The Holidays can be Murder by Addison Moore

Author:Addison Moore [Moore, Addison]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Hollis Thatcher Press, LTD.
Published: 2023-12-06T16:00:00+00:00

HATTIE

A little before six that evening, Cricket and I land at the North Pole Tree Lot here in Brambleberry Bay, right next to the dairy where Figgy Winterbourne said it would be.

It’s snowing! Cricket chirps as I help her out of Ginger, my red-speckled 1953 Ford F-100. Ginger once belonged to my grandfather, and then when he was through with her, she sat in a barn collecting dust and cobwebs until I got a hold of the beautiful beast. She’s quintessential Christmas décor with a white picket fence that skirts around the bed of the truck. Lucky for me because I get to appreciate her year-round.

“It’s snowing again, all right,” I say, holding out a hand to catch a few flakes before settling Cricket into my tote bag and she promptly sits up poking her head out from the top. “It’s just snowing enough to be noticeable and keep the ground white. And lucky for all those people in line to sit on Santa’s lap, it shouldn’t be a problem,” I say, pointing straight ahead at a golden throne situated in the middle of this Christmas fantasyland.

The scent of pine and peppermint immediately ensconces us, chasing away the chill of the winter evening. The lot is bathed in the warm glow of twinkle lights, strung up between trees and across the wooden stalls that line the perimeter. They cast a sprinkle of magic over just about everything, making even the snow underfoot seem to sparkle a little bit brighter.

Santa! Cricket yowls so loud you’d think someone was plucking off one of her whiskers.

“We’ll get you a picture of him before we leave, I promise,” I whisper. What I didn’t tell her is that I’m hoping to get Rookie in there, too.

Santa’s throne is of a mammoth size, ornate, and decked out in velvety red and gold. An entire line of mothers with children and people with their pets eagerly queues up, each one of their faces is flushed with excitement—and that most certainly includes the animals.

A handful of enthusiastic elves stand nearby, helping the younger ones pen their wish lists. The cheerful chatter of the elves paired with the occasional bells jingling from their shoes add just the right touch to the festive atmosphere.

Three giant red and white tents cover most of the lot. On one side you have evergreens of every size and stature, and on the other side there’s an entire bevy of flocked trees to choose from—and some of those are pink and blue.

“Oh, I want a pink tree,” I coo and Cricket twitches an ear.

Me too! Me too!

Straight ahead, I spot a cocoa stand with wisps of steam rising into the air as they serve cups of rich hot chocolate topped with marshmallows and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

“Ooh, we are so hitting that cocoa stand before we leave,” I add with a moan.

Next to it, there’s a booth selling an assortment of cookies—gingerbread men, frosted snowflakes, and my personal favorite, chocolate-dipped shortbread.

Another hard moan comes from me.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.