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Title: Patience Is A Virtue
Prompt: holly, ivy, mistletoe
Word Count: 658
"No dear, I want the garland with the lights along the shingles," Lilliane said, the annoyance easy to hear in her voice. Why did this time of year always stress her out so much? The holidays were supposed to be relaxing and, well, holidays. She pulled out another string of lights from the box she was sorting through. "And where are the twinkle lights? I thought we put all the lights in this box last year!"
Hal was a patient man. He'd been that way since he was a boy. He smiled in slight amusement at his wife's tone of voice.
"No honey, you put all the twinkle lights in their own box because we had so many. Remember? You made that comment about thinking we had more than the Griswolds," he called calmly from up on the ladder. As he hooked another garland to the roof, Hal couldn't imagine not putting up Christmas decorations this year, even though Lilliane had threatened to cancel the holiday. He knew it wouldn't last though. They'd been together since high school and this wasn't the first year she had threatened to cancel Christmas. It was the first year, though, that he hadn't been able to make it home in time to light the first Christmas candle. They had created the tradition on their five year anniversary. Every year on December first they lit a candle at 8pm to "open" the Christmas holiday season. Their first "official" date as a couple had been on a December first and they had reserved a romantic candlelit dinner for two at what would become their favourite restaurant. The restaurant was celebrating the first day of the holiday season as well. It was a memorable time for the two of them and they spent the next fourteen years remembering that day with a candle lighting ceremony for just the two of them. This year, Hal had been kept too late at work and arrived home too late. Lilliane had been a little more than devastated. That was three days ago.
"What about the hanging candles?" she asked loudly, her voice catching when she said candles. "Are we hanging them this year?"
"Which ones? There are the ones in the globes, or those funny tall ones with the holly and ivy wreaths around the bases?" Hal answered back, finished with his garland. He climbed down the ladder carefully and jumped the last two rungs, walking into the garage where Lilliane was sitting surrounded by what seemed like a million miles of twinkle lights.
"Those ones over in the corner," she pointed to the corner with a frustrated sigh, "the ones with the holly and ivy wreath bases. They would match the garland better wouldn't they?"
"Lilly, honey, don't you think you should give it a rest?" Hal asked with concern, watching his wife picking through yet another line of twinkle lights. She looked more exhausted than she should. He stepped carefully around all the lights to her side and helped her to her feet. She smiled gratefully at him.
"I think that's a great idea," she told him, leading him through the lights and out to the front porch. "There's something I wanted to talk to you about anyway." She took a deep breath and stared intently into his eyes. "I'm not angry with you for missing the candle lighting the other day," she finally said, letting out a huge breath afterward. Hal smiled.
"I hoped you wouldn't be," he told her in earnest. "You know I would never miss that if I had a choice.
"I'm angry because you spoiled my surprise," she added quickly, raising an eyebrow at him. He stared at her quietly.
"I'm pregnant."
He stared at her some more. Words escaped him. All he could do was grab her close, embracing her affectionately. And then he kissed her. Tenderly. Passionately. Lovingly. Neither of them noticed the mistletoe hanging from the porch light.
Title: Christmas Love
Prompt: moon and stars
Word Count: 173
"Daddy, why don't we have Christmas lights for our house like all the other families?" Stella looked up at her father with questioning eyes. She shook his hand lightly and tilted her head. "Daddy?"
Henry smiled sadly at his daughter. He couldn't help but do anything else. "Maybe next year," he told her quietly, standing at the window of their small rented apartment as she watched children walking with their parents down the street to look at all the houses nearby with lights up. The street shone brightly, patches of red and green, blue and gold, silver and purple sparkles all around the neighbourhood. He wished he could afford the things that made his daughter so happy.
Stella smiled and patted her father's hand. "It's okay daddy. We've got the moon and the stars as our Christmas lights, don't we? They sparkle better anyway." She let go of his hand and leaned on the window sill, too busy staring at the sky to notice the sparkling tear that fell from her father's eye.
Title: Not Yet
Prompt: finding a tree
Word Count: 150
"It's not Christmas yet!" Joy shouted from the middle of the patch of trees. Family tradition dictated that the child who found the best tree got to put the star on top. Joy was determined to win it this year. For the past three years running her brother Ruben had always found the family tree and before that her sister Cadence. It was her turn. She turned through a pair of tall yet crooked pines and stopped. There it was. Straight, tall, no gaps, not too full not too thin. She called out to the other family members who eventually found their way to her.
"It's gorgeous Joy!" Cadence gasped, hugging her little sister proudly. "You did good kid."
"Nice one sis," Ruben added, giving her a light punch on the shoulder.
"Well?" asked their mother, walking up behind them, their father in tow.
"Now it's Christmas," Joy declared happily.
Prompt: holly, ivy, mistletoe
Word Count: 658
"No dear, I want the garland with the lights along the shingles," Lilliane said, the annoyance easy to hear in her voice. Why did this time of year always stress her out so much? The holidays were supposed to be relaxing and, well, holidays. She pulled out another string of lights from the box she was sorting through. "And where are the twinkle lights? I thought we put all the lights in this box last year!"
Hal was a patient man. He'd been that way since he was a boy. He smiled in slight amusement at his wife's tone of voice.
"No honey, you put all the twinkle lights in their own box because we had so many. Remember? You made that comment about thinking we had more than the Griswolds," he called calmly from up on the ladder. As he hooked another garland to the roof, Hal couldn't imagine not putting up Christmas decorations this year, even though Lilliane had threatened to cancel the holiday. He knew it wouldn't last though. They'd been together since high school and this wasn't the first year she had threatened to cancel Christmas. It was the first year, though, that he hadn't been able to make it home in time to light the first Christmas candle. They had created the tradition on their five year anniversary. Every year on December first they lit a candle at 8pm to "open" the Christmas holiday season. Their first "official" date as a couple had been on a December first and they had reserved a romantic candlelit dinner for two at what would become their favourite restaurant. The restaurant was celebrating the first day of the holiday season as well. It was a memorable time for the two of them and they spent the next fourteen years remembering that day with a candle lighting ceremony for just the two of them. This year, Hal had been kept too late at work and arrived home too late. Lilliane had been a little more than devastated. That was three days ago.
"What about the hanging candles?" she asked loudly, her voice catching when she said candles. "Are we hanging them this year?"
"Which ones? There are the ones in the globes, or those funny tall ones with the holly and ivy wreaths around the bases?" Hal answered back, finished with his garland. He climbed down the ladder carefully and jumped the last two rungs, walking into the garage where Lilliane was sitting surrounded by what seemed like a million miles of twinkle lights.
"Those ones over in the corner," she pointed to the corner with a frustrated sigh, "the ones with the holly and ivy wreath bases. They would match the garland better wouldn't they?"
"Lilly, honey, don't you think you should give it a rest?" Hal asked with concern, watching his wife picking through yet another line of twinkle lights. She looked more exhausted than she should. He stepped carefully around all the lights to her side and helped her to her feet. She smiled gratefully at him.
"I think that's a great idea," she told him, leading him through the lights and out to the front porch. "There's something I wanted to talk to you about anyway." She took a deep breath and stared intently into his eyes. "I'm not angry with you for missing the candle lighting the other day," she finally said, letting out a huge breath afterward. Hal smiled.
"I hoped you wouldn't be," he told her in earnest. "You know I would never miss that if I had a choice.
"I'm angry because you spoiled my surprise," she added quickly, raising an eyebrow at him. He stared at her quietly.
"I'm pregnant."
He stared at her some more. Words escaped him. All he could do was grab her close, embracing her affectionately. And then he kissed her. Tenderly. Passionately. Lovingly. Neither of them noticed the mistletoe hanging from the porch light.
Title: Christmas Love
Prompt: moon and stars
Word Count: 173
"Daddy, why don't we have Christmas lights for our house like all the other families?" Stella looked up at her father with questioning eyes. She shook his hand lightly and tilted her head. "Daddy?"
Henry smiled sadly at his daughter. He couldn't help but do anything else. "Maybe next year," he told her quietly, standing at the window of their small rented apartment as she watched children walking with their parents down the street to look at all the houses nearby with lights up. The street shone brightly, patches of red and green, blue and gold, silver and purple sparkles all around the neighbourhood. He wished he could afford the things that made his daughter so happy.
Stella smiled and patted her father's hand. "It's okay daddy. We've got the moon and the stars as our Christmas lights, don't we? They sparkle better anyway." She let go of his hand and leaned on the window sill, too busy staring at the sky to notice the sparkling tear that fell from her father's eye.
Title: Not Yet
Prompt: finding a tree
Word Count: 150
"It's not Christmas yet!" Joy shouted from the middle of the patch of trees. Family tradition dictated that the child who found the best tree got to put the star on top. Joy was determined to win it this year. For the past three years running her brother Ruben had always found the family tree and before that her sister Cadence. It was her turn. She turned through a pair of tall yet crooked pines and stopped. There it was. Straight, tall, no gaps, not too full not too thin. She called out to the other family members who eventually found their way to her.
"It's gorgeous Joy!" Cadence gasped, hugging her little sister proudly. "You did good kid."
"Nice one sis," Ruben added, giving her a light punch on the shoulder.
"Well?" asked their mother, walking up behind them, their father in tow.
"Now it's Christmas," Joy declared happily.
