Page 192 of How My Neighbour Stole Christmas
After that, we shared a brat, grabbed a cookie from Warm Your Spirits, and found a couple of chairs where we talked some more. Tanya gushed over us the entire time, especially since Cole wouldn’t let go of my hand—not that I wanted him to. He asked me if I wanted to slip through the back door of his house, and I was tempted, but after the conversation I had with Taran this morning, I knew I was on thin ice, so I opted to go back to the house.
And now…now I’m being told how to cut wrapping paper.
“The guidelines are there for a reason. You need to follow them,” Taran says.
“Yes, follow the guidelines,” Aunt Cindy parrots.
I slide the scissors along the preprinted guidelines. “But what if the wrapping paper they provide doesn’t have guidelines?”
“It does,” Aunt Cindy says. “It’s one of the things they watch for.”
“Okay,” I drag out. “Now, are we sure it’s going to be a regular box that I have to wrap and not some weird shape?”
“Depends,” Aunt Cindy says. “The first few years, it was a simple box, and they judged who decorated it the best, but last year they gave everyone a hexagonal package, and we had to figure out the angles. It was very hard.”
“That doesn’t seem like fun.”
“It wasn’t.” Aunt Cindy plops a hexagon-shaped box on the table. “We’re going to practice both.”
Oh joy.
I sigh and take a seat in my chair, working on wrapping the box. I can feel Taran’s eyes on me the entire time. When I finally look up at her, I ask, “What?”
“You seem reluctant to practice.”
“I’m not.”
I am. I wantto be over at Cole’s. How great would it be if we could practice together? Like we did with the candy canes. That was so much fun. But sitting here with my aunt and sister hovering over me…not so much fun.
“Then why aren’t you cheerful?” Taran asks.
“You’re not cheerful either. You’re more into regiment mode at the moment.”
“Well, someone needs to be. Honestly, you spent hours out in town today and the last contest is coming up soon. We need to be prepared. We’re five points behind. We have to take first in this next one, and Cole needs to come in last if we have any chance at winning this.”
“That seems a little dramatic,” I say. “We also have the lights contest and the overall Christmas joy scoring from the spies around town, and Cole hasn’t really improved on his display at all,andwe have added some things to the house. The candy cane lollipops along the porch were a nice touch.”
Taran perks up. “Thank you. It took a while to make sure they were straight, but once I started using the level, I thought they added some pizzazz.”
“And changing the bulbs in the porch lights…also a nice touch.”
“That was my idea,” Aunt Cindy says.
“It was a good one.”
I tape the paper together at the top, using the double-sided tape so it doesn’t show. I even fold the raw edge over.
“And listen,” I continue, “the card making will be a breeze. I’ve been scrapbooking with Aunt Cindy for years. I know what goes into a good Christmas card. We only need to worry about the stocking, but I have an idea.”
“Oh?” Aunt Cindy says with piqued interest.
“Yes. We’ll need some felt, an upholstery needle, and some yarn.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Storee
Up Whistler Lane, on the left side of the street,
