© Copyright 2002

Preface

I've always wanted to write a Christmas story, but every year I remember it much too late. It was the same this year but I decided to write it anyway. This means that there was no time to send it to the nice people who usually edit my stories before you see them. I hope that you, dear reader, will forgive the errors and typos and enjoy the story as it is. I will do my best to get the editing done before the 2003 Christmas repost. As always, comments are very welcome.

It was already snowing when I got up in the morning and even though I thought I was a bit too old to care that much about it, I secretly wished that the snow would stay until Christmas. It was only two days. A white Christmas is something special and I hoped this one was going to be special. I really wanted a portable cd-player. Dad said it was much too expensive, but I had the feeling that I was going to get it.

The rest of the family had the day before Christmas off, but I still went to school and even though it was a Monday they had decided that we were going to school that day, not to have any lessons but to go to church, then eat cookies in the classrooms and wish everybody a merry Christmas.

In the morning there was a bus to take me straight to school, but since I got off early I had to take two busses to get home. The first one was late but it did come. When I got off to wait for the second bus, the driver stopped me.

"Are you sure you want to get off? 507 might not come at all. The weather is getting worse and they've already cancel a lot of busses."

"I have to. This is the closest to home you can get me."

The driver shrugged.

"Merry Christmas, then. I hope your bus is still running."

I waited for twenty minutes after the time the bus should have been there. Not a single car has passed me and it looked like my wish had been granted: the snow was falling steadily and had been doing so all day. Drifts were forming everywhere and judging from the layer on top of the house opposite the shelter I stood, shuddering in the cold, the blanket of snow was getting close to half a meter. I began to feel alone and abandoned. I wouldn't stand a chance if I tried to walk the five miles home, but I had to do something.

My options were limited. There were three houses: one opposite the bus stop and two a little farther away, all looking deserted. I chose the nearest. I was quite relieved when I heard footsteps on the other side of the door. A young girl opened the door.

"Hi. I think the busses have stopped. Could I borrow your phone and call my parents? My dad will come and pick me up."

"Sure," she said and ushered me in. "But I don't think your parents will come. Almost roads are closed and the police advice people to stay indoors. They use the military's tracked vehicles as ambulances."

"Shit. How am I going to get home?"

"I think you're stuck here. My parents just called to say that they can't get home. They went up to visit my sister this morning. It's only about fifteen miles."

"I better call my parents anyway."

I did and they were very happy to hear from me but they couldn't pick me up and asked if I could stay where I were. I turned to the girl.

"Can I stay here until the weather gets better?"

"Sure."

That was it and I hung up.

"Thanks. It will probably stop snowing soon and then I can go home."

"It's okay. I don't mind some company. I'm not really used to being alone in the house."

Normally I was not talkative around girls but she was easy to talk to. Perhaps it was because we were alone and didn't know each other. Her name was Lisa and her school was closed on the twenty-third, so she had been home all day. We talked until it was dark outside. The snow was still falling. Lisa's parents called again to say that they stayed at Lisa's sister's place. Lisa told them about me. I don't know what her parents said but Lisa said she was glad I was there because she didn't like to be alone.

We turned on the radio. The forecast was snow, snow, snow and wind. A high-pressure front had not moved as anticipated and it looked like the snow was going to continue for at least 24 hours, perhaps longer. All roads were closed and the situation was serious. The general message was "Stay indoors".

"We're not going to starve," Lisa said when she had turned off the radio. "The fridge is about to burst. Can you cook?"

"No, not really. Can you?"

"A little. Let's see if we can find something I know how to cook."

Lisa found a big sausage. We both knew how to peal potatoes and it turned out to be fun cooking together. After we had eaten we watched TV, wondering how they always can get a camera crew out to get pictures no matter how severe the weather is. There were pictures of people being rescued from their cars and a lot of very scenic snow landscapes. The wind had picked up and was causing drifts more than three feet high. I looked fantastic, but we were both very happy that we were indoors. We continued to watch the telly and talk. It was obvious that I'd have to stay the night, but we didn't talk about it until it was around ten o'clock.

Lisa put me up in her sister's old room. It was kind of strange that we were the only people in the house. Lisa let me use the bathroom first and as I lay in my bed I could hear her on the other side of the wall. A few minutes later the house was completely quiet. All I could hear was the snow on the window.

The weather hadn't changed much during the night. Neither of us could recall seeing so much snow before. I still hoped that I'd be able to get home and I guess Lisa hoped her parents would make it home before Christmas Eve, but the forecast shattered all hopes. Here we celebrate Christmas the twenty-fourth in the evening, walking around the tree holding hands and singing Christmas carols before exchanging gifts. I'd never been without my family on Christmas Eve before and the thought of it was kind of sad. I tried not to think too much about it. Lisa wanted to decorate the tree, which meant that we had to get it from the shed behind the house. If the door had opened out instead of in we had never been able to open it. We had to dig our way across to the shed by hand. The shovel was in the shed, too. When we finally carried the tree into the living room we were very warm and sweaty.

The tree was so beautiful when we had finished decorating it.

"You know, it's the first time I've ever decorated a Christmas tree. It's always my dad doing it and the rest of us are not allowed to see it until after we've eaten. Have you done it before?"

"Yes, once. I did it last year because dad had broken his leg," Lisa said. "But it's much better doing it with you."

She blushed and I didn't know what to say. I felt the same way, even though I'd never done it before. While I was desperately trying to find a suitable reply, the lights went out.

"It probably a fuse," I said.

"Do you know how to fix it?"

"Yes. Just show me where the fuse box is."

"I don't know."

We went looking for the fuse box and found it, but to no avail. The snow and wind had probably brought down the cables. Lisa retrieved a lot of candles and candlesticks and we put them up all over the living room. We didn't light them. It was still day, even though it was very grey and dark outside. It took about an hour before we noticed that it was getting awfully cold.

"Oh god," Lisa said. "The central heating is gone, too. Perhaps we have run out of oil?"

"No. It uses electricity to fire up. Doesn't make much difference. Do you have any firewood or is the fireplace only decorative?"

"We have loads of wood in the shed. Let's go get it before we freeze to death."

Getting it was enough to bring the heat back. We lit up and sat down to think things over. Whatever cooking we were going to do was to be done over open fire. The fireplace was never designed to heat the whole house, so we had to stay in the living room. As it grew darker we lit the candles and played cards in front of the fire. It was quite cosy.

After we had eaten Lisa's parents called. Lisa was a bit sad after she'd talked to them. I called my parents and assured them that I was okay. My mother was a bit worried about the fire hazard and told me to be careful. Lisa was starring at tree when I hung up.

"We have no presents," she said. "I don't know where they are and anyway, it wouldn't be right to open them when mum and dad aren't here."

It was kind of sad. But then I remembered the box of chocolate I'd bought for mum. It was not a Christmas present, more a way of showing that was a grownup now. Dad always bought mum flowers on Christmas day. I was sixteen and thought the chocolate was a very good idea.

"I have a present for you," I said. "Just wait here."

I went out, found the box in my bag and put it under the tree. Lisa just sat there. She looked a little sad, almost as if she was going to cry.

"I don't have anything for you," she finally said.

"It's okay. I should have announced that I was coming around for Christmas."

Lisa smiled. She got up and began to light the candles on the tree. When she had finished she took my hand. It felt warm and I was grateful that, for once, I didn't have sweaty hands. It felt a little awkward when she began to sing but I join in and we walked around the tree together, hand in hand.

Lisa looked genuinely happy when she opened the present. She held it as if it was a fine and expensive piece of jewellery. We ate a piece each and then some of the cookies her mum had baked. For a brief second I missed my mother's cookies and my family, but our Christmas was almost better, sitting in the flickering lights of the candles and the fire. Open fire gives a different kind of heat; a nice heat, very suitable for Christmas. We watched the candles burn low on the tree, but we blew them out before there was any danger of the tree catching fire.

Soon, some of the other candles died out and we began to think about sleeping arrangement. We had to sleep in the living room, so we hauled two mattresses down from upstairs along with duvets and pillows and arranged the mattresses end to end in front of the fire. That way we could easily put another log on the fire during the night.