Harper scanned her room one last time before slamming her suitcase shut and hauling it down the stairs. As she was struggling not to get smashed into Harper mush by her suspiciously heavy suitcase, Harper’s best friend, Willow, came to the rescue and offered to help Harper get the suitcase into her parent’s car.

‘Yikes, this suitcase is hea-VY. What did you put in there?’ Willow asked, panting.

‘Oh, you’ll see. Now help me raise this thing!’ Harper said instead, refusing to let Willow know what she had put in her luggage.

It was a crisp December morning and the day before christmas. Harper was going to spend Christmas with her very best- and goofy- friend Willow. As they settled Harper’s luggage at the back of the car, Harper turned around and hugged her parents goodbye. 

But they needn’t worry! The girls were heading to Willow’s house and would have the best time EVER- 1a.m. pillow fights, watching christmas movies (not the grinch though because nature) decorating the christmas tree, eating unhealthy stuff and opening PRESENTS! BEST PART!!! Oh and don’t forget spending time with your best friend and family and loving each other and everybody blah blah... yeah, but technically spending time with WILLOW’S family. It would be Harper’s first time spending christmas with some other family, let alone her best friend, but she was sure it was going to be supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. Long word. But says everything.

However, after Harper stepped into the doorway, she knew this year’s christmas wasn’t going to be so amazing after all. First of all, Willow’s house didn’t have an ounce of christmas in it. There were no decorations and no big obvious christmas tree in the middle of the living room. Okay maybe not in the middle, but it had to be SOMEWHERE in the living room! Unless this wasn’t the living room. Not really possible. Harper did some calm self comfort and thought to herself, maybe they don’t have the same traditions. Yes. That’s it. But she wasn’t convinced. Who doesn’t decorate rooms or have a simple christmas tree in their house during christmas？ Well, Willow’s family, duh.

Second, there were no treats on the table for Harper to steal AND didn’t show that Willow’s family was welcoming, and third and most importantly, if there was no christmas tree, then there was going to be no presents to go UNDER the christmas tree！(cue dramatic music)

X

Harper panicked thinking about this. Maybe they would put the presents on the ground later？ She asked Willow nervously, ‘I’snt there supposed to be a christmas tree？’

‘Christmas tree？ Oh no, we don’t buy trees.’ Willow answered, as if putting christmas trees in your house were like dyeing your hair green.

‘But-but, it’s tradition！’Harper exclaimed.

‘Sorry deary, we don’t put trees in our house. Its too much space.’ Willow’s mom said.

‘It doesn’t have to be a real tree.’ Harper said under her breath.

‘Pardon？’

‘Never mind.’ Harper sighed. This christmas would just have to do without a tree. But hopefully not presents.

Isn't there supposed to be a christmas tree?

No, deary.

‘Do we get to have 1a.m. pillow fights and parties at least？I want to catch Santa Claus on my lens.’ Harper said, pulling out a polaroid camera hopefully.

‘Um, no sorry. You all have to get in bed before 9.’ Willow’s mom said.

‘What?! But I had plans for Willow and me after that! It’s chritsmas!’

‘Well, no is no, honey. You can go to bed at 10 past 9 then, but that’s the latest. Plus, you two girls can watch a movie or something. Maybe the grinch?’ 

‘No!’ Harper and Willow cried in unison, which was fun but couldn't cheer harper up.

Harper sighed again. Maybe this was not going to be the best christmas after all.

SAD

10 minutes later Harper was still complaining about the house rules and weird traditions in Willow’s family to Willow in her bedroom.

‘-even my mom lets me stay up all night on Christmas Eve! Ugh. Christmas only comes once a year! Arent we supposed to have fun?’ Harper groaned.

‘I mean, maybe you should stop complaining first in order to have some fun, right? Besides, rules are rules and we cant break them.’ Willow replied.

‘Bleh, you sound like your mom.’

Willow giggled. ‘Well, we still have each other, don’t we? Nothing will be banal as long as we are together because we can make fun out of nothing!’