A Cozy Mountain Christmas - part 1

A COZY MOUNTAIN CHRISTMAS

A short story by Jason Haskins

Holding hands across the middle seat of a boxed moving truck, Griffin and Daisy Gladwin looked at their once comfortable, three-bedroom, two bath home for the final time.

Above the beige painted home, hues of pink, orange, and blue accentuated long strings of clouds settling in the late afternoon December sky. Packed to the brim, the last boxes stacked in the truck only an hour prior. After a quick trip to gas up the vehicle, Griffin returned, the truck in the driveway now facing the garage door. The engine warmed, but little heat transferred to the occupants within. Griffin and Daisy were each bundled in layers – jackets, knit caps, a purple scarf for Daisy, gray for Griffin – fighting a biting chill. “Maybe we should have decorated the house, one last time, over Thanksgiving. You know, one last hurrah,” said Daisy.

“Might have been nice,” replied Griffin, squeezing his wife’s hand, “to bring a slice of joy to our little world.”

“For the kids.”

“They’ll be fine, I’m sure.”

The two Gladwin kids, Sterling, seventeen years old, and Miriam, thirteen, sat in the midsized SUV parked next to the moving truck. Sterling, lean, wearing a denim jacket and a gray knit ap atop shaggy brown hair occupied the driver’s seat. Miriam, dirty blonde hair tied in two pigtails, wearing a puffy black jacket and pink earmuffs, rides shotgun. The vehicle was also jam-packed with boxes, clothing, and an assortment of items, all shoved in nooks and crannies. “What do you think they are talking about?” asked Miriam, unwrapping a stick of mint gum, placing it in her mouth while staring over at her parents.

“Who cares?” replied Sterling, gripping the steering wheel, looking at the house. He quickly acknowledged his snappy retort and resolved the response to his sister. “Sorry. They are taking a final glance, I guess.”

Miriam shrugged, silently agreeing while turning her gaze to her former home.

The house on Elm Avenue had been the family home for the previous fifteen years.

Fifteen years of joy, laughter, tears, fights, and celebrations. Fifteen years of Christmas mornings, falling just short of making it to Christmas number sixteen. Forced out with no eleventh hour miracle to give the Gladwin family one last chance to celebrate, despite final efforts to normalize life the night before. Daisy spruced up the near-empty living room for a Christmas picnic. One final dinner to share in the only home Miriam knew. Sure, the meal was pizza and salad, eaten on paper plates with plastic utensils, but Daisy did her best. She passed out festive holiday napkins. She played Christmas music on her cellphone. Daisy even egged on laughter after jokes told by Griffin. The response? Instead, the family suffered without speaking. Simple staring, clanky chewing, and the seriousness of four people filled the room, all saying goodbye to a lifetime, not yet ready for this unscheduled adventure.

“Shall we?” asked Griffin to Daisy, unceremoniously.

Wiping away tears from flushed cheeks, Daisy replied, “No. But here we go.”

Griffin squeezed Daisy’s hand, then placed the gearshift into reverse, slowly backing into the street. Throwing the gear into drive, Griffin waved at the kids. Sterling followed the same pattern and soon tailed the truck. Residential roads turned into main city streets, where the two vehicles passed familiar sights. Fast food joints, schools, entertainment centers, outdoor malls, and office buildings. A final time to say a silent goodbye to a world the family had always known.

Moving away from the city, specifically from this house, was never really a consideration until recently for the Griffin, Daisy, and the Gladwin family. A forever home was always something the two parents envisioned. Dreams of raising a family, watching the kids grow and leave, welcoming grandkids to share the warmth, and eventual retirement all part of the grand plan. Not that they could not manage the obstacles of life, attuned to the aspects of life not always going as planned. Optimism, however, had them believing they could weather any storm laid upon their feet.

Recent layoffs, followed by lack of opportunities, and health issues of family got in the way of the dream.

The layoffs of both Griffin and Daisy happened within weeks of one another, each working in an industry that was stable for years but crumbled in recent months. The job market, they found, flooded with qualified individuals, making a difficult situation worse. Opportunities were slim, even as search parameters expanded when Griffin and Daisy explored options in different cities and states. Before they dug too deep, with their savings running low, Daisy’s father reached out with the bad news that her mother was sick. Dad needed to focus on helping his wife and in turn, could no longer focus on running the family business. The general store in the mountain town three hours north of the city had been in the family for two generations. Daisy’s dad, rather than sell – and knowing the current situation with Griffin and Daisy – made a plea for them to come run the store for him. The choice for the Gladwin’s to sell the house, leave the city, and embrace a new lifestyle was difficult but not hard. This offer, a saving grace to realize small blessings amid bad health and bad luck, included a family cabin to live in while starting a new life. All with less than a week before the arrival of Christmas Day.

A clear sky and clear roads brought the family to the cabin with no issues at all. Snow dusted fir trees lined the streets, glowing under the twinkling stars of a cloudless sky. Smoke drifted from the chimneys of spread-out cabins, close dwellings but acres between. Neighborly privacy is the term Daisy’s dad used. The smoke from wood stoves almost froze in the frosty mountain air. The Gladwin family last spent Christmas in the mountains four years ago, far away from the steady din of the city. Once, it was rare for them to miss a holiday at the cabin. Two lots away were Daisy’s parents, with a guest cabin where Griffin’s mother would often stay, or his sister and her family. So, generally the holiday was a big family affair. But in recent years, the Christmas celebration dwindled in size. It was not for a lack of trying in which Griffin and company could not make the trip. A general hustle and bustle kept the families at their respective homes. In the interim, Daisy’s parents drove down for the holidays, or Griffin’s mom would make the trip, all to keep a handful of holiday traditions intact. Griffin and Daisy did miss spending Christmas here, with many fond memories of Sterling and Miriam’s younger years involving snowy nights, cutting down their own Christmas tree, hot cocoa by the fireplace, and many more.

Now, Christmas at the cabin would be theirs again, for years into the foreseeable future.

Be sure to check in for part two, arriving Wednesday, December 10. Thanks for reading!