Chapter Nine Summary

After Lou and Garland pick up Carolyn again, Hank's mood changes back to depressed and moody. Not even the prospect of Christmas coming cheers him. Julie decides that she's going to decorate the house with or without Hank's help, so she sets out in search of a Christmas tree. After a few hours in the woods, she finds a tree, chops it down, and drags it back to the house. Because they don't have money for decorations, she uses candles in the trees, torn bits of aluminum foil, and strings of popcorn. That night, it starts to sleet and the weather carries on through the night. In bed that night, she wakes to the sound of tree limbs cracking under the weight of the ice. The next morning, the sun comes out and all that ice starts to melt. It also...