Dakota lived in a big old farmhouse which sat upon a field. Although it felt so removed from the bustle of town, it wasn’t but a couple mile walk from school. This wasn’t far for Dan, for he was used to walking a lot, but this Christmas Eve, the wind had a biting chill, sweeping against the snow-covered plain, as if rebelling against the warmth of the Christmas holiday. Dan always liked going over to Dakota’s house. The place was a calm and homey escape for him. Although it wasn’t his own home, he felt his spirit lifted with every visit.
Not only his friend, Dakota, but Dakota’s parents too, were very nice and welcoming. Although this was a good thing for Dan, and he benefited from it greatly, it was also the target of his jealousy. He wished he had the parents Dakota had. His own heart at times ached, missing his parents and wishing they were still alive. He did have his aunt, but she was far from a parent. She didn’t care much about anything. Aside from Dakota’s parents, Dan also became, at times, fixated on just how perfect Dakota seemed to be all the time. He was positive and had a tender care in his heart for everyone. Dan felt prone to being negative and was aware he was too focused on himself. Sure he had his good moments, but it seemed Dakota was a good person all the time. Dan wished he could be more like Dakota, but that seemed impossible, especially without the loving parents to help support him.
There it stood, the big old farmhouse covered in snow. It looked so perfect just like the people who lived in it. Each window of the house displayed the welcoming flicker of a candle, and in the front window was the warm welcoming glow of a robust Christmas tree. Dan knocked on the door and Dakota’s mother came to answer.
“Hello, Dan! Merry Christmas!” she said, smothering him in a joyous hug. “Come inside. Make yourself at home. You came all the way here in just a sweatshirt?” Dan couldn’t help but smile, reveling in the warmth and concern. “Dakota is over in the living room. He can’t get off the couch. He’ll be so surprised to see you.”
Dan peeled off his boots. He could feel his feet giving off a sigh of relief. As he stepped into the living room, his feet sunk into the soft cushion of the carpet. The Christmas tree, decorated in old fashion warm glowing bulbs, was both vibrant and soothing. Next to it stood a Nativity set with Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus and tall wood carved shepherds huddled in and around the small stable. Next to it all, on the couch lay Dakota. Dan was surprised. He knew Dakota had a snowboarding accident, but he didn’t know it was this bad. His leg was wrapped in an enormous cast and propped up, while his arm was cradled in a sling. Dakota, with a bit of struggle, leaned up just enough from his pillow to flash his piercing smile.
“Dan! Merry Christmas Eve!”
“Merry Christmas Eve. I was just walking home from school and decided to stop by and say hi.” Dan took a seat on the plush chair next to the sofa.
“Thank you for coming by. How are you doing?” Dakota asked. Oftentimes Dan didn’t like the simple pleasantry of asking How are you? It often seemed like it lacked any substance, but when Dakota asked it, it was infused with genuine sincerity.
“I’m doing okay,” Dan replied. “It was a crazy school day. I’m just glad it’s over.”
“It’s a little late to be getting out of school, isn’t it?”
“Yeah. I kinda got in trouble for being late to class. I had to put in some time in the slammer. But, anyway, the real question is, how are you?” Dan felt his own problems diminished in comparison to Dakota’s apparent helpless state. Dakota was used to being very active and energetic, but now he was stuck, unable to get up on his own two feet.
“I am great,” Dakota replied despite his circumstances. “It’s Christmas! How can I not be great?”
Over the course of the year Dakota helped Dan stay out of a lot of problems. Dan sometimes felt the pressure of the herds of peers at school leading him into trouble, but Dakota would talk him out of it, giving Dan much more perspective on every compromising situation he found himself in. Dakota held Dan to a higher standard than anyone else. Because of this, Dan had great trust and respect for Dakota, and he wished he could be more like him. Despite his jealousy, Dan never made it known.
Dan knew Dakota fairly well. He knew his positivity, adventurous spirit, storytelling, gentleness, love for meaningful conversations and extreme sports, but Dan did not know his past. Despite all the jealousy Dan had in regards to Dakota, Dan did not know the situations of Dakota’s past and all Dakota had to endure to arrive at such a place in life. Dakota’s birth parents conceived him in what they outwardly regarded as “an accident.” They never knew how to be parents. Their own lack of knowledge and selfishness led to abuse, and the abuse gave birth to depression. Despite them being around, Dakota felt most of the time alone. Through a series of dramatic events Dakota ended up finding himself broken and totally displaced, but he survived the pits of depression, and was put under the care of a loving couple. They would adopt him as their own, and Dakota would do the same with them, and he’d never look back. This changed him. Dan knew none of this, thinking Dakota always had everything so good.
“Oh, I have a Christmas present for you,” said Dakota. He tried to lean up to get the present at the table behind him.
“Stay. I’ll get it,” said Dan. This came as a surprise. Dan never got any Christmas gifts other than maybe one from his Aunt and Linzy. Dan couldn’t tell which gift it was on the table for there were many, and none of them had tags. “Is it this one?” asked Dan, holding up a present.
“No.”
“This one?… This one?… What about this?…This?”
“It’s the one with the snowflake on it.” After a few tries Dan finally found it. It so happened to be the smallest gift out of them all, with a quirky blue hand-drawn snowflake on its otherwise plain white bag. The snowflake was adorned with eyes and a crooked smile.
“I drew that.”
“Thanks so much for getting me a present. Do you want me to open it now?”
“No, not yet. You’ll know when to open it, when the time is right.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” asked Dan.
“I believe you will know when the time arrives. Just wait.”
A silence of uncertainty filled the room. Then Dakota continued. His face lit with excitement. “I got a letter from Susie,” he said. Susie was Dakota’s best friend, and the one and only remnant from his former life. Dan had never met her, but he heard Dakota talk about her a lot. Their relationship truly did seem special. Dan was uncertain if Susie had been Dakota’s girlfriend or not. The way he talked about her made him think so, but he never used that word to define their relationship. A year ago her family moved down to Tennessee, inheriting a family farm. Susie’s moving away was really hard on Dakota, as it coincided with the collapsing of his family. But when Dakota moved with a new family and made new friends at Hodge High, the wounds of loss had healed.
“What does it say?” asked Dan.
“It reads:
Dear Dakota,
I miss you! You have no idea. I am still having a little trouble adjusting to life here, but overall things are pretty good. The people down here are really friendly and we have some great neighbors. The weather is a bit different. It doesn’t get quite as cold, and I must admit I miss the snow at Christmastime. I have yet to see any snow this winter. I think about you all the time. So many things remind me of you. I’ll see a hill of grass and it will remind me of how we used to lay on the grass, look at the clouds, and talk about whatever was on our minds. The kids down here in our neighborhood love to play all sorts of games outside, which is refreshing. It reminds me of how we would play street hockey and baseball with the neighborhood kids. So many things remind me of you.
This Christmas I will be starring in the community production of “A Christmas Carol.” Luckily I get to be the Ghost of Christmas Past…How appropriate! I bring “shadows of things that have been.” There is only one thing on my Christmas list this year, and that is a plane ticket to come out and see you. We will have to continue the stories we’ve started. How are Nightlight and Mermajesty? I hope Sharkshadow isn’t giving them any trouble. Well, hope you have a Merry Christmas. I know I won’t be having any sort of ‘White Christmas’. I’ll be taking care of the animals and cleaning out the stable. I suppose that, in its own way, is very Christmasey. Whatever I do, I’ll make the best of it, and you do the same. I love you.
Love, sincerely, yours truly, and all that other fun stuff, Susie”
It was getting very late and the big old farmhouse seemed to yawn and crack in the sleepiness of night. Dan was about to put back on his boots and head towards home until he saw what was happening outside. The snow was no longer falling gently and sparse as the heavens’ dandruff, but instead was fierce and thick, whipping around in an arctic fury. Dakota’s mom ran into the living room and pulled back the curtain to reveal the scene.
“Don’t move! Stay right where you are! There is no way I am letting you walk home in this kind of weather,” she spoke in her normal worried tone. She often seemed to be a very worrisome person, but she was just concerned and cared greatly for the safety of others. “Let me go outside and see if I can get the car started.” She got her gloves and her coat and headed outside. When she opened the door, the wind howled in and a gust of cold air blew right through the living room, dusting snow upon the carpet.
“Should I offer to help her clear off the car,” Dan said to Dakota.
“Nah, she’ll be alright.” Dakota leaned up on the couch and rested his back against a large patchwork pillow. A serious, yet curious look came to his face. Dan knew a question was on the way.
“What is Christmas to you, Dan?” asked Dakota.
“Christmas?” Dan stopped for a minute, and swallowed a lump in his throat. He felt almost as if he was caught. He appeared pensive ,as if coming up with a great answer, but his mind was going a mile a minute without any resolve. He didn’t like it when he was asked tough questions on the spot. He felt that any question would have been better than this one, but it was no surprise that Dakota would ask a challenging question. Lately Dan was considering the very topic. It meant something to Dan’s past, and housed cherished memories of his parents and the warm memories shared with them, but what did it mean in the present? He could not exactly answer this clearly. Why is Dakota asking me this? Dan felt like Dakota could almost read his mind sometimes, and would expose some of these thoughts he sometimes wished to just keep to himself, wrapped up and untouched under the tree. Every conversation with Dakota was like Christmas morning– The packages had to be torn into.
“To be honest, I don’t know. I mean Christmas, I guess it used to be all about getting presents, putting up decorations and lights, something fun for wintertime, but I think it’s really more about family to me. It makes me think about my parents and all the memories we had.” Dan started to tear up, but tried with all his might not to let a single tear fall. He could not cry in front of Dakota. Dan broke eye contact and looked to his side where the Nativity set stood. Perfect, a distraction from his own feelings. “I guess for some people it has to do with Jesus….” Dan’s mind flashbacked to Linzy at school saying “Mrs. Tripkin just needs Jesus. “…But for me, I’m not sure. I have been having a lot of doubts lately.” Dan knew he was starting to get deeper into the conversation. “I don’t know. Lately all I have been doing is thinking and not arriving anywhere. It’s weird. What’s Christmas to you, Dakota?” Dan knew Dakota had an answer. He always did.
“Well it’s a celebration of Jesus’ birth. The completion of an ancient prophecy, passed down through the ages. It’s God coming down to the world to eventually save us all–” Dan cut him off with a sigh. “What’s the matter?” asked Dakota.
“Why does everything you say have to be so perfect? Is it real?”
“Definately. Christmas to me is about celebrating our Savior’s birth. It’s such a reason for celebration that we go over the top. We put up bright decorations, sing songs, spread joy, and because God has extended himself to us in the gift of Jesus, I look at Christmas as a time of giving-”
Dan interrupted him again, this time with an inkling of frustration in his voice.
“You always have the perfect answers?”
“Well, I’m not looking to compare answers. I’m just telling you the truth. Let me finish. Along with celebrating and giving, I see it as a time of mystery.”
“Mystery?”
“Yes. I look out the window in the snow and think of what could be happening out there. Not what’s really happening, but I make stuff up. I think of monsters, and explorers, and adventures in that winter wonderland. I look at Christmas as a time to explore the imagination.” explained Dakota.
Dakota’s mom shuffled back through the door. Snow covered her jacket and was strewn through her hair. “Okay, there is no way we are getting out of this driveway for at least another day.” She was a bit frazzled.
“What’s the matter?” asked Dakota.
“Not only is the car covered in snow, but it’s frozen to the driveway. We are officially snowed in.”
“Well, I can walk home,” suggested Dan.
“Walk home? No way! Not in this blizzard. I’m going to call your Aunt and see if you can stay the night here. If you tried to walk home in this weather you’d be Frosty the Snowman before you’d get to Third Street. I can put a log in the fire, and if you want you can camp out here by the Christmas tree.”
Read more about Wild Christmas on my website: www.joshhodge.com/wild-christmas
Chapter 5 Coming Soon!
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