Tallie grabbed the candle and walked down her front walk. As she joined the crowd walking in the street, she caught the eye of the person closest to her so they could light her candle from their glowing flame. Adding her flame to those all around her, she joined the singing and walked with the crowd towards the main square.

She didn't know when the tradition of the Candle Walk began, but she couldn't imagine another way to start the tree lighting.

The Walk started with the families that lived in the outer part of town. They would carry small lit candles and sing traditional Christmas hymns while walking towards the main square. Every house they passed was given a white candle and as newcomers joined, they lit their candle and joined the song.

By the time everyone made it to the square, the air was alight with hundreds of candle flames and voices. The main square, usually bright with Christmas lights, was kept completely dark to showcase the candlelight surrounding the Christmas Tree. There was something about the cold air that made the voices ring out clearer and Tallie loved the sound of the town singing together.

Tallie found her usual spot in front of her dad's music store. All through high school, it was where she and Case would meet up. His mother always insisted he walked with the family but once they were at the square, he was free to join Tallie.

It had been a couple of years since they had both been at the tree lighting and Tallie was there out of habit, but as the crowd began the final chorus of Silent Night, she heard a familiar voice next to her.

She looked around and found Case standing next to her, his face lit by his flickering candle. He noticed her looking at him and smiled at her, playfully bumping her elbow with his before he focused back on the tree.

Tallie smiled as she sang the final verse, warmed by the familiar sound of his voice. Then her favorite moment came when the final note of the song died away and everyone blew out their candles. For a moment, the whole town stood in silent darkness, and then like magic, the tree burst into light and everyone began to sing Joy To The World.

The rest of the lights on the square were turned on the and the mayor started the Christmas Tree Lighting Program. He always told the story of The Christmas Tree, about how it appeared in the square during the hard war years ‪on December 20th‬ and how important it is to honor the gift that brought so many hope.

The high school acapella group sang a Christmas carol medley and the drama class put on a small Christmas skit. The ceremony ended with Pastor Daniel reading the birth of Jesus from the book of Luke.

By the time the ceremony was done, the air was filled with the sweet aroma of hot apple cider, available to everyone. As the crowd around Tallie began to disperse and seek the warm cider, she turned to Case. He was looking at the tree fondly.

"Hey," she said, nudging him.

He smiled and looked at her. "Glad to see you didn't forget our old spot."

"It's tradition," she argued. "Although it was pretty lonely last year without. Again, there goes your niece Janie ruining everything."

"Well, I do remember your nephew ruining it for the year before, so...

"So nieces and nephews suck." They both laughed knowing they felt the complete opposite about it. Tallie had seen too many pictures of Case holding his niece to think otherwise. "Well, the band is back together now."

"It's good to be back," he said. "Want some cider?"

"Yes," she said, leading the way towards the nearest table and joining the line. There were five tables serving apple cider and crowds were congregated around all of them.

"I always forget how magical it is," Case said, nodding towards the tree as they waited.

"It is pretty magical," Tallie agreed, "although I heard Rockefeller Center has a decent Christmas Tree."

He grinned at the understatement. "That tree is humongous, but it doesn't beat Holly Oaks." He thought about it for a minute. "It's not just the tree. It's the candle walk and the community coming together to sing as one. There is something so magical about it and even though I've experienced it almost every year of my life, the magic always seems to take me by surprise."

Tallie looked around as she nodded in agreement. It was true. No matter how many times she had carried a candle and sung the same songs and seen the square go dark before the tree was lit, every year it gave her chills.

"Case! Tallie!" someone said. They turned to see Mrs. Joseph passing them, a steaming cup of cider in their hands.

"It's so good to see you two together again!" They both smiled at the familiar greeting. "I remember all the years your band played at the Christmas Tree Lighting," Mrs. Joseph continued.

They nodded. "Those were good times," Tallie said.

That wasn't the only time their old performances were mentioned. It seemed every few feet someone stopped them to say how great it was to see them together, and how much they loved their performances in the years past. By the time they snagged seats on a bench, it felt like the whole town had expressed how excited they were to see them together again.

Tallie held her cup between her gloved hands, watching the various groups throughout the square. "Do you think all small towns are like Holly Oaks?"

"Probably," Case said, sipping his apple cider.

"It's so funny how everyone is so excited to see the two of us hanging out again."

"Maybe they're hoping for a reunion tour," Case said.

Tallie laughed. "That might have been a possibility if my guitarist wasn't a hotshot lawyer in New York."

"Hotshot law student," he corrected.

"Right. Or maybe it's the fact that no one ever seemed to believe that we weren't dating in high school."

Case nodded at the memories. It had been impossible for the town to believe that two high school students of the opposite sex could spend time together and not be dating. Even Tallie's parents had checked in now and again to see if feelings had shifted.

Tallie always laughed it off. It seemed no one understood that they shared a love of music and that was way more important than any adolescent feelings.

"I'm sure my mom will grill me tonight when I get home," Case said. "She'll want to know when the wedding is."

"June, naturally," Tallie quipped.

Case laughed. "It will be just like old times."

Tallie's parents wouldn't grill her about Case because they weren't there to see them together, but being with Case during the tree lighting and hanging out after felt enough like old times to warm her heart.

Sitting there next to Case, she realized she had felt like something was missing from her last two holiday seasons and it had been him. The last two years had been rough ones for her family and when the holidays had felt different she had attributed that to the hard times. But things were still rough but she didn't have that same feeling of loss and Case was the key.

It made sense. Case had been her best friend in high school, and it had been an adjustment going to college, but she hadn't always known they would be back in Holly Oaks for the holidays and it would be like it always was. But the last two Christmases they hadn't been in Holly Oaks together, and she had really missed her friend.

She looked over at him, grateful she didn't have to face another Christmas feeling like something was missing. She bumped his arm. "I'm really glad you're here this year."

"You're seriously considering that reunion tour, aren't you?" he said. She laughed.

"Fine," he added, chugging the rest of his now lukewarm cider, "I'll do it, but only because you are begging me." He stood and threw his cup away.

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

He took her cup, threw it away, and offered her a hand. She took it and he pulled her to her feet. He started walking towards the church and she hurried to keep up with him.

"I mean you are twisting my arm here, but that's kind of how it always was," he said as they walked.

She laughed, still not exactly sure what he was going on about. He paused at the back door of the church and looked at her seriously. "Before we go any further, you have to agree to something," he said.

"I'm don't even know what you're talking about," she admitted.

"We have to finally settle this. We are officially Case and Tallie."

She threw her head back and laughed. "No!"

"Seriously?" He raised his voice in mock-outrage. "You have been first in our band name since freshman year. I deserve a chance at being first.

"Why would I make you first? You don't even play guitar anymore," she teased.

He opened the door and lead the way to the back rehearsal room. Tallie always left a guitar in the back room. Between band rehearsal and helping out with Sunday morning worship, it just made sense to leave a guitar there. Between her collection and those her dad had at the store, she had plenty of guitars to play.

As Case flicked on the lights she saw that Case's guitar was next to hers. He opened his case and pulled his guitar out, slinging the strap over his head like this was something they had done a week ago and not two years ago.

He checked that the guitar was still in tune and began plucking the familiar song. The notes that had been slow and hesitant just that afternoon, he was now playing at full speed.

Before she was fully aware of what she was doing, Tallie was at her guitar case, pulling out her guitar. Case paused only long enough for her to check the tune then began the song again. Her fingers found the right chord and as he hit the third measure of the song she joined in, playing her accompanying chords.

She couldn't remember the last time they had played the song together, but her muscles remembered. She didn't think as her right hand strummed out the rhythm and her left hand found the chords.

On instinct, she looked up right before they were supposed to start singing and found Case looking back at her. He had the widest grin on his face, and she knew from the way her own smile felt, her own must be just as big. He nodded, reading her mind, and she nodded back, as they began to sing.

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It is just me or is it getting hot with all these sparks flying?!? 😂

Falling in love while playing guitar! Maybe I should have made that title of this book because that is definitely what is happening.