beneath them. It seemed Lance had just experienced a toss-and-turn sort of night. I wondered what was keeping him up late.
But he wasn’t letting it slow him down. He introduced me to a couple of the main movers and shakers in the community organization and we set up a plan to meet the day before the program started.
“You’ll definitely want to come to the dress rehearsal,” one of them a man named Jim Beed, told me heartily. “You’ll want to check out everything to make sure we’re on the right track.”
I thought it was generous of them to act like I really mattered to the show. After all, I was certainly Johnny-come-lately. They seemed to be a nice bunch of people.
The village was just as cute as it sounded. Most of the residents kept the homes up beautifully, even though they were only leasing. Most of the homes had the usual gingerbread trim, the wrap around porches, the beautiful windows, the turrets and multiple stairways. But they also had a good recent paint job, and often with bright colors that were almost startling to see. We walked the length of the row as Lance pointed out special qualities and houses where the people had gone the extra mile to produce something really exceptional.
Of course, each house was decorated for Christmas which made them even more fun to look at.
“Do people just do whatever they want?” I asked Lance.
“Oh no. Every January they submit plans that have to be approved by July 4. You’ll be intimately involved in that for next year I’m sure. Then they go to town on their places, each one vying with his neighbor to come up with the fanciest display. It’s rather like what it would be if regular people built the floats for the Rose Parade. Can you imagine?”
That made me laugh. A few people came out and waved at us, and we did go up and look into a few houses. Many had owners home, working on preparations. One middle-aged man was busy stringing lights in the leafless birch tree that stood in front of his house.
Lance introduced me.
“Mele, I’d like you to meet Tony Genera, our organization chairman.”
Tony came down off his ladder and shook my hand.
“Any relation to Ginny Genera?” I asked. “The marathon runner?”
He grinned. He had a handsome face and a pleasant manner. “Yes, she’s my sister. I run marathons too. In fact, I’m the one who got her started. I taught her everything she knows.”
“Really?” Come to think of it, he looked a bit like her. “I don’t see you running all over town like Ginny does.”
“I train at the Y. I wish Ginny would too. It’s dangerous out running on the public roads all day and night like she does.”
“Luckily, it’s a pretty peaceful town.”
“Maybe.” He looked doubtful and I had to admit, if just to myself, that there had been some pretty fishy things going on lately. “I’m really out of shape right now. I’m going to have to get back into it before Spring.”
“Good luck.”
We moved on, chatting with residents, looking over the decor. Finally, Lance led me to the front door of a house where we were going to take a closer look.
“I’ve already spoken to Ellie Chang and she said to bring you right in. She loves to show off her house. She lives here with her mother, Rose, who doesn’t speak much English, but Ellie will translate if she needs to.”
Ellie was about 35, bright and friendly and talked a mile a minute, while her mother stood aside and nodded, looking pleased and proud of her. They had every room in the house furnished with the Nineteenth Century in mind, though they were mostly modern versions of styles, not the real thing. Still, it was like stepping back into another century. I was truly enchanted.
We ended our tour in front of a door that was firmly closed against us.
“Sorry,” Ellie said with a shrug. “We actually rent this room and our garage out to someone else. I didn’t ask him if he would mind, and the room isn’t
But he wasn’t letting it slow him down. He introduced me to a couple of the main movers and shakers in the community organization and we set up a plan to meet the day before the program started.
“You’ll definitely want to come to the dress rehearsal,” one of them a man named Jim Beed, told me heartily. “You’ll want to check out everything to make sure we’re on the right track.”
I thought it was generous of them to act like I really mattered to the show. After all, I was certainly Johnny-come-lately. They seemed to be a nice bunch of people.
The village was just as cute as it sounded. Most of the residents kept the homes up beautifully, even though they were only leasing. Most of the homes had the usual gingerbread trim, the wrap around porches, the beautiful windows, the turrets and multiple stairways. But they also had a good recent paint job, and often with bright colors that were almost startling to see. We walked the length of the row as Lance pointed out special qualities and houses where the people had gone the extra mile to produce something really exceptional.
Of course, each house was decorated for Christmas which made them even more fun to look at.
“Do people just do whatever they want?” I asked Lance.
“Oh no. Every January they submit plans that have to be approved by July 4. You’ll be intimately involved in that for next year I’m sure. Then they go to town on their places, each one vying with his neighbor to come up with the fanciest display. It’s rather like what it would be if regular people built the floats for the Rose Parade. Can you imagine?”
That made me laugh. A few people came out and waved at us, and we did go up and look into a few houses. Many had owners home, working on preparations. One middle-aged man was busy stringing lights in the leafless birch tree that stood in front of his house.
Lance introduced me.
“Mele, I’d like you to meet Tony Genera, our organization chairman.”
Tony came down off his ladder and shook my hand.
“Any relation to Ginny Genera?” I asked. “The marathon runner?”
He grinned. He had a handsome face and a pleasant manner. “Yes, she’s my sister. I run marathons too. In fact, I’m the one who got her started. I taught her everything she knows.”
“Really?” Come to think of it, he looked a bit like her. “I don’t see you running all over town like Ginny does.”
“I train at the Y. I wish Ginny would too. It’s dangerous out running on the public roads all day and night like she does.”
“Luckily, it’s a pretty peaceful town.”
“Maybe.” He looked doubtful and I had to admit, if just to myself, that there had been some pretty fishy things going on lately. “I’m really out of shape right now. I’m going to have to get back into it before Spring.”
“Good luck.”
We moved on, chatting with residents, looking over the decor. Finally, Lance led me to the front door of a house where we were going to take a closer look.
“I’ve already spoken to Ellie Chang and she said to bring you right in. She loves to show off her house. She lives here with her mother, Rose, who doesn’t speak much English, but Ellie will translate if she needs to.”
Ellie was about 35, bright and friendly and talked a mile a minute, while her mother stood aside and nodded, looking pleased and proud of her. They had every room in the house furnished with the Nineteenth Century in mind, though they were mostly modern versions of styles, not the real thing. Still, it was like stepping back into another century. I was truly enchanted.
We ended our tour in front of a door that was firmly closed against us.
“Sorry,” Ellie said with a shrug. “We actually rent this room and our garage out to someone else. I didn’t ask him if he would mind, and the room isn’t
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