‘Don’t they all,’ she replied, smiling before turning back towards Holly. ‘And don’t you worry, I’ll make sure Santa knows exactly which house to deliver your presents to.’ She gave Guy a wink. ‘Santa always gets it right.’
They walked away towards the trees, Holly in the middle, holding hands with both Guy and Libby. ‘What did Mrs Claus mean by “She’ll make sure Santa delivers your presents to the right house”?’ Guy asked.
Holly looked down at the ground and attempted to ignore the question. Guy gave Libby a puzzled look and she shrugged.
‘Holly?’ Guy stopped and bent down next to his daughter. ‘Come on, tell me what’s on your mind.’
‘Santa might miss out my presents because I don’t know where I’ll be on Christmas Eve. I might be at Granny’s house, or with Mummy, or with you.’
‘You will see us all at some point on Christmas Day,’ Guy said reassuringly.
Holly nodded. She clearly already knew that, but Libby could see she wanted a plan, so she didn’t have to worry about her presents not being there when she woke up in the morning.
Libby also crouched down. ‘I think what Holly wants to know is where she will be sleeping on Christmas Eve, so she isn’t worrying whether she will be missed by Santa Claus.’
Holly nodded and Libby gave her hand a little squeeze.
Guy took both of her hands. ‘You can wake up wherever you want to on Christmas morning and I’ll personally make sure that wherever you are, Santa knows where to deliver your presents.’
‘Promise?’ asked Holly.
‘I promise,’ replied Guy, giving his little girl a hug. ‘Let’s talk about it tonight and make some proper plans. Is that okay?’
Holly smiled.
‘Good. Now let’s go and pick a tree. I need to show you all that I’m not bah humbug.’
As they walked on, Holly ran in front and began weaving herself in and out of the trees. ‘What about this one?’ she shouted.
‘Too big! We’ll never get it through the door,’ Guy bellowed back. ‘Go to the smaller section over there, and stay in sight.’
‘Just smell that,’ said Libby, inhaling the rich, sweet scent. ‘And look at those pine cones on those branches.’ She noticed that Guy was lost in thought. ‘How are you feeling about Christmas?’ she asked tentatively, knowing that the holiday season was meant to be a joyous time for families, but for many was a time of pain and stress. She was sure it was something that was preying on Cynthia’s mind, too.
‘I’m actually not sure,’ he admitted. ‘It’s just not easy trying to please everyone. My ideal would be to spend it with Holly by myself, but that’s just me being selfish. I do know she needs to see her mum and my parents, and I know there’s going to be a part of the day when I’ll be sitting on my own.’ Guy looked into the distance. ‘Sometimes I wish I had a magic wand… But no matter what, I’ll make sure Holly does what she wants to do and wakes up where she wants to wake up.’
‘That’s all you can do,’ Libby replied. She noticed that Guy looked pensive.
‘And you’re still here Christmas Eve?’
‘I am. I’m spending Christmas at Starcross Manor so please don’t think you’re on your own; there’s always room for extras at our table.’ She bumped her shoulder against his.
‘I might take you up on that, thank you.’
‘You’re very welcome.’
‘Dad, come on. I’ve found one! This one is perfect.’
The tree Holly had chosen was near the edge of the field and as Guy and Libby caught up with her, they heard her give a tiny squeal and jump forward. She clutched Guy’s hand as a squirrel popped its head out of the branches then scampered down the trunk and across the ground. It stopped in a pool of sunlight in front of them and none of them moved, standing like statues and watching as the squirrel found a nut and popped it into its mouth. With its fluffy tail quivering behind it, it raced off and was soon out of sight.
‘We nearly got a free squirrel with that tree,’ Guy joked.
‘It frightened me at first but it’s so cute,’ Holly said, finally letting go of Guy’s hand.
‘I’m not sure Pickle would be impressed if we took a tree with its own resident back to the lodge so it’s probably best he’s headed back to his own home. Now, this tree is beautiful. It’s the right size and the right shape.’ Guy walked around it. ‘This is the one,’ he declared, handing the pen and star to Holly. ‘Why don’t you write our name on there and I’ll write the address. We need to hang it on the tree before anyone else chooses it.’
Holly ran to a nearby bench, rested the star on her knee and began to write. She was soon back by Guy’s side and handed him the star. His face lit up. ‘You cutie,’ he said, pulling the bobble on the top her hat. He showed the star to Libby, who didn’t have the heart to tell Holly that she had spelled the words incorrectly.
Me, Daddy and Libby for a majical crismas.
