Christmas Wish

'Whatcha doin'?' the little voice asked as I was sharpening the chain on my chainsaw.

'Hey sweetie, just getting ready to get a Christmas Tree.' I replied. 'Do you have one up already?'

She shook her head, 'Momma said that it's 'pensive so maybe next year.' She replied with a sigh.

Sammi with an 'I' was my four-year old neighbor. And it was Sammi, not Samantha, although that's what her mom yelled out when Sammi was in trouble. Young enough to find happiness and fun with the everyday trappings of life, but old enough to know that difficult times meant doing without. Something that her mom and she had to deal with ever since her mom got laid off because of the Coronavirus pandemic.

They had moved next door about two years ago. Sammi must have been around two years old and still a toddler. Never saw a father figure and I later learned that her mom and dad were divorced.

I tried to help Renee, her mom, but she was a proud woman and wasn't inclined to accept anyone's help. I had offered to help with the lawn care but even that was turned down. And now that there was two or three inches of the white stuff on the ground, the yard didn't need much looking after. So I just shoveled the snow off her driveway whenever I did mine.

'Sammi!' her mom yelled out from their house, 'where are you?'

'Mommy, I'm next door talking with Petey.' She yelled back in reply.

Renee looked out their front window and waved. Sammi and I waved back.

'Hey, I got an idea. Why don't you ask your mom if both of you can come with me to get a Christmas Tree for your house?' I asked.

Her face lit up with a huge smile moments before she was running back to her house yelling at the top of her lungs, 'Mommy! Mommy! Petey asked if we could go with him to get a Christmas Tree!'

I laughed as I returned to the task of sharpening the chain.

A few minutes later I heard the crunch of their footsteps on the icy surface of the snow on her lawn as Renee walked over holding Sammi's hand. Sammi was going a mile a minute asking for her mom's permission to go with me to get a tree.

'Hey Petey,' Renee greeted me as she walked up. 'Sammi said that you invited us to go with you to get a Christmas Tree?'

'Yep, there are several hundred acres of Douglas, Spruce and Scotch pines around town. If you're interested, I would be happy to take you and Sammi to get a tree for Christmas. I was planning to get one for myself as well.'

She nodded her head, 'If it's not too much trouble. Thanks Petey. Let me get miss fireball bundled up and we'll be right back.'

I smiled back, 'see you in a few, then.'

I finished up the sharpening and made sure that the oil reservoir on the chain saw was full. Then gas can, chain saw, ropes, and a hatchet went into the tool box on the back of my truck.

I went back into my house to put the hot water kettle on and fixed up two thermoses of hot chocolate. That and a bag of chocolate chip cookies that my niece had made, went into my backpack. Then I grabbed two heavy blankets from the hallway closet along with my squall jacket, beanie cap and gloves and started to load up the truck.

Renee and Sammi came over as I finished loading up and Renee had a backpack as well.

'Thanks Petey,' Renee said as I helped them into my King Cab.

'No problem, I love having the company. Hey, do we need a car seat for Sammi?' I asked.

'Yeah we should. If you can pull up in my driveway we can take the one in my car.'

We transferred the car seat over to my truck and buckled Sammi in.

'All set?' I asked.

'Yay!' Sammi yelled out as Renee smiled.

We had driven to the outskirts of town when Renee asked, 'Do you know where we can find a tree?'

'Yep, been doing this for years. Most of us who grew up around here have been getting our trees from the hillsides around town for as long as we can remember.'

'You grew up around here?' Renee asked.

'Yep. Born and raised, then went off to school on the east coast. Worked in Boston for a number of years before I came back.'

'What do you do?' she asked.

'I write apps. Started off with HP while I was in school. Did a summer with HP as an intern and that got me hooked. It's something that I have fun doing.'

'Do you still do that?'

'Yeah. Although I don't work for HP anymore. I have contracts with several software companies to enhance existing apps as well as work on new apps for them.'

'That must be interesting.'

'Most of the time it is. I work with a bunch of guys and we collaborate on things as well as work independently. What do you do?' I asked.

'Well, I used to be the controller for Alpine Industries, but they had to downsize because of the pandemic and I hear that they might be closing the shop.'

'Controller, so you must be an accountant?'

'Well, not a licensed CPA, but I do have my accounting degree and have six years of experience working as one.'

'I guess no one's in the hiring mode right now?' I asked.

She grimaced, 'Yeah, unfortunately. I've tried and I've got my resume out with different people, but so far it's been pretty dismal.'

'Mommy, what's dismal mean?' Sammi asked.

Renee turned to Sammi and replied, 'it means not very good.'

'Oh.' I could hear the gears engaging behind that little one's ears. She knew that things hadn't been good.

'Mr. Petey?' Sammi asked, 'Do you have family?'

'I sure do,' I replied. 'I have a mom and dad, and a sister and her husband and a niece a little older than you.'

'Mommy and I have a grandpa and grandma but they live far away.'

'Do you talk with them sometimes?' I asked.

'Yeah. Mommy and I talk to them on the phone sometimes.'

'That's good. It must be nice to hear their voice.'

'Yeah, but I wish they could come and visit us.'

'I'm sure they would if they could. Hey, how tall a tree do you want to get?' I asked.

'Let's get the tallest tree we can find!' Sammi yelled out.

Renee smiled, 'It has to fit in our house, honey. So it can't be too tall.'

By that time I had left the main highway and had taken a side road that led up into the mountains to an area that I have harvested trees from ever since I was a teenager. I slipped the truck into four-wheel drive as we got to the end of the street and crept up the road that had rapidly become little more than a gravel and rock trail.

We drove in for another half mile or so before the forest opened up and I parked in a clearing.

The area had been logged many years ago and the regrowth was now anywhere between six to twenty feet tall.

'Wow!' Sammi yelled out. 'Mommy look at all the Christmas Trees!' as we climbed down from the truck.

She got out and ran around looking and touching as many trees as she could. Renee wasn't too far behind as she tried to keep up with Sammi.

I slowly scanned the trees around us and it looked like there were several really nice trees close by. I walked over to a tree that must have been ten feet or taller and gave it a walk around. I didn't find any gaping holes and the shape of the tree looked pretty nice.

'Sammi, what do you think about this one?' I called out.

Sammi came running over followed by Renee. She walked around it nodding her head and smiling.

'Mommy let's get this one.'

Renee looked at it and said, 'It looks kind of tall.'

'Not to worry. I need to take a foot or more off the bottom so it will end up being a six to seven footer by the time that we get it home.'

Renee nodded her head, 'in that case, this looks pretty nice.'

'Ok then.' I tied a streamer to it so we could find it easily when I came back with the chain saw.

'Mr. Petey! Mr. Petey!' Sammi called out. 'Look at this one!'

And Sammi had found a beauty, but it was around fifteen to twenty feet tall.

'Oh it's so tall,' Renee said.

'I have just the place for this one,' I smiled as I tied a streamer to it.

'Will it fit in your house, Mr. Petey?' Sammi asked.

'Yep. You haven't been in my house, have you?'

'Nope,' Sammi replied.

'It's no I haven't' Renee corrected her.

Sammi grinned, 'No I haven't Mr. Petey, but you can show me your house when we get back.'

Renee groaned, 'Did you just invite yourself over to Mr. Petey's house?'

I laughed. 'You're welcome to come over any time. Both of you. Actually you can help me put the tree up when we get back.'

'Yay!' Sammi cheered.

I got my chainsaw out from the truck and gassed it up. Primed the carburetor, set the choke and gave the rope a pull. Started right up; lucky me.

The two trees were on the ground in no time and I even trimmed the bottom branches on both trees.

'I'll wait to give the bottoms their final trims just before we put them in the stands.' I explained as I tied a rope to the bottom of the taller tree.

I made a loop and put it over my shoulder then used it to drag the tree over to my pickup, and into the truck bed. Luckily the tree was new growth so the tree trunk wasn't thick and heavy. The smaller of the trees was a simple matter so I just carried it over my shoulder and put it on top of the larger tree, then tied the whole bundle down so it wouldn't fall out of the truck for any reason.

Sammi was bouncing around the truck when Renee asked, 'What do you say to Mr. Petey?'

'Thank you!' she yelled out as she hugged me. 'Thank you Mr. Petey. Now it will be a for real Christmas!'

Renee just had a sad smile on her face. And I could guess why. Without a job she was probably trying to conserve as much of her cash as she could. Unemployment only goes so far.

We jumped back in the truck and I hauled out the thermos with the hot chocolate and the cookies.

'We better warm up before we get going. Anyone want some hot chocolate?' I asked.

The hot chocolate and cookies were a hit with both Sammi and Renee. As the warmth of the hot chocolate warmed her up, Sammi got quiet and leaned back in her car seat. She fell asleep before we began the drive back home.

'Thanks Petey. We weren't planning on buying a tree this year. I've been out of work and I have to be careful with our budget.'

'No problems Renee. It must be really tough to stay ahead of the bills when you're not working.'

She nodded her head, "All I have now is unemployment and a little savings. We seem to manage somehow." And I could hear a quiet sniffle or two as I drove us back home.

I looked over at Renee and she had leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes. I leaned over and took one of her hands and gave it a squeeze.

'Things will get better. It won't be like this forever.' I told her.

She squeezed my hand in return. 'Thanks Petey. It may not seem like it but I really appreciate everything you've done for us. It's just hard for me to accept charity. Maybe I'm just being too hard on myself.'

'Let me help where I can. And it's not charity. It's not a handout. It's neighbors helping neighbors.'

She smiled back at me and squeezed my hand again and held on to it all the way back.

I parked in their driveway when we got back. Reversing in, I unloaded their tree, took my chainsaw out and trimmed the bottom inch from their tree while Renee and Sammi went looking for their tree stand.

Taking off my boots, I walked their tree into their house while Renee made room for their tree in their living room. Renee and Sammi tightened the bolts holding their tree to the stand. Then I stood it upright. After a few adjustments, it looked just perfect.

'Can you help us decorate the tree?' Sammi asked.

'After I get my tree up. You gonna help me do that?' I asked.

'Yay!' Sammi cheered.

I jumped back into my truck and drove over to my house, driving down the side of the house to the back, lower level. What most people don't know is that my house is a split level house. From the front of the house, the roof line doesn't give much away but the back half of the house is six feet lower than the front half. So the ceiling in my great room is more than twenty feet tall. You couldn't even see the bottom level from the side unless you went back far enough.

'Wow,' Renee said as they walked up to the back of the house. 'I knew there was something different with your house, but I didn't expect this.'

I retrieved my tree stand and put it on the bottom of the tree after I trimmed it. Then I dragged and carried it in while Renee and Sammi watched. I leaned it against an interior wall then slowly walked it upright. Renee had me adjust the lean, then tightened the screws while I held the tree upright.

With a couple of light strings and ornaments, the tree would look fantastic.

'Thanks for your help.' I told them. Sammi beamed her happiness while Renee just hugged me.

'Come on, let's put the truck away then get to tree decorating. You guys need any help?' I asked.

'You can help me put the ornaments on the top of the tree,' Sammi told me.

Renee smiled, 'yeah, why not. Come on over. We can always use the company.'

I laughed, 'Ok, I'll put the truck away and shuck the coat and boots then I'll be over.'

Renee had their decorations out of storage by the time I got there. Sammi was helping her put the light strings up but needed my height to reach the top of their tree. They could have done so with a chair or step stool but my height made it easy to do so.

I hoisted Sammi onto my shoulders and handed her the light string. She shrieked at first then began to giggle and laugh as she leaned over to the tree and laid the light string in the upper branches.

Renee was smiling the entire time watching both of us. The rest of the decorations took another hour before we called it quits. And their tree looked magnificent.

'How about your tree Mr. Petey?' Sammi asked.

'I think we're running out of daylight and it's almost time for dinner so I think I'll get to it tomorrow. Want to come over to help tomorrow?' I asked.

'Can we mom?'

Renee nodded her head, 'I think it's only right that we help since Mr. Petey helped us with our tree.'

'Yay!'

'Do you two have any plans for dinner?' I asked.

'Oh, no, but we couldn't impose....' Renee started out.

'Nothing special. I just have a beef stew in the fridge that needs to be warmed up.'

'Can we mom?' Sammi asked, bouncing up and down as only a four-year old could.

'Pete, remember what I said about charity?'

I smiled, 'Just being neighborly.'

Renee smirked, 'Ok, but you have to let us bring something.'

'Your appetites?'

'Seriously.'

'Yes, seriously. I have everything else.'

Renee sighed, 'I don't think you'll take no either.'

'Nope. You two are my most favorite neighbors in the whole world.'

Sammi laughed and hugged me. 'Mr. Petey, you're my favorite neighbor also!'

I went home to clean up a bit and took the stew out of the fridge and put it on the stove to heat up. Rolls from the pantry went into the oven to heat up. Then the doorbell rang.

I let them in and it was the first time they had been in my home besides the great room in the back.

'Wow,' Renee said as she took in the open floor plan that led to the great room downstairs. You could see the top part of the Christmas Tree from where they stood. Off to the right were a guest bedroom and bathroom. To the left was the kitchen, dining room, master bedroom, another bedroom and another bathroom.

'Come on in. We're eating in the kitchen.' I told them as I showed them into the kitchen.

'Nice home Petey,' Renee mentioned as we walked to the kitchen.

'Thanks. I had it built when I moved back.'

We sat around the kitchen counter with bowls of steaming beef stew and rolls.

'This is good,' Renee remarked after several minutes.

'Thanks. Glad you like it.'

'Thank you Mr. Petey for today.' Sammi said. 'I really like the Christmas Tree that you got for us.'

'Yes, thanks Petey. We really appreciate everything you've done for us.'

'You're welcome. Anyone want more stew? There's still a lot left in the pot.'

After we cleaned up the kitchen we went to the front living room and rested our full stomachs in front of the TV.

'So where do your parents live?' I asked Renee.

'They moved to Gainesville several years back. I think they wanted to live where it wouldn't snow.'

I laughed. 'Yeah, shoveling sidewalks and driveways can be an issue when we get older.'

'Thanks for today Pete. I can't remember the last time Sammi and I had such a good time.'

'Anytime Renee. I enjoyed myself also. Sammi's a treasure and I enjoy your company a lot also.'

She took my hand, 'I wish I could be stronger and be more self sufficient but not having a job is a problem.'

'It would be for anyone. But you have me. Anytime for any reason, let me know if you need help.' I said as I squeezed her hand. 'I mean it. For any reason.'

'Can I give you a hug?' she asked.

'Anytime. And no need to ask.' I said as we hugged.

We remained in each others arms for another half hour before Renee decided that they needed to get back home and get ready to sleep. As you can expect, Sammi had fallen asleep.

Renee was about to wake her up when I suggested, 'Let me carry her back home.'

I leaned over and gently cradled her as I picked her up and moved her over to my shoulder. Sammi's arms went around my neck sort of reflexively. Renee could only smile as we walked over to their home.

'Where should I put her?' I asked.

'You might as well put her in her bed. I don't think she'll wake up until tomorrow.'

So that's what I did. Renee pulled back the blankets on her bed while I placed her in it. I took off her shoes and socks while Renee got her pajamas out. I left the room while Renee changed Sammi into her PJ's.

'Thanks for today,' Renee said as she came out of Sammi's bedroom.

I hugged her. 'You're welcome. And I enjoyed being out with both of you also. Made my day.'

'Good night Pete.' Renee said just before she gave me a quick kiss. Surprised me but that definitely made me happy.

The next morning I woke up with a mission. Christmas was three days away, enough time for what I wanted to do. Renee's and Sammi's Christmas Tree looked lonesome but I intended to correct that today and tomorrow.

First things first, a call to Renee.

'Hey, good morning.' I said as Renee picked up the phone.

'Morning Pete. I was going to ask how you were but it's pretty obvious that you're doing ok.'

I laughed, 'Yes, very well, thank you. I had a couple of excellent helpers yesterday and they made my day so much better.'

I could feel Renee blush over the phone.

'The reason I called was to let you know that I would be out this morning but back after lunch. If you and Sammi are still up to help me decorate the tree, you can come over anytime in the afternoon.'

'Ok. Thanks for letting me know. I think Sammi would kill me if we didn't go over to help decorate your tree. So we'll see you sometime in the afternoon.'

'Great! See you then.'

I spent the morning running around town picking up things for Sammi and Renee.

Sammi was the easy one to buy for. Four-year old daughters were focused on toys and young girly stuff. I had her gifts well in hand inside of an hour. But what to get for Renee that wouldn't upset her? Knowing how she felt about charity, something material would probably not sit well with her. But I wanted her gift to be special.

I got back home in the early afternoon. Sammi saw me drive in and was waving from their living room window. Of course, I waved back. I had her presents in the trunk of my car so that's where they would stay for now; at least until I had a chance to gift wrap them for Christmas Day without them knowing.

Sammi and Renee came over a few minutes later.

'Sammi couldn't wait till you got home,' Renee let me know as they walked through my doorway.

I laughed, 'Well it's good to see you too. Did you have lunch?' I asked.

'Thanks Mr. Petey, we had pizza.' Sammi reported, 'my favorite.'