I love waking up on a cold morning in the days before Christmas. My thoughts catapult back to times and places of celebration.
We don’t have snow here, but we’re very close to the snow…less than an hour sometimes.
A few years ago, I remember winter days (usually after Christmas) at my son’s cabin, which always had snow around it. (Pictured above).
I love reading about Christmas and holiday moments; therefore, I’ve written a few in my books. Like this one in my WIP Interior Designs, in which the MC and her new love gather at a cabin with their children.
A few flakes of snow fell softly on our faces as we stood in front of the cabin at Shaver Lake, throwing snowballs. The children were gathered around us, looking happy and full of the joy of the holiday season.
After several conversations, Duane and I had finally decided to try a winter vacation with our respective children, instead of Disneyland. We thought that my cabin at Shaver Lake lent itself to the magical holiday feeling we hoped would give the children a glorious backdrop to begin building connections with each other, and to see us as being in a relationship.
When Duane had arrived on my doorstep with Jason, his thirteen-year-old son, and Jennifer, aged eleven, I’d felt a momentary panic. Was this a big mistake?
I was quite pleased that the older of the two was a boy. I didn’t think I would have been ready for a teenaged girl who might be over-protective of her daddy.
Both children were gorgeous, with dark hair and eyes. They must look like their mother, I thought, as I greeted them warmly.
Meadow seemed a little shy with them at first, but we smoothed the way with pizza and a movie that they would all enjoy.
After that first evening, we’d loaded the car early in the morning and started toward the cabin.
By the time we’d unpacked, had some lunch, and changed into our snow clothes, the kids seemed to be ready to enjoy themselves. They had brought snowboards, and after our little snow fight, we planned to look for some good slopes.
Meadow and I had managed to get through Christmas, and while I’d longed to share that special time with Duane, I knew that our plan to meet the children and spend time together at the cabin was a better one.
And now we were here and things were unfolding in a very comfortable way.
After an afternoon of snowboarding, the kids were ready to warm up, so we returned to the cabin. Duane built a fire while I put finishing touches on the chili I had made, to be served with cornbread. The kind of comfort food I’d always enjoyed in the snow. The scent of the food, along with the brisk snowy day, took me back to some of my favorite holiday moments as a child. Those were the times that my parents had seemingly really focused on us kids. As I briefly pondered how I had felt back then, I realized that creating this kind of setting for Meadow and for Duane’s kids had been no accident. I had taken a page from a book of my happiest childhood memories, hoping to inspire good feelings in them all.
Were we beginning to build a family together?
Time would definitely tell about that one. I shoved aside the thoughts as I served up bowls of chili, and asked everyone what they wanted to drink.
We sat down at the old pine table, eating and drinking and sharing about the day.
A wonderful glow suffused my whole body, and I glanced over at Duane. He was gazing at me with that look that set my body tingling. I smiled back at him. “It’s been a wonderful day,” I spoke, as though the moment needed to be memorialized in this way.
He nodded, and then lifted his glass to mine. “May we have many more.”
***
What memorable moments in your life—or in your reading and writing—take you back to special times and special people?
Creative Comments