Mistletoe Miracles

Chapter 5

Turning off highway sixteen and onto Almonte Street, I take in the old buildings that I haven't seen since Canada Day long weekend. Snow covered the ground and Christmas lights twinkled from the many light poles leading to the right if I wanted to drive down Mill Street where the festival would be held. I am dying to see what the town has done this year for Christmas, but instead, I continued over the bridge, crossing over the Mississippi River and onto Main Street.

Everywhere I look, all I see are lights and Christmas decor, the magic of it all making me feel at ease. I even spot a few children on winter break playing in the snow as they build a snowman that is nearly double their height. Chuckling, I turn the radio station on to find the beginning of "Santa Baby" playing. Feeling a little more in the Christmas mood, I sing along as I turn onto Spring Street and keep an eye out for my house. Finding the familiar stone building I grew up in, I pulled into 164 Spring Street just in time to watch my mother come outside and wave at me from the front porch with my father by her side.

"Welcome home Marissa!" She calls out as I climb out of the car, her enthusiasm adding to my happy mood. My father, dressed for the cold weather, comes to my side, pulling me into his arms for a bear hug.

"Welcome home Rissa." He mutters, the scent of eggnog on his breath.

"Thanks Dad." I say, pulling back and motioning to my back seat.

"Are you here to help me bring my luggage inside?" He chuckles at this, opening the back door and pulling out my three bags of luggage, a frown on his face.

"What the hell did you pack?" He exclaims in shock, taking two of the larger luggage and leaving the smaller one for me. I grin, following him up the shoveled path to the front porch where my mother is next to pull me in for a hug, the scent of gingerbread surrounding her. She must have been baking already.

"She packed all the clothes she needed for three weeks." My mother says as she pulls away, trying to take my luggage from me, but I stop her.

"I can carry this Mom since I have some gifts in here for you and Dad." I stated, pulling the luggage behind me as I climbed the porch steps and entered the house. It seems my father has already beaten me inside as I catch a glimpse of him heading upstairs with luggage in each hand. Smiling, I kicked off my winter boots and followed after him. As soon as I reached the top of the steps, my dad has already moved down the hallway and was slipping into my room. With a shake of my head, I headed there too, reaching my bedroom just as my dad was exiting it.

"I put your luggage on the bed. Take some time to settle in before coming downstairs. Your Mom might rope you into decorating gingerbread cookies." He sighs out, giving me another bear hug.

"I am fine with decorating cookies. Alice demands that I bring a bunch back to her when I return to Toronto." I laugh out, pulling back and taking a step into my room. My father mutters something about Alice's love of sweets being the main reason she helped convince me to come here as he retreats down the hall and I find myself agreeing. Alice, as much as I love her, has a big sweet tooth. Her convincing me to come home for the holidays might also include the fact she knows I would bring home a tin of homemade gingerbread cookies for her.

Finding my luggage on the bed like my father said it was, I went to work putting clothes away into the oak dresser and sliding the empty luggage into the closet as soon as I am done. With the bed cleared, I flop onto it and take a deep breath. My room smells like sugar cookies and I can't help but muse at the fact my mother is using her Christmas scents on the bedding already.

Closing my eyes, I let the stress of the last few weeks melt away, exhaustion quickly settling in. Maybe I can get away with a quick nap before I need to help my mother decorate cookies.