A Road For The Christmas Tree

By Ella Manhattan

It is a story about a journalist from a magazine who went to the forestry to write an article on the Christmas tree. She met a man there who she thought was a lumberjack, but he was actually the son of the business owner. Additionally, there is a magazine editor with whom things appear to be going well; nevertheless, things do not work out as the lumberjack ends up being her true love. This is a truly charming, kind Christmas book, with a plot that will never get stale or go out of style. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ella Manhattan
• Release date: Feb 14, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224296927

Book preview

Table of Contents

A Road For The Christmas Tree

A Road For The Christmas Tree

‘’Jingle bells, Jingle bells...’’ Bells are ringing, and there's a festive atmosphere in the air...Christmas is almost here, the beloved holiday of young people, the elderly, couples, and maybe even single people who wish to discover their true love and make a wish under the tree. Everyone can be split into two groups: those who celebrate Christmas with great affection and those who don't care for the holiday. There are very few people who dislike Christmas if any at all, and they don't even gather data. The city has a distinct holiday vibe, as seen by the way that even the buildings are imbued with a festive Christmas spirit, not to mention the individuals who have already entered the gift mood. Presents are being made and anticipated by all! Indeed, presents are what give our lives beauty and a wealth of memories, as they evoke recollections of the giver, the recipient, and the occasion. Similar to Christmas cards, which provide joy and memories to the home rather than being a load of wasted paper. How unfortunate that greeting cards are no longer mailed! How delightful it is to receive congratulations from Uncle Bill in North Carolina or Aunt Morgan in Massachusetts when you open your mailbox. You grin every time you read them, remembering that summer you spent on Uncle Bill's ranch meeting your first love, or Aunt Morgan's pies. The postcard itself appears to have a hay or pie scent to it. Yes, the past was filled with a great deal of goodness and generosity. But let's not whine because things aren't always horrible these days—sometimes they're even fantastic!

Jingle bells, Jingle bells... The bells ring, and your soul becomes light and also rings in unison with the atmosphere. You wish to penetrate and dissolve in this festive atmosphere so much that you want to dress festively and put on red and green sweaters with deer, red hats with white buboes, and even white boots, but this is too much and not for everyone.

The editorial office of Gardening and Forestry magazine, along with the large, multicultural metropolis, is brimming with the spirit of Christmas. No one desires to work. All have already prepared for the holidays; some have even requested time off and departed. The editorial offices started to look a touch vacant, with empty tables showing up like bald areas between the desks. The rest of them put on the appearance of working, or rather, working a lot, but as I mentioned before, everyone is in the spirit of celebration, gift-giving, drinking champagne, eating turkey, and gingerbread.

Sadly, or rather bored, Karen is sitting at her table and looking at her little Christmas tree, which serves as a reminder of the occasion. Her spirit is depressing and lonely rather than joyous. She recalled the Christmas of the previous year, which was a total disaster and letdown. She had to introduce her lover, whom she believed to be serious, to her aunt and cousins. Since her parents had perished in a car accident when she was a first-year university student, Karen considered her closest relatives to be her extended family. Since Karen didn't want to teach, she traveled to New York and worked as a proofreader in the editorial office of the magazine Gardening and Forestry. Karen is a philologist and English teacher. The lights of the large city drew her in. She was drawn to the idea of working as an editor or writing columns for glossy magazines, but that path proved to be unattainable. As a result, she now works for a magazine, albeit not a glossy one. Karen is a productive worker who does a great job of proofreading and has a perfect record of zero balance mistakes, absenteeism, and errors in conduct as well as text. Everything in Karen's personal life was also right and faultless—that is, until last year, when she met Matthew, a Wall Street aspirant broker, who drew her in with his assertiveness, drive to succeed and become wealthy, positive outlook, attractive appearance—which made him look like a Hollywood actor—and social graces—which he had meticulously trained as an outback guy. Nor was Karen a girl from the city. Despite being raised in a small town, she had always desired to live in a large city—specifically, New York. She believed that she was meant to live in Manhattan and enjoy a secular life, but not an idle one with plenty of money that she simply inherited; rather, she believed that she had to work hard for her wealth and become a strong, self-reliant woman with her own boundaries. She has only been able to relocate to New York and rent an apartment close to Manhattan thus far, which is understandable given her youth and the fact that she still has her entire life and career ahead of her. Karen and Matthew shared a common desire of pursuing their careers and being successful in their respective fields. This is what drew them together and gave them a great deal of similarity. They loved to go to fancy restaurants and pretend to be well-off, successful people. They would rarely order anything, but they were in the setting they had always wanted. Despite this, they were unique! Karen desired a career because she was passionate about her work, and Matthew wanted a career to be a part of this setting. As you can see, despite appearing similar on the surface, their objectives were distinct. Matthew was 25 years old, and Karen was 24. Since they were about the same age, their choices in music, literature, and the arts were more similar. Literature-wise, not really. Matthew didn't read much; instead, he only kept up with the latest trends so he could quote books verbatim or say something like I didn't really like Kafka in a conversation. They were often really at ease with each other.

Gazing at the table's Christmas tree, Karen was reminded of that unfortunate Christmas in the previous year when he was meant to visit them but never did. Aunt Sally made a lot of food. All of their closest relatives showed up, so they all sat at the table and waited for Matthew without even beginning to eat. He was still absent, though. He still hadn't shown up, even though the food had been reheated multiple times already. Karen was so humiliated that she wanted to give up and collapse through the hardwood floor into the basement, but she had to sit and hold herself back with pride so as not to appear helpless and abandoned. She was unable to avoid this fate, though. Karen's phone finally rang after she had been waiting at the table for two hours. Everybody froze. She leaped. It was Matthew, indeed. Instead of responding, Karen simply became as pale as the festive tablecloth and sat down without saying anything. It was clear to all that Matthew would not arrive. Naturally, they were upset, but not to the extent that it prevented them from being delighted about the food on the table and the occasion they had been looking forward to all year. Karen's complexion gradually returned to normal, and she was warmed from the inside out by Aunt Sally's turkey, delectable food, and wine. She had already forgotten a little bit about Matthew and her guilt. Furthermore, what sort of shame are we discussing? These are her cousins—strong men with attractive wives—and her aunt, the sister of her mother, who is extremely similar to her mother. As usual, everything went smoothly, but the man she was supposed to start a life with never showed up. As it happens, he met a rich, aristocratic lady on the plane who was fifteen years older than him and whom Matthew felt to be everything he was looking for and lacking. Karen didn't worry for very long, or rather, she didn't worry much, but the sting of disappointment and betrayal persisted. She was thinking back to last year's events, which is why she cast a somber glance at the Christmas tree on the table.

The job was nearing its conclusion. Even though there was still more than a week till Christmas, everything was already rustling with its parcels and bags, and for some reason, everyone had a gift. Karen was still undecided about spending Christmas at Aunt Sally's or staying home, acting like a little girl, cuddling up with her gray Scottish cat Molly, drinking a bottle of wine, and wallowing in her sorrow.  More embarrassed to admit it, than Aunt Sally, who is like a mother to her. However, there are times in a girl's life when she wishes she could be left alone—when once-close people suddenly seem to be drifting apart, and when her four-legged furry friend seems to be closer than everyone else. Karen