Tidings Of Comfort & Joy

1. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen Let Nothing You Dismay

Sunday, December 11th, 1978

--

Finney placed the last bag into the bed of his dad's pickup truck before closing the tailgate and tossing a tarp over the luggage to protect it from the falling snow before sliding into the backseat next to Gwen.

"What kind of camp is held in the middle of December?"

Gwen shrugged. "Don't know, but it better be a good one"

--

When they arrived at the camp the sun was already starting to set and a blanket of snow covered the ground.

The camp looked like any normal Summer camp, a big lodge over a now frozen lake, cabins lining the shore of the lake decked out in Christmas lights, winding paths and forests that looked like hell to navigate and a giant sign in front of them that read 'Welcome to Camp Eden!'

Gwen was the first out of the truck, practically running to get her things out of the truck bed with the help of their father.

She was a lot more excited about this camp than Finney was, he only agreed to go along because Robin and Donna were going too.

He eventually got out to help get the bags to the trucks that would take them to their respective cabins. After the bags were moved the pair waved goodbye to their dad and set off to the Lodge where they were supposed to check-in.

The lodge was a lot farther from the parking lot than expected, but they made it nonetheless. The lodge was buzzing with people, adding to the warm atmosphere of the place.

They walked over to one of the tables with a 'Check-In' sign on it and were welcomed by a young lady with a bright smile on her face.

"Hello and welcome to camp Eden! Who might you two be?"

"Finney and Gwen Blake, we're here for the Christmas camp?"

"Yes, yes, now let's see.." She flipped through the binder in front of her until she got to a certain page "Right here! Finney cabin 3 and Gwen cabin 5, correct?"

Finney nodded, glancing around the open area, there was a giant Christmas tree in the corner, presents littered the base of the tree and a record player next to it was blaring "Santa Claus is comin' to town"

"Well then!" She reached over into a box and grabbed two lime green sweaters with the yellow camp logo on them, handing it to them. "You're all set, now you can go ahead and walk down to your cabins, meet your councillors and new bunkmates, and have fun! Have a merry Christmas you two"

"Merry Christmas to you too!" Gwen waved goodbye to the woman before practically dragging Finney away to the staircase that led to the lodge's exit.

"C'mon! We have to find our cabins and get the best beds before other people take them!" Gwen ushered Finney down the stairs and right back out into the cold.

"Aren't all the beds supposed to be good? I mean we're here for a week, so they should be comfortable" He almost slipped on the icy grass a few times as they walked along the shore past the other cabins

"Only some of the beds are good, the others are shitty. That's why we're rushing, pay attention, Finney!" The pair stopped in front of a cabin with a red '3' painted onto the railing.

A small pile of luggage sat at the bottom of the stairs and Finney walked over to it, picking up his bags and shaking off the snow that covered it.

Gwen somehow beat him to the top of the stairs, opening the door for him. Inside there were 6 bunk beds lining the walls, each with two thin dressers at the foot of it. Gwen pointed to one of the bunk beds on the back wall, "There! Top bunk, that's the best bed in the world"