Holiday in Holly Oaks

Chapter 5

Tallie grabbed the candle and walked down her front walk. As she joined the crowd walking in the street, she caught the eye of the person closest to her so they could light her candle from their glowing flame. Adding her flame to those all around her, she joined the singing and walked with the crowd towards the main square.

She didn't know when the tradition of the Candle Walk began, but she couldn't imagine another way to start the tree lighting.

The Walk started with the families that lived in the outer part of town. They would carry small lit candles and sing traditional Christmas hymns while walking towards the main square. Every house they passed was given a white candle and as newcomers joined, they lit their candle and joined the song.

By the time everyone made it to the square, the air was alight with hundreds of candle flames and voices. The main square, usually bright with Christmas lights, was kept completely dark to showcase the candlelight surrounding the Christmas Tree. There was something about the cold air that made the voices ring out clearer and Tallie loved the sound of the town singing together.

Tallie found her usual spot in front of her dad's music store. All through high school, it was where she and Case would meet up. His mother always insisted he walked with the family but once they were at the square, he was free to join Tallie.

It had been a couple of years since they had both been at the tree lighting and Tallie was there out of habit, but as the crowd began the final chorus of Silent Night, she heard a familiar voice next to her.

She looked around and found Case standing next to her, his face lit by his flickering candle. He noticed her looking at him and smiled at her, playfully bumping her elbow with his before he focused back on the tree.

Tallie smiled as she sang the final verse, warmed by the familiar sound of his voice. Then her favorite moment came when the final note of the song died away and everyone blew out their candles. For a moment, the whole town stood in silent darkness, and then like magic, the tree burst into light and everyone began to sing Joy To The World.

The rest of the lights on the square were turned on the and the mayor started the Christmas Tree Lighting Program. He always told the story of The Christmas Tree, about how it appeared in the square during the hard war years ‪on December 20th‬ and how important it is to honor the gift that brought so many hope.

The high school acapella group sang a Christmas carol medley and the drama class put on a small Christmas skit. The ceremony ended with Pastor Daniel reading the birth of Jesus from the book of Luke.

By the time the ceremony was done, the air was filled with the sweet aroma of hot apple cider, available to everyone. As the crowd around Tallie began to disperse and seek the warm cider, she turned to Case. He was looking at the tree fondly.

"Hey," she said, nudging him.

He smiled and looked at her. "Glad to see you didn't forget our old spot."

"It's tradition," she argued. "Although it was pretty lonely last year without. Again, there goes your niece Janie ruining everything."

"Well, I do remember your nephew ruining it for the year before, so...

"So nieces and nephews suck." They both laughed knowing they felt the complete opposite about it. Tallie had seen too many pictures of Case holding his niece to think otherwise. "Well, the band is back together now."

"It's good to be back," he said. "Want some cider?"

"Yes," she said, leading the way towards the nearest table and joining the line. There were five tables serving apple cider and crowds were congregated around all of them.