Spirit of the Season by Fern Michaels

Author:Fern Michaels
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kensington Books
Published: 2019-08-22T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 15

Joy poured the last of the coffee into a mug for Lou. “I’ll make another pot,” she said to Izzie.

The last decorator hadn’t left until after four in the morning. Thirty-seven people, plus herself and all the employees, had trimmed three twelve-foot-tall Fraser fir trees for the formal living room. There were four ten-foot-tall Fraser firs in the dining room. Still another—the tallest, at fourteen feet—was placed in the entryway next to the staircase. It was Joy’s favorite. Snowmen of all shapes and sizes clung to the branches, and sleighs carrying giant, candy-wrapped ornaments were attached to a sheer white ribbon that wrapped around the entire tree, making it appear as though they were all racing one another on a snowy road. Red and green ornaments the size of small dinner plates were arranged perfectly. It wasn’t the most sophisticated of the trees, but to Joy, it was a happy tree.

There were three other trees that were much more elegant. One was completely decked out in red poinsettias, with gold ribbon woven through the branches. Hundreds of tiny white lights encircled the giant evergreen. This tree was centered between the two floor-to-ceiling windows. Two small dining tables flanked it, each adorned with candles, fresh greenery, and poinsettias.

An angel tree, with years’ worth of Nana’s angel collection, was in the far corner of the room. These ornaments were very delicate, so the tree was placed in a corner to lessen the chance of the tree’s falling. It was the only tree on which personal ornaments were used.

Finally, there was a tree hung with a variety of Santas. This one was Joy’s second favorite among all the trees. The Santas were of all shapes and sizes. They had long beards and short beards. Some wore glasses, some touted a big belly, others were long and skinny. Old-fashioned red and green lights glistening on the Santa tree reminded Joy of the tree her family had had when she was a little girl. Dad had always used those big bulbs, and she would stare at them for hours, watching them blink on and off.

Heart and Soul had its own ornament, a replica of the outside of the house. Another tree was covered in real gingerbread houses, courtesy of a bakery in Raleigh. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” she’d said when she saw this.

The fireplace mantel was decorated with fresh evergreens, holly berries, and golden ribbons, with a matching wreath above the mantel.

Every room in the house was decked out. The evergreens throughout the house reminded her of Colorado. There were tall evergreens on her favorite ski run, and she would always take a minute to stop and breathe in the fresh scent whenever she skied.

She’d been so busy working on the inside of the house, she hadn’t been outside to see the decorations that had been placed there. Her mother had kept her busy orchestrating the designers.

“Girl, what in the name of Pete is taking you so long to make a single

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