Page 42 of All in December
“Are you here for cut-your-own?” the girl asks as we approach.
“Yep.” I nod, and she hands us a saw, a tree tag, and points toward the open rows.
“Great! Just pick your tree, cut it down, and bring it back here. We’ll wrap it up for you. And don’t forget to grab cocoa when you’re done.”
Caleb raises an eyebrow at me as we walk away, saw in hand. “Definitely going to need cocoa after this.”
“I can make that happen.” I chuckle and glance over at him. “So, do you still need a tree, or are you just helping us pick out ours?”
“Don’t judge,” he says. “But we’ve had a fake one up since November first.”
I raise an eyebrow, glancing over at him. “Wow. So you’rethathouse, huh?”
“Hey”—he nudges my shoulder as he walks beside me—“we like to celebrate early. It’s our favorite time of the year. Besides, like I told you, it’s just the two of us, so we decide when it feels like the right time, and it’s usually the day after Halloween.”
“I love that you have your own routines and traditions,” I assure him as we turn down another row, Emma skipping ahead with Sam and Benji.
“Dad, what about this one?” Benji yells.
Sam points toward a different tree nearby. “This one’s better! It’s way fuller.”
“Only because you can’t see the back,” Benji calls back.
“Okay, okay.” I laugh, holding up my hands. “We’ll inspect them all.”
Emma tugs on Caleb’s hand. “Caleb, should we get a tall one or a chubby one?”
My heart melts at how much she seems to be enjoying Caleb’s presence. She’s a pretty outgoing girl, but she’s really taking a liking to Caleb, just like I have.
He crouches down to her level, pretending to consider very seriously. “Hmm. I think the fuller ones give better hugs. But tall ones make good climbing trees.”
She gasps. “We can’t climb the Christmas tree!”
“See? That’s why a wide one might be better, if you have space for it in your house, that is.”
She giggles, and I glance over just in time to catch the smile Caleb gives her, which is full of so much adoration.
“Dad!” Benji calls again. “We need a vote! Come see this one!”
“Duty calls,” I say, making my way toward the next contender.
Caleb and Emma’s shoes crunch in the snow behind me, and by the time we catch up, Benji is standing proudly beside a tree that’s just a little taller than him, full on all sides.
“This one,” he says confidently.
“I like it,” Caleb agrees, running a hand along the needles.
Emma nods solemnly. “It looks like a tree that would like our ornaments.”
Sam walks a slow circle around it, arms crossed, inspecting it. “I vote yes.”
I take a few steps back to see it from all angles. It’s not perfect, but it’s exactly right. “Alright,” I nod. “This one’s coming home with us.”
Caleb hands me the saw and helps hold the tree while I saw the base. The kids all cheer when it falls over, and I drag it through the snow to the counter we checked in at to pay.There are a couple of guys who help net the tree before Caleb and I tie it to the roof of my car.
“We’ve got cocoa and cider if you want to warm up,” the girl reminds us.
“Can we get some? Please?” Benji begs, and I give them a nod. They all take off toward the shop, and ten minutes later, we’re all seated around a fire pit with warm paper cups in our hands, talking and laughing.
