour?”
Christy was about to turn down his offer, but then she realized the walk there was downhill and would be quick and easy. But the walk back would be all uphill.
“Sure. My mom will probably feel better about that, won't she?”
Bob smiled. “I'll be there in an hour.”
Christy trudged down the driveway before David noticed she was going somewhere. She turned left and kept heading down the cleared street. She was glad for the chance to think and pray, breathing out her prayers in misty puffs of cold air and listening for the answers in the crunch of gravel and ice beneath her feet.
The more she thought and prayed, the more she knew she wanted to be good friends with Rick and get all this tension between them resolved. And she didn't want to be jealous of Katie for having more freedom to do things and for being the center of attention all the time. She wanted Todd back in her life, or more accurately, she wanted to be back in Todd's life. She wanted his arm to be around her, not around his surfboard. And she wanted to feel close to God.
Is it possible to have all these at the same time? Maybe I need to set my priorities in order and reverse the list so God is at the top, with Rick, Katie, and Todd afier that
Into the cold winter air, she prayed, “I surrender to You, Father. I do this a lot, don't I? I'm glad You don't ever get tired of forgiving me for not trusting You completely. I don't want to run ahead of You. I want to walk with You. I want to hear Your voice and feel Your hand of blessing on my head.”
right where Bob said it would be and eagerly entered the warm, fragrant shop. Her nose and ears needed a little thawing out from the cold air.
The small store connected to some kind of big lodge. Christy noticed that soft, Christian praise music was playing in the background.
She began to browse the darling displays of gifts. From the pictures with Scriptures on them and the assortment of T-shirts with Christian messages, she realized the shop must be run by a believer. It made her feel warm inside and at home.
She loved all the frilly little gift items like the white lace doilies and the stationery trimmed with wildflowers. There was a whole section of books, and an antique trunk bubbled over with stuffed animals.
An elegant white teapot caught her eye. It had a matching creamer and sugar bowl, but she didn't have enough money for the whole set. She also knew it was probably something she would like more than her aunt would.
A collection of angels by the shops back door gave Christy an idea. She chose an angel Christmas tree ornament that looked like it had been made from an old-fashioned lace handkerchief. Maybe one year Marti would decorate her tree in angels, and this could be her first one. The price was right, and Christy felt good about finding something unique and special.
She took the ornament up to the register, and a sweet-smiling lady with short, curly blond hair rang up the purchase. Christy smiled back, certain that the lady must be a Christian, even though Christy didn't know what to say to identify herself as one too. She thought maybe her smile back could be a secret message of kinship in Christ.
“Would you like this gift wrapped?” the lady asked.
“Sure, that would be great. Is there an extra charge?”
“No, it's complimentary.” the lady turned to a tall, pretty teenager sitting in a chair behind the counter. “Could you find a box upstairs for this, Amanda?”
The girl had long, blond hair pulled back in a braid and wore glasses with light blue frames that Christy thought were flattering on her. She rose from her cozy spot and walked up the narrow stairs at the back of the shop.
Christy waited patiently, smiling again at the lady and noticing how much she resembled the teenager. Maybe they were mother and daughter.
“These are cute angels, aren't they?” the lady com-mented. “My mom makes these. She'll be glad to know we sold another one.”
Amanda returned with a box, and the lady carefully laid the angel inside on a bed of tissue paper.
“Do you want me to get a bow for it, Mom?” the girl asked.
Christy thought how nice it must be for a mother, daughter, and grandmother to all be involved in running this fun little gift shop. And if they were Christians, as she suspected, they could at least say Merry Christmas to their customers without being corrected.
Christy thanked the mother and daughter and was about to leave when something inside compelled her to call out, “I hope you have a wonderful celebration of the birth of our God.”
Amanda looked at her surprised mother and then back at Christy and said, “Thanks. You too!”
Bob was waiting in the car for her when she stepped outside, leaving the warm, spicy fragrances locked in the charming little shop. She told Bob how cute the store was and that it was run by a mother and her daughter.
She wondered how Mom, Marti, and she would do if they tried to run a shop together. The more she thought about it, the less pretty the picture became. Mom and Marti were so different—her mom was simple but sturdy, while Marti was all flair and fashion.
&nb
sp; Christy especially noticed the differences between Mom and Marti the next night. It was Christmas Eve, and as the whole family ate dinner by candlelight, Dad read the Christmas story from the book of Luke. Bob and Marti respected Christy's family's tradition, although the looks on their faces showed Christy that they didn't see the miracle in the story.
Christy smiled, thinking of how Bethlehem must have been filled with Bobs and Martis that night, who hurried about their business, unaware of God's sudden presence among them.
When Dad read about the angel appearing to the shepherds, bringing “good tidings of great joy,” Christy thought, A whole city full of important, influential people, and God chose to wake up some lowly shepherds to announce His arrival.
She glanced at petite, stylish Marti, who seemed poised like a rocket, ready to blast off to the presents under the tree the minute Dad finished reading.
I'd rather be a shepherd, Christy thought, feeling as if she and God had a little secret.
“This one's for Christy,” David announced a few minutes later as he scurried around the tree, passing out gifts to the family.
Christy eagerly unwrapped the medium-sized box from her aunt and uncle and discovered a complicated, expensive-looking camera.
“Thanks,” she said, not quite sure how to respond to such an unexpected gift.
“Your mom said you signed up for a photography class next semester, and I wanted to make sure you were prepared with the best equipment possible,” her uncle explained. “I'll show you how to work it later. It's as easy as can be.”
“Thanks.”
She didn't know what else to say. The photography class had been almost an afterthought. It had sounded more interesting than some of the other electives offered, and she had been at a loss as to what else to fill her schedule with. Now she had an expensive camera to cement her elective-class decision. Maybe it would help her get a good grade.