Sammy's Christmas List (3 page)

“Oh, thank you so much. You wouldn’t believe the day I’ve been having.” I was about to rattle off the list of things that had gone wrong when he pointed to my car.
 

“It’s about to get a lot worse!”

Chapter 6

My car slid on the ice in the direction of the other parked cars. I rushed forward and managed to get inside just in time to hit the brake before it collided. My heart raced, and despite the fact that my snowsuit was soaked from the inside out with snow, my body was covered in sweat. I got the car under control and drove away with the hope that the next half of my day would go much better.

I stopped at home long enough to change into fresh clothes and then headed off for my orientation with the volunteer program.
 

On the way to the orientation I played peaceful music and attempted a few breathing exercises. My first day at ski class had been disastrous. That didn’t mean that the rest of the day needed to be.

I arrived at the mall and parked in a clear spot. I double-checked the emergency brake. Then I headed inside. A small sign directed me to an office. I pushed the door open and stepped inside.

The first thing that I noticed was how much larger I was than everyone else in the room, and not in the way I was used to. All of the other people in the room were much shorter than me.

I smiled as I walked in. A few of them stared at me. Then the door of the office swung open with a bang. Everyone, including me, jumped. I spun around to see a very angry face. It belonged to a woman that couldn’t have been more than four feet tall.
 

“Well, well, looks like the recruits are all here. Line up! Against the wall!” She stomped her foot. A bell attached to the tip of her curled shoe jingled, which did nothing to make the command less frightening.

I practically tripped over my feet to get to the back wall, as did all of the other people that seemed as equally terrorized by the woman’s sharp tone. She walked back and forth in front of us with her hands clasped at the base of her back.
 

“Are you really ready for this? I’m not so sure.”
 

I looked at the other people around me for any sign of what my answer should be.

“I said, are you really ready for this?”
 

“Yes, elf!” All of the other people responded.
 

“Yes, elf?” I raised an eyebrow.
 

“Do you have a problem with that, newbie?” The woman paused right in front of me and glared up into my eyes. “Do you not understand the seriousness of your role as an elf?” She reached into her pocket and pulled out two pointy ears. She placed them over her ears and continued to hold my gaze. I got the impression that if I laughed I might get punched in the gut.
 

“No, elf.” I squeaked out my words and hoped that was the right answer.

She appeared appeased as she began to pace back and forth again.
 

“Listen up, elves, we’re not going to sugarcoat the situation here. You’re about to go to war, and you need to be ready for it.”
 

I stared at the short red-headed woman who paced the front of the room. She looked as if she was ready to take anyone out who questioned her authority. Though she wore elf ears and shoes curled at the toe, her expression was harsh. She glared into the eyes of every elf that she passed.
 

“You’re going to deal with snot, with vomit, and with volatile unpredictable little beasts.”
 

My lips parted in shock at her description of the children. If anyone else was shocked by the woman’s behavior they certainly didn’t show it. As she continued to pace she spoke so sharply that spittle flew out of her mouth.
 

“They will bite you, scratch you, pee on you—and those little beasts might even engage in the dreaded full body cling.”
 

“The full body cling?” I blinked. “What’s that?”
 

“Oh, you don’t know, do you, newbie?” The woman chuckled. “Imagine, if you will, taking a stroll through the park on a sunny day. Everything is calm and bright. Then, out of nowhere, a rabid spider monkey sinks its claws into your shoulders and wraps its legs around your waist in a vise-like grip. You can scream, you can squirm, but that sucker is not going to let you go. When this happens, there’s nothing any of us can do to help you. You just have to pray that the parasite has a parental figure with enough sense to pry it from your terrified body.”
 

I laughed as she stared into my eyes. “Wow, that’s pretty creative.”
 

“Why are you laughing?” the woman shouted into my face.
 

“Huh? I thought it was a joke.” I took a step back.

She moved forward; the bells on the tips of her shoes jingled with each step, but there was nothing merry about her glare.
 

“There is nothing funny about elves and children. We are on two different sides of civility and it’s best not to forget that.”
 

“I really can’t believe that you are speaking about children as if they are some kind of wild animals. These are just kids who are hoping to have a good Christmas.”
 

“That’s where you’re wrong, girly.” She scrunched up her nose and glared into my eyes. “These kids are angry and sugar-crazed, and they want to cause harm to innocent elves.”
 

“Does anyone else find this absurd?” I looked around at the other elves in training. “Obviously there can be a bad apple or two in the group, but I’m sure the majority of these kids will be polite and happy to see us.”
 

“Well, I guess we’ll find out tomorrow night, won’t we?” The woman smirked. “Oh yes, we’ll find out for sure.”
 

My hands still shook a little as I left orientation. Never did I imagine that volunteering could be so intense. I was equipped with my own elf ears and shoes, but I left behind part of my soul, the part that believed Christmas could be merry. If not even a roomful of elves had holiday cheer, what chance did I have of finding it anywhere else?

Chapter 7

I was discouraged when I arrived home. I tried to work on my Secret Santa project and ended up hot-gluing my fingers to a pine cone. Then I had to search the web for a way to remove the glue.

By the time I got around to getting any writing down I was exhausted. After writing a few paragraphs I gave up and stretched out on my bed. I thought about all the ways things had gone wrong. I didn’t think it could get much worse.

At least I had a fully prepared Christmas dinner to look forward to. I closed my eyes and fell asleep with a hint of dread about what the next day would bring.
 

I woke the next morning with no more inspiration than I’d fallen asleep with.

I decided to check my blog to see if my update had been a hit. I found many other people that understood the stress I put on myself, especially during the holidays. Reading all of their perceptions of things reminded me to rise above the stress and embrace the moment.

I picked out a new sweater to wear under my snowsuit and sewed some Velcro patches onto the cut portion.

I arrived at my ski lesson after parking carefully in the parking lot. I braced myself for what I might face after the day before.

Lance smiled at me as he walked up. “Good morning, Samantha. Are you ready for your first journey down the bunny slope?”
 

“I think so.” I forced a smile. If my track record from the day before was any prediction of how this lesson would go, I was less ready and more scared.
 

“Alright, let’s go ahead and get you on your skis, then we’ll take the lift up to the top.”
 

I looked at the swinging metal seat and gulped. Would it hold me? What if I fell out? What if I tripped?

I sat down on the bench and put on my boots and skis. Then very slowly I got to my feet. With my arms straight out I made sure my balance was solid before I attempted to glide toward Lance.
 

“Wow, look at you. What a great job you’re doing.”
 

His praise made me feel a bit like I was back in grade school, but I still smiled.

“Come with me. We’ll hop on the lift, and soon you’ll be sailing down the hill.”

I wanted to be excited. When I sat down on the lift and it began to move, I tried to be excited. When it reached the top of the hill and Lance reached for my hand, I tried to be eager. Instead, I clung so tight to his hand that he had to shake himself free of me.
 

“No need to worry, Samantha. Even if you lose your balance, you won’t get hurt. I’m here to make sure of that.” He patted the back of my snowsuit.

I took a deep breath and nodded. It was time that I dedicated myself to being in the moment and getting the most out of my experience. Otherwise, there was no point in doing it.

I closed my eyes for a moment to try to clear my mind. Unfortunately, in that same moment, Lance instructed me to start down the slope. When I didn’t, he gave me a little push.

Before I could even open my eyes, I’d already picked up speed. I tried to plow my skis to slow myself down but my legs spread apart instead. Lance, who was beside me, did his best to steer me, but I was out of control. I spun to the side and right out of the pure driven snow into the bushes that lined the slope.

It wasn’t a pleasant landing, but it wasn’t very painful either. I struggled to get to my feet. In the process I raised my ski pole into the air with the intention of stabbing it down into the ground to stabilize myself. When I heard metal strike skin and a gasp from Lance, I realized it was a bad decision.

I turned around to see Lance’s hand cupped over his right eye. He stumbled and then rolled down the entirety of the bunny slope. I stared in horror as he landed with a poof of snow at the bottom of the hill. Several young children surrounded him with pointed fingers and peals of laughter.
 

“Little beasts,” I muttered. Maybe the head elf was right after all.

I started to go after Lance to make sure that he was okay, but once more my legs spread and I ended up rolling right down the hill right behind him. He was just getting to his feet when I collided with his athletic frame like a frozen bowling ball.

He shrieked and I got a mouthful of snow. The rescue staff for the ski resort had to untangle us, as our ski boots had managed to get stuck together. Lance still had one hand over his eye and refused to look at me.
 

“I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to.”

“Are you alright, ma’am?” One of the workers in a bright red jacket looked into my eyes. “Did you hit your head? Do you have any broken limbs?”
 

Just a broken ego, I thought to myself.
 

“No, I think I’m okay.”
 

“Alright, let’s get you somewhere that you can rest a bit.” He helped me to my feet.

Lance was whisked away on a stretcher. It certainly wasn’t my finest hour.
 

I limped my way over to a small tent set up on the side of the base of the hill under the guidance of one of the on-site medical staff. Inside was an assortment of medical supplies as well as cups of hot cocoa.
 

“Here, drink this and warm yourself up.”
 

I took the cup of hot cocoa and sipped at it a little bit at a time. It was very hot. I wondered if Lance would recover. I’d had no idea how dangerous I would be on skis.

It was clear that my ski lesson was over.

I decided to head back to my car.

Chapter 8

When I made my way out of the tent I was nearly knocked over by two kids on skis. I tried to catch my balance but my hot cocoa slipped out of my hands and splashed into the face of a woman who followed after the two kids on her own set of skis. She screamed at the heat of the drink. I tried to use the arm of my snowsuit to wipe her face clean.
 

“I’m so sorry! It was an accident! Those little monsters almost knocked me over—”
 

“My children? Are you calling my children little monsters? What is wrong with you?”

A worker from the first aid tent rushed forward. “Are you okay? Are you burned?”
 

“I’m fine, no thanks to this, this—are you really a grown woman in a snowsuit?” She huffed.

I blushed. Though her face was red, it wasn’t burned. I was relieved that I hadn’t hurt her, but I wasn’t going to take any chances on what she might do to me if she got the chance. I hurried off to the parking lot.
 

Once I reached my car I took some time to sit and collect my thoughts. Yes, skiing had been a disaster yet again. No, I was not looking forward to facing the head elf at the training session that was next on my agenda. But I was determined to make these last few days of December count. Even if it made me miserable, I was going to find a way to accomplish something.

I started the car and drove home to change.

As I changed I tried to think of all of the positives of the day. I enjoyed the ride on the ski lift. I made it down the bunny slope, even if it was on my back. I met some new people. I tried not to think about the fact that Lance was taken away in an ambulance. I was sure he was just fine.

I pinned my hair back, put on my elf ears, and pulled on my elf shoes. I truly believed that every experience was what I made of it. If I went in with a good attitude, good things were bound to happen. I just had to summon that joy from deep within me, even if it was only leftovers from the year before.
 

The office was filled with elves when I stepped inside. Everyone was green and the costumes even glittered in the fluorescent light.
 

“Newbie, didn’t you get my text about coming early for your costume fitting?” The head elf scowled at me.
 

“No, I’m sorry. I didn’t.” I dug in my purse for my phone.
 

“Never mind, there’s one left. Just hurry up and put it on.” She shoved a dress bag at me and pointed to a closet. “You can change in there.”