Eager Beaver

Chapter Forty-Five - Donation Box

The days had been getting shorter and the days were colder - way colder. Canada doesn't have a holiday like Thanksgiving between Halloween and Christmas, so it was all anyone had talked about since. It was as if the Christmas lights and trees had been put up the next day.

The Beavers meetings had also changed. Instead of doing mostly just silly games or arts and crafts, we'd shifted to the serious business of preparing for the Christmas celebration. It felt like I was back in scouts. Liam, Charlie and I were focused on getting our North Star Award, so we had responsibility for all the hard stuff like organizing the charity drive- but if I was being honest the stuff Laurie and Alex were doing like making crafts and painting sets seemed like it was more fun.

Today was the big day - the Christmas parade, and pageant. We were all going to march through town in our costumes in the morning, and then there was going to be a huge Christmas fair at the school before the pageant in the evening. I never should have agreed to be Rudolph. It meant I was front and center the whole day. I guess Santa was the real star at the front of the parade, but he had a big fake beard to hide behind. Of course, it wasn't really Santa, just like I wasn't really Rudolph - they were up at the north pole.

Taylor had us arrive at the big field beside the elementary school really early. The sun hadn't even risen properly. The day was cold and I wasn't wearing my reindeer costume yet - just a new parka Mom picked up. It was so garish, made of bright red, blue and yellow blocks, and it was very puffy. I stuck my tongue out at it when Mom held it out for me the first time, but I wore it. I'd freeze otherwise. It certainly didn't feel warm compared to California. There was even slick frost covering the leaves in the shade.

The park was bustling with kids and adults all getting ready for the big event. Mom and Dad had promised to watch me in the parade, so they'd left me with Taylor and all the other beavers while they went to find a good spot on the street. I was wearing my beaver vest underneath my parka, and the bucket hat on my head with the special white tail. I stood next to Charlie and Liam who were wearing much lighter jackets by comparison. I guess they were used to the cold.

"Is everyone excited?" Taylor enthused at the colony of Beavers.

"Yes!" We all shouted back at him. He had already ran us through our opening colony ceremony.

"Once everyone is ready, we're going to meet up on the Scout float with the Sparks and Embers from the Girl Guides." Taylor explained. "I want you to try and be nice to them. Be good little gentlemen and show them what Beavers is all about."Alex made a loud audible scoff at Taylor's comment, and he looked a little confused - taking a moment to register exactly what her problem was before he remembered, wearing an embarrassed apologetic frown. "I mean just be good little Beavers." He retracted. "Of course..."

Alex still looked rather offended. She let out a theatrical huff and rolled her eyes at him with a kinda teenager-ish melodramatic angst. Gabriel snickered a little, and Alex just slapped his arm.

After that, Taylor let us go. We still had a while before the parade would begin, so we were left to entertain ourselves - with most Beavers intent on getting an early morning session on the playground equipment, it looked like a couple of the Girl Guides had already set themselves up on the play structure, the sight of them eliciting apprehensive wrinkled noses from Gabriel and Aiden, but the rest of weren't so hung up about cooties. Laurie, Ari and Alex were first to run towards it.

I almost went to follow, but Charlie grabbed my sleeve before I could take a single step. "We need to set up the box first." He lectured, looking down officiously at me like I was his baby brother. "Remember?"

"Oh... Right." I said and gave my head a shake. It was still pretty early, and I really had forgotten.

Liam led the three of us to a volunteer station near the start of the parade. A few temporary tents, a bunch of tables, and a couple of porta potties had been set up.