Not your average Christmas

Rielly watched the holiday traffic crawling along interstate 90 out of her fogged-up back window. Two days until Christmas, and her family was still stuck in an enormous 45-mile traffic jam caused by a freak lake-effect snow storm the night before.
“Are we there yet?” Rielly’s younger sister Eliza asked every five minutes.
Rielly rolled her eyes.
“Sure, Eliza, because this crowded highway looks exactly like Aunt Elaine's house.”
Eliza scowled.
“Well when are we going to get there?”
“Who knows?” Rielly shrugged, “who knows.”
With that Eliza resumed playing on her mom’s ipad, and Rielly slumped back over onto the frosty window. She looked at the other cars, stalled beside theirs, wondering where the people in them were trying to get. She could see a black minivan with a two little boys watching the Polar Express from one of those TVs on the ceiling. Next to the van was a pickup truck with the luggage tied down in the back. There was a baby in the back seat, crying, and an older sister trying to comfort it. That must be terrible, Rielly thought, stuck in an enclosed space with a screaming baby. Suddenly, Eliza’s “Are we there yet” cycle seemed bearable after watching the family in the truck.
“Rielly, Rielly!” Eliza cried, “It’s snowing again!”
Oh great, Rielly thought, more snow to slow down her families’ trek from Farmingham, MA to Appleton, WI.
Her dad looked back worriedly. There was a rest stop coming up, an opportunity to stock up on supplies before the next round of snow hit.

“We’re going to pull off at this rest stop up here before it gets too crowded. If we get stranded on the highway, we need some food and some more waters.”

Rielly groaned.

“We’re never going to get there!”

They turned into the parking lot.

“Come on, Liza, lets go.” Rielly’s mom dragged Eliza out of the car, and into the crowded rest area.

“We’ll stay here and get some more blankets out, Rielly,” dad said.

They opened the trunk and pulled out the laundry basket stuffed with warm blankets.

“You know, Rielly, this doesn’t have to be miserable.”

Rielly raised her eyebrows.

Her dad smiled.

“I know, I know. Eliza is getting on my nerves too, and it’s hard to see light in a situation like this, but it could be an adventure! Just think of it as a new experience. Not many people can say they’ve spent Christmas on the New York state thruway!”

Rielly crossed her arms.

“It’s not Christmas yet, and we are not going to spend Christmas in our car.”

Her dad smiled weakly.

“Well, you’re very optimistic, but maybe you’re right. Just remember, this is what you make of it.”
Eliza skipped back to the car through the layer of snow accumulating on the freshly-plowed parking lot. She knelt down near the door and packed a small snowball together.
“Look out!”
She tossed the snowball into the air. It hit the ground and fell apart. Rielly’s parents laughed, but Rielly scowled. Sometimes her family seemed a little too happy in situations like these.
“Are we going or not?”
Eliza climbed into the car. Rielly’s mom and dad were laughing and talking about Christmas, and how this one would definitley be the most interesting.
Finally, Rielly had enough of her family just assuming they wouldn’t get to Aunt Elaine’s.
“Why do you guys keep saying we’re going to have Christmas on the interstate or that this will be such an Interesting Christmas? It seems like you don’t even care about getting to Wisconsin!”
Her parents looked at her simpathetically.
“Rielly, it’s already getting dark, and tomorrow is Christmas eve. We can’t drive in the dark with all this snow and ice on the road, so we’re spending tonight in a hotel. The traffic is moving so slowly it would be impossible to arrive in Appleton in only one more day. We already have reservations for a hotel tonight, but we’re going to extend them for two more nights. Then we’ll try to make it to Aunt Elaine’s. We know it’s not what you wanted but we’ll still have a fun Christmas.”
Rielly took a deep breath. It was definitely not what she wanted. They turned into the parking lot of a crowded Comfort Suites hotel. It looked nice, but Rielly kept reminding herself that she was angry, that this was not Aunt Elaine’s cozy house in the woods.
“Rielly, guess what?” Eliza was bouncing up and down in her seat. “The hotel has a pool! I love pools!”
Finally, Rielly let herself smile. She couldn’t help it. Eliza’s carefree excitment was contagious. Later that night, after a dinner from the incredibly overpriced hotel room service, standing of the edge of the lit-up pool, and very glad to have found a t-shirt and cotton shorts in her bag worthy of being worn in the water, Rielly laughed.
“You were right, dad. This will be an adventure. Definitely a very Interesting Christmas.”