Christmas Countdown by Susannah McFarlane Page B

Christmas Eve and Swedish Christmas! Emma had gone with her mum to Grandma’s house for some final planning for Christmas lunch.
    Emma loved her grandma and grandpa and, while she loved the big family dinners, she also loved spending time with them alone, having them all to herself. Sometimes she would sit in her grandpa’s study and help him sort out his film collection while they chatted. Then they would go out to a café and have hot chocolates and grandpa would pretend he wouldn’t be able to eat a piece of cake and then eat two. Sometimes she would help her grandma sort through her earrings, or her silver, it didn’t really matter what, and they would talk. Talk about what Emma had done at school, what she had done at gym, and some of the problems she had. Her grandma was particularly good at mean-girl problems. She would tell Emma stories about girls when she was at school—it seemed there were mean girls in the olden days too! Today was nice too, just Emma, her mum and grandma, sitting at the kitchen table going through the final, final shopping list.
    Grandma put down her pen. ‘Do you know, I think we’re finished. So I think we need a girls’ trip to see the Delia Stones’ Christmas windows.’ She smiled at Emma. ‘I know someone has been dying to see them and I want to see the beautiful diamond collection they have on display.’
    â€˜You do?’ asked Emma’s mum. ‘Since when?’
    For as long as Emma could remember, Delia Stones, the big department store in the city, transformed the twelve large windows at the front of the store into a Christmas story every December. One year it was the nativity; one year the twelve days of Christmas; one year a popular children’s book. It changed every year but it was always wonderful, with each window a scene with moving models and lights. And every year Emma and her family would go to see the windows.
    â€˜We can’t go without the boys!’ exclaimed Emma.
    â€˜Heavens no! We can go and look at them properly all together later,’ reassured Grandma. ‘I just thought we might take a little sneak peek at those diamonds. The boys wouldn’t want to see them anyway. It will be a girls’ secret.’
    â€˜I read about the diamonds in the paper,’ said Emma. ‘This year the theme of the window is “The Sparkle of Christmas” and the Aurora Collection, the largest private collection of diamonds in the world, is on view.’
    â€˜Yes,’ said Grandma. ‘And did you know that it will also be auctioned to raise money for a new family services house?’
    â€˜No,’ replied Emma. ‘Someone is giving away their diamonds?’
    â€˜How do you know so much about this?’ asked Emma’s mum, looking, Emma noticed, at Grandma rather suspiciously.
    â€˜Oh, I don’t know,’ said Grandma, looking rather pointedly at Emma’s mum. ‘Now, Emma dear, will you pop the kettle on please?’
    Emma got up from the table and went over to the stove. As she looked back, she saw Grandma lean towards Mum and say quietly, ‘I just took a bit of a shine to the whole thing.’
    Emma’s mum smiled at Grandma.
    Shine? Emma’s ears pricked up at that. She looked back at the kettle, hoping they didn’t realise she had heard. She didn’t think they did.
    â€˜Mum,’ whispered Emma’s mum, ‘you’re supposed to be retired.’
    â€˜Oh,’ laughed Grandma. ‘Anyway, so are you!’
    â€˜What do you mean?’ replied Mum. ‘I am!’
    â€˜Oh really? What about flying my granddaughter to outer space?’
    â€˜Oh that,’ said Emma’s mum.
    â€˜Yes, that,’ replied Grandma with a smile. ‘Emma, my darling, let’s not worry about tea. Let’s get into the city!’
    Emma’s head was still spinning as the three of them walked to the bus stop. Had Emma heard