As night fell on the Holly Peak Inn a howling wind whistled through the trees and the snow started to fall.
Jeff found his dad in the sitting room giving their new Christmas tree some fresh water. “I just heard from Gail; she got home safely and so did Ian and John, so everyone’s good. They left early enough to beat the storm.”
“What about Haley, did you check on her?” Ben asked.
Jeff gave his dad a look.
“Son, I told you. I’m the one who asked her not to say anything about the franchise idea. You shouldn’t be mad at her. She was just trying to help . . .”
“Help herself get a new client,” Jeff said as he added another log to the fire.
“She was trying to help me, help us. This Christmas Camp is your legacy as well as mine. Can’t you see that?”
“What I see is that this franchisee idea is too risky. I don’t want you using the last of your savings on a gamble and getting your hopes up and getting hurt . . .”
“Are you sure you’re not worried about yourself getting hurt?” Ben asked. “Isn’t that the real reason you’re so upset? I saw the way you and Haley were together.”
“Dad . . .”
Ben walked over to the fireplace and joined his son. “Wait, hear me out. We lost your mom, but that doesn’t mean we should be afraid to love again. Don’t you think your mom would want us to be happy?”
“Of course,” Jeff answered.
Ben took the photo of the three of them off the fireplace mantel and handed it to Jeff. When Jeff looked at his mom his heart ached. He missed her so much. He missed what they were like as a family, and most of all he missed the love he always felt when she was around. “I know Mom would want us to be happy, but she wouldn’t want us making bad choices . . .”
“You think Haley was a bad choice?” Ben asked.
When Jeff didn’t answer, Ben walked over to his Santa collection, picked up a new Santa and a Christmas card, and handed them to him.
“What’s this?” Jeff asked, looking at the Santa.
“A present, a Santa for my Santa collection. Read the card . . .”
Reluctantly, Jeff read the card out loud. “‘I believe. Thank you for helping me open my heart to Christmas and to love. Merry Christmas. Haley.’” Confused, conflicted, he looked up at his dad.
“People can change,” Ben said. “I told you, anything is possible at Christmas . . .” He took the Santa and carefully put it back with the rest of his collection. “The question is, do you believe?”
THE NEXT DAY, back in Boston, Haley hustled down the street, texting on her cell phone. This time when she got to her office and saw the Santa ringing his bell next to a sign that asked DO YOU BELIEVE? she stopped, put her phone away, and got out some money to donate.
“Merry Christmas!” the Santa said. “Do you believe?”
“With all my heart,” Haley answered back. “Merry Christmas.” As she entered her office building she took a deep breath. This was it, her big day, the day she was pitching Larry her Tyler Toys Christmas campaign idea and she had never felt more confident or sure about anything in her life. She knew exactly what she needed to do.
When she got to Larry’s office, the first thing she did was hand him the crazy Christmas sweater he’d given her. “Merry Christmas,” she said.
“Wait.” Larry gave her a look. “I gave you this. Are you re-gifting?”
“I guess I am,” Haley said, and smiled back at him. “And I also have this.” With a proud swagger she handed him the Christmas Camp certificate she had worked so hard for.
Larry looked impressed. “You really did it.”
Haley put her hands on her hips and assumed the position, her power-pose, superhero position. “I did.”
Larry sat back in his chair and crossed his arms in front of him. “Okay. You held up your end of the bargain and I’m holding up mine. I’m ready to hear your pitch. Where’s your storyboard? I know Kathy put one together for you . . .”
“About that,” Haley said as she sat down.
“You’re sitting down?” Larry looked confused. “You never sit down . . .”
Haley picked up a nearby snow globe and shook it, and then smiled as she watched the snow fall. “I’ve been thinking a lot about the Tyler Toys account and what’s best for the company, and I think Tom should be the one to pitch it.”
Larry stood up from his desk. “What? Wait, I’m sure I didn’t hear you right . . .”
Haley smiled and stood up, too. “No, you did. I’m giving Tom the account to pitch if that’s okay with you. I already talked to him about some of the ideas I had that he could incorporate into his pitch if he wanted. Like my idea about having an angel tree and having Tyler Toys help make children’s Christmas wishes come true and some other ideas.”
“But you wanted this account so much. You said it meant everything to you.”
“It did,” Haley said.
“And you even went to Christmas Camp for a week—you, someone who doesn’t even like Christmas, just so you could get this pitch. I don’t understand what happened?”
Haley put down the snow globe. “It wasn’t that I didn’t like Christmas. I think I just forgot what matters most at Christmas. I told you about the idea I came up with to help Ben franchise his Christmas Camps?”
Larry nodded. “And I think it’s a great idea.”
“That’s the account I want to work on. Tom can have Tyler Toys.”
“But the Christmas Camp account is just a mom-and-pop start-up.”
Haley nodded. “I know, and that’s where my heart is. If I learned anything at Christmas Camp, it’s that at the end of the day you have to follow your heart or you’re not really living your life; you’re just going through the motions.”
“Are you sure?” Larry still looked stunned. “What made you change your mind?”
Haley smiled confidently. “I’m sure, and Christmas Camp made me change my mind. I’ve realized I’m so busy rushing to get ahead in my career that I’ve been missing some of the most important things in life: my family, spending time with my friends, love . . .”
Larry smiled slowly, walked over to Haley, and held out his hand for her to shake. “Congratulations,” he said.
Now it was Haley’s turn to look confused. She took his hand. “For?”
“For finding the balance between your career and your personal life. That’s what’s going to make you a great partner here.”
Haley’s mouth dropped open. “What? You’re still promoting me?”
Larry looked into her eyes. “You earned it, Haley. Merry Christmas.”
BACK IN HER office Haley was putting the last of the decorations on a little Christmas tree she had just bought. It was another Charlie Brown Christmas tree and it was adorable in its own funny way. The tree had a theme. All the decorations were angels, just like her room back at Christmas Camp.
As she admired her work she picked up the Christmas stocking Ben had given her and pulled out the little Christmas wish scroll. She opened it up and read her Christmas wish out loud.
“My Christmas wish . . . is love.”
Just as she put the scroll back into her stocking Kathy breezed in and looked around in awe. “Whoa. Look at you. I can’t believe you’ve done all this decorating so fast. Who are you and what have you done with my Grinchy best friend?”
Haley laughed, reached for a present underneath her little angel tree, and gave it to Kathy.
Kathy looked surprised. “Wait, this isn’t the gift card you usually give me?”
Haley smiled back at her. “That’s right. I thought we’d start a new tradition.”
Kathy opened the present and her face lit up. She held up a beautiful crystal angel ornament. “It’s beautiful. I love it! Thank you!” She gave Haley a quick hug, then noticed the new picture on her desk and picked it up. It was the picture Ben gave her of her and Jeff sledding at Christmas Camp.
“Well, this explains so much,” she said, looking at the picture. “You look . . . happy.”
Haley nodded. “I was.”
“You still haven’t heard from him?”
Haley’s smile faded. She shook her head. Her heart hurt just thinking about Jeff.
Larry walked in. “Ben, from the Christmas Camp, is here to see you.”
Haley’s face lit up. “Ben’s here? He didn’t tell me he was coming into the city . . .”
“Well, he’s in the conference room, waiting for you,” Larry said as he left her office.
“Thanks!” Haley practically ran out the door to the conference room. When she raced inside her smile faded a little when she saw Ben was alone.
He stood up. “It’s just me, sorry.”
Haley quickly hid her disappointment and gave him a hug. “I’m so happy to see you. I’m just surprised. I didn’t know you were coming into the city.”
“It was a last-minute decision, so I thought I’d stop by and surprise you and take you out to dinner to celebrate. Larry just told me you gave up the big toy account you wanted so you could have more time to work with me. You didn’t need to do that, Haley. I know how much that big account meant to you . . .”
“Not as much as you and Christmas Camp mean to me,” Haley said, giving his hand a squeeze. “I’m really excited about working together.”
“So am I. So let’s go celebrate. I’m taking you to a great place for dinner,” Ben said as he guided her out the door, not giving her a chance to protest.
As she passed him she noticed he was wearing a red scarf. “That looks like the scarf Gail was knitting . . .”
Ben smiled proudly. “It is. She gave it to me as an early Christmas gift.”
Haley arched her eyebrows. “I know she was working very hard on it. You’re very lucky.”
Ben touched his scarf and looked smitten. “Yes, I am.”