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“Absolutely, Dana. Your daughter and grandbaby need you.”
“They really do. I hate her being so far away, especially having her first child, but they needed to move for her husband’s work. I’m half tempted to move closer to them, but I hate California. It’s expensive and hot and—” Dana cut herself off with a wave of her hand. “You didn’t come here to listen to me gripe!”
Merry chuckled. “You’re fine, Dana. I’ve got plenty of time. I’m going to pop in to see my sister after this and then I’m going home. Tell me what I need to know.”
Dana patted the top of the red binder. “This is my Festival of Trees bible. Everything you need is in here, including order forms for businesses to fill out to reserve their trees. Your father guarantees us fifty, but you’ll have to talk to him about how many you will actually need. Usually it isn’t even that. People would rather donate a raffle basket or gift card instead of a tree, less time consuming I guess.”
“That’s ridiculous. It’s the holiday season and this town needs to step up. I’m going to make it my goal to get a tree from every business in Mistletoe.”
“Ha, good luck with that! There is no way you’re getting the Gallaghers to buy and decorate a tree. I think Declan is ornerier than his father and I’ve wanted to knock Liam upside the head a time or two.”
Merry smirked as she flipped open the binder, studying each page. “They aren’t the nicest men, but I am a firm believer that enough Christmas cheer can melt even the iciest of hearts.” She stopped on the schedule page, her eyebrows shooting up at the lengthy list. “I love how detail-oriented you are.”
“It’s taken me twenty years to get to this point and a whole lot of frustration, but this is my baby. It feels strange passing it off to someone else to organize, but I trust you. I’ve done my best to make it easy for you and hope there won’t be any hiccups.”
Dana’s sweet tone dripped like sugar-free maple syrup and Merry resisted the urge to audibly gulp at the pressure. “I’ll do my best to make you proud.”
“I know you will. And you can message me if you have any questions. I’ll be available unless I’m sleeping or holding a baby.”
“I will.”
“That’s it, I suppose.” Dana hopped back up out of the chair. “I have an early flight in Boise, so I need to get back home and finish packing. Thank you, Merry. This event is very important to the town and I feel better knowing it is in such good hands.”
“Safe travels, Dana.”
Dana gave her a wiggle of her fingers and ducked out the door eagerly. A little too eagerly.
Merry picked up her coffee in one hand and continued to flip through the pages, studying the color-coded schedule. Tree orders were due to her family farm in two weeks. Vendor booth deposits needed to be paid in full by the end of November. Paper snowflake garland collected from the elementary school the week before the festival. The list went on and on, all the while working, helping her parents, and trying to have a life of her own.
Merry pursed her lips, her breath rushing out in a sigh of resignation. I need to stop being a pessimist. As a Christmas lover, this event is my jam and I got this!
After throwing her purse strap over her shoulder, Merry gathered her coffee cup and the binder, giving herself a pep talk as she pushed out of Kiss My Donut. She’d been volunteering all year wherever she was needed for town events and although this was the first time she’d headed one, there was no reason to freak out. She’d follow Dana’s schedule and it would go off without a hitch.
A Shop for All Seasons would be open for another forty minutes and at least if she collected Holly’s order and deposit, she’d be one step closer to making this festival a success.
Merry passed by the Bank of Idaho, admiring the fall window they’d painted across the glass. Last week it had been bats and skeletons and today it was pumpkins, turkeys, and scarecrows. The day after Thanksgiving, it would change again to whatever Christmassy theme they planned this year and Merry couldn’t wait to see it.
Although some businesses went the traditional route of decorating for each holiday, Scrap and Sew Craft Store had a wood sign in their window display that made her snort.
Happy Hallowthanksmas!
Felt pumpkins sprinkled the fake snowy ground, and to the left, classic monsters made out of yarn were sledding down a hill of white cotton. Gorgeous Christmas wreaths made of sparkling ribbons and bows hung above like multicolored stars, and smack in the center was a stuffed, quilted turkey, complete with a large paisley fabric tail. It was absolutely adorable, and she considered popping in to find out how much it was, but she didn’t decorate for any holiday but Christmas. There wasn’t enough space in her house to display much anyway, so she kept it to one tub of Christmas stuff. She could get a small shed for storage, but her heart didn’t leap for any other holiday the same way. Once the greens and reds of the season started popping up in stores, she’d be humming and smiling until January first. Heck, if it was socially acceptable to keep her holiday décor up and listen to Christmas carols all year, she would.
Merry opened the door to her sister’s shop, and when she stepped over the threshold, the obnoxious call of a turkey exploded above her head, making her nearly stumble into a display of wooden porch signs. It made sense her sister would change the sound celebrating all the major holidays, but that door alarm was enough to give patrons like Merry a stroke.
“You all right?” Holly called from around the rather large frame of Declan Gallagher. They were facing off in front of the checkout counter, Declan’s posture rigid and imposing, but Holly didn’t seem fazed by the big man’s irritation.
“I’m good, but you gotta get rid of that door alarm. I think I lost ten years off my life.”
“I agree with your sister,” Declan griped. “You need to take it down a notch with all this holiday cheer.”
Holly rolled her eyes. “Nobody asked your opinion, Declan.”
Merry busied herself with exploring the store instead of listening to the two of them snip back and forth. Shelves of trinkets stretched across the store, full of fun and eye-catching items. Stuffed foxes holding sunflowers. Extra-large mugs with adorable fall puns. Floral wreaths of maroon, brown, orange, hunter green, and yellow leaves adorned the walls.
The only thing out of sync with the fall ambiance was the music. A cheery rendition of “We Are Santa’s Elves” played through the speakers, which might explain why Declan Gallagher stood with his flannel-clad arms crossed over his chest, scowling at Holly.
“It’s too early for this ear-bleeding crap.”
