“That would be a priority for me, but you’ve never minded walking.”
Natalie reached down and patted Buzz on the head. He knew to stop and sit when she hit the bridge. He shifted from paw to paw, hoping for an invitation, but when one didn’t come, he lay down.
They loaded everything in the truck and headed to town. It was already getting dark, and every light post along Main was lit up with a giant set of silver bells that blinked, making them look like they were ringing.
“It looks so festive.” Sheila peered out the window. “Look at all the pretty window decorations too. I didn’t notice them in the daylight.”
“The Christmas spirit is alive and well in Chestnut Ridge,” Natalie said. “I told you this is a magical place.”
“It certainly is.” Sheila’s mind wandered back to when she was just a kid and Dad would ride them around to look at all the lights in the neighborhoods. Something so simple had felt as if her parents had stopped the world and transported them into their own private snow globe.
“If only it would snow while I’m here, it would be perfect,” said Sheila.
Chapter Seventeen
Natalie and Sheila met up with the rest of their team at the high school stadium for check-in at the Christmas Tree Stroll. Randy and the couple who lived next door to him, Eli and Amanda, were waiting for them at the Chestnut Ridge High School football stadium gate with a wagon full of decorations in tow. They got in line behind several other teams awaiting their turn to be admitted and given their location assignment.
“The first night of the week-long decorating window is always the busiest,” Amanda said. “Don’t let it freak you out.”
“Natalie said that you’ve done this competition before,” Sheila said.
“In the past I’ve always helped the library decorate their tree, but who can say no to Randy and Natalie?”
“No one.” Sheila knew Natalie’s enthusiasm was contagious. That girl could talk a complete curmudgeon into volunteering.
During Sheila’s divorce, she’d been that cranky party pooper, but Natalie always pulled her into something to get her mind off the bad stuff and invested in the good.
The line was moving along, and finally they were inside thestadium. They were watching the other competitors, and Amanda knew most of the people in line around them.
Finally, the lady with the clipboard walked over to them. “You’re in aisle two, slot fifteen.”
“How many slots and aisles are there?” Sheila rose to her tiptoes to see out across the field as the woman started running down the rules with Natalie. “It looks like they go on forever,” Sheila whispered over her shoulder to Amanda.
“A hundred and twenty trees,” Amanda said. “I’m going to warn you. It’s addictive. You may as well mark your calendar right now for next year.”
“I don’t know about that.”
“You’ll see. They create a town walk using the Christmas trees to create the lanes, and holiday-themed street signs the school workshop classes make. They also make all the benches so folks can stop to rest and enjoy the hot chocolate. The benches are sold and the proceeds added to the scholarship fund for kids entering community college. One year, one of the teams made it snow on the hour every hour on judging night. It’s hard to explain, but once you experience Christmas in Chestnut Ridge, you’ll never forget it.”
Sheila marveled at how Amanda’s eyes danced as she spoke. She had the beauty and grace of a princess, and when she reached for her husband’s arm, Eli looked at her with adoration that made Sheila’s heart pound.How special it must be to have someone look at you like that.
“You can set up your theme sign on the ground or in your tree, but it must not sit out farther than a foot from the tree, to be sure we allow the zoning department’s minimum aisle clearance for compliance. It’s all on this sheet. Good luck.”
Natalie turned to them. “We’re ready! This is going to be so much fun.”
“And a lot of work,” Sheila said as she tugged on the wagon. “You lead the way.”
Amanda swept around to the front. “I know exactly where we are. Come on. Follow me.” She skipped through the trees like a fairy flitting through a familiar cozy forest.
Several groups were already decorating their trees, and the smell of the trees was so inviting that it did seem like Christmas.
Some trees had short needles, some long; some trees were skinny, and some so rotund that they had to be placed on the outer edges. It had to have taken a creative bunch to figure out how to set up the placement chart for all of these trees to fit into the space.
Across the way, in one corner of the field, the tallest tree rose above them all. The fire truck had its ladder extended high in the air. Two men hung over the rungs, dropping decorations along the top section.
I wonder if one of them is Tucker.
“Here we are!” Amanda stretched her arms above her head, the tree still towering a good foot above that. “She’s a beauty!”
