Twelve Days in Christmas

Marcy remained quiet for a minute as Christmas stewed, her brief anger cooling.

"I deserve that," Marcy said, finally. "I'm sorry."

"Apology fucking accepted," Christmas said.

A moment later, Marcy laughed, and then Christmas joined in.

"Nice Salchow, by the way," Christmas said, as the giggles died.

***

On leaving the little town hospital, Sasha, Leah, and Brad met Christmas. Julia, Jason and Carry were, likewise, waiting for Marcy. Each of them was embraced by their band, but by some unspoken agreement, they faced each other down. Christmas took the first step, Marcy the second, and then they hugged each other. Astonished looks showed on the faces of everyone else.

"Merry Christmas, Chris," Marcy said as they broke away.

"Did she just use her name?" Leah whispered and caught an elbow from Sasha.

"You, too," Christmas said, and they parted ways.

As she rejoined Brad and the girls, he said, "I guess Christmas miracles really do happen."

"I suppose they do," Christmas agreed.

"So, you're not gonna go all icicle on us?" Sasha asked.

"Warm and friendly as ever," Christmas remarked, "but if you don't mind, I'm going to spend the entire night in front of the fucking fireplace."

"We'll be right there, too," Leah said, brooking no argument.

"That was the stupidest, bravest thing I've ever seen," Sasha said. "You're the talk of the town once again."

"Fantastic," she said, grimacing.

***

December 21st: Christmas Parade

The last thing that Christmas wanted was to be cold again, but since she and Marcy had made it through their swim without ill effects, she supposed that a few hours on a float would not kill her. It had been strange, sleeping in her own bed, alone. What felt stranger, though, was going into her parents' old room to wake Sasha and Leah, who had insisted on staying the entire night.

It was convenient, in a way, as the three of them were due to get their hair done for the parade and for the following night's pageant. She'd missed the feeling of sleeping next to Brad's warmth, though, and not just because of the cold. Now, she crept into the room in the pre-dawn and slipped under the covers between the two of them. Both of them groaned at the disturbance and then shrieked when she yanked back the blanket, and the chill of the morning forced them into wakefulness.

"No!" Sasha cried, "Too early!"

"Just five more minutes," Leah mumbled, groping blindly for the blanket.

"Get up," Christmas demanded, "quick showers and then it's time to get gorgeous."

The two of them sighed dramatically but slowly got out of the bed.

***

The atmosphere of getting ready for the morning with her two friends brought back memories of the house she'd shared with the girls in college. There was pleasant banter and too many bodies in the bathroom. Even though it was early, there seemed to be no time to get ready. While Leah and Sasha made coffee, Christmas snuck quietly into Brad's room and kissed him.

He tugged her down into bed with him and, for a moment, she let him hold her there and kiss her again. His hands wandered over her body, though, and she knew that if he continued, she'd be sucking him off, with her friends waiting downstairs. Also, she would be late for their appointment.

"Stop it!" she said, breaking away, "later! I have to go make myself pretty."

"Too late for that. You were born that way," he said.

"Flattery will get you everywhere. I'll see you in town, from atop a float."

She quickly shut the door, went down, and accepted hot coffee from Leah.

***

Every hairdresser in town had a full morning, with twelve pageant girls to work on. While she had hers styled, Christmas wondered if Marcy had her own stylist, or used someone in town. At the end of the affair, she was in love with the results. Her black hair looked shinier than ever, smooth like silk. Sasha's golden locks were curled cutely all the way down, while Leah's fiery red was straightened, but ended in bouncy curls that were adorable.

The three of them braved the cold and walked down Main to Dressed by Diane, where they took their finished dresses, before driving over to the barn containing the parade floats. The place was a bustle of activity, all the floats having been pulled out of the barn and lined up, attached to trucks. They indulged in quick snacks and hot drinks before getting prepared.

While the three of them ate, Marcy, along with Julia and Carry, approached. Even bitchy girls could look amazing with the right styling, Christmas thought, taking in Marcy's blonde, Julia's brown, and Carry's black. Christmas set her plate aside.

"Chris," Marcy said meekly, "I... I want you to take our float. The three of you."

"Why?" Christmas asked, genuinely curious.

"What you did for me," Marcy said, "those skates were weighing me down. If you hadn't come in, I don't know that I would have made it out. I was showing off, and I was stupid. I just think... you know," she smiled, but warmly, "the town mascot should be on that float."

Christmas shook her head and said, "Thank you, but I can't. You guys put in the work on that thing. It's not about who's on the best float. And it is the best one. It's about the town and season. I don't care what float I'm riding. I just want to be part of what we all have here."

There was silence for a moment and then Carry asked, "Why are you just so goddamned... good?"

"It's a gift," Leah cut in.

"A Christmas gift," Sasha added.

"Thank you," Marcy said, and it was the most genuine thing Christmas had ever heard from her.

The three of them walked away.

"I don't know if I like this," Sasha said. "I can't get used to a nice Marcy."

"I almost hope it doesn't last," Leah said. "If Marcy can turn into a nice girl, it means I might end up straight someday. It doesn't bode well."

"All those years," Christmas said, "and all we had to do was rescue her from the brink of death to earn her approval. Life could have been so much easier had we only known."

***

All her life, Christmas had stood next to Sasha and Leah in the streets. She'd been part of the crowd, watching the parade floats go by, looking up at the girls on top of them as they waved to the crowd. They wore gorgeous dresses of red, green and gold. They had jewelry that glittered in the winter sun. All that time, she'd waited for her own chance to be one of them.

Then she'd gone away. Sasha and Leah had been part of it during the years she'd been gone. They'd sent her pictures. Sasha had been pageant queen for one of those years. Today, it was her turn to ride a float. Wearing the sexy, glittering green dress, and with a fur wrap around her, Christmas mounted the steps to the top of the float to join Leah and Sasha.

They sat on the top as the truck rumbled across the grass, pulling out onto the main road and creeping its way down the street to its starting position in the line. They watched the others do likewise, Marcy's big float bringing up the rear. Once all the vehicles were in line, the various sections of the high school band filed in between them. At the head of the procession, Mayor Tinsley, in his sleigh, waited for the signal.

From somewhere within the workings of the line, the signal came. The beating of drums from up ahead reached them on top of the float, and Christmas watched as the Santa's sleigh moved. The driver urged the reindeer on; the drums beat time, and a moment later their float crept slowly forward. In the distance, Christmas could see the streets lined with spectators, both townsfolk and visitors.

Their job was not a difficult one. The three of them simply stood and waved to the crowds, who cheered, whistled, and clapped. The floats rolled slowly through the streets, while Tinsley bellowed out his silly laughter from ahead. Christmas couldn't help but feel a bit like a princess, standing high above the crowds, fulfilling that childhood fantasy. Below, she could see the many little girls where she'd once stood, looking up at her with that same dream in their eyes, their mouths wide and smiling as they waved back to her.

The procession wound through the streets, packed on all sides. From her vantage, it seemed like everyone in the surrounding five towns had come out for the little parade, and perhaps they had. When the float finally pulled away from the last street and began the return journey to the barn, the top of it was covered in poinsettias, tossed by the bystanders. Christmas bent and picked two of them up. The first, she tucked into Sasha's neckline.

"I wish your mom could have seen how incredibly gorgeous you look up here," she said.

There were tears in her friend's eyes as she said, "Yours, too."

She turned to Leah, tucked the second flower into her dress and said, "I hope you find the love you deserve, and that they never forget what a beautiful human you are."

Leah pulled her close and hugged her, saying, "Why are you just so goddamned good?"

Christmas laughed and hugged her back.

***

They returned their dresses to Diane after the parade before walking down to The North Pole. There, they met Brad, who was already helping to prepare for the pageant the next evening. Carols played on the speaker system and the doors were locked. Inside, the atmosphere was busy, but festive. Kellen and Tommy Miller were with them, under the watchful eye of their father, who directed the work from the comfort of a table.

While they worked together hanging a string of lights around a doorway, Christmas muttered to Brad, "Do you mind if the girls stay again? I'd just really like to have everyone I love with me tonight. I'll make it up to you soon, I promise."

"Chris, it's our home, not mine. You don't need my permission," he said, grinning.

"You're the best."

The decorating lasted for several hours, made even longer by the distractions of dancing and drinking. When they returned home, Christmas was again transported back through the years, as they sat by the fire watching holiday shows under the glow of the tree lights. On the mantel, a photo of her family, all of them, sat next to a poinsettia. Tonight, she didn't feel alone.

***

December 22nd: The Pageant

The childhood fantasies of being a pageant queen came rushing back, just as those of being on the float had the day before. Twelve women, representing the traditional Twelve Days of Christmas, and each one of them shared the dream. Some of them, like Sasha and Marcy, had been the queen already. It was one more silly tradition and more reason that there was no place like Christmas at Christmas.

With her hair styled and wearing the gorgeous dress, Christmas added a small red bow to her hair. She was not one to fixate on her looks. She was pretty, she knew, maybe even beautiful. Tonight, though, as she looked at herself in the dress, she was hot. She left the dressing room and joined the other girls, each of them just as gorgeous, and probably more so, she thought.

"Honestly," Marcy said, looking her over, "Diane killed it with that. Jesus, I'm asking CJ for my money back."

"Don't be too hasty," Christmas said, smiling. "All he did is make a dress. It's who is in the dress that really matters, and you look like queen material."

"Every one of us does," Leah said, eyeing the other girls.

"These are people, Leah," Sasha said, "Not an all you can eat buffet."

"Let a girl have her Christmas dream," Leah said, pouting.

They milled about behind the stage until Kellen Miller appeared from around the corner.

"Everyone ready?" he asked, and received a dozen nods.

Holiday music played from the speakers and the girls entered. Whistles and applause, a standing ovation from the crowd greeted the line of a dozen women. The North Pole was a large place, but still only fit just over two hundred. Cameras placed around the room were also streaming the event to others who wanted to watch, while Tommy Miller operated a donation website for the Scholars Fund. Christmas had moved into the digital age.

The previous year's queen, Marcy, led the girls out and across the stage. They gave a curtsy and posed cutely for the crowd while they cheered. Then, they broke apart, six to a side, and Sasha took the stage.

She opened with a sexy rendition of "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus," which was sultry enough to melt the icicles over the doorway outside. Christmas loved the voice. Sasha was always the musical one, while Leah was their artist and Christmas the writer. The three of them fed off of each other's creativity, and she figured that they always would.

Marcy was up next, wearing her expensive velvet dress. The form-fitting sheath was a mermaid in Christmas red, laced with white fur. The dress pressed her breasts together in a delightful, provocative valley that was likely making mouths water all over the room. She looked like she should be on a national stage, not one in some Podunk town like this.

While violin music played, Marcy danced and twirled, heating up the night with long-practiced moves. Christmas had not kept up her childhood dance lessons, which Marcy had attended alongside her. Clearly, the other girl had. How she managed those moves in a dress that tight was a Christmas miracle all on its own, let alone in heels. Marcy, though, felt the music like she was part of it, and at the end of the performance, there was raucous applause.

Leah came after, surprising everyone with an incredible act of artistic magic. There were gasps in the crowd and on the stage as she did it. Seemingly from nowhere, she produced a rolled-up poster, which showed City Hall in the summer. She shook the paper, and it ignited in a ball of fire that made them all step back.

The paper was unharmed, though, and now showed the same locale in spring. She flipped it again and in a fiery burst it turned to autumn, and again into winter. She snapped it, rolled it back into a tube, and then they watched as she crumpled it into a ball and threw it into the air. The ball burst into a flurry of snowflakes and she bowed to the crowd. There were shocked murmurs and then a loud round of applause. Christmas couldn't explain a single minute of how it had been done.

"You're full of surprises," she muttered, as Leah stood next to her.

With a satisfied grin, Leah only winked at her. Julia took to the piano next, while Carry joined her to sing. The two of them looked at Sasha and motioned her to join them. Confused, blushing, Sasha came out to stand with them. Carry spoke quietly to her for a moment, Sasha nodding, and then Julia began to play. Sasha's contralto took up Elvis Presley's "Blue Christmas," and feet tapped in the audience. Carry came in on the chorus for Martina Mcbride, her Mezzo-Soprano hitting the middle and high-middle notes in a way that had the crowd clapping in time.

The two of them followed it with a rendition of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," which left not a dry eye in the house. Then, they brought them back up with a flirty duet of "What are you Doing New Year's Eve?"

Christmas almost didn't want to follow the performance, sure that she was going to crash and burn compared to that. Oddly enough, it was Marcy that came to her rescue, strutting out to the microphone like a true queen.

"Before we bring out the next entrant, I hope you'll all forgive me for taking a minute to say something," she said.

There were murmurs and nods from the crowd.

"There's someone that I owe a lot to tonight, someone that I haven't been kind to through the years. Despite that, she's someone that stepped up without a thought for herself when I put myself in trouble," She held out her hand to Christmas, who strode out on the stage, taking it, as Marcy continued, "If it weren't for Christmas Carol, I probably wouldn't be here tonight. I just wanted to say thank you in front of everyone here. Thank you for being the selfless person that you are."

Christmas hugged her, and the crowd applauded again. Then Marcy stepped aside, and Christmas took the microphone. She looked out over the crowd, now quiet, all of them watching her, waiting.

"Almost seven years ago," she began, "Everyone here took us in, my brother and me. We were just two kids that had gone through something unthinkable, and when the goodness of small-town people was put to the test, you all came through for us. For that, I'll always be grateful. There's no way I can ever repay you for the kindness and for the beautiful hearts you have. The only thing I know how to do is write words so, tonight, I've written a few for you.

There was attentive quiet from those assembled who shifted and waited. Then, Christmas began.

There's a little town called Christmas.

It's a place I love and know.

It's a place that's filled with warmth and mirth.

Especially when blanketed in snow.

She paused and beckoned off stage to Leah and Sasha, who came up to join her, holding her hands. She looked out across the faces in the crowd, packed so tightly, every one of them focused on her words. They were the faces of neighbors and friends. In those days, after the accident, every one of them had come to the house. They'd brought meals and water, clothes and gifts. Sometimes it was just a kind word or a question. How are you doing? They'd done it without thought and they'd done it for a simple reason, and it was that reason that this place would always be home. They'd done it because, in Christmas, that was just what people did. She continued.

Where friendships grow and last for life.

Where the spirit is always bright.

Like the lights that deck the street of Main.

Twinkling softly in the winter night.

In the town of Christmas, we don't have much.

But we give it and give it with pride.

Because that's what neighbors do, by God.

And we take each day in stride.

There were murmurs and a few chuckles in the crowd, agreement, but most were silent and their eyes were misty.

In Christmas, you're never an orphan.

In Christmas you'll always have care.

In a town like this, like nowhere else.

Your family will always be there.

Wherever I go and wherever I'll be.

No matter the path that I roam.

Whenever I'm sad or I'm lonely.

She stopped, looked down, and choked. Her friends squeezed her hands, and she found the strength to finish.

Whenever I'm sad or I'm lonely

Christmas will always be home.

The silence that followed was as deafening as the applause that came after. The words, given from her heart, delivered with the full weight of all she felt, the love and gratitude she had, had moved them all. Even Marcy, resplendent in her red dress, dabbed at her eyes.

***

For an hour after the performance, Sasha and Carry wore out their voices, with Julia on the piano once again. At the end of it, the final results of the Christmas Scholars donations were totaled, and Mayor Tinsley took to the stage in his Santa costume to announce the result.

"It's an honor, every year, to see the talents of all the beautiful ladies," he said, and paused for further applause. "Each year, the donations you've all made go toward sending our young people off into the world. Some of them bring their education back to the town, while others will go away and carry a little bit of Christmas into the rest of the world. No matter their path," and he looked toward Christmas, then corrected, "No matter the path they roam. Christmas will always be home."

More applause followed it, making Christmas blush as he repeated her words. The applause died down, and he continued, "The queen of this year's Christmas pageant is... Christmas Carol!"

The applause sounded again, more loudly. Feet stamped on the floor, and they chanted her name, clapping, as she joined the mayor. Marcy joined her, too, removing her tiara and passing it on to Christmas. She hugged Marcy, hugged the mayor, and then curtsied for the crowd before stepping back to join the other girls.