A gentle snow fell on a quiet Christmas Eve. A lone figure walked through a deserted street, noticing the flicker of colored lights, some blinking as a worn-out bulb tried to glow bright again. His were the only footprints left; hours ago, last-minute shoppers left their prints everywhere, but the falling snow would soon cover them, leaving no trace of shoppers rushing to find those last-minute gifts. A bottle of cheap perfume, a box of assorted chocolates, anything they could find on almost empty shelves.
This has always been his town, a small town in which he grew up and only left once to serve his country. He married his high school sweetheart and got a job at the mill like his dad before him. A life of metal lunch pails and dreams of getting out, but dreams don't always come true. A town where a few expensive cars parked next to rows of pickup trucks, some still running. Back in the day, Christmas turned his small town into a winter wonderland, with every storefront window alive with animated figures and more colored lights than you could count. Town workers hung lights from one side of the street to the other using the fire department's lift bucket, a sight for kids when the lights were turned on for the first time, creating a magical glow above the town.
He kept walking as the snow began to fall faster, coming up to the town square where every Christmas a large pine tree was erected, adorned with huge ornaments and hundreds of colored lights. Town folk gathered as darkness signaled the mayor to throw the switch, to the cheers of those gathered around. He approached the square, but it was empty—no tree, no carolers, no cups of hot chocolate, and no laughter. Just echoes of times passed along with the people who never left. It broke his heart to see this, knowing he could do nothing.
His steps had a mission as he headed home and saw the Christmas tree he'd put up a week ago, alone in a corner, brightly shining with no one to notice. He loaded the tree into his truck and drove to the square where he unloaded it and plugged it in, bringing it to life in front of late-night shoppers who had gathered around. The bakery owner showed up with unclaimed orders of donuts and hot coffee, while the cafe that had just put up the closed sign turned it over to say open. Christmas songs played from several truck radios as town folk sang along. Even the town's dentist brought a box of leftover candy canes for his patients and handed them out to children's waiting hands.
As the hours passed and children had to go to sleep, the townfolk went back to their homes, leaving hundreds of footprints in the snow and a joy in their hearts they hadn't felt since the town was young. He settled into his favorite chair and whispered good night and merry Christmas to his loved ones passed on, knowing they would have approved what he had done for the little town he grew up in. He went to be with his wife on a cold winter night, but wouldn't he be proud to know every Christmas Eve for years to come would find a battered pickup truck parked in the square, with a decorated Christmas tree brightly glowing as the snow gently fell from the heavens.
He kept walking as the snow began to fall faster, coming up to the town square where every Christmas a large pine tree was erected, adorned with huge ornaments and hundreds of colored lights. Town folk gathered as darkness signaled the mayor to throw the switch, to the cheers of those gathered around. He approached the square, but it was empty—no tree, no carolers, no cups of hot chocolate, and no laughter. Just echoes of times passed along with the people who never left. It broke his heart to see this, knowing he could do nothing.
His steps had a mission as he headed home and saw the Christmas tree he'd put up a week ago, alone in a corner, brightly shining with no one to notice. He loaded the tree into his truck and drove to the square where he unloaded it and plugged it in, bringing it to life in front of late-night shoppers who had gathered around. The bakery owner showed up with unclaimed orders of donuts and hot coffee, while the cafe that had just put up the closed sign turned it over to say open. Christmas songs played from several truck radios as town folk sang along. Even the town's dentist brought a box of leftover candy canes for his patients and handed them out to children's waiting hands.
As the hours passed and children had to go to sleep, the townfolk went back to their homes, leaving hundreds of footprints in the snow and a joy in their hearts they hadn't felt since the town was young. He settled into his favorite chair and whispered good night and merry Christmas to his loved ones passed on, knowing they would have approved what he had done for the little town he grew up in. He went to be with his wife on a cold winter night, but wouldn't he be proud to know every Christmas Eve for years to come would find a battered pickup truck parked in the square, with a decorated Christmas tree brightly glowing as the snow gently fell from the heavens.
Mike 2026
Mike 2026
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