“This is great. I think we have a plan. What kind of tree topper is going to at least get us an honorable mention this year?” Tucker scanned the group. “Come on. Get creative.”
“I still can’t believe we didn’t get one for the station helmet. That bedazzled thing glowed for a mile.”
Tucker had to agree. It had taken Doris a long time to puttogether too. “Maybe we can still tuck that bedazzled helmet in the tree. Put a partridge or two turtledoves in it or something.”
Doris looked pleased with the idea.
“How about we rig up Santa on a sleigh cruising around the top?”
“North Star?”
“Snow machine?”
“If we’re doing transportation, we could do checkered flags or stop lights.”
“Santa on a tiny trike? I have one in the back of the store we could use,” said Danny. “Not sure what it would take to prop it up there, though.”
“How big is it?”
“It’s a push deal, for a tiny tot. Plastic. It doesn’t weigh much.”
“Can we paint it?”
“Sure.”
“How about brightly colored balloons instead of Santa on the trike?” someone hollered out.
“Maybe the tricycle underneath the tree with eight tiny fire trucks pulling it?”
“I like that a lot. I can help work on that,” said Tommy Newton.
“Great. Santa on a trike isn’t something I’ve ever seen. Eight tiny fire trucks each with a name across the windshield like we have Bull Mountain Boys on ours. Either way seems we’re on the path to a cooler idea than whatever the flower shop comes up with this year. I think GG’s is our biggest competition.”
“We need something electronic on it.”
“Josh and I can help with that. We could make the whole thing spin, or since we have the train around the bottom, maybewe do some kind of chasing lights down the tree that give the impression the train is chugging through it.”
“Okay, I need two people to head up the committee and get y’all all scheduled to help out.”
“I can help,” Doris said.
“Me too,” said Tommy.
“Great. So y’all see Tommy or Doris before next week to get your names on the schedule. We need eight team members for on-site decorating, but like last year we can have people prefab things here at the station before they go over to assemble. We’ll need more hands on deck to wrap gifts after the trees are judged if we decide to make every ornament an actual gift.”
“I like that idea,” said one. “Me too,” others agreed.
“Got that, Tommy and Doris? Extra hands the night following the awards.”
Doris said, “We’re going to win this year!”
Enthusiasm spread through the firehouse.
“Now we’re thinking,” said Tucker. “We’ll email out a sketch once the team has a plan pulled together in case anyone has any other suggestions to add. That’s it. Good night.”
Chairs screeched, and everyone pitched in to box up leftovers for distribution and the firehouse freezer for the next potluck.
Once the station cleared out, Tucker flipped all the light switches and secured the building, grabbing the Styrofoam trays, one with food and the other with goodies, that Doris had put together for him like she always did. He walked outside to his truck at the far end of the now-empty lot.
