"How do you attach the ears?" Elise held the felted reindeer ears in her hand. She purchased them on a whim, 50% discount at the Corner Store. She did this as an attempt to "get into" the Christmas Spirit. The faux ears were a set-back, her mood sinking further into despondency and frustration.

The ears were a part of a set that when attached to her gray sedan would invoke the idea of Rudolph, the red nosed patron of weirdos. Ralphie, her boyfriend of 8 years, was tucked down by the front of the car attaching the red puff ball nose. He didn't hear her brooding complaint.

She walked to the front of the car, ears in hand. "The ears?" She held them up, "What am I supposed to do with the ears?"

"Hang on. One sec...there." He popped up and took the ears from her limply hanging grip. His face was bright and beaming. Ralphie never had any problems with getting into the Christmas spirit. Asking him to help her was like giving him a gift he could never repay; the way he laughed and giggled at the thought of her sedan transforming into a cartoonish reindeer.

"Don't worry. I am on it."

With nothing more to do, she slumped against the car watching him. His tufts of reddish curls fringing his knitted hat. She knew he was enjoying every minute of it, even though his current look was one of concentration. He went one side to the other while Elise thought over her recent decision to purchase the stupid things. This wasn't getting her into the Christmas spirit. This was irritating her even more.

"Done." Ralphie popped his head over the other side of the car. "Why aren't you happy? You are now part of an elite team of reindeer to lead Santa's sleigh."

Elise shook her head. "It's no use. This isn't helping. At. All."

"No?" He bit his bottom lip while he thought for a minute. This was his got when he needed a moment to consider. Normally she'd kiss him for it, but now even this annoyed her.

"Peppermint Latte!" He yelled, and pointed index finger to the sky like it was the most brilliant idea he'd ever had. She startled, almost losing her balance.

"Dang, chill out." She wrinkled her brows, fighting the looming headache formed by sudden noises and cold frosty air.

Ralphie laughed like it was the funniest thing she said, "But then I would melt. Get in, I'll drive."

"That doesn't make sense, you know." 

He walked over to her side of the car and opened it for her. He kissed her cheek, "It would if I was a snow man." 

She got in and sat down, buckled up, and stared straight ahead. "But, you are not." 

She looked out the window. There was no use fighting Ralphie, she loved him too well. Besides, she had nothing else planned. Maybe Peppermint Lattes would help. She was cold.

He got into the driver sear, but before he could turn on the ignition she yelled, "Stop." 

Instinctively, he slammed the brake and the car jostled with the force. 

"What?"

"I need to drive." Her hand bracing the dash.

"Um, okay." His voice took on a soft calm, preparing for a storm, afraid of another outburst. He walked around the car and opened her door.

She needed to drive if she was going to get out of this slump. She couldn't let sweet Ralphie do everything. She felt awful for yelling that when she got out of the car, she kissed him on the cheek as a sort of a sorry.

He touched his cheek, and they switched places. Elise put the car into reverse. It spun as it tried to gain purchase on the compressed snow under the tires. It spun a few times before it kicked backwards. She hit the breaks to counter the jerk back, but she slammed them when she felt the car hit something.

"What was that?" Her heart sinking to the floor. 

The look on Ralphie's face was clear, he didn't know either. "I'll check," he said.

She couldn't see what he was doing behind the car. While looking in the review mirror, she jumped when she heard Ralphie's fists pound on the driver's side window. She rolled down the windows, manually, the thousandth time regretting her decision not to go for the upgrade on her car. 

"You hit grandma!" He blurted, out of breath. 

"What? My grandma?"

He nodded, "Come on. I need your help."

She opened the door. "I didn't see her." 

She ran to the back of the sedan where her Nanna was flat on her back. She couldn't see blood, but it wasn't good. Her Nan had a bad hip. 

"Grandma! Nana!" Elise kneeled on the icy, cold sidewalk.

"Oh honey. How are you, dear? Grandpa's coming to hang the bird feeder."

Elise looked at Ralphie, his expression of panic matched hers. Ralphie was holding her Nana's hand. 

"Should we move her?" Elise didn't remember the rules of when you move someone, and when you don't.

"I don't know. What if she has a concussion? Does she have dementia?" he said.

"I don't think so. I don't know. I mean, she forgets things sometimes. It's usually things like sugar, or feeding her cat, Mittens."

"We can't leave her here," Ralphie next words were loud and slow for Elise's grandma to hear, "Nanna, we need to get you to the hospital."

Elise retreated  into herself, frozen with the inability to act. Ralphie looked so calm, and patient. She wished she could be more like him. To be honest, it was why they've been together so long. He never gave up on her.

"No, I don't want the hospital. Just a warm blanket."

This was something Elise could focus on, a warm blanket was easy. Later she would deal with the fact that she just ran over her Nana.

They both helped her to her feet, but with the ice and her unsteadiness, or the fact that she groaned from some pain they couldn't see. Elise and Ralphie exchanged looks of concern.

"I should carry her. She's not too big," then to her Nan he said, "You mind if I carry you, Nanna?"

"Oh be a dear, yes. I don't think I can walk."

He lifted her easily, and brought her to their house. Elise trailed behind, shutting the door and shutting out the scene of her crimes. She set off to find a cozy blanket while Ralphie set Nana on the plush loveseat.

Elise pulled down an assortment of blankets, even those her Nana crocheted. She tried to keep the tears at bay, though they stung at the corners of her eyes. Ralphie found her there in the pile of blankets, and pulled her aside. They stepped into the low lit hallway near the door, and away from the living room, trusting to her grandma's failing hearing.

"I am worried it's a concussion. I'm going to go see Abram. He's an EMT, and I saw his car out front. He should be home. Maybe he can check her out, you know, to rule it out?"

Elise kissed him. When she pulled away his cheeks were rosy, and blushing. "Thank you," she said.

He mumbled something after, something like you're welcome, before going out the door. She watched as he hurried along the path in the direction of their neighbor Abram's house.

The house was warm. She tucked her grandma under a blanket. She worried about any pain she was experiencing, though her Nana never liked to complain. Elise knew she should learn to be more like her Nan. 

She went into the kitchen, needing to calm herself down. She turned on the stove top to heat the kettle for some cocoa before returning to the living room.

She returned to find her Nan sitting peacefully with her hands in her lap like nothing happened. "Nanna, how are you feeling?"

"I'm fine dear. Nice and toasty under this blanket." 

"Would you like some cocoa or tea?" Elise trapped another throw people from a chair and tucked behind her Nan for more support. 

"Tea sounds lovely." 

She hit her grandma with her car. She couldn't believe it. She was worse than the Grinch. What had become of her? She walked back to the kitchen, to the whistling tea pot. 

Elise sat a teacup on the coffee table, and after she tucked more blankets around her Nana, who looked really pale. "Nan, what were you doing behind the car?" She tried not to show her worry.

"I was picking up a red-scarf that pooled on the sidewalk. I didn't want it to get run over." She stopped a moment to pick up the tea. She began to sip. Wisps of steam curled around her. 

"Do you know, your grandfather loved those Russian Tea cookies, or Snowballs, some call them. I would make them every Christmas, but he would only eat them if I put dried cranberries in them."

She sipped again, "It wouldn't be Christmas if I didn't make those."

"I remember them. Would you like me to make some? Are they easy?" Elise didn't bake, and wasn't known for spending time in the Kitchen, but she latched on to the idea. She'd do anything to keep her grandma awake.

"No dear, that's okay. It's just a good memory."

"Okay." She tried to think of something else. 

Just then the door opened. A swirl of wind carried flakes of the recent snow into the entryway. Ralphie entered with their neighbor Abram, who was carrying his medical bag.

"Hi Elise, Ralphie says someone took a fall." He looked from Elise to her bundled up grandma on the sofa.

"Yeah, my Nana took a fall on the ice."

He approached with his bag and kneeled in front of her grandma, taking out his small flashlight. He shined the light in her Grandma's eyes. The light was so bright that it blinded Elise.

"Stop, you're hurting her. She can't see." Everything around Elise was blinding. Her breathing, shallow, the pain in her head was intense. She reached up and felt something sticky in her hair.

Muffled noises and the pressure of someone holding her hand blurred together. One voice, Ralphies, she heard above the rest.

"Elise, are you okay? Can you hear me?"

The blurry edges of Ralphie's face swam in and out of focus. "Ralphie? What happened? Where's Nan?"

"Oh, your here, I thought...Elise you fell on the ice. The ambulance is here. They are going to take you to the hospital."

She held tighter to his hand. "Where's Nan? I hit Nanna with my reindeer car."

"Wha...what? No, Elise, Your Gran died. You were there. It was peaceful." He wore the panicked look of someone whose world was being overturned.

"No, I just saw her."

She heard more voices, and in a swirl of activity her body raised up. She was transported, floating to someplace she couldn't see. She tried to hold onto the faint image of Ralphie standing in their driveway holding one fabric deer antler in his hand. He disappeared as the doors shut him out from view. It was the last image she remembered.