I saw the above image on Facebook at the start of the month and giggled.
Then the creative juices began to stir. Wouldn’t it be fun to write my own “Hallmark” Christmas short story….. so I did.
(credits to the owner -sourced via Google)
Miniature snow drifts had blown into the corners of the attic bedroom windowpanes overnight, adding to the festive vibe. Not that Holly’s room needed much more of a festive feel to it! In preparation for her arrival for the holidays, her grandmother had hung red drapes with snowmen on them, to match the flannel bed linen. A huge green blanket throw was draped over the old pine rocking chair covered in tiny Christmas trees. Even the rug on the floor was shaped like a snowflake. Christmas was Gramma’s favourite holiday. It had been her mum’s favourite time of the year too. If Holly didn’t know for a fact that she had been born five weeks early, she would have sworn that her mother and grandmother had conspired to ensure that her birthday fell on Christmas Day. That small co-incidence plus her name had led to endless teasing all through school. Even Jonathan had cracked jokes at her expense about it.
Johnathan…. the reason why she was back in the attic bedroom of her grandmother’s house for the holidays and the foreseeable future.
“Holly!”
Her grandmother’s voice called to her from downstairs.
“Coming,” she called back as she left the room. Maybe being home for the holidays surrounded by her grandmother’s love was just what she needed right now.
A delicious aroma of cookies baking filled the kitchen. Inhaling deeply as she entered the heart of the house, Holly couldn’t help but smile.
“Oh, that smells amazing!”
Blushing at the compliment, the older woman, with flour in her hair, said, “It’s just some cookies to take to the neighbours. I need your help though. I forgot to pick up more vanilla essence. I need it for my cupcakes. Can you run to the store for me?”
“Sure. Do we need anything else?”
“I’ll write you a list,” said her grandmother. “Ralph hasn’t been out her yet with his plow, so you’ll need to walk, I’m afraid.”
“You write the list and I’ll go grab my boots.”
Large fluffy snowflakes were still falling, adding to the six inches of snow already lying on the small town of Miracle. Glad of her goose-down jacket with its fur-lined hood, Holly headed towards Main Street, opting to take the short cut through the town’s only park. As she walked past the pond, she wasn’t surprised to see it was frozen almost the entire way across. A few unhappy ducks were sliding on the ice looking miserable.
Suddenly, she saw a huge white fluffy dog bounding towards her, a red frisbee in his mouth. Before she could step out of its path, the dog barrelled into her knocking her flat on her back into a pile of snow. Feeling slightly dazed, she looked up to see the dog staring down at her, its dark eyes pleading forgiveness.
“Goliath!”
The dog looked round then turned back to her and began to lick her face. Giggling at the wet doggy kisses, Holly tried to get to her feet, but the dog had other ideas, planting his huge paws on her chest.
“Goliath, let the lady up!” ordered its owner sharply. “Goliath, here! Now!”
With a guilty look, the large ball of fluff slunk off to lie in the snow.
“I am so sorry,” apologised the owner. “Are you hurt? Here, let me help you up.”
“I’m fine,” assured Holly, accepting the outstretched gloved hand. Glancing up, she found herself gazing into with two dark brown eyes. There was a sadness there that reminded her of the dog’s guilty look. Dusting snow from her jeans, she said, “I’m fine. Honestly. I don’t think he meant it.”
“He’s got no manners. Expects everyone to want to play with him. This is the first time he’s seen snow. He’s a bit over excited by it,” explained the dog’s owner as he drew the dog, Goliath, a dark look. “He’s only six months old. Still a puppy really.”
“But he’s huge!” exclaimed Holly.
“He is. He’s a Bernadoodle and he’s only going to get bigger,” he replied. “I’m David by the way.”
“David and Goliath?”
He nodded, “My sister thought it would be funny.”
“It is,” she giggled. “I’m Holly.”
“Pleased to meet you. Can I at least buy you a coffee by way of an apology?”
Holly hesitated.
“Please,” repeated David with a smile.
“I’d like that,” she heard herself reply.
Together, with Goliath on his leash, they walked through the park then crossed Main Street before turning down into the tiny boutique shopping area, Secret Close. Holding the door open for her, David ushered her into a small coffee shop called The Funky Bean.
“Hey, bro!” greeted the young woman behind the counter. “Hi, Goliath. How’s my favourite puppy today?”
“HI, Rebecca,” he replied as he pulled off his beanie, his long dark hair falling free. “Your favourite puppy is in big trouble. He bowled poor Holly here over in the park. She needs one of your special Funky lattes to recover.”
“Bad doggy,” scolded Rebecca leaning over the counter to stare down at the dog who at least had the decency to look contrite. “Two Funky festive lattes? Chocolate or cinnamon on top?”
“Chocolate please,” answered Holly.
“Same,” said David.
“Grab a table and I’ll bring them over.”
Over their lattes and some snowmen cookies, David and Holly discovered that they were both in town for the holidays to spend time with their grandmothers. They teased each other playfully about leading such exciting lives that the highlight of their holiday season was to come back to Miracle. Conversation turned to work as David asked Holly what she did for a living.
“I’m an author,” she revealed almost shyly.
“Wow! Don’t think I’ve ever met a real live author before. What kind of books do you write?”
“Romantic fiction,” she answered. “Historical romance.”
“Can’t say I’ve read a lot of historical romances,” he joked lightly. “I’m more of a psychological thriller or horror reader. Huge Stephen King fan.”
“Me too!” revealed Holly grinning. “So what’s your line of work?”
“Music. I’m a musician but I’ve just accepted a six-month post as a music teacher at the high school here.”
“Oh, I don’t have the patience for teaching,” laughed Holly.
“I’ll find out if I have in January.”
Half an hour later, as they were leaving the coffee shop, David said, “I don’t suppose you fancy meeting up later? It’s the Fire Department’s Santa Parade through town at six. We could go for a drink afterwards.”
“I’d love to,” agreed Holly. “Been years since I last watched the Santa Parade.”
“Great. I’ll meet you back here at five thirty, We can grab some hot chocolates to take with us. Will be cold standing on Main Street tonight.”
“Sounds good to me,” smiled Holly, a warm fuzzy feeling glowing inside at the thought of seeing David again later. “I’d best get going. Gramma will think I’ve got lost in the snow on my way to the store.”
“Blame Goliath,” joked David, holding on tight to the dog’s leash. “See you tonight.”
Armed with their hot chocolates, David and Holly negotiated their through the crowds who were lining Main Street to wait for the parade to start. The two new friends had agreed to head towards the library in the hope of getting a good view of the parade from the steps. When they reached it, it seemed like the rest of Miracle had had the same idea. Squeezing in beside one of the stone pillars at the bottom of the steps, Holly stood one step below David, feeling him towering over her but also conscious of the spice cedar aroma of his cologne. Being so close to him again stirred that warm fuzzy feeling deep inside her.
The Miracle Fire Department Santa Parade was one of the key Christmas traditions in the small town. Entering into the holiday spirit, all the firefighters dressed up as Santa and decorated their fire engines with fairy lights, reindeer, parcels and anything else that could be considered festive. There were about ten vehicles in the parade, including the fire chief’s SUV and three vintage fire engines from the town’s past. As they drove by, with Christmas music blaring loudly interspersed with bursts from the sirens, the firefighters tossed out candy canes to the local children.
Once the last engine had roared past, David put a hand on Holly’s shoulder, “Drink?”
With a smile she nodded.
“Make Mine A Double is closest,” he said. “Or we could walk over to Park’s tavern?”
“The Double’s fine,” replied Holly, using the shortened local name for the popular bar.
“Lead the way.”
Music, warmth and the buzz of a busy barroom welcomed them as they stepped in out of the cold. Spying a free table over in the corner, David suggested that Holy grab it while he bought them a drink.
“White wine, please,” she replied as he asked what she would like to drink.
Having shed her jacket, scarf and woolly hat, Holly shook out her long auburn hair then sat watching David up at the bar. He had removed his beanie, stuffing it into his pocket, while the bartender fetched their drinks. The sight of his thick dark hair tied back in a ponytail made her smile. He was the polar opposite to Johnathan who had had buzz cut blonde hair. Maybe it was the musician in him, but Holly could definitely see herself falling for him if she was in the market for a new man in her life. After the pain of a messy break up with Johnathan, men were off her Christmas list.
“Hope sauvignon is ok,” said David as he set a large wine glass down in front of her.
“Perfect. Thanks.”
Raising his beer to make a toast, David said, “To new friends and Christmas miracles.”
“I’ll drink to that.”
“Oh! I love this song!” declared Holly when she returned to their table with a second round of drinks later in the evening.
“Let’s dance,” suggested David, getting to his feet and taking her hand.
“But no one else is…”
“Who cares!” he laughed, leading her onto the bar’s small dancefloor.
Giggling Holly allowed herself to get into the festive vibe as she jived to Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree, expertly led by David. He had clearly danced to the song before, twirling her round at the perfect moments then sweeping her up into his arms as the song ended.
The bar’s regulars gave them a round of applause. Playing along, they took a bow then headed back to their table as two other couples ventured up to dance.
“Tonight’s been fun,” said Holly as she stood at her grandmother’s front gate shortly before midnight. David had insisted on walking her home, despite her protests that she would be fine.
“It has,” he agreed with a smile that caused her heart to skip a beat. “We should do it again tomorrow night. Let me buy you dinner.”
“I’d like that.”
“I’ll pick you up here at seven,” he said. With a wink, he stepped closer, put his hands on her upper arms and brushed a soft kiss on her forehead. “Goodnight, Holly.”
“Night,” she called after him, still feeling her arms tingling where he’d touched her.
Dinner on Saturday was followed by lunch on Sunday then a last-minute shopping trip to the outlets outside of town on Monday and a Christmas movie night at Miracle’s old-fashioned movie theatre on Tuesday. It was a whirlwind few days, but as she got up on Wednesday morning, Christmas Eve, Holly realised that she felt happy. It had been a long time since she had bounced out of bed feeling as relaxed and happy and she knew it was all down to her blossoming friendship with David.
Singing Jingle Bells to herself as she ran downstairs to get breakfast, Holly all but skipped into the kitchen.
“Someone’s happy this morning,” commented her grandmother from her seat at the table.
“Happy Christmas Eve, Gramma,” replied Holly, pausing to hug her grandmother on the way to the coffee pot.
“Happy Christmas Eve, Sweetheart.”
“Do you need anything from the store today?”
“List’s on the counter.”
“I’ve a couple of extras to pick up myself so I’ll go shopping after breakfast. If you need to add anything, call me,” said Holly, pouring her coffee. “I’m meeting David for lunch at one.”
Laden down with bags, Holly hurried towards the diner. She knew she was running late and that irritated her. She was never late! Just as she was in sight of the diner, she spotted a large black SUV parked in front of it. Her blood ran cold.
Johnathan…
“Well. Well. Well. Look who has finally shown up.”
She whirled round at the sound of the familiar voice.
“Johnathan, what are you doing here?” her voice waivered as she asked the simple question.
“I thought that was obvious. I’ve come to take you home for Christmas.”
“No.”
“Holly, you know how I feel about that word,” he began coldly as he reached out to take hold of her arm.
“Do not touch me!” she spat, her voice shriller than she had intended.
“Pardon?” said Johnathan, holding her firmly by the elbow. “Enough playing Hallmark happy families with grandma. Time to come back to Boston where you belong.”
“Let go of me!” she yelled, struggling to free herself from his vice like grip. “You’re breaching the terms of the restraining order. I’m going nowhere with you. Not today. Not ever!”
“You are coming home with me now, Holly.”
As she opened her mouth to reply, a huge bundle of fur and paws charged into Johnathan knocking him sideways into the slush filled gutter. Pinning him to the ground with his two front paws, Goliath growled low and deep in his throat.
Feeling safe arms wraps round her, Holly looked up into David’s concerned face.
“You ok?”
She shook her head as tears started to flood down her pale cheeks.
“Do I need to call the police?” he asked softly.
Holly nodded.
“No need, David,” stated a male voice firmly from behind them. “Someone already called it in.”
They both looked round to see Cooper, the local chief of police, standing on the sidewalk. Two of his officers were hauling an irate Johnathan to his feet. He was screaming obscenities about the dog having attacked him while he was innocently talking to his wife.
“Holly, are you married to this jerk?” asked David, looking confused.
“We’re separated. I filed for divorce two weeks ago,” she whispered through her tears.
“Excuse me, ma’am,” interrupted Cooper. “Did I hear you mention a restraint order?”
Holly nodded, “He’s not allowed with ten miles of me for twelve months. It’s an interim order til the divorce comes through.”
“That’s all I need for now. Thank you,” replied the chief. “Can you stop by the station later this afternoon, please, and I’ll take a statement there. More private than the corner of Main Street.”
“Thanks, Cooper,” said David, gratefully. “We’ll be by about three, Right now, I’m taking Holly home.”
“See you at three.”
With Goliath trotting along beside them, David took the shopping bags from Holly then, with a protective arm around her shoulders, steered her towards Secret Close. When they reached The Funky Bean, instead of going inside as she’d expected, he led her round the side of the building and up the fire escape.
“I’m renting the apartment above the coffee shop from my sister,” he explained.
“But I thought you were in Miracle to see your grandmother? I thought you were staying with her.”
“She’s in the hospital. Dementia. She’s been in a care facility, but she fell and broke her hip. She’s in the hospital for now.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry.”
“She’s on the mend. Well, physically anyway,” he said sadly as he unlocked the door. “Come on in. I think you need sit down and talk about what just happened back there.”
As Goliath bounded past them both, David led Holly into the loft style apartment. He sat her shopping bags down by the door.
“Why don’t you freshen up while I run downstairs to get some lunch for us from Rebecca?”
“Thanks.”
“Bathroom’s through the door on the right. Be right back.”
By the time David came back with their lunch in a brown paper sack and two lattes wobbling in a carboard tray, Holly was sitting on the living room rug with Goliath draped across her lap enjoying a belly rub. When he heard David come in, the dog got up to greet him, tail wagging.
“He’ll let you do that all day,” David laughed. “Think you’ve made a friend for life there.”
“He’s my hero today,” said Holly with a smile as she scrambled to her feet. “As are you.”
While they ate at the small glass-topped dining table, Holly opened her heart to David about her marriage. She had met Johnathan at college, and they had dated for two years before getting engaged after they both graduated. When she had enjoyed some success after her first novel was published, they had bought an apartment in Boston then got married the following year.
“At first, everything was perfect,” she said quietly. “Then he got a promotion at work and began to mix in different social circles. He would go out several times a week alone. Refused to say where he was going. Wouldn’t say where he had been or who he had been with. Things in the bedroom got rougher. More demanding…” her voice trailed off for a moment. “A writer friend of mine contacted me a few months later to say she’d been introduced to him as she did interviews as part of the research for her next novel. She was researching BDSM. Dominants. I did a bit of snooping and discovered he’d joined some BDSM private sex club and that was where he had been going.”
“Shit…”
“When I confronted him about it,” continued Holly, fresh tears filling her eyes. “He tied me up. Handcuffed me to our bed. Whipped me then raped me. I packed and left that night. Went to the police…and, well.. that was three months ago. When I was confident that he wasn’t stalking me and breaching the restraint order, I came back to Miracle.”
“And I take it your grandmother knows nothing about any of this?”
“Nothing. She knows we’re getting divorced, but she thinks it’s because I caught him having an affair. It needs to stay that way. The truth would break her heart.”
“Holly, this is a small town. After today, everyone is going to be talking about the flashy guy in the suit who ended up in the gutter outside then diner then got arrested in the middle of Main Street. You need to tell her before someone else does.”
“I guess you’re right,” sniffed Holly tearfully. “She’ll be devastated.”
“Yes, but she’ll also be proud of you for standing up to him and leaving such a toxic relationship. That took guts.”
“Thanks. I’m sorry you got dragged into this mess and on Christmas Eve too.”
“Don’t be,” he said, reaching across to brush a tear from her cheek with his thumb. “I’m just glad me and Goliath were there for you today.”
“Me too.”
“We’ll always be there for you,” he said softly. “If you want us to be that is.”
“I’d like that,” she replied, reaching out to take his hand. “I’d like that a lot.”
A soft thud at the window wakened Holly. With a glance at her phone, she discovered it was five thirty on Christmas morning. She’d stayed up late talking to her Gramma, telling her the truth amid an ocean of tears. When she had finally gone to bed, her sleep had been filled with nightmares of Johnathan.
Another thud brought her back to the present.
Wiping sleep from her eyes, Holly opened the drape. A fresh thick blanket of snow had fallen overnight, covering Miracle in another six or eight inches of snow. It was still dark outside but in the snowy glow she could just make out someone in the front yard. Cautiously, she opened the window to get a better view and looked down.
Goliath was bounding around in the fresh snow. He was bounding round a gigantic now “birthday cake”. In the glow from the snow and the streetlights she could just make out David as he moved around the cake. Giggling softly to herself, she closed the window, grabbed a thick sweater and her boots then tip toed from her room.
When she opened the front door, Goliath came running straight towards her, his tongue lolling out in a cute goofy way. A fairytale scene was waiting for her outside. The giant snow birthday cake had been illuminated by a ring of tall pillar candles. In the snow on the driveway, David had written, “Happy Birthday, Holly.”
As she stepped out onto the porch, David came up the steps carrying two gifts. One was wrapped in birthday paper. The other was covered by Christmas gift wrap.
“Happy birthday,” he said, grinning as he handed her the first present. “And Happy Christmas.” He handed her the second gift.
“Thank you,” she replied looking stunned. “When? How? Why?”
“I got up at three. I knew I needed to be at my mom’s for breakfast at nine and that’s a two hour drive from here so I came over here early. We both did. I wanted you to have a birthday wish and to make a birthday wish you need a cake and candles to blow out. I can’t bake. Store was closed so I made you a snow cake with real candles.”
“I love it!” she gushed as she threw her arms around his neck. “It’s the perfect crazy birthday wish idea. No one has ever done anything like this for me. Not even my mom or my Gramma.”
“Well, blow out your candles and make your wish before the cake melts,” laughed David, taking her by the hand and leading her down the front steps.
Still giggling, Holly, with her PJs tucked into her boots, ran round the giant cake blowing out the candles. As she blew out the last one, she made her wish.
“cue film credits – Hallmark moment”
And they all lived happily ever after in a small town called Miracle.
Coral McCallum 