As I trudged through the woods, I cursed mistletoes, my aunt, and useless Christmas parties. It was all because of my aunt’s nutty idea to host “the greatest holiday party to hit Virginia!” Aunt Suzanne was very much like that, throwing herself full-on to any project that crossed her mind. Yes, the pool in the backyard was worth all of my aunt’s savings, and training the dog to do ballet was fun, but other than that, my aunt’s ideas were time consuming and rarely offered a finished product. Not because she lost interest, but because most of her ideas proved impossible. Still, it was better than living with my mom and her boyfriend (eew).

Do mistletoes even grow in Virginian forests? Do mistletoes even grow in forests? I doubted it because I didn’t find any after an hour of walking. I knew this forest very well during the summer. But now the snow that reflected any light that found its way through endless branches and pine needles distorted all distances and paths. So getting back would be really fun, taking hours of pointless circling. But I knew that if I returned without a mistletoe, my aunt would look at me, her eyes sad like she was disappointed in me. So I made a mental note to stop by a store or something later. And with that in my mind, I turned around.

I guess I do have some of my Aunt’s blood, because my idea of getting back to civilization was impossible.