Countdown to Christmas by Dianna Houx

Author:Dianna Houx
Language: eng
Format: epub

Nine Days till Christmas

Chapter Twelve

"Okay, listen up everybody, it's time to head over to the tree farm," Grace announced to the crowd gathered around the dining room table. "Is everyone ready to go?"

The heads that weren't buried in their phones all nodded enthusiastically.

"Awesome! To make this as painless as possible, we will take three cars. The two families will take their vehicles, and the rest of us will squeeze into Hunter's truck. A local named Junior has agreed to meet us there to help transport the tree back home. Questions?"

Grace looked around the room and saw Theo raise his hand. "Yes, Theo?"

"How big of a tree can we get?"

"We should be safe with a tree eight feet tall or less. Gotta leave room for the angel!"

"Will it be a real tree?" asked Emma.

"Yes, sweetheart, it will be a real tree," said Grace, smiling warmly at the adorable little girl. "And I believe they will have hot cocoa and cookies for us when we get there."

"What about the puppies? Can they come too?" asked Theo, his arms wrapped protectively around one of the little guys.

"I'm afraid not. They're too little to leave their mama right now, but they will be waiting for us when we get back. Then, you can put the ornaments you made for them on the tree. Won't that be fun?"

Both kids nodded their heads, a serious expression on their faces. Grace had to try pretty hard not to laugh. They had all had a wonderful time the night before making personalized ornaments for the Christmas tree. Even the older boys had gotten into it. The kids had been so thrilled when they met the puppies; they had insisted on making ornaments for them, too.

Grace had taken lots of pictures but was thrilled she would have a physical reminder of the memories she was making. These ornaments will grace her Christmas tree for years to come.

"If there are no more questions, we should get going." Grace grabbed her coat, hat, and gloves and led the way to the front door, eleven people following behind.

Granny and Gladys had decided to sit this one out. The cold and all the walking were too much for them. Grace had been disappointed at first, but they had promised to help with the decorating afterward, so she let it go. Besides, it really would have been too much. She wanted Granny to get better, not catch pneumonia.

Grace, Molly, and Grant piled into the backseat of Hunter's truck. Carl sat in the front passenger seat while Hunter drove. It was crowded but cozy. Almost all of them were strangers, yet it felt like they were old friends, laughing and joking as they passed the time.

Twenty minutes later, they arrived at Lyle's Tree Farm. Grace searched the parking lot and was relieved when she saw Junior's old, beat-up Chevy parked by the exit. Perfect, if everyone can quickly agree on a tree, they should be able to make it back home with plenty of time to decorate and hold the snowman contest.

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