Hearing Mike decline, the other three members of The Plastics quickly followed suit, saying they had to head home to help their parents with Christmas prep.
Just like the rush before Thanksgiving, the days leading up to Christmas were a whirlwind of baking. Homes were filled with the scent of tree-shaped sugar cookies, gingerbread men, and peppermint bark. On Christmas Day, these treats would be packed into tins with candy canes to share with friends and neighbors. Families who could manage it were also busy decorating their own unique, sparkling Christmas trees.
"Alright, well, we'll just have to have a real celebration after the school gala tomorrow," Regina said. She didn't seem too disappointed by the rejection. She shot Mike a wink, adding suggestively, "Mike, there might be a little surprise waiting for you at our private after-party tomorrow night..."
To make sure her daughter had the best Christmas ever, Mrs. George—who certainly didn't lack for cash—had picked out a whole wardrobe of festive outfits for Regina: a "Santa's Little Helper" miniskirt, a reindeer cosplay set, and a "Sweetheart Candy" look. Several of these were definitely not meant for the general public, so Mike would be the only one lucky enough to see them. Of course, Mrs. George hadn't forgotten the other girls; she'd made sure there were gorgeous outfits for everyone in the group.
The other three girls, catching the hidden meaning in Regina's words, felt their cheeks flush pink. Even though they'd spent plenty of time practicing with Mike before, the idea of doing some festive "roleplay" with him on Christmas made them feel a mix of excitement and shyness.
"Ahem," Mike cleared his throat, amused by their reactions. He grinned and said, "I'll be looking forward to your performance tomorrow night, then."
They made a pact: after the school Christmas gala, they'd all head back to Regina's place for a private party.
Afterward, Regina drove Mike home. As soon as he walked through the door, he saw Meemaw busy at the oven.
"Mike, come try some of my special Christmas cookies," Meemaw called out, looking quite proud of herself.
She had found some person-shaped cookie cutters somewhere and had whipped up a whole batch of "people" cookies. In the tin, Mike even spotted a cookie that looked suspiciously like him.
"These are actually really good," Mike said, giving her a high rating after taking a bite.
"I'm glad you like them. I'm going to take a batch over to the Coopers' in a bit. Sheldon and Missy are going to love them," Meemaw said with a smile. Along with the "Mike" cookie, she had made cartoon-style cookies for Sheldon, Georgie, and Missy.
Later that evening, during the Cooper family dinner, Meemaw's custom cookies were indeed a massive hit with the kids.
As dinner wound down, Mary spoke up. "There's a Christmas Eve candlelight service at the church tomorrow night. Is anyone interested in coming with me?"
The service was themed around "Good Tidings," where Pastor Jeff would lead the congregation in sharing the highlights and blessings of the past year. It was meant to be more of a community gathering. It was clear that without the artistic touch of someone like Mr. Lundy to help, Mary's event-planning skills had taken a bit of a hit.
"Is there going to be a choir of dancing nuns?" Georgie asked, his mind going in its usual weird direction.
"No," Mary snapped, giving him a sharp look. Technically, given her position at the Medford church, Mary was the closest thing they had to a nun. There was zero chance of her dancing.
Sensing that no one was particularly thrilled about the church service, Mary tried another angle. "Pastor Jeff is also going to lead us in singing traditional hymns to bring everyone a little extra holiday spirit."
To Mary, a blessing from the Pastor was a sacred and solemn event—attending was a matter of spiritual importance. However, her pitch still failed to move the room. Aside from her, no one in the house was particularly devout, and the idea of a prayer circle didn't exactly scream "fun."
Georgie was the first to bail. "I think I'll stick to the school gala tomorrow. At least there'll be some actual entertainment."
Meemaw and Missy also chimed in, saying they wanted to hear the new Christmas song Mike had written. By now, the fact that Mike had penned a track for The Plastics was no longer a secret in the household.
Seeing that her family was skipping her church event, Mary finally turned her gaze toward her youngest son.
"I'm meeting Dan tomorrow," Sheldon said quickly. "We're going to the school gala together."
"Fine. I guess I'll just go and be blessed all by myself," Mary muttered, her shoulders slumping slightly. It was obvious that the lack of family support had brought her down.
After dinner, Mike headed back to Meemaw's house. Looking around the somewhat empty living room, he suggested, "Meemaw, what do you think about us setting up a Christmas tree in here tomorrow?"
"Those things are useless decorations. They're just expensive dust-collectors," Meemaw said, ever the pragmatist. A small tree with decorations would cost at least a hundred dollars. If you bought a big, pre-lit one from the mall, you were looking at over a thousand.
The Coopers and Meemaw had lived in a state of "frugal comfort" for years, and spending money on something so impractical wasn't her style.
"Leave the decorating to me. I've made a little extra cash lately," Mike said. It was the holidays, after all—it was all about the atmosphere. Plus, the stock market had taken a nice jump toward the end of the year; a few hundred bucks was nothing to him now.
Hearing this, Meemaw smiled. "Well, in that case, you should invite the Coopers over tomorrow to help decorate. Georgie and Missy would probably love it."
"You got it," Mike said, giving her an 'OK' gesture. The plan was set.
The next morning, Christmas Eve, the school was essentially on holiday mode, with everyone just waiting for the big gala that evening.
With plenty of free time during the day, Mike told the Coopers about the tree-decorating plan at Meemaw's. Just like going to a grandparent's house for a big holiday dinner, the Cooper family Christmas celebration usually centered around Meemaw's place anyway.
George Sr. was immediately interested, offering to head out to the nearby woods to dig up a fresh pine tree. After some discussion, George and Georgie headed out to find a tree about eight feet tall.
Meanwhile, Mike took Missy and Sheldon to the big mall in town to buy lights, ribbons, tinsel, and stars to dress the tree.
"Missy, if Santa could grant you one wish, what would it be?" Mike asked the little girl as they finished picking out decorations.
"I'd want him to bring me a new Barbie, so my Princess Barbie can have a best friend," Missy said, looking up with wide eyes.
"There is no such thing as Santa," Sheldon interrupted, struggling to walk while clutching a mountain of tinsel.
"Hey, don't be so sure," Mike laughed. "If there was a Santa, Sheldon, what would you want?"
"I'd want a first-edition hardcover of Dr. Hawking's A Brief History of Time," Sheldon mused for a second before his logic kicked back in. "But even if Santa existed, he couldn't possibly fit a book that thick into a stocking."
"Well, if that's the case, shouldn't you start by finding a very high-quality, heavy-duty stocking?" Mike teased.
"You're right. I do need better hosiery," Sheldon said, taking Mike's joke seriously. He turned around and began the difficult trek toward the clothing section to find the perfect sock.
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