Have Some Cake
Christmas: Philadelphia, PA
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
The door to a cozy living room opens up. On the other side is a snowy scenery with a snow-covered lawn and frosted porch. Nolan Patrick enters the living room with his black Flyers-themed holiday sweater, a green and red elf hat, and his cheeks at a brilliant red. Stumbling behind him is Carter Hart, who is dragging a suitcase behind him. He wears a green and red holiday sweater with black earmuffs.
Carter takes a glance at the small, bare living room before turning to his friend. “Wow! I can’t believe I get to spend the holidays with you!” He grins. “Thank you so much!”
“Of course.” Nolan shrugs with less than half of the enthusiasm his friend displays. “Teeks went back to his family and I was left all alone and I didn’t like that, so I decided to invite you over.”
Carter places his free hand over his heart. “Trust me, Pat, it’s an honour!”
“Good. Now—” Nolan sticks his hand into his pants’ back pocket. “—let’s see what we have to do.” He whips a long list into view, letting it dangle down to his feet.
Carter’s eyes fly open at the alarming length of the paper. “Whoa! That looks like Santa’s list…!”
He snaps his both wrists, straightening the list. “It’s my to-do list.” He then peers at the list. “So first, we’re going to decorate the living room, then shovel out the snow and because we need to do that before we can put up the rest of the decor, then we can finally relax by the fire and have hot chocolate.”
All Carter can do is blink at him. “What?”
Nolan shoots him a disapproved look and huffs. “You can read it yourself.” He shoves the list at him.
“No, I know that!” Carter whacks list away. “But like…” He shrugs with an unsure expression. “...why?”
Nolan maintains an expressionless look. “Why what?”
“Why do that?” He holds his hands out at the held list. “That’s boring!”
Nolan raises his eyebrows at him. “Excuse me?”
Carter throws his hands in the air at each question: “Decorating? Cleaning? Sitting by a fire? Wh-wh-where’s the fun? The action?” Excitement springs on his face. “We can go snowman making, snowball fighting, ooo, and think up holiday pranks!” He rubs his hands together.
Nolan has no expression. “That’s so stupid.”
“But it’s fun!”
“That does absolutely nothing!” Nolan places a hand on his hip. “At least cleaning and decorating is productive!”
“But playing in the snow makes things more fun!”
“What if I find decorating fun?”
“What if I find it boring?”
“Well, I’m certainly not going to take up your activities!”
“But I need someone else to do them with me!”
“Find someone else!”
With that, Nolan whirls around and stalks away from him, toward the archway that leads to the hallway.
Carter follows his storming friend with guilty eyes. “But Pat! Pat!” He cranes his head back and groans. “Fine!” He throws his hands in the air and exclaims, “I’ll decorate with you!”
Pat halts and peers behind his shoulder. His eyes are sharp with skepticism. “You actually want to?”
Carter stands in place, sweating with an unsure grin and wide eyes. “Yes…”
Nolan turns around to face him fully. His expression doesn’t change.
“...but…,” Carter continues, “...what if...we...compromise?”
“Like how?” He crosses his arms.
“Uhhh—” Carter scratches the back of his neck as he peers up. “—I can help you decorate and clean and all that, but in return, you have to do a snowball fight with me.” He clasps his hands behind his back and swings himself back and forth on his heels in anticipation.
“Fair enough.” Nolan spins around and prances to the archway. He leans over around the corner and pushes a group of cardboard box into view. He straightens up, standing by the numerous boxes and beams with fists by his hips. “Let’s get decorating.”
Carter’s jaw drops at the flood of brown boxes surrounding his friend’s feet.
The boxes’ lids are thrown open, revealing organized ornaments and ribbons bearing white, red, gold, and green, sparkling like magic.
The Christmas tree is built up one part at a time, extending in height.
Glimmering red ribbon is wrapped around the tree’s prickly surface.
A golden orb-shaped ornament is hung by a green-coloured ornament.
Nolan reaches down to the box by his foot and pulls out a red-coloured ornament. He holds it up to the tree.
Behind him, Carter sits next to another cardboard box. He rummages through it before halting as confusion pops on his face. He brings his hand up into view, pulling along an Elf on the Shelf.
He scrutinizes it before peering up at his friend. “Hey! I didn’t know you do the Elf on the Shelf tradition!” He waves the small doll in the air.
Nolan whirls around with his hands out toward the tree and gazes at the stuff elf. A disapproving expression sets on his face. “That’s Teek’s.”
He turns back around rearranges some ornaments in front of him.
Carter looks back at the small elf. “I should put it somewhere.”
“Back in the box,” he hears Nolan order flatly. “And while you’re doing that, can you get me the star for the tree?”
Carter groans. “Fine…”
Carter spins around on his bottom to face the box by Nolan’s feet. He reaches over to stick his free hand inside of it. He pulls out the plastic white star and gazes at it. He then flicks his eyes to the elf sitting in his other hand. A smirk forms on his face.
Nolan plucks another ornament from the tree beside him and hangs it a couple of branches over. “Here ya go, Pat,” he hears Carter chirp from behind him.
Nolan looks behind his shoulder, spotting Carter holding the star up at him. He grabs it, walks to the step ladder nearby, steps upon it, and places the star on the tiptop of the tree. He plugs the cord of the star into the outlet inside the treetop.
“There!” Nolan hops down from the stepladder and leans over to plug in the tree. The tree instantly illuminates with white glowing orbs sprinkled around it, making the ornaments glisten.
Nolan steps back as Carter stands up to gaze at the tree. Nolan has a large grin on his face as his eyes sparkle. Carter’s eyes are wide with awe, reflecting the lights from the tree.
“Ah!” Nolan clasps his hands by his chest. “It’s perfect!”
“Wow…!” Carter states, breath-taken. “That is nice!”
“Now time for the outside!” Nolan speeds off past Carter.
Carter turns to his left, where Nolan took off. Bewilderment is on his face. “What?”
Nolan returns, this time with a snow shovel in his hand.
“You clean up the snow.” He sticks the snow shovel out at him. “I’ll start decorating.”
Carter groans before taking the snow shovel.
A ladder’s feet is stuffed through the snow.
The ladder is thrown onto the side of the house, leaning against it.
Nolan climbs on the ladder with a rope of white Christmas lights hanging from his shoulder. He halts at the top of the roof, pulls out his roof rake, and begins wiping away the snow.
The snow plops onto the snow-covered pathway in front of the porch. Carter shuffles toward it with his snow shovel in front. Like a bulldozer, the shovel pushes the piling snow into itself, leaving its path clean.
Carter swings the shovel aside, tossing the snow across the white lawn. He gazes at the snow-blanketed front yard with the long line of ground parallel to the porch. More snow dumps on top of the cleared path from the roof.
Carter frowns at his work becoming undo. “What are we gonna do with all this snow?” he grumbles under his breath. “There’s so much—” He storms up to the snow pile forming in his cleared path. “We can’t clean it!” He scoops up the snow and hurls it onto the lawn. “Where’s the snow gonna go?”
He halts, leaning against the shovel. His eyes then light up with an idea. A sly expression sets on his face. He then begins shovelling at the snow with newfound energy.
With each large pile of snow on his shovel, Carter flings it onto the same place on the other side of the lawn. Little by little, the snow accumulates, the pile growing taller and wider.
Nolan hangs the end of the string of lights on a nail. His eyes sparkle at the sight. “Perfect!”
He excitedly scrambles backward on the ladder and hops onto the ground. He ambles down the brown lawn, anticipating to get a good view of his work. Yet before he could do so, something large catches his attention to his right.
On the other side of the lawn in the far corner is a towering pile of snow, as tall as the one-story house. Beside the pile is a wooden sign with the words FREE SNOW spray painted on it.
Nolan cranes his head back and cries out, “Carter…!”
Carter pops out from the side of the house, the same side as the pile of snow. “What?”
He holds his hand out to the pile. “‘Free snow’”? Are you serious?”
Carter swaggers up to him with his hands in his pockets. “Well, what else was I supposed to do with the snow?”
He shoots him a scowl. “This is supposed to be a winter wonderland, not some yard sale! I shouldn’t have let you do this!” He then whirls around and storms back into the house.
The front door slams shut with a SLAM!
Carter is left out in the serene winter afternoon. He gazes around the empty, brown backyard with the mountainous pile of snow standing out awkwardly by the corner. With sadness in his eyes, Carter peers behind his shoulder.
On the porch is a cluster of cardboard boxes. On each one, written in Nolan’s thin, capitalized handwriting, has on it Outdoor X-Mas Deco. Among the boxes are large outdoor Christmas decorations from knee-high penguins to chest-high polar bears.
A warm smile grows on Carter’s face as his eyes stay on the decorations.
Inside, Nolan approaches his newly-decorated living room with a cup of hot chocolate in his hands. Leafy garlands bearing small red, white, and green ornaments and white, twinkling lights line the archway and the mantel. Hanging above the dormant fireplace is a matching wreath. Beneath the Christmas tree are boxes of presents.
Nolan gazes up at his work with warm pride. He takes a sip from his mug. Behind him, the front door bursts open, revealing a rosy-faced Carter.
“Hey, Pat!” Carter shouts from behind him.
Nolan whirls around with eyebrows raised in surprise. His eyebrows then settle to be knitted. “Where’ve you been?”
A small grin cracks on Carter’s face. “Come outside to find out…!”
Nolan frowns at him with skepticism. Yet he places his mug on the mantel, steps to the front door, and slips outside into the chilly twilight. He peers out from the porch ahead of him and halts. His eyes grow wide in awe and sparkle; his mouth slightly drops.
Laid out before him in the front yard is a winter wonderland: The lawn has a smooth blanket of snow. A group of lit-up penguins pass an equally lit-up ornament. Nearby the penguins is a white deer by a real tree. The tree has its branches spotted with bright white lights.
On the other side of the lawn are polar bears grazing near their luminous igloo. Red and white candy canes shining in the dimness line the path through the lawn and the lawn’s perimeter. Underneath the darkening purple and gray clouds, the lawn displays warmth and brilliance.
With the light reflecting from his eyes, Nolan stares at it in complete wonder. “It’s...it’s beautiful!” He turns to Carter, who is to his right. “You did this?”
Carter’s grin grows large. “Yeah.”
Nolan throws his arms around him, pulling him into a hug.
Carter’s eyes face lights up at the rare affection from his friend. “You’re actually happy?”
Nolan pulls away from him with a big smile. “Why wouldn’t I be?” He holds his hand out to the bright lawn. “This is amazing!”
Carter keeps his excited expression. “Even with my snowman?”
Nolan furrows his eyebrows at him. He then turns back to the luminous scenery.
At the far corner to the right, where the large snow pile used to be, is now a towering snowman with a spray-painted orange Flyers jersey. It has branches as its arms and no hat.
Nolan chuckles as he turns back to his friend. “Okay, yeah, even with that snowman.”
Carter pumps his fist in victory. “Yes! I had my fun doing this too!”
He leans closer to him with inciting eyebrows. “Wanna sit by the fire now?”
Carter contemplates with pressed lips and sullen eyes. “Okay.”
Carter follows Nolan back into the house. He shuffles to the dormant fireplace and sits down in front of it. Lacking enthusiasm in his face, he presses his cheeks against his fists. His eyes reflect the fire bursting to light inside the fireplace.
Nolan settles down next to him with a mug of hot chocolate in each hand. He hands one to Carter then turns to peer ahead.
In front of them, the fire crackles and dances, giving off warmth and radiance.
“There.” Nolan has a warm smile at the fire. “Relaxation well deserved.”
Carter gazes at him and smirks.
Nolan turns to him, bewilderment screwing up his face. “What?”
Carter lifts his eyes and head up to the tree. He does the same.
Behind the glimmering star on the Christmas tree, staring down at the two with a formidable shadow, is the Elf on the Shelf.
Nolan jolts as his eyes fly open. “GAH!” He whirls around to face his friend, fuming. “You had to put that thing up there staring at us?”
Carter throws his head back as he bursts into laughter.
Nolan stands up, places his cup on the mantel, then walks to the back of the living room, where the sofa is located. He snatches a sofa pillow and storms back to his friend. “Not funny!” He slaps his face with the pillow before plopping back next to him.
Carter’s laughter subsides into chuckles as he gazes at him. “It is!” He then places his mug by the presents then rips the pillow from Nolan’s grasp and smacks his head.
Nolan leans back at the impact. “Hey!” He shoves the pillow in Carter’s hands, knocking him to the ground.
“Pillow fight!” Carter yells. He sits up and swings the pillow at him again.
“AH!” Nolan scoots away and hops to his feet, missing the attack. “NO!” He rushes to the sofa, snatching another pillow, and charges at Carter before landing a blow on his face.
Carter chortles in delight and pounds his pillow at Nolan’s shoulders. Seeing his smile, Nolan laughs along and swings his pillow at him.
The two continue their friendly battle of pillow fighting among their hearty laughter and the warm atmosphere.
The End.
