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Holly flipped off the small bedside lamp in her bedroom Monday morning before exiting the room. It might seem silly to some for a grown woman to sleep with a night light, but something about being alone at night in her big house brought back childish fears of the dark. She knew a night light wouldn’t save her if someone broke in, but there was a comfort to the dim, warm glow.
She walked into her kitchen and popped a new pod into her single cup coffee maker. She watched snow flurries fall in a swirling white cloud outside the window above the sink as she grabbed her Jolly AF mug and set it under the drip spout. A fine layer of snow covered her backyard already, and she checked the time on her oven.
Hopefully it stops before I have to open the shop or it will be a slow morning.
Although after the success of small business Saturday, she wasn’t worried if it turned into an off day. The people of Mistletoe had kept her hopping and even some out-of-towners had dropped in to purchase cute novelty mugs and ornaments. To Holly’s surprise, she sold quite a few of those hideous gnomes and was tickled pink when someone mentioned they were the same ones used by the hardware store.
She leaned against the counter and pulled her phone out of her pajama pants pocket, clicking on her email. Most of it was junk or social media notifications, except a new edition of Mistletoe News. She tapped on it and scrolled down, past the top story discussing the holiday festivities, until a picture of a familiar storefront caught her eye. She gasped aloud and slapped a hand over her mouth before remembering that she was alone.
The holiday display windows are coming out with a bang and a surprise contender this year is none other than Gallagher Hardware. While it’s been years since the store participated, their window is colorful and eye-catching with a detailed gnome village and punny lighted sign. The rest of Main Street is definitely going to have to up their game this year to compete with this delightful scene that signifies togetherness.
Holly was a little insulted that her woodland creature scene got no mention, especially since she’d spent hours on that display. Still, Declan must be hating all the attention and there was some gratification in that.
Although she’d expected him to come banging on her door this weekend and confront her about using her emergency key, so maybe he didn’t care anymore. He could have turned over a new leaf, where the spirit of the holidays moved him to join in on the fun and not be such a stick in the mud.
Then again, she highly doubted it.
When her coffee finished brewing, Holly grabbed her favorite creamer from the fridge and poured a healthy amount into the black liquid until it was a lovely almond color. Her mother teased her constantly about having coffee with her sugary creamer, but she liked what she liked and Holly wouldn’t apologize for it. Life was too short, and she planned on enjoying every minute she had on this earth.
Maybe she could do a video this morning before work. Drinking coffee in the snow. Tie a sled to the back of her car and ask her neighbor to drag her around.
Ugh, it was like she had writer’s block but for a media creator. She was content blocked.
Holly popped her coffee into the microwave to warm it up after the cold creamer addition, and while that was nuking she headed out to the entryway, where her jacket hung from one of four hooks by the front door. She slipped it on. It was a nice morning to sit on the back covered porch bundled up under a blanket and watch the snow fall.
When she’d bought the large four-bedroom house with a living room and family room, three bathrooms, and spacious kitchen with attached dining room, she knew it was too much for her at the moment, but once Holly saw the master bathroom and covered back porch and the spacious yard, she was done looking. This was her home and eventually Holly planned to have a couple kids and would fill up the empty bedrooms. Maybe even keep a husband, if she could stand anyone long enough to marry them.
While she wasn’t against getting married, relationships were oddly elusive. She liked a guy and dated him long enough to discover something about him she couldn’t live with and then dumped him. Holly had no excuse for running in the opposite direction when it came to falling in love. Her parents were a prime example of a solid marriage, and both her siblings had found loving, sound relationships.
Finding someone whose personal habits wouldn’t drive her bonkers? Holly couldn’t see it.
She heard the microwave beep, but before she made it four steps there was a sharp rap at the front door. There was only one person who popped over this early without a call or text, and Holly walked back to the entryway to open it.
“Good morning!” Delilah Gill said cheerfully, holding up a beautifully wrapped present. “I come bearing gifts!”
Holly stepped back to let her friend come inside. “Thanks, but what’s the occasion?”
Delilah smiled sheepishly and handed her the box. “It’s actually not from me, it was on the porch when I walked up. There’s a note attached.” Delilah hung up her coat on one of the hooks on the wall and yawned. “Ooof, you got any coffee? I got no sleep last night.”
“In the kitchen. You know where everything is.”
Holly was able to briefly read the front of Delilah’s baggy black t-shirt—I’m Sassy and I Know It—before she spun away, doing circles into the kitchen. Holly laughed, lifting the tag on the package to read it.
You’ve been Jingled! Happy Holidays!
“Huh. They didn’t put a name on it.” Usually the neighborhood didn’t start the annual jingling until after the displays went up because there were only a dozen houses on the circle, but someone must have gotten excited. It was a fun activity to get everyone in the spirit of the holiday by leaving gifts filled with candles and holiday knickknacks on someone’s doorstep, then they get the next person, and so on until the whole neighborhood had been jingled. Sometimes there was even a bottle of holiday cheer inside, but this box felt rather light so Holly didn’t get her hopes up for that.
She carried it into the kitchen and set it on the counter.
“Why do you have your jacket on?” Delilah asked from her perch beside the coffee maker.
“I was going to sit on the back porch and watch the snow fall until I need to get ready for work.” Holly grabbed her steaming mug from the microwave and took a sip.
Delilah leaned over and looked out the window before shooting Holly a sardonic expression. “Are you serious? This is exactly the kind of day I stay indoors where it’s warm.”
“Then why did you leave the comfort of your house to drink my coffee?”
“Whoa, let’s get something straight. Your café au lait is my café au lait. That’s in the bestie handbook under Must help hide a body and share a jail cell.”
