Sheila Roberts - Christmas In Icicle Falls

“Oh, okay,” Arnie said. “I’m sorry things didn’t work out for you to go, Muriel.”

“Yeah. This is exactly the kind of trip you’d love,” Dot said.

It was true—this was her dream vacation, and she’d been so quick to set boundaries with Arnie she hadn’t taken much time to think of the experience she’d be missing. Maybe she should reconsider and come along.

“But oh, well. We’ll be thinking of you,” Dot said.

Would they? Muriel wanted to say, “Wait, I’ve changed my mind. I’m coming!” Now it seemed too late, as if she’d be crashing the party.

Maybe Dot had more than a friendly interest in Arnie and wanted him all to herself. She certainly managed to find time to join them whenever Muriel and Arnie came in for breakfast. Now here she was, with the restaurant packed and her waitresses running in circles, sitting around happily making plans for an international getaway with him.

Well, if that was the case, good for Dot. She’d worked hard, running her business and raising her daughter single-handedly. Arnie had been thrifty all his life and spent very little money on himself. It was time they both got out and had some fun. Good for them.

She said her goodbyes and made her way home to her little cottage next to Ed and Pat York’s vineyard feeling a little less cheerful than she had an hour ago.

She’d always wanted to see the vineyards in Germany.

You had your chance. Reminding herself didn’t exactly restore her cheery mood.

But then she pulled up in front of the cottage and was cheered by the sight of a big box sitting on her front porch. Wonderful! Her new artificial tree had arrived. Arnie and Dot were off to Germany but she would enjoy life here in Icicle Falls as the holidays approached. And she had a new tree. A woman could always find something to be happy about, she told herself as she hauled it into the house.

When she’d seen the tree on an online site, she’d hardly been able to believe her eyes. It was beautiful, with lots of full branches. And so realistic looking. A perfect replacement for her old, tired tree, which she’d taken to the Kindness Cupboard. On sale and with free shipping, too. Of course she’d purchased it immediately. It would be the perfect centerpiece at her annual holiday tea party.

Filled with anticipation, she opened the box and lifted out...a sad, bald poor excuse for a tree. What on earth? She looked inside the box, hoping to find, what? A note that said “Ha, ha. Your real tree is coming”?

“I’ve been had,” she muttered. She stood the tree up against the living room wall, feeling cranky. This was not going to work. No way could she display this pitiful excuse for a tree. It was an insult to Christmas, not to mention an insult to trees.

It served her right. She should have purchased her new tree from Ivy Bohn over at Christmas Haus. Well, it wasn’t too late. She dialed Ivy’s shop.

Ivy answered, sounding almost breathless. Hardly surprising considering how busy the shop got this time of year.

“Ivy, I won’t keep you long,” Muriel promised. “But I’m wondering if you have any artificial trees left.”

“Gee, I’m sorry, Muriel. Our last one just walked out the door.”

“Already?”

“I know. Go figure.”

Muriel looked at her ugly tree and frowned. “Will you be getting more in?”

“I hope so, but I’m not sure. We’ve been having some problems with our supplier.”

Muriel had experienced a problem with her supplier, too.

“I’m sorry. If you’d told me you wanted a tree, I’d have set one aside for you. But you’re usually all set for Christmas so far ahead of time—I’m surprised to hear you don’t already have one.”

Ivy was right. This was definitely unlike her. Christmas was hands down her favorite holiday. She’d pull out all her favorite cookie recipes and bake up a storm, putting together gift boxes of cookies for all the Sweet Dreams employees, always making sure to bake Arnie’s favorite fruitcake cookies for him. She loved to entertain and always threw herself into decorating. In her mind, setting a festive backdrop for gatherings was a must. She was sure that beautiful surroundings sent a subliminal message that life was beautiful and being together was worth rejoicing in.

“That’s okay,” she told Ivy. “I’ll work something out.”

“You can always get a live tree.”

Yes, she could but, much as she loved that wonderful fragrance, she preferred an artificial tree that she could put up right after Thanksgiving and leave up until after New Year’s Day. Besides, getting a live tree home and set up wasn’t a job she liked to tackle alone, and she hated to bother the kids.

She thanked Ivy and ended the call and returned her attention to her ugly tree. “Someone didn’t spend much time or love on you,” she informed it. Poor Ugly Tree.

What to do now? She absently ran a finger along one of its branches. Maybe, with enough ornaments... She had three boxes of silver balls that she’d purchased on sale the year before and some silver garlands. And she could pull out those pinecone-shaped lights, buy a few red cardinals at Christmas Haus. Maybe she could fix up her ugly little tree and make it into something pretty. Maybe it was salvageable. It was worth a try.

Always make the most of what you have, even if it isn’t much. She’d said that in one of her books. It was time to take her own advice.

“We have a week to get you gorgeous,” she told her ugly tree. “Let’s see what we can do.”

She could almost hear the poor thing saying, “Yes, please. Don’t give up on me.”

She’d barely determined her course of action when one of her grandmother’s favorite sayings came to mind. You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear. Maybe her grandmother was wrong. Maybe you could. She certainly hoped so.

Her daughter Samantha wasn’t so sure she’d succeed. She dropped by later with Muriel’s three-year-old granddaughter, Rose. “That’s the most pitiful tree I’ve ever seen,” Samantha said.

“Did you go to the woods, Grammy?” Rose asked, cocking her head and staring at the tree.

“No, sweetie. This is a pretend tree,” Muriel explained.

The child wrinkled her nose. “It’s ugly.”

“It’s not pretending very well,” Samantha agreed. “Is that the one you found online?”

Muriel sighed and nodded. “The picture looked much better.”

“Ivy’s probably got some.”

“I called. She’s sold-out already.”

“Wow, not even December 1 and there’s a run on trees. Do you want us to cut you one when we go to the tree farm?”

Freshly cut, the tree would last. Her son-in-law would set it up for her. The whole house would smell woodsy.

Except Samantha and Blake weren’t going to put up their tree for another two weeks and Muriel wanted hers up for her party. “No, that’s okay. I think I can make this little tree look good. Anyway, it doesn’t seem right to toss the poor thing without at least giving it a chance.”

Samantha rolled her eyes. “It’s not like it’s got feelings, Mom.”

Yes, it was silly, but somehow Muriel felt like there was a principle at stake here. “I can dress it up.”

“Well, if anyone can do it, you can,” Samantha said. “If you change your mind, though, the offer still stands.”

“I won’t, but thanks.” It was game on now. Somehow, she was going to make that tree lovely.

And maybe if she stayed busy with the tree and all the other Christmas preparations she loved, she wouldn’t have time to think about Arnie and Dot having fun in Germany without her. Maybe.

Chapter Three

Look for the good in everyone and every day, and you can’t help but be happy.