Page 55 of A Winter in Wonderland
Chapter 25
I could have been sixteen again, getting ready for the school Christmas dance. Only this time, I wasn’t anticipating kissing a boy under the mistletoe, I was anticipating midnight, when the clock turned to Christmas itself. Because when that happened, I would have made it. Against all odds, I would be able to say I lived in the most festive place on earth, and survived without tragedy.
Since the Christmas party was mainly for the visitors, though all the staff were asked to join in (we couldn’t drink, though), the Love Adventuring Lapland workers, including management, had been issued with special T-shirts with the company name on the back so guests would know who was who. Elves had to still be elves, albeit in slightly altered costumes, and Santa would be making an appearance.
Esteri told me that it was usual practice to jazz-up your T-shirt for the Christmas party, and since I’d brought barely any smart clothes with me, I ended up being bedecked in her array of festive party wear.
‘Could you tuck the T-shirt into your knickers?’ she asked me, standing back. She’d manhandled me into her jade velvet floor-length skirt with a big slit up the side, but the long-length red T-shirt was visible at the top of the slit.
‘No, couldn’t we pin the slit at the top so it doesn’t come up so high?’ I was insisting on wearing tights with the ensemble so I didn’t freeze my bottom off walking from the staff chalet to the activities’ lodge, where the party was being held, and Esteri was making it clear I was a difficult client for her to style.
My hair was up and with a Lauren-Conrad-circa-2008 side-plait which had tinsel woven into it, can you believe it, and while Esteri was adjusting my skirt and grumbling I snapped a selfie and sent it to my sister. I hoped she didn’t give birth there and then in shock.
A message came back immediately.
Is that the least festive girl in England wearing TINSEL IN HER HAIR?
I smiled.On Christmas Eve, getting ready to go to a Christmas party, no less.
Whoa. When was the last time you went to one of those?
Well, I nearly went to one last year, at my old job, but then skipped out on it. And that party of Callie’s that I don’t want to think about was more of a Christmas-slash-engagement thing. So …Maybe at uni?
Shay was typing, and there were a lot of pauses so I guessed she was deciding between bollocking me or pitying me.
In the meantime, Esteri finished pinning my dress and stood up. ‘Perfect,’ she said, and faced me to our mirror.
I stood on tiptoe to try and get the full effect of my not-full-length reflection, and quite liked what I saw, actually. The green of the skirt looked nice against my skin, the T-shirt was cute tucked in, my hair was interesting, and, was that a smile on my face? Well, I never.
Esteri was looking very glam indeed. She was wearing a bright red, flared dress that matched perfectly with the colour of the T-shirt which she wore over the top. She’d cut the neck wider, and stretched it out, giving it an off-shoulder, classic look. She had matching lipstick and curled hair with a red ribbon in it. ‘Tonight, I am kissing one of the husky boys.’
I laughed. ‘You can’t kiss anyone tonight, you’re working!’
She just raised her eyebrows at me, smugly. ‘Who would you kiss tonight?’
‘Oh nobody,’ I said, probably too quickly. ‘I have no intention of hoping for a kiss tonight.’
I’m not waiting under the mistletoe at another Christmas party for anyone.Not even Josh. I mean, of course not Josh, why would I want to kiss Josh, he’s so annoying …
My phone lit up with Shay finally replying. For all the time she took, it was a short and simple sentiment:
Let yourself have a magical time tonight, and a Merry Christmas xx
Thanks, sis, I wrote back.Happy Christmas Eve and I’ll FaceTime you all tomorrow xx
*
‘Wow,’ I said, on entering the activities’ lodge.
‘It’s good, right?’ Esteri stood beside me, beaming.
Staff were to arrive thirty minutes before the doors opened to the holidaymakers, to make sure we all were in the know about the evening’s plans, health and safety procedures, rules and regs, and could have a quick mingle together before we were expected to mingle with guests. We were still allowed to interact with each other during the evening, but weren’t allowed to purely move around in little cliques and should instead make everyone feel part of the Christmas family celebrations.
Walking from the staff chalet to the activities’ lodge had been beautiful and perilous, like Britney in herToxicvideo. Both Esteri and I were braving wearing trainers – hardly stilettos but also not exactly designed for Arctic trekking, our coats bundled around us, gripping each other as we crunched over the snow. The temperature felt like it had plummeted, but that could have been because I was wearing less than three hundred layers for the first time in over a month. And we had to stop halfway because the sky above the treetops sparkled with a billion diamonds.
‘It’s a good, clear night for Santa to make his rounds,’ I joked to my friend, and she smiled up at the sky and nodded. I asked her, ‘Are you OK?’
‘Just saying a Merry Christmas to my family, up there.’
