Page 83 of Falling for the Grinchy Bad Boy

Inside the case were coils of LED light strips, the kind used for holiday decorations but rated for outdoor use and cold weather operation. As Matt continued the spray, I began carefully laying the lights on top of the latest layer of ice, working quickly before the next application of water could freeze them in place.

“The lights are going to be embedded in the ice?” Joy asked, finally understanding what I was attempting.

“That’s the idea,” I said, placing another section of LED strip and signaling Matt to resume spraying. “If this works the way I think it will, we’ll have lights running through the entire structure.”

The process was painstakingly slow. Spray a layer, let it freeze, place lights, spray another layer. The sculpture grew taller and more complex with each layer.

By the time we’d been working nearly two hours, we had created something that looked unmistakably like a Christmas tree made entirely of clear ice, standing nearly eight feet tall and embedded with dozens of LED strands that were currently dark but promised to be spectacular once activated.

I hoped. I really hoped the weight of the ice wasn’t too much.

“Holy shit,” Elijah breathed, stepping back to admire our creation. “That’s actually incredible.”

Joy was circling the ice tree with obvious awe, her earlier complaints about the cold forgotten in the face of what we had accomplished. The sculpture caught the light from the fire truck’s work lamps, refracting and reflecting it in a way that made the entire structure seem to glow.

“Cooper,” she said softly, “this is amazing. But how do we test the lights? Are they even going to work after being frozen in ice?”

I walked to the base of the sculpture, where I had carefully positioned the power connection and control unit in a waterproof housing. The LED strips were designed to operate in extreme temperatures. The control system was rated for outdoor use, but this was definitely pushing the equipment beyond its intended limits.

“Only one way to find out,” I said, flipping the switch.

The effect was pure magic.

Light bloomed from within the ice tree, the embedded LEDs creating a bright, colorful glow that seemed to emanate from the structure itself rather than from any external source. The clear ice acted as a perfect diffuser, spreading the light evenly throughout the sculpture and creating an almost ethereal quality that made the entire tree seem to be lit from within.

The lights were programmable. I quickly set them to cycle through different patterns—a gentle pulsing that made the tree seem to breathe with light, followed by a twinkling effect that looked like stars caught in crystal.

“Oh my God,” Joy whispered, her voice filled with wonder. “Cooper, this is… this is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

Matt and the other guys were equally impressed. They seemed to be genuinely amazed at what we had created. Even I was stunned by how well the concept had translated into reality. The ice tree stood like something out of a fairy tale, casting colored light across the snow and transforming the empty corner into something magical.

“This is what was missing,” Joy said, turning to look at me with an expression I couldn’t quite read. “This is exactly what the memory station needed as a backdrop. Families are going to take the most incredible photos with this.”

She was right. The ice tree would provide a stunning focal point for the community memory station, something uniquely beautiful that would make every photo special and memorable.

“How long will it last?” Rodriguez asked practically.

“Should be good through the weekend, as long as temperatures stay below freezing,” I said. “The LED lights generate almost no heat, so they shouldn’t cause any melting from within.”

“And if it warms up?”

“Then we’ll have the most spectacular puddle in the history of Christmas markets,” I admitted with a grin.

“And then it will make an ice rink when it freezes down again,” Elijah offered.

Joy was still staring at the ice tree, shaking her head in apparent disbelief. “I can’t believe you did this. I can’t believe you thought of this, planned it, and actually pulled it off.”

“It was a team effort,” I said, gesturing to Matt and the others who were already beginning to pack up the equipment.

“No,” Joy said firmly, stepping closer to me. “This was your vision, your plan, your Christmas miracle. And it’s perfect.”

She went up on her toes. “Are you on shift tonight?” Her question was meant just for my ears.

I shook my head. “Nope.”

“I’m coming over.”

Like I was going to argue. “I’ll ride with you.”