Page 61 of All I Want Is Love
“Well, ever since you tried to drag me into that snowball tournament you slipped down my list,” Aspen deadpans. “You are lucky to still be in my top 100.”
“It’s not my fault everyone wants you for that tournament. They know with your bulky frame, you might take home the win,” Hector says.
Aspen frowns. “What makes them think that’s true? I have zero skills!”
“Come on, you look like you were born a footballer,” Hector points out.
Aspen looks at me. “Tell him, Leo.”
“Well,” I clear my throat. “Aspen has many talents.”
My brother just grins. “That’s not what I meant. You don’t need to sugarcoat it.”
“Sports might not be one of them,” I add.
“No way. Is that an excuse?” Hector asks.
“No, I hate it,” Aspen says. “I do appreciate a good gym workout here and there, but team sports? No, I suck at it. Leo is much better at it.”
“What!?” I exclaim.
“You are,” he argues.
On Hector’s face, I can see the expression of a predator that’s just smelled blood. “Is that so?”
“Why again did you have to throw me under the bus?” I huff.
Aspen blinks before realization settles in. “Just so we are clear: You either get my brother for help with decoration or bother him for the snowball tournament. No way you get both.”
Hector sighs dramatically. “Well, our decorationsarehorrible…”
To underline his words, he shows me some pictures he brought along. I have heard a bit from Soren, Robin and Aspen, but to see it in a picture, it’s even funnier. One year, they had a Christmas figurine theme, but instead of going for some kitsch and fun and cute stuff, they made the town look like a horror show, and not the good type of it. More like creepy gnomes everywhere. “This would have been good for Halloween,” I laugh. “But Christmas?”
“I know. It sounded good on paper, but once we saw the finished product. Well, you see for yourself.”
“What do you want to do this year?” I ask.
“Since we are running out of time, what do you suggest?”
“Classic,” I say. “It’s the easiest to do. It doesn’t need to be like out of a movie. It can have personality. Most of your decorations every year are bad, but they also have a fun tweak to them. So I would keep the fun part, get rid of the creepiness, and add a classic touch. On such short notice, there is not much more we can pull off.”
“Do you think you could do the decoration for the fair and tournament?” he asks. “I know decorating the whole town is too much.”
“I can work on some concepts and will send them to you tomorrow or the day after. But can you truly pull it off? It’s only a week until the fair.”
“If I have your list, I will rally my volunteers around me, and we will make it happen,” Hector promises. “As for the town, we can focus on it next year. How much earlier would you need to start to make it happen?”
“Christmas planning for bigger events actually starts right after Christmas,” I tell him. “For a whole town, even a small one, I would probably start with the first concepts and brainstorming in March. Then we’d need to come up with a decision. Do you have a committee?”
“No,” he says. “But I guess by March I will have one.”
“Make sure to put different people into the committee. It’s important to have people in it who love the town but who come with their own visions. No one too stubborn, but if everyone comes with the same taste, I won’t get a feel for what the town truly wants.”
“Okay, I can do that,” he says. “And then?”
“Then I’d need a decision by June latest, and start the planning of the details. The organizing of the material and whatever else falls in the summer. As I said: latest. Christmas season starts right after Halloween. In some cities, it actually starts much earlier, with the first preparations being done in September; just more toned down so as not to get in Halloween’s way.”
Hector listens to me in awe. “I am so glad Aspen dragged you here into this town.”
