Page 62 of Not Another Christmas Movie

It wasn’t long before Chris was giving the final call for places. When the house lights dimmed and the hush of the audience filled the space, Annie felt her body’s nervous energy buzz in a different direction. There was something about that moment before a performance that made the air spark as everyone willingly suspended their thoughts to a place alive with magic.

Chris played a short opening number on the piano before the stage lights slowly came up to reveal Scrooge, in all his glory, looking peak curmudgeonly. Annie gave herself a mental high five for his presentation. Even without the assistance of a YouTube tutorial on old age makeup, her efforts were pretty solid, and dear ole fourth grader looked like a true professional.

“A merry Christmas, Uncle!” the child playing Fred called out in a tiny, adorable, squeaky voice.

“Bah! Humbug!” Scrooge yelled back to him, and the audience burst out into applause. Wow, two lines in and these kids are already bringing down the house, Annie marveled.

“Christmas is a humbug, Uncle? I hope that’s a joke,” Child Fred said, clearly mugging to the audience like they were all in on this together. The crowd roared with laughter. Annie could already feel herself slowly slipping into the familiar story. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, careful not to make a sound backstage, and moved a little closer to watch.

“Ah, what else can I be when I live in such a world of fools as this? Merry Christmas! Out with merry Christmas!” Scrooge cried out, and Annie sucked in a breath as if hearing the words for the first time, goosebumps covering her skin like an emotional cape. But she let the scene unfold before her eyes, unraveling itself to reveal a simple, beautiful story, free from any of her past expectations.

When it was Holly’s turn to reveal herself as Christmas Past, Annie heard an audible collective gasp from the audience, clearly in awe of her costume and makeup. Annie warmed with pride, looking at Holly under the stage lights, illuminated like an angel. She was beautifully ethereal, like a doll given the chance to breathe life into the room around her. Holly wore a white lace dress with delicately placed iridescent sequins that projected their own sparkles across the stage. Her face had been painted with white and blue swirls around her eyes, and her hair had been woven into a series of delicate braids across her head.

“Holly is a perfect Christmas Past,” a voice whispered into Annie’s ear, causing her to jump in surprise, clasping a hand to her mouth to keep from yelling out.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

“Sorry!” Nick said. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Annie turned to him, catching a whiff of his aroma, which was a blend of earth and fire. Combined with the cozy, mixed scents backstage, it was enough to make Annie feel warm and safe, comfortable and connected. There he is, Annie thought, her breath catching in her chest, this kid I casually referred to as my nerdy neighbor, all grown up into a kind, sensitive, adorable, silly, good-looking man. This sweet guy, who watched made-for-TV Christmas movies with his aunt to bring them both some comfort and joy during a dark time, who preciously held all the memories they had shared growing up next door to each other, and had somehow done the impossible: provided Annie with the Christmas spirit she never imagined she’d feel again.

“Shouldn’t you be up in the booth?” Annie asked, realizing she had been gawking at him in wonder. She desperately wanted to both interrogate Nick about each and every detail of where he had been the past several hours and plug her ears to hide from whatever had transpired between him and Bailey.

“Bailey has everything under control,” Nick said simply.

“So you and Bailey …?” Annie started, unable to meet his eyes.

“I’ll fill you in after the show,” Nick said, and all Annie could do was give him a nod. “Is it weird that I’ll miss this play?” Nick asked, and Annie shook her head.

“I will never admit it again, but no, I don’t think it’s weird at all … I even think I like the show,” Annie relented, and Nick gave her a playful nudge in mock shock.

“Why, Annie Meyers, you never cease to surprise me,” Nick smiled, his eyes back to the stage so he couldn’t see Annie blush.

“It turned out so well,” Annie said, her hushed voice husky with feeling.

“Yeah, it did,” Nick said and turned to Annie, offering her a small private smile. Annie smiled too and turned her attention back to the action onstage, already unable to look away from the familiar tale. Maybe things like this get better depending on who you get to experience them with. Annie thought of taking a quick look at Nick to see him completely engrossed in the play. He seemed to radiate his own light, and Annie couldn’t help wanting to bask in it, him so in his element and contagiously happy.

And that’s how Annie Meyers came to watch the entirety of A Christmas Carol without a single negative thought or critique. It played out how it always did, of course, but this time real tears traveled down Annie’s face when Scrooge woke up to his real life, forever changed by magical Christmas spirits. When Annie heard Jimmy’s Tiny Tim call out the iconic “God bless us, every one!” she had to silence a small sob.

“Are you crying?” Nick asked, while also clearly crying.

“I hate this for me, but I guess I’m a theater person now,” Annie said, unable to avoid letting out a small laugh of disbelief as the show neared its conclusion and the sounds of the piano playing picked up for the final number. “I’m forever destined for dorkiness.”

“It’s a good life,” Nick smiled, and Annie wanted to say more, to hold this moment between them a little longer, but the sounds of cheering and clapping filled every nook of the cafeteria turned performance venue, and all Annie and Nick could do was add their own applause to the crowd.

When the kids finished their first series of bows, Chris took the mic to thank everyone for coming out, especially given the snowstorm that had first been an impossible challenge but had actually morphed into a beautiful opportunity to allow for some kind, local talents to come together in support of the production and the town, protecting the tradition for another tremendous year. When Chris called for Annie, Nick, Bailey, and Perry to join him onstage, Nick had to grab Annie’s hand and pull her out. Holly and Jimmy handed each of them a bouquet of red roses before Annie could give a small wave and excuse herself from the spotlight so the children could enjoy another round of applause.

Next, it was time for the announcement of the local business that would be gifted with the play’s proceeds. After a three-way tie between Déjà Brew, the Nutmeg Nest, and Tinsel’s Christmas Tree Farm, all three businesses decided to put the money into next year’s holiday fund instead because the past few days, despite a “rampant” snowstorm, had revived their commerce. Another win for the Spirit of Christmas, though truthfully, Annie felt like it had been a tad anticlimactic.

At some point, the standing ovations ceased, and the kids returned to the dressing room area, jumping with the post-performance high and the general joy of being that much closer to Christmas. All the children wanted celebratory hugs from Annie, and she happily obliged, enjoying these small, costumed people who were much less smelly and sticky than any child she had encountered in the past.

As the kids changed out of their pristine costumes for the last time and handed them back to Annie, she made sure to organize them for optimal accessibility should they need to be laundered. She handled them with care and delicacy, even though they would likely disappear from existence should she ever leave this place, and tried to lose herself in the task of tidying up the makeup, props, and costume items.

Annie was about to zip the last garment bag when she heard Bailey’s voice outside the door. Being the forever sneaky bitch that she was, Annie took a huge step closer to the exit and tried to hold her breath so she could focus on eavesdropping.

“I have to tell him. Today,” Bailey said, full of an intimate intensity. Annie wondered who she could be talking to. “I came so close right before the show started, but I lost my nerve.”

“There’s still time,” Felix told her.