Story of Another Christmas Carol
Photo credit: caz1958 from morguefile.com
Setting the tree up was one of the toughest things to do at Christmas, especially since there was only one busy Mum around to help. Carol had fanciful and artistic ideas, but no one to implement them; she was her own elf. Mum would see to the prepping, cooking and other grown-up responsibilities, but the decor, the menu, the program – everything was to be firmly supervised (and probably even executed) solely by herself.
She dreamed of Christmas, throughout the year: Of white Christmases, merry Christmases, homely Christmases and all sorts of Christmases imaginable. Every October she would begin planning that year’s Christmas itinerary; it usually involved visiting family and friends, with good tidings and cheer, mostly in the form of gifts and sweets.
But this year was different – this year she was hosting a party: For those who were never invited, for those who were never visited, for those who found Christmas the loneliest time of the year, for those who dreaded the very thought of Christmas.
This year she had had an epiphany – she had discovered the reason for the season. This year she would give until it hurt; she would serve until she ached; she would stretch until she broke. This year she would succumb to the extravagances of her heart, and bless those who needed them as much as she did.
Mum held the rickety ladder for her as Carol stuck the glorious golden star high up on the wall. This was the highlight of her fantastic wall-mounted, 2-dimensional, 7-foot-tall Christmas tree artwork.
Carol had decided to symbolize two Christmas legends – her modern tree was one (though it was mainly due to lack of space) and Santa was another. Last year, Mum had gifted Carol a gorgeous red dress she had sewn herself (she was a seamstress). She didn’t know then, that her 20-year-old daughter would be born again as Ms. Claus the following Christmas to make the best of it.
Mum was anxious that they did not have the means to execute Carol’s grandiose Christmas dinner plans, but the girl had immense faith in love, goodwill and the things unseen. She had reviewed every one of her bank accounts, dug deep into every purse and pocket, and laid every penny down to make this event a success. Naturally, Mum’s worries were realistic and justified.
“Stand back and tell me if it’s done”, she instructed Mum.
“I’m not letting go of this ladder!” said Mum, visibly horrified, and then added “You’ve done enough, now get down!” Carol huffed and jumped off the ladder.
She walked to the opposite wall in a few big strides. All blood drained from her face when she turned around and checked the tree out. “Done enough?! It looks naked!” she screamed.
She grabbed a jacket, slipped her pumps on, and without another thought, left for the supermarket to buy some more decorations for her tree. At the store she picked up additional baubles, candy canes, gift boxes, Christmas figurines, and dozens of streamers and fairy lights.
On her way to the checkout counter she passed by the food section and instantly started to panic. She picked up a dozen or so packets of meats and other eats, just in case they ran out of food at the party. She added a few bottles of wine to the trolley too.
After paying for these, she was left with three huge bags and no money to get home. Perceiving that a walk was a great idea, she hauled her things up and set off, taking short breaks every few minutes; her loot was heavier than she had first anticipated.
She was just two blocks away from home when she felt the big toe on her right foot start to freeze. She looked down and saw a gaping hole in the shoe. That was the last straw. Carol dropped her bags, sat down on the pavement, held her head in her hands and wept.
Several people passed by, but none paid her any attention; everyone was in a hurry to get to where they were headed, not a single person bothered to comfort her or even ask if she needed help.
She reminisced about the good days, when there was health and wealth, and love… She had found these and lost them, each almost in the blink of an eye. She wondered if she was being punished, though she didn’t know what she had done to deserve any of it.
After what felt like hours, Carol realized Mum would start to worry if she didn’t get home soon. She wiped her face, stood up, picked all her shopping and resumed her walk.
When she reached home Mum asked her what was wrong. Carol tried to brush it off as a ridiculous surge of emotion. “Okay”, was Mum’s reply, as she wrapped her child in a tight hug. Carol sobbed freely this time as Mum wordlessly stroked her hair, not letting go for the second time that evening and the umpteenth time in her lifetime.
In about an hour, Carol forced herself to snap out of it and was back on her feet, instructing and intimidating the entire household; she had to put tonight’s purchases to good use. She would go all out, like her life depended on it – in many ways it really did.
*
In the week leading up to Christmas, Carol cleaned the house, hung the streamers up along with the lights, mistletoe, bells and other ornaments.
She stuffed and cooked the turkeys, made the sauces and chutneys, chopped and diced vegetables for her many salads, sliced the cold cuts, shredded the smoked chicken, fried the hams and bacon, prepared the stock for her soup, and baked her magnificent Christmas cake. The remaining few dishes she delegated to Mum.
She stocked up on mixers for her selection of spirits and made sure her wines were sufficiently chilled; she put together a delicious fruit punch for the teetotalers in the group.
She bought presents for her guests, wrapped them herself and wrote special notes to each of them.
*
On Christmas Day, Carol woke up at the crack of dawn, wound up like a spring. She fussed and fretted all day until it was time for her guests to arrive. A tall glass of a rustic Caipirinha went a substantial way in soothing her nerves and relaxing her up a bit.
Her guests were touched by the arrangements and conveyed this with kind words and soft sniffles. There were many modest gifts in appreciation too. Among these, her favourites were a beautiful pair of pumps (lovelier than the ones that had recently worn out) and a set of festive socks.
Carol was overwhelmed. The party had served its purpose – she had demonstrated the reason for the season. She had ministered to the heartbroken, the lonely and the deprived. And they, in turn, had ministered to her; they had blessed her heart and revived her soul.
Carol decided this was the first of many; she would exploit her flair for hospitality every chance she got. She prayed for time, energy, wisdom and resources, every single night since that Christmas.
*
Two months later, one fine February morning, Carol was summoned to her boss’ office. Anne announced she was to get a 40% raise for the excellent work she had consistently put in; also a large bonus awaited her at the end of that fiscal year. A promotion and an exciting role was being tailored for her and Anne admitted she was excited about it too. Carol thanked her and staggered out of her cabin. This was unbelievable, there was no way this was actually happening… yet it was.
As she reached her desk, Mum called to tell her that Dad’s reports showed no trace of the cancer he was battling since the beginning of last year. As Carol tried to wrap her head around this news, Mum went on to inform her that she herself had bagged a massive contract to work in conjunction with an eminent fashion label.
At lunchtime, Carol decided to take a walk around the office building; she needed time to count her blessings and calm her thumping heart down.
Ten minutes later she went back up and found a stunning bouquet sitting on her desk. Her heart skipped a beat the moment she saw it, but she quickly dismissed the flurry. There was just no way Ryan could have sent them. It was probably from the management in honour of her upcoming promotion, she thought.
Carol smiled benevolently at her inquisitive colleague and picked up the card that came with the flowers. “I miss you, C. Let’s start over. – R” it read.
A few minutes later, her phone rang. “Hi” he said shyly, and began to court her all over again.
__END__
