Page 46 of Not Another Christmas Movie

“Annie, why don’t you partner with Nick?” Chris asked.

“Oh, I’m sure Nick has someone else in mind—” Annie started, still unable to look Nick in the eye.

“I don’t actually. My only plan is to sleigh it,” Nick said, attempting a joke. Annie looked up at him and could swear she recognized him trying to cover hurt feelings. Ugh, Annie didn’t want him to feel rejected or like some consolation prize; that wasn’t her intent.

“Yeah, okay, if you want to,” Annie conceded, chewing nervously on the inside of her cheek.

“Let’s go get your aprons,” Bailey directed. She seemed resigned to Nick pairing with Annie, though not exactly happy about it.

“What aprons?” Annie asked.

‘Oh, Annie, honestly, you’re acting like you’ve never attended the Annual Simsbury Grand Gingerbread Jubilee, Featuring a Creative Confectionery Construction Challenge with Extravagant Adorned Apparel Encouraged Competition before. The pairs need to wear matching holiday aprons. How else will the judges keep track of who is partnered together?” Bailey asked, a hint of annoyance in her voice. “I’ll see if I can find the snowman and plaid print for you, it’s my favorite,” Bailey said, smiling at Nick.

“Okay, partner,” Nick began. “What are you thinking about our design?”

“Oh, whatever you think, I don’t care,” Annie mumbled, making her way to an empty table for them to work.

“Annie,” Nick said softly. “Are you okay? Did I do something?” Nick asked, his voice breaking ever so slightly. It felt like a direct punch to the gut.

“What?” Annie asked breathlessly. “No, no, I’m fine, sorry, I’m, um, trying to figure out how to get time in with Chris,” Annie trailed off. Her face flushed, and she was scared Nick could see right through her, that he would be able to read her thoughts spelled out across her body language. “Why don’t we make the Smiths’ family house?” Annie suggested, thankful for the burst of inspiration.

“The turn of the century Victorian on Kensington Avenue?” Nick perked up.

“I mean, let’s be real, you’ll absolutely be doing most of the construction, and I’ll mostly be snacking on the supplies, but if you think it’s possible?”

Nick nodded enthusiastically. Annie could see him mentally making notes of which items they would need first.

“Welcome to the Annual Simsbury Grand Gingerbread Jubilee, Featuring a Creative Confectionery Construction Challenge with Extravagant Adorned Apparel Encouraged Competition!” Grant’s voice rang out across the space. He was wearing a bright green headset that was the same color as his blinding, sequin-covered suit, bedazzled with candy canes.

“It burns,” Annie hissed, covering her eyes.

“We’ll ring the bell to start the festivities in one minute! Judges, please take your places,” Grant summoned, and Bailey and Eve joined Grant in front of the large table. Perry sent Grant a small wave and it lit them both. Eve was waving like the princess she apparently was, her hand cupped and elbow gracefully bent. Bailey had a big smile, but she focused it solely on Nick. “You and your partner will have one hour to complete your gingerbread entry, and a winner will be crowned. So put those creative hats on.” Grant paused to reveal a green sequin hat and tossed it on top of his gelled head. The hat sat with a slight tilt but looked like it was now permanently fixed and unmoving. “The real recipe today is a hundred cups of holiday cheer, a generous helping of fun, and sure, maybe a pinch of allspice,” Grant grinned. “Now get ready, get set, go decorate!”

Nick raced to the supply tables first, dropping items off before returning for more. Annie did her best to keep the space organized and when Nick had finished his final trip, he found Annie popping another tasteless gumdrop in her mouth and chewing in thought, gathering her own pieces of the allotted tools.

“What are you up to over there, partner?” Nick asked.

“I’m going to make the snowmen,” Annie told him matter-of-factly. “Before Tootie iconically destroys them, I mean.”

“That’s a great idea,” Nick said, stopping to look at her. Annie blushed slightly and simply shrugged back. “Some of those faces are kind of creepy though …”

“Oh, yeah, they’re unearthly. That’s the best part. Those scary faces under a gorgeous hat collection? I’m going to recreate that whole scene,” Annie answered, gathering a stash of marshmallows and toothpicks.

“You know, the snow people in the movie were made of Styrofoam, not actual snow, so I think you’re on to something, but if you need help ensuring their sturdiness—” Nick started.

“Shh,” Annie told him, holding up a finger. “I need to take advantage of my creative daze abilities while I can.”

Nick swallowed back a smile and returned back to his own task at hand, allowing Annie to turn off everything around her and slip away into her Tootie tunnel.

Her hands were possessed by some sort of divine, creative Christmas genius, and her fingers moved quickly to stack marshmallows on toothpicks, lightly pulling the sweet confections to create the snowmen mounds and the snow jackets they appeared to be wearing in the movie. She used white icing on top and sprinkled edible iridescent glitter over their bodies. Thankfully, Nick had also secured her some edible markers to hand design some of the smaller details, like glasses and their strange, eerie faces. With small strings of licorice and some fondant, Annie formed the additional accessories for her creations, giving them hats, and even a purse. Her favorite touch came from using some shredded coconut and icing to make a small fur-like cover for a snowman’s shoulders.

Somehow, an hour passed in a blink, and when she heard Bailey ringing the large golden bell to signal the contestants to stop, she looked down to admire her tiny creatures, and she was proud of the weird little family of snow people she had formed. Each one was so purposefully strange and uniquely adorable.

Nick had done a tremendous job on his construction of the house; of course, he managed to capture the Victorian architectural features with intricate piping along the window frames and decorative trims, using tiny candies to define the roofing tiles and using some of the edible glitter to look like snow dusting the home and its surroundings.

The snow people certainly added an additional element of festivity and playfulness. The only thing missing was a soulful Judy Garland singing “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” to complete the winter wonderland in its entirety. Unfortunately, though, their gingerbread house did not win.

“This is bullsh—” Annie moaned miserably once the judges had reached a decision. A cookie sheet loudly clanged to the floor, cutting her off. “I can’t even properly express my rage with profanity,” Annie hissed.