After more rounds of casual conversation across hills and through flatter land, the sedan eventually arrived at a sprawling makeshift parking lot. Once a corn maze for the fall, it had long been harvested. The remaining dried stalks had been rolled flat, and kept the mud from becoming too unwieldy.

Helen jumped out of the car as soon as the engine turned off. She stretched her limbs and enjoyed the crisp fresh air berating her face. Lady followed behind her, curiously peeking past the trunk, on the lookout for her family. At the very edge of the lot, adjacent to another field that was rotated between growing and hosting cars for the fall season, the shiny black SUV pulled into the end of the row.

Once Lady was reunited with her family, the collective traversed the lot together to reach the entrance. It was slow going, making sure Grandpa Roy was comfortable with the pace. Though with the growing crowd amassing near the ticket booths, it was unlikely that haste would have been met with any significant reward. Roger and Chuck filed into the line while the rest of the family congregated beside a copse of pines near the front gate. As they waited for the men to purchase their wristbands, the Halidays took in their surroundings.

“Wow! They operate until eight at night on Christmas Eve?” Joaquin marveled, reading the signboard posting the schedule.

Helen laughed. “The family that runs the farm is Jewish, so they don’t have any big plans for tonight.”

“They must be making a killing today!”

“Sure looks like it,” muttered Helen as she watched the throng of guests flow past her to have their wristbands checked and gain admittance.

“Gray! Helen! Let’s take a couple photos by the front gate!” Melissa called, scurrying to the large painted sign arching over the entrance. The script of the farm’s name was professionally hand-painted, and for Christmas, wreaths hung over the O’s. The sign poles were wrapped in vinyl, giving them the appearance of candy canes.

Gray loped over to meet his sister while Jacob sidled up to his wife and wrapped an arm around her waist. Helen dragged her boots to the spot Melissa claimed and stood at the end of the group. Lingering back with the older members of the Haliday family, Joaquin was prepared to accept a phone or camera to take the picture for Melissa.

“Go on, Joaquin! You get in there too!” said Lori, preparing her phone.

Joaquin quirked an eyebrow.

Gray laughed. “Yeah! Get over here! We need proof that you came!”

As backhanded as that comment was, Helen agreed. They had to sell the whole couple thing, and normal couples were prone to taking pictures together. She waved him over as an ultimate permission. Joaquin came trotting along. Initially he stiffly leaned next to her, just enough to be in frame. Helen ventured a step further and hooked her arm around his.

Just as Lori was getting ready to snap the photo, Melissa burst out of her pose. “Wait! Get a few on my phone too!” She leapt to her mother, bedazzled phone in her outstretched hand.

Helen rolled her eyes behind her bangs.

The photo session extended far past what Helen was comfortable with. To Melissa, a few meant around fifty. The energetic blonde directed them to take multiple poses with slight variations of each between. And every individual composition had nearly ten photos taken. At last it was finally put to a stop when Chuck and Roger returned with their wristbands.

A thrumming excitement began to build in Helen’s chest as they advanced through the entrance. The farm always provided some last-minute whimsy before the brunt of family time with her aunt and uncle began. It was a diversion that she looked forward to each year. Workers pulled from a family labor source nodded the Halidays through once they spotted each member’s neon pink wristband.

Just beyond the front gate, a small outbuilding was set up as a first aid station. In front were a couple of patio tables with large umbrellas sprouting from their centers. Currently the medical staff was attending to a lost child at one of the tables, entertaining the boy with their phones. He had a few snacks bought from a vending machine inside the little building. Grandpa Roy slowed to a halt when he spied a familiar face at the other table.

“Hey! Solly!” greeted Roy.

Sitting beneath an umbrella and a heat lamp was none other than Solomon Goldstein himself, owner of Solly Gold’s Farm. Dressed in flannel, suede, and a stetson, Solly looked like a proper cowboy. He smiled at his old friend.

“‘Lo, Roy! Good to see you make it this year!”

“Would you like to stay here and catch up, Dad?” asked Roger.

“Oh, sure!” Roy replied.

“Great! He’s right next to the medics too! He’s in great hands!” Chuck commented as he and his family pressed on further into the farm.

“We’ll come back later, Dad,” said Roger. He looked to Solly. “You take care of him now!”

Solly tipped his hat.

Deeper into the farm, clusters of small buildings offered seasonal treats and crafts. At the center was a large ice rink and on the far side of the farm were areas that hosted activities including snowball slings, hay rides, a petting zoo, and a live Santa Claus housed in the large pole barn. And filling the causeways were the farm’s guests forming a humming mass hypnotized by the festivities.

Chuck nudged his son. “Come on, Gray! Let’s see if that arm of yours is still in shape!” He lifted his head toward a block of stalls set up with carnival games. “We’ll load up on toys to donate for next Christmas!”

“I’m not making any promises!”

The father and son, heads glowing in flaxen brilliance, marched off together to test their skills. The rest of the family surveyed the area.

“We should grab a table by the skating rink before it gets even more crowded,” Melissa proposed.

“Y’all go ahead. Iseul and I will do some shopping and catch up in a bit,” said Roger. He clasped a hand on his wife’s shoulder. Iseul smiled politely before she and her husband veered toward the block hosting stores.

Not wanting to spend more money than she already had hiring Joaquin, Helen elected to stay with her aunt and cousin and avoid the temptation. At least Tom and Lady were with them to mitigate their company. And Joaquin was with her as well, of course.

On the way to the ice rink, they passed under string lights that could not be fully appreciated in the day’s sun. Still, Christmas hung heavy in the air as smells of cinnamon and apples wafted through to the tune of jingles blaring from hidden speakers. The drone of migrating conversations and squeals of children coursed around the Halidays.

“Oh this would be fantastic to bring our future kids to! We’ll continue this family tradition so long as Solly’s Farm stands!” Melissa yipped.

“Absolutely, Babe,” said Jacob as he brought an arm around her.

Melissa shot her eyes to Helen. “Helen! What if we had kids at the same time! Then they can grow up as close as we did! It would be so fun! And we can have playdates all the time and sleepovers!”

Helen laughed between her teeth. “Slow down there, Mel! First I need a ring on my finger.”

“Better hurry up, Joaquin!” Jacob nudged Helen’s date with his elbow.

Joaquin smoothly shrugged him off, pretending an inflatable snowman caught his attention. “Only when Helen’s ready,” he responded, staring at the drooping corn cob pipe.

“Maybe she is,” Melissa teased. She then gasped, a sound Joaquin thought similar to a generator starting up. “What if that was a hint! Was it, Helen? You can tell me!”

“It wasn’t,” replied Helen. Her head swiveled for a distraction. “Hey! There’s a couple free tables over there!”

“You guys grab one and I’ll be right over with hot cider for everyone!” Tom said as he broke off toward the cider stall.