THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS

Mistletoe hung over doors, trees were decorated with lights and ornaments, gifts were placed under the trees and it was snowing outside. People were in a rush doing shopping and preparing for the festive season. You guessed right. Christmas was approaching. Little Hollow was a town tucked away in the outskirts of a big busy city. It was a beautiful coastal town. Many tourists came to spend summer vacation here. The beach was lovely and the sea water calm enough to swim.

Set along the beach was a small inn called Sunset Inn. It usually had many guests in the summer but now it was almost empty as only two rooms were occupied. Although the inn was small it was clean and neat and also tastefully decorated. The reception desk was set in the middle of the ground floor. The cheerfully decorated Christmas tree stood next to the desk. On the right of the reception desk was the sofa where guests could have welcome drinks. A small bar was set on the left. Guests were served breakfast at the dining room behind the reception. On the second floor twelve rooms were decorated according to Christmas theme.  

Of late few guests stayed at the inn and this Christmas was really dull. This left Mr. Taylor, the owner of the inn WONDERING WHETHER THIS WILL BE THEIR LAST HOLIDAY SEASON IN BUSINESS. It was almost midnight when Mr. Taylor set aside the accounts ledger and called it a day. He was about to head to his quarters when the doorbell sounded.

As Taylor unlocked the door, a young man stood outside with a travel bag. Apparently he was alone. Taylor welcomed him in and the guest sighed his name as Jason Clerk. Taylor then showed Jason to his room on the second floor, bade him good night and informed him that breakfast was served from seven to ten in the morning. 

Well, at this point Taylor was wondering what was a young man like Jason was doing in Little Hallow alone during Christmas season. Jason had been at sea for almost half a year and when he returned home to his parents in the city, he was forced to marry a girl of his parents’ choice. Jason was not in for this at this point of time and when he could no longer tolerate the matter he decided to avoid spending Christmas with his family and left the city. Little Hallow sounded ideal for a short vacation and he moved in to Sunset Inn.

After breakfast the next morning, Jason decided to take a walk to a nearby park. As it was cold and windy there were not many people at the park. He sat on a bench beside a duck pond. There were no ducks in the pond as it was frozen. He had a flare for photography and always brought his camera along. He started taking photographs of his surroundings which were almost fully covered with snow. After a few minutes something, or rather, someone caught his attention and his concentration was focused on that. He immediately looked up from the camera to see who it was.

It was a lovely titian haired young lady in fur coat. Even though she had a hat on her head her curls fell over her shoulders and shone in the sunlight. From where he was Jason could not see her eyes but she had an attractive face and a stunning figure. She seemed to be in her mid-twenties. She was with another girl and they were heading towards a coffee shop at the end of the park.

It is also important to mention here that Jason was almost thirty, six feet tall, broad shouldered and chisel jawed.  He followed them at a distance and sat at a nearby table where he could look at the girl without being much noticed.  Both the girls were talking to each other in low voices. From the conversation he could make out that her name was Carol. The girls had biscuits and tea while Jason ordered himself a cup of coffee.  When they paid their bill and left he also left after them and followed them at a safe distance.  

He was in for a surprise when they headed for Sunset Inn. Apparently the girls were staying there.  They were sisters and stayed in one room whereas their parents had another room. The only two rooms that were occupied at the inn before Jason came. It would be easy for him to meet her. He got his chance during dinner at the inn when the family of four also came for dinner. He greeted them with a smile and introduced himself. After the formal exchange of hellos he had a chance to be alone with her for a few minutes. “You look charming”, he whispered into her ear and she gave him a shy smile. 

After dinner Carol’s family headed to a gathering at the local town hall and her father invited Jason along. He accepted immediately. During the gathering Jason and Carol exchanged introductions and he learned that she was single and working in the city.  He also found it difficult to take his eyes away from her beautiful face. During the next one week they saw each other often. She was also intelligent and kind and by that time Jason was head over heels in love with Carol. A feeling he had not had for a long time.  

A week went by and it was Christmas eve and after making sure Carol also liked him Jason decided to propose to her. He took her to a wine and dine near the inn and after dinner he got on his knees and proposed marriage to her with a gold band he had bought that morning in town. Even though Carol knew Jason liked her she did not expect him to propose to her so soon. It was only a week since she knew Jason but she could see he was honest and sincere in his feelings. Therefore, she accepted happily.

They decided to have the engagement at the inn itself and Jason immediately invited his parents to Sunset Inn. His parents were happy to be with him for Christmas and they arrived the next day which was Christmas day.  In that one week Jason not only won Carol’s heart but also managed to impress her parents as well. So, they were not too surprised when Jason and Carol announced their decision to them. They willingly accepted Jason into their family. Both families invited their close relatives to the inn to attend the engagement. 

Sunset Inn was full of guests that Christmas and Mr. Taylor was thrilled. He attended to the guests well and the engagement was held at a nearby church that evening. It was a cheerful Christmas after all and Sunset Inn was back to its glory.  Jason held a small party at the inn itself and everyone wished each other a Merry Christmas. The guests also proposed a toast to the young couple.  

An inn full of guests. What more could Mr. Taylor hope for! It was a well and truly deserved Christmas gift. He could carry on business now for at least another year. ‘That’s the spirit of Christmas’ thought Mr. Taylor. That holiday feeling had finally come back to him after a long time.

(1232 words)