Noelle's Christmas Crush (11 page)

Noelle sat down at her desk and drew a pattern on a piece of paper. The creature she had imagined for Jess would have a nice round head, pointy ears, a squat body, and a tail. Jess loved blue and orange, so she cut the monster's body out of blue felt and cut out some big orange eyes, and little orange triangles to go inside the ears.

Then she sewed the body, leaving some space so she could fill it with the white fluffy stuff the craft store sold for stuffing things. After it was filled, she sewed the opening shut, and then got to work on adding the finishing touches.

She sewed little black buttons inside the orange eye circles, and gave the mouth a little red tongue sticking out. For a finishing touch she made a little orange basketball out of felt and sewed it to the end of the tail.

“Sooooo cute!” Noelle said, holding the creature out in front of her as her mom walked by the door.

“So that's what you've been doing up here,” Mrs. Winters said. “That's adorable!”

“It's Jess's Christmas present,” Noelle told her. “I've been meaning to work on it for weeks. And now Christmas is almost here.”

“I know,” Mrs. Winters said. “It's going to be a busy
week. We'll need to hold on to our Santa hats!”

Noelle's mom was right. The week before Christmas went by in a blur. Noelle hoped she'd run into Noel but everyone was superbusy. Monday night they all went to see the Winter Concert at the high school, because Andrew played trombone in the concert band. Noelle couldn't believe how grown-up he looked in his white shirt and black tie.

On Tuesday, Noelle wrapped all of her presents. Wednesday, she helped her mom bake two pies for Christmas. Thursday was a half day, and Grandma Ruth picked Noelle up from school. Then they drove around to all of her grandmother's friends, delivering boxes of the cookies they had made. Noelle always liked this part of Christmas.

“What a beautiful granddaughter!” they would say.

And Grandma Ruth would always reply, “She gets it from me.”

All week long, Noelle thought of her birthday wish. All she wanted to do was run into Noel so she could wish him a happy birthday, and maybe talk to him a little bit. But she didn't see him all week.

Friday was another half day. The morning flew by;
they didn't do any work in their classes. In science class they watched a video about polar bears, and in English class they basically just had a little party. Each time the bell rang, Noelle hurried into the hall, hoping to catch Noel passing by, but she didn't see him.

When the final bell rang, she waited in the front hall, watching everyone head out. The bus was going to leave in a minute, she knew, but she couldn't bear the thought of leaving without seeing Noel before Christmas.

Mr. Clark walked up as she stood in the near-empty hallway.

“Hurry, Noelle,” he said. “You don't want to get stuck here for winter break all by yourself!”

Noelle smiled. “Thanks, Mr. Clark.” She cast one last look down the hall, sighed, and then ran out to get the bus.

When she got home, she opened up her laptop. She didn't get to wish Noel a happy birthday in person, but she could do the next best thing.

Subject: Happy Almost Birthday!

Hope you have a happy birthday tomorrow. And a Merry Christmas, too! (Just not lumped together!)

She hit send and smiled as she imagined Noel opening it up. Then she turned on the lights on her tiny Christmas tree. It blinked, making the whole room pretty. The house smelled delicious. Her family was all home and getting ready for dinner. And Jess wasn't angry at her.

She didn't get her party. She didn't get her wish. It wasn't perfect, but that was all right.

Christmas was almost here!

“SILENT NIGHT, HOLY NIGHT . . .”

Noelle stared at the candles flickering on the altar of the darkened church as she sang along to the hymn. This was always her favorite moment in the Christmas Eve service, when there didn't seem to be another sound in the world except the beautiful, clear voices of the singers. The peace of the moment seemed to fill up her whole body, and she closed her eyes, savoring it.

Then she glanced down the pew at her family: her mom and dad, Andrew, Grandma Ruth, and her aunt Emily and cousin Nick, who joined them on Christmas Eve every year. A few rows ahead she saw Jess with her parents and two brothers. There was something really comforting about being surrounded by all the people she loved best.

The hymn ended, and they sat down as Reverend Bailey
read a final prayer. Noelle felt her mind drift briefly to Noel. Was he in a church somewhere too, singing the same hymns? Or home, blowing out candles on a birthday cake?

Then the organ blared a rousing chord, and everyone stood up and started talking and hugging each other. Jess wiggled her way through the crowded aisle to see her.

“Cool, you wore the dress!” Jess said, looking at her. “It really is pretty.”

“I had to,” Noelle said, looking down at her violet party dress. “Hey, take a picture so we can show Alyson.”

Jess took out her phone and Noelle did a quick pose. Then she put on her coat and they followed the crowd outside.

Noelle shivered. The sky above was clear and filled with shining stars—a perfect Christmas Eve sky. A blanket of white snow still covered everything, too. She waved good-bye to Jess and ran to catch up to her family in their car.

The ride home from church was another of Noelle's favorite things about Christmas Eve. As they drove down the streets of Pine Valley, they looked at all the lights and decorations, everything from simple candles in a window to giant, inflated, smiling Santas. The Winters family always played a little game: find the best-decorated house.

“
That's
the best house,” Noelle said, pointing to one with light-up candy canes lining the walkway.

Then they passed a house with what looked like dozens of lighted snowmen on the lawn. “No,
that
one's the best,” Andrew said.

“That's pretty good,” Noelle admitted, so she scanned the street to find the next best one. They stopped at a traffic light, and on the corner a house had an entire Santa's workshop on the lawn, complete with elves and toys. An inflatable Santa watched over the whole thing, checking his list.

“
That's
the best one!” Noelle cried, pointing.

“No way. The snowman one was better,” Andrew countered.

Noelle leaned toward the front seat. “Which one was better?” she asked her parents.

“I think the toy shop,” Mr. Winters said, and his wife nodded.

“Yes, the toy shop,” Mrs. Winters agreed.

Noelle clapped. “Yes!”

“I'll find a better one,” Andrew said, but even though they saw many beautiful houses on the way home, nothing beat the Santa's workshop house.

When they reached home, Aunt Emily and Nick were waiting in the driveway for them, along with Grandma Ruth. They hurried into the house, shivering.

“All right, Winters family,” Mr. Winters called out. “Christmas mode!”

Noelle knew just what to do. They'd had the same tradition ever since they could remember. She unwrapped a cookie platter and brought it into the family room, while Mr. Winters made cocoa, Andrew put out a plate of vegetables and dip, and Mrs. Winters put the finishing touches on a sandwich platter.

Noelle turned on the lights on the special Christmas tree that they had bought for the family room that morning. It was small, like the one in her bedroom, and Noelle had decorated it with purple and pink ornaments she had made herself, out of sparkly chenille sticks and craft paper. The family room was still decorated in birthday colors, but now it felt more like Christmas.

Mrs. Winters came in and turned on the Holiday Channel, where
It's a Wonderful Life
was just starting.

“This is my favorite Christmas movie,” Grandma Ruth said, like she did every year. “It always makes me cry.”

“Me too. But in a good way,” Noelle said, snuggling up to her on the couch.

Even though they had all seen the movie a bunch of times, they were all quiet during most of it, except for the sounds of crunching carrots and slurping cocoa. Nick, who was eight, fell asleep on the rug. Aunt Emily, who had red hair just like Noelle's dad, gently woke him when the movie ended.

“Come on, Nick,” she said. “We've got to beat Santa home.”

Nick woke up, yawning. “Come on, let's hurry!” he said, and everyone laughed.

Aunt Emily gave Noelle a hug. “Happy almost birthday, sweetie. I'm sorry your party got canceled. You look so beautiful in your dress. And you'll look just as beautiful in it next month.”

“Thanks,” Noelle said. She had asked Mom about rescheduling the party, and Mrs. Winters had said that maybe they could do it in January. It wouldn't be the same, but it would still be special.

“Noelle, Andrew, I want you to get ready for bed now,” Mrs. Winters said, yawning herself. “I know you're going to wake up early tomorrow.”

Noelle didn't argue. She felt sleepy as soon as her head touched the pillow, and she had one last thought before she drifted off.

It really is a wonderful life, isn't it?

And it would be perfect if I could just see Noel . . .

AFTER WHAT SEEMED LIKE NO
time at all, noelle's eyes flew open. She looked at her clock: 7:03. The house was quiet, which meant she was the first one awake.

She felt excited, and not sleepy at all. She climbed out of bed, put on her slippers, and tiptoed to Andrew's room.

“Andrew,” she whispered, knocking on the door. “Come on, it's Christmas.”

Her brother didn't reply, so she pushed the door open. “Andrew! It's Christmas!” she repeated, in a louder whisper this time.

“All right. One minute,” her brother grumbled, and Noelle stepped back and waited in the hallway, impatiently tapping her slippered foot on the carpet. Finally Andrew emerged, his red hair tousled. After one year when Andrew went downstairs and opened all his presents before everyone else woke up, they now had a
deal that they all went downstairs together.

They barged into their parents' bedroom, not even bothering to knock. Andrew flicked the light switch.

“It's Christmas!” Noelle shrieked.

Mr. Winters sat up, squinting. “What time is it?”

“It's after seven,” Noelle answered. “That's late enough. Come on!”

“Okay,” her mom said, her eyes still closed. “Just give us a minute to get ready.”

Noelle and Andrew sat at the top of the stairs, waiting for what seemed like forever until their parents appeared.

“Let me just get the coffee on first,” Mr. Winters pleaded.

“No!” Noelle cried. “Presents first!”

She bounded down the stairs, feeling exactly like she had on every Christmas morning she could remember. It was like that feeling when a candy cane first hit the tip of your tongue, or when a snowflake kissed your cheek, or when you saw a shooting star in the winter sky. She raced into the living room, where the presents had been placed under the big Christmas tree.

“Wait!” Mr. Winters cried. “Before presents, we have to do one very important thing.”

“No coffee,” Noelle said.

“No, not coffee,” he said, grinning and opening his arms. “Happy birthday, Noelle!”

“Yes, happy birthday, sweetheart,” her mom said, hugging her.

“Right. Happy birthday,” Andrew added.

Noelle smiled. “Thanks, everybody. Now can we do presents?”

Mrs. Winters laughed. “Of course.”

Noelle's job since she had been little was to deliver the presents under the tree to her parents and brother. As she went through the wrapped boxes, she couldn't help noticing that a lot of them had purple or pink paper.

“Oh my gosh!” Noelle exclaimed. “Uncle Marty and Aunt Ellen sent me two separate gifts this year. So did Grandpa Henry and Nana. And Aunt Jane, too.”

“Well, it is your birthday
and
Christmas too, right?” Mr. Winters asked, with a twinkle in his eye. “Isn't that what you've been telling us all along?”

It wasn't long before all the gifts had been opened, even the birthday ones. Noelle loved opening her gifts, but even more she loved to see the expressions on the faces of her family when they opened theirs. Her mom
opened a box from Noelle to find some spicy-smelling candles.

“I bought them at the craft fair,” Noelle told her. “I thought they smelled nice.”

“Oh, honey, they're lovely!” her mom said, picking one up.

Her dad loved the figurine of a Santa dressed like a chef that she had picked out for him—and the guitar-shaped spatula to go with it.

“I'll make totally rocking omelets now,” he joked.

Andrew was always the hardest to get something for, but Noelle had saved up to get him a video game he really wanted.

“Thanks,” Andrew said, and even though that's all he said, Noelle could tell he really liked it.

Then the phone rang, and Mrs. Winters nodded to Noelle.

“Can you get that, honey?” she asked.

“Sure.” Noelle picked up the phone in the kitchen.

“Happy birthday!”

Noelle recognized her Aunt Jane's voice. “Thanks,” she replied, “and merry Christmas!”

One by one her relatives called, and each one yelled
“Happy birthday!” right away. Only her Uncle Marty got a little mixed up.

“Merry birthday!” he yelled. “Oh, I mean, happy Christmas! I mean happy birthday! Happy birthday, Noelle!”

Noelle was laughing so hard.

“Did you ask everyone to wish me a happy birthday first today?” Noelle asked her mother, when all the calls were over.

Her mom gave her an innocent look. “Why would I do that, honey?” But Noelle didn't care what the reason was—it felt good.