November thoughts

A pumpkin sat out in the cold, leftover from October. A gentle dusting of snow covered the pumpkin and the surrounding dried leaves that had fallen. The bright afternoon sun melted the small amount of frost leftover from the cold early morning. Chilled wind mixed with the warm sunshine. The Fall was very much a time of hot and cold. The weather was often unpredictable, the mornings were cold with hot cups of coffee traveling to rumbling cars trying to heat up, the afternoon sun mixed with the chilly air, the cold of night was pushed back by the light from homes and the burning fireplaces that kept the humans warm.

            October was always full of crisp air and the promise of spooky fun just around the corner but November is a pumpkin covered by snow. It’s the gatekeeper of Autumn and Winter. Jiggle bells dance in the heads of many while others gloom about the passing of Halloween. Some are more present minded and look forward to or dread the most immediate holiday: Thanksgiving.

            November often feels like the start of Winter but it is full of Fall beauty for those who seek it out. Squirrels scamper through backyards, covered in extra layers of fat and fluff, food associated with a harvest are in full display, the rustic scent of wood smoke fills the air and while some nights feel like one day closer to Christmas, many nights have a cold eerie vibe that is very much the ghost of Halloween coming up to say hello.

            November is Christmas cheer, Thanksgiving turkey and half off savings on Halloween decorations. November is scarf weather and Fall jackets. November could be the start of stress and worry for some, with the expenses of the holiday season or the dread of winter and snowstorms, but if you appreciate the beauty of November while it is here, you just might face the holiday season with a little more cheer.

Santa vs Nathan round 2

Twas the night before Christmas and Santa clause did lurk, he was trying to stay hidden from Nathan, the Jerk.

            Nathan and Santa clause had a long and bitter feud and every year Santa would have to sneak into Nathan’s house to leave coal for Nathan and a gift for Nathan’s wife, who wasn’t a jerk, to Santa anyway.

            It was almost midnight and Nathan was awake sharpening a hatchet. While everyone else in the house slept, Nathan sat silently in a high-back chair next to a plate of milk and cookies. As the clock struck midnight a rustle on the roof was heard, or a clatter, if you prefer. Up on the roof arose such a clatter while Nathan sat in his chair, mad as a hatter.

           

            Nathan controlled his breath as he heard footsteps in the living room, slowly walking toward the Christmas tree. “Surprise fat guy!” Shouted Nathan as he drove his hatchet down onto the intruder. The hatchet sunk into the chest of the intruder, who wasn’t Santa clause, but an actual intruder who broke in through the window. The burglar gurgled blood as he breathed out his last words “Tell my kids, I never loved them” He muttered as he died in Nathan’s arms. Nathan wiped away one single tear from the corner of his eye and gently lowered the crook onto the floor, then opened his half broken window and heaved the dead body from his first floor window into the flower bed below. “I’ll get to that later” Nathan muttered. Then he heard more footsteps but this time they were right behind him. Nathan turned to see a red gloved hand fly right for Nathan’s face. Nathan took a sucker punch to the nose and stumbled back. He was slightly stunned from the punch and when he looked up, Santa was gone and the presents were under the tree. Also the cookies were eaten, the milk was gone and Nathan’s stocking was full of dog poop. Nathan cursed under his breath and dashed for the window.

            He scaled the side of his own house till he reached the roof and saw Santa ready to take off on his sleigh. Nathan charged at the reindeer like a madman, which frightened the poor animals. The Reindeer couldn’t talk but they could fly, and all began to run and take off into flight without Santa giving the word to go. The sleigh was jerked forward and Santa was almost thrown off the roof. The Sleigh bells jingled and the reindeer raced into the night. Santa was glad that he didn’t have to visit that house for another year.

            Just as Santa’s sleigh was about to go into warp speed, or whatever magic his sled had, Nathan popped up from the under carriage and jumped onto the seat next to Santa. Santa’s arm went up out of a defensive reflex and it pulled on the reins making the reindeer veer off course. The sleigh began to pick up speed as it flew gradually more out of control. The bottom of the sleigh even took out the top of someone’s chimney. So you KNOW it was craaazy.

            Nathan swung his hatchet like a maniac trying to finally end the immortal fat man. Santa punched Nathan in the stomach and tried to dump the hatch man over the side of the sleigh. Nathan doubled over in pain but managed to grab Santa’s jacket. The two men rolled out of the sleigh. If it wasn’t for the low hanging jingle bells Santa would have fallen to his death. Snow pelted Santa’s face as he hung onto a green rope covered in golden bells. Nathan the madman clung to Santa’s black as coal boot with one hand and swung his hatchet with the other. Nathan managed to land a hit with the hatchet, chopping santa in the lower back. Santa cried out in pain and dropped from the sleigh. The two men fell. Nathan was surrounded by blizzard winds and winter snow. It had had struck midnight only a few minutes ago and Nathan and Santa were already about to die.

            Nathan woke up in the snow in the middle of nowhere with a note pinned to his chest. “You are lucky my reindeer saved you. They feel bad for you. This saint, isn’t as easy to forgive. Try again next year. Clause OUT!” The note was written in red ink with festive Christmas lettering. Nathan lost his hatchet and would have to spend the night walking home. For Nathan a shot at the fat man was worth almost dying from a fall, freezing to death and walking home in the snow all night.

            Merry Christmas everyone and remember, if you hear rustling on the roof or in your living room, it might be burglars.

Christmas Landscape

It was three weeks before Christmas and I was in bed, I stared up at the ceiling but was watching the scenery in my head.

            It was night, the stars in the sky shined brightly from space, twinkling for the world to see. The ground was covered in freshly fallen snow, it was light but wet enough to make a small crunching squeak under you foot with each step. Beneath the snow was grass that still had some green color to it. A stone path cut a winding shape through the field of grass. I walked across the stone path, wearing a winter coat and scarf and every exhaling breath was a visible puff of from my mouth. To my left was a row of tall pine trees, each tree was between seven and eight feet tall. Bright strings of lights and colorful decorations covered the trees. These Christmas trees let off a warm glow which was a pleasant contrast to the cold snowy night of winter.

            I continued walking down the path, the snow was melting away from the stone but was still sticking to the grass. As I was walking I spotted two pumpkins lightly dusted with snow. They were to the right of the path and so close that they were almost touching the stone. The snowy pumpkins sat in the grass and seemed out of place in the otherwise Christmas landscape that had been spread out before me.

I approached the pumpkins, crouched down and gently touched the side of one. The pumpkins had faces carved in them. The eyes and mouth lit up when I touched the first pumpkin. Both pumpkins turned to reveal that they were Jack-O-Lanterns with a light that glowed just as bright and warmly as the Christmas trees. “It is much to late for Jack-O-Lanterns” I said, then paused “Or much too early” I added. The first pumpkin began to move its carved mouth “We are not pumpkins that celebrate Halloween, we are pumpkins that you keep around as regret. You carried us into this Christmas and while others walk right by without notice you always stop and check on us. Halloween is once a year and you worry you don’t appreciate it when it arrives. Just the same that you will not fully appreciate Christmas until it is over. When you are walking alone in January you will find a small tree only a foot tall and covered in Christmas lights. You carry your regret without being asked and insist on doing this even if you were told to stop. We are also the fond memory of the recent Halloween passed. It is not all regret it is also joy. But we are pumpkins in the snow, slowly getting buried until we are forgotten until the snow melts. This is just like your memory of Halloween, a beloved holiday that slowly gets snowed over by the excitement of Christmas and when the snow melts you will be wishing for Halloween all over again.” Spoke the first pumpkin, its words cut me to the core and I muttered “sorry” but didn’t know why.

            I stood up from my crouching position and began to walk further down the path. “Don’t worry we will always be around. You don’t need one day to celebrate the happy memories. Those stay forever” Called the second pumpkin, who seemed more laid back and probably took a lot of naps.

            A tear welled up in the corner of my eye as I walked away. I smiled as I thought of the fun I had in Autumn, no matter how short it was, I enjoyed it. I then looked forward and took in the sights of the Christmas snow and lights.

            My walking pace slowed to a stroll as I thought about the Holidays passed and the ones approaching. A small person in green and white clothes was in the field to the far right. He looked like one of santa’s elves. I didn’t believe in santa but I gave the elf the benefit of being possibly real. “Hello!” I called and waved to the elf. The small person looked up and waved back. I continued walking so as to not risk getting lectured by another Holiday symbol. I didn’t need a Christmas elf that eating junk food and staying up all night playing video games was bad, or that I should be more charitable.

            As I walked I saw a small house in the distance. It was brightly lit up and surrounded by the peaceful scenery of night air, snow and a forest even further back behind the house.

            I continued moving forward and could see more detail in the house. It was a small wooden cottage with wood smoke coming from the chimney, snow on the roof, a string of Christmas lights lined the roof and windows and a porch light that seemed warm and inviting. My slow stroll turned into a brisk walk as I imaged the comforts of the cottage and how nice the warm fire would be after walking in the cold night air for so long. My cheeks started to get read and my toes were cold.

            I finally reached the house, I walked up the two wooden steps that led to a covered porch, I wiped my feet on a decorative bear statue that had bristles on his back. The stone bear with the hard bristles seemed to be there with the purpose of cleaning off shoes. As I walked to the door I was about to knock but felt so comfortable I reached for the knob and walked right it.

            The inside of the cottage was warm and inviting, I smelled mulled apple cider and a crackling fire. Soft music played on a record player near by. The crackling of the fire and the small crackling sound the record player made were just as pleasant as the music being played.

            In the living room was a big fluffy dark green couch with blankets draped over the back. Next to the couch was an arm chair which looked just as comfortable. I sat down in the armchair. As soon as my body rested into the chair I began hearing voices of happy people playing in the house. I saw a black cat sitting on the couch, curled up and sleeping. I smiled and reached over to pet the cat. Before I touched the cat my eyes began to tear up. Tears trickled down my face though I did not know why. I touched the cats soft shiny fur, it looked up at me with its big green eyes and then vanished.

            I heard a female’s voice all to me and without hesitation I responded “Yes, Honey?” I looked around and no one was there. I was confused by the house and even more confused by my own actions. The house seemed so real but everything disappeared when I reached for it.

            I stood up and saw silhouettes of children playing and a reading a book while lounging in a chair. I would blink and they silhouettes would disappear. The smell of fresh pie lingered in the air and I could still smell hints of the mulled cider from when I first arrived. I knew these things weren’t real and decided to leave.

            I left through the front door, walked down the two steps and continued walking down the stone path. I didn’t look back once not even after I walked so long that the house was out of view. I walked down the stone path and came to a split. I took the path to the right and followed it into town.

            I arrived in a modern town, it wasn’t fancy, it didn’t have a warm glow and no one went out of their way to give helpful advice, but at least it was real. I walked to a three floor house, made my way passed the front door and opened an easy to miss side door. The door took me up a winding set of stairs that led to another door, I unlocked the second door and arrived at a small apartment on the third floor. It was quiet, cozy and except for the landlord, no one else knew it existed. 

            I entered into the living room, to my right was a big window that looked out on train tracks and the tops of other peoples houses. Sometimes the train would come rocketing by and I could feel the gentle shake of the building as the force of the giant machine moved quickly down the metal tracks. Having the train close to my apartment was an interesting feeling that I have yet to describe in any way other than “pretty cool”. The muffled sound of the train and the gentle rocking was a great feeling. I could close my eyes and it felt like I was on the train, gently rocking side to side as I sped toward another land.

            I locked the door to my apartment and laid down on the floor. I made a kiss noise in the air and two cats came out from hiding and started to purr immediately. The cats rubbed their faces on my face and hands, welcoming me home. I pet the cats for a minute then slowly stood up. The lazy cats plopped over onto their sides like sacks of potatoes when I stood.

            I crossed the room to a small stand. On the stand was a two foot tall plastic Christmas tree. I clicked a button on the bottom of the trees plastic stand and the branches of the tree began to light up. I turned the lights off, took my shoes off and crawled into bed. I pulled the blankets over my head and nestled into bed. My cats jumped on me and sprawled out, draping their bodies across the bed and over my legs. The fake Christmas tree gave off a soft colorful light in the dark room, my cats purred themselves to sleep and in the distance I heard the muffled sound of the train.

Holiday Contemplation

Snow drifted gentle from the sky as the wood in my hearth crackled and burned. I sat in front of the warming glow of the fire and watched the flames flicker and dance. It was night, the first snow of December had settled on the town.

            In the distance I could hear small bells ringing and people singing festive songs. The winter festival had arrived in this little village and everyone gathered in the middle of town to celebrate. The town would celebrate in song and dance for seven days and on the final day, when the clock struck midnight, everyone would exchange gifts and wish each other cheer. It was a fine tradition, celebrating the end of the year and giving the village something to celebrate during the winter.

            While others liked going out into the cold and singing, I preferred to stay warm in my home. I don’t mind the singing, but I don’t understand the need to be outside in the snow, or the need for those bells. Villagers carried small bells on a stick and rang them and cheered.

            I remember Hazel used to like the winter celebrations. She would sing and dance with the rest of the village. While I always assumed I lived in a village of idiots, I knew Hazel wasn’t an idiot, yet she enjoyed the festival just as much as anyone. I’ve always felt that there was a piece of myself missing, that I couldn’t enjoy the holidays like the others. I felt as though there was a wall between me and everyone else when it came to these things. During my younger years I tried to join everyone, I did the motions, I sang the songs and tried to be in good cheer. No matter how I tried to join the group I never understood the appeal, I never truly fit into the festivities.

            I gazed into the flickering flame and my memories took over, I no longer saw the fire, I was looking into memories of Winter festivals of the past. I remember being told that I ‘used to’ enjoy the fun, I ‘used to’ be a merry and cheerful fellow. I don’t know if these comments should make me laugh or cry, as the times the villagers spoke of were times that I was trying and failing to fit in. From their comments I can assume I was convincing in my attempts to join the celebration, but I never enjoyed a minute of it, I faked emotion to please the others and they believed it.

            I was always capable of experiencing fun and joy, but others used to say I was cold and unable to have fun because I did not run and jump like an idiot in the cold and snow. I did not enjoy drinking harsh alcohol that burned my mouth and soured my stomach, I did not enjoy women who I do not know climbing all over me after they had consumed too much beer or wine.

            I used to enjoy things with Hazel. She was a lovely person, she could sit with me by the fire, she enjoyed books with me and we had long and interesting conversations. She also enjoyed festivals and dancing like a maniac. She could enjoy so many things and was able to bridge the gap of interests between the village and me.

           

            Hazel was truly too good for this world, she was the only one who could get through my wall and see who I was behind the layer of bricks that I built to keep the world out. She had more power over me than I’d like to admit and when she died I felt my heart break and my mind snap.

            Over the long years I have recovered to some degree, but my heart would never be the same and I drifted further from the rest of the village as their ignorant attempts to help me only made me feel worse. It is almost midnight of the final day and the Winter Festival is almost over. I made a gift for Hazel and put it on a shelf above my hearth. I crafted a heart out of glass in my workshop. The heart was red like the fire in my hearth because the only things that could still warm me was the fire in my hearth and the memory of Hazel’s love.

Joseph Stephens and the best Christmas ever part 2

It was the night of Christmas Eve and in four short hours it would be midnight, meaning Christmas. Joseph Stephens and Jaye Williams were both still seeing autumn colors instead of normal leafless trees and on top of that it had not snowed and it didn’t look like it would snow any time soon. “We need some snow and a way to stop seeing autumn, at least for a day” Joseph said. They both loved autumn but Christmas wouldn’t be the same without snow and proper Christmas colors. “Hey Winter! Ya big jerk, get down here!” Jaye yelled. Joseph’s eyes widened and he shook his head frantically at Jaye.

            A freezing cold wind blew through the town and Old man winter stood before the two friends. Winter was an older looking man with whitish blue skin, a great white beard, he was thin and was the height of an average human male. From the moment he appeared Winter had his teeth clenched and was glaring at Jaye. “Hello winter, my friend was just trying to get your attention. You see he actually wanted to apologize.” Said Joseph. “I did?” Asked Jaye. Then he added “Oh, right! Yes I did. Look winter, I am sorry for bashing your head with a hammer. It was Joseph’s fault for leaving the hammer out anyway. I am still sorry for whacking you with it” Jaye said. Winter’s face relaxed a little but he still looked annoyed. “apology accepted” Winter muttered angrily.

            “So does this mean you will make it snow for Christmas day?” Asked Joseph. “And also help cure us and let us see winter scenery again? We drank some autumn magic creamer and it makes us only see autumn stuff” Added Jaye. Old man Winter winced as the two friends spoke. It was as if their voices caused him actual physical pain. “No, and no. I accept your apology but I still hate both of you, so no snow on Christmas. Also autumn magic is too different from winter magic for me to help you, even if I wanted to, which I don’t. The creamer should be out of your system by Christmas morning” Winter explained.

            “Do different seasons really have such diverse magic?” Asked Jaye. “Yeah, every season has their own type of magic, which is why we can hurt each other” Winter replied. “Look I gotta go, your faces and voices are annoying me and I gotta get something to drink. This was a bad year to quit drinking” Winter added. Then Jaye got an idea. “Wait! Joseph has some private stock rum in his kitchen, if you make it snow for tonight and all through Christmas then we will give you the rum” Jaye offered. Winter seemed intrigued but looked at Joseph to see if this was true. Joseph sighed and then nodded. He didn’t want to give up his finest rum but if it meant snow on Christmas then he would do it. The lack of snow on Christmas didn’t just effect Joseph’s house, it affected the whole town. One bottle of rum was a fair trade for a wintry Christmas for the whole town.

            Jaye ran off like an excited puppy, leaving Joseph and Winter standing in the front yard alone. “So how’s your head feeling?” Joseph asked, trying to sound concerned. Winter just growled. Jaye was gone for three minutes exactly, but those minutes felt like an eternity as Winter and Joseph stood in uncomfortable silence. Jaye returned with a glass bottle of eggnog. “I forgot that I mixed all of his rum into this eggnog earlier today. Its still pretty strong. Is that ok?” Jaye asked. “So Strong!” Added Joseph. Winter looked annoyed but accepted. “yeah that’s ok. Eggnog is pretty festive” Winter took a swig from the bottle the moment Jaye put it in his hands.

            Winter drank down several gulps. Winter drank from the bottle like it was life saving medicine. Winter lowered the bottle from his mouth and sighed happily. then a weird look crossed his face. “What was in that eggnog? I feel sick” Winter said as he started to tremble on his feet. Winter lurched over and began throwing up icy slush mixed with eggnog. “That was eggnog laced with magic pumpkin creamer! Ha Autumn Magic!” Jaye yelled then kicked Winter in the face. Winter stumbled backward “you! I will…” Winter started to say as his rage overflowed. Jaye interrupted him with another kick. “how does Betrayal taste, jerk?” Jaye shouted. Joseph Stephens was nervous that this wouldn’t end well. but then again Winter was a jerk and he wasn’t going to bring snow to Christmas anyway. Joseph Stephens picked up a shovel and whacked Winter with it “Betrayal x2!” Joseph shouted. Jaye then pulled a claw hammer from his back pocket. “Cllaaaaww Hammah!!” Jaye shouted into the air and then hit winter again. As the two friends beat on Winter the thought came to Joseph. “If Winter wasn’t an immortal and magical being this would be incredibly illegal and messed up.

            The two friends pummeled Winter until finally Winter used his weakened magic to make icy winds blow the two men backward. “Fine! I will return the snow! But I warn you, I am not one to mess wi…” Winter warned but was interrupted when Jaye shouted “Claaaw Haaammmar!” And then threw his claw hammer at winter, striking the Wintery deity in the face. Winter let out a loud roar that sounded like hurricane winds blowing through a town. Then Winter vanished in a buff of snow and ice. “Yeah! And tell Santa Clause that I still have a score to settle with him!” Jaye shouted.

            True to his spiteful words, Winter made it snow. Snow began to fall gently over the town. The two friends still saw autumn trees, pumpkins and fall decorations, but now there was snow over everything. It was a weird and magical sight. Joseph Stephens and Jaye Williams went inside and decided to rest. They hoped that in the morning they would see Christmas the way it was meant to be seen. Jaye slept on the couch, wrapped in various towels, old blankets and couch pillows, Joseph slept in his bed.

            That morning the two woke up and ran to the window. The landscape was beautiful. Icy white snow sat undisturbed across the land, pine trees were decorated with Christmas lights and the fall colors had disappeared. Red, green, white and blue colors dotted the landscape and both friends agreed that this was the one day of the year it was nice to not see fall colors.

            The day moved on, Joseph and Jaye had breakfast then went to their families houses, exchanged gifts, saw old friends and had hot chocolate. Jaye had an unpleasant surprise when he found that the bad luck fish was sitting in a fish bowl in his parent’s living room. The bad luck fish was a talking fish that brought misfortune to all as long as they were around him. Jaye kept his visit short and on his way out from his families house he threw the bad luck fish and his fish bowl out in the river. Jaye then slipped on ice and busted his lip.

            Joseph ran into a yeti named Horrus and met Horrus’ children, all twenty-seven of them. Joseph saw his family, had dinner, played in the snow, and was thrown into a snow bank by one of Horrus’ children. Good times were had by all.

            Joseph returned home tired but happy. As he approached his house he saw Jaye walking toward him over the horizon. Jaye looked injured, tired and happy. The two friends went into the house. Joseph lit a fire in his fireplace. Jaye made some eggnog with what eggnog they had remaining. “Can I use that private stock rum of yours?” Jaye called from the Kitchen. “Yes! That would be great. No pumpkin creamer in mine please” Joseph called back. The two began to laugh.

            The two friends sat in front of a crackling fire and sipped on their very alcoholic eggnog. “So strong!” Joseph said as he took a sip. Jaye laughed “well we had more rum than we had eggnog” He replied. “Nah, its ok. I like it.” Joseph said. Jaye smiled as if remembering something “Did I ever tell you the time I was in college and we were all about to leave for the holiday break. I went to the cafeteria to get some food on the last day and the lady serving the food goes ‘I can’t wait to get home and get some bourbon and eggnog’. I didn’t even know her or say anything, she just said it out loud” Jaye said. “Weird” Joseph replied. “Yeah, it was” Jaye said. The two friends sighed.

            That year might not have been perfect and Christmas eve and Christmas day wasn’t perfect, but despite the ups and downs of the season, Joseph Stephens and Jaye Williams thought it was certainly the best Christmas Ever.

Joseph Stephens and the best Christmas Ever part 1

            It was the eve before Christmas and it had been raining all day, the air outside was chilly and the skies were all gray. Joseph Stephens was in his kitchen with cookies to bake and it had not snowed all day, not even a flake.

            Joseph Stephens’ house was lined with Christmas lights that sparkled and shined brightly out against the gray skies and dim light of day. The smell of pine trees and cookies added a comforting aroma to the air. Joseph and Jaye had been listening to Christmas music, relaxing, finishing up last minute gift-wrapping and cookie baking. Joseph noted that when Jaye was visiting he would run out of cookies ten times as quickly.

Joseph and Jaye sat on the floor next to the Christmas tree as they placed the last of their gifts under the tree “hey, so I was wondering…” Joseph started to say as he turned to his friend. Jaye was noticeably eating another cookie. Joseph wasn’t sure where that cookie even came from because the cookies they baked were in the kitchen and neither of them stood up in the last half hour. “Yeah?” Jaye asked with his mouth full of cookies. The pointed end of a star shaped cookie was sticking out of his mouth. Joseph chose to ignore that. “So, yeah I was just wondering if you heard from Old Man winter since you bashed him over the head last month” Joseph asked. Jaye slowed his chewing but didn’t stop. He had a thoughtful expression as he tried to remember. “Yeah, I think I remember him saying something about no snow for Christmas because he was annoyed with me” Jaye said. Joseph sighed. “Maybe I can talk to Old Man Winter tonight and see if he will make it snow for tomorrow. By the way do we have any more of those cookies left?” Joseph said. Just as Joseph asked, Jaye was in the middle of taking a cookie out of his pocket and was about to eat it. Joseph looked at him, then at the cookie. Jaye slowly moved the cookie to his mouth and then ate the whole thing in one bite. “No, we just ran out of cookies” Jaye said with a mouthful.

            Joseph stood up and went into the kitchen to get a snack. “If I cant have cookies maybe I will have some coffee or hot chocolate” Joseph called back as he rummaged through his cupboards. “Ooh! Whatever you make, make some for me too!” Jaye called into the Kitchen. After searching through the cupboards Joseph checked the refrigerator. When he opened the door to the fridge he spotted a pumpkin creamer left over from Autumn. “hey I found some pumpkin creamer, I think Patches left it here. Pumpkin is kind of a winter thing too right?” Joseph called into the living room. “yeah, Totes! Brew up some coffee and lets take a trip to flavor town” Jaye called back.

            Joseph started his coffee machine and looked at the bottle of pumpkin flavored creamer as he waited. He remembered trying it in the Fall and he remembered how fresh it tasted. It tasted like it was made with real cream, sugar, spices and fresh pumpkin. Only Patches would bring something like that with him. soon the coffee had finished brewing and Joseph poured two cups of coffee, both with pumpkin creamer.

            Joseph walked into the living room with two cups. He saw Jaye holding a cookie out, offering it to Joseph. “I just found this in the side pocket of my hoodie, do you want it?” Jaye said. Jaye was wearing a green hoodie and often kept food stored away in its large pockets. “it was in a plastic baggie, so don’t worry” Jaye added with a laugh.

            Joseph sat down and took the cookie “thanks man”. Joseph took a bite of his cookie and then washed it down with a swig of pumpkin coffee. As soon as the flavor hit his tongue his eyes lit up. The creamer tasted even better than he remembered. Joseph and Jaye both looked at each other and nodded with big smiles on their faces. “This stuff is magical!” Jaye said. “yeah man its so good!” replied Joseph.

Joseph looked at his tree and smiled, the lights sparkled so brightly with Orange, yellow and red lights. “Wait…didn’t we use Christmas lights?” Asked Joseph. “And weren’t the trees bare?” Asked Jaye. Joseph looked outside and saw that all of the trees that lost their leaves had returned but with their fall colors. Christmas lights and decorations still covered houses, trees and street lamps but everything had an autumn look and feel to it. “Its like an Autumn Christmas” Jaye said as he ran outside. “Maybe that creamer really was magical” Joseph said as he followed his friend outside.

            Outside the air smelled of woodsmoke, the ground was damp with fallen leaves and rain. the light rain sprinkled down on their heads. The trees were in full autumn colors, the lights were white, yellow, orange and red. The creamer made the two friends see autumn everywhere they went and they would see autumn colors until the magical effects wore off. “This is the best!” Jaye cheered. “this is great but I hope Christmas day looks like Christmas day. “Don’t worry! Winter will probably help us with that. I mean he cant stay mad forever right?” Jaye said with a laugh.

Joseph Stephens and the trouble with Winter

            Joseph Stephens sat in his car as snow gently fell to the ground. The car was running and Christmas music was playing on the radio. Joseph was waiting in a parking lot alone, just him and a bag of fast food. Joseph peeled back the paper on a large burger and took a bite.  The taste sensation that filled his mouth was extraordinary, the savory flavor of meat and cheese mixed with the sweet flavors of ketchup and pickle. After one bite Joseph knew he was a changed man. He took another bite, then another, each bite as wonderful as the last. Joseph looked through his frosted driver side window and saw Jaye Williams walking toward the car. Joseph was waiting for Jaye and wanted to get out of the car and greet his friend but the burger called to him. Joseph took another bite. It was impossible to resist. The burger was so good that Joseph felt compelled to eat it, the same way someone wouldn’t be able to stop kissing someone they loved. The two lovebirds knew they would have to depart but every kiss felt like fireworks and ‘just one more kiss’ was never enough.

            Jaye knocked on Joseph’s window and Joseph turned to see his friend and then waved. Joseph unlocked the passenger door and Jaye climbed into the car. Joseph had ketchup on his face, empty burger wrappers in his car and a feeling of shame in his soul. “So what is up my homie?” Jaye said, making sure to enunciate each word. Joseph started the car. “Not much man, just waiting for you” Joseph said hoping that Jaye wouldn’t ask him about his burger experience. “Sorry it took so long, you’d be surprised how many weird looks I got when I asked for Christmas clothes for my hamster. At least I was able to find the decoration we needed” Jaye replied. Joseph and Jaye almost never spent the holidays together but due to a strange stroke of luck they had been able to spend both thanksgiving and now Christmas together. “Sweet Turduckin Christmas this is gonna be the best Christmas ever!” Joseph said as he backed out of his parking spot and drove off.

            Jaye was staying with Joseph for the holidays and they both decided to go all out and decorate like madmen with a mission. As soon as they arrived at Joseph’s house they set to work hanging Christmas lights and making eggnog, which is the second best nogg just behind Pumpkin nogg. While Joseph was trying to balance on the later Jaye did his best to steady the ladder, that was until Jaye got bored and they began banging the ladder with a hammer because it sounded funny. “H-hey, how about some eggnog. You should go make some” Joseph called down. “You sure you don’t need help out here?” Jaye said sincerely. “yeah, I am fine. You go on and start the nogg a’brewin’ “ Joseph replied as he did his best not to fall off ladder.

            Jaye went inside to make Eggnogg. As Joseph was working on string up lights a hard wind blew and shook the ladder. Joseph clung to the roof as the ladder shook under the force of the wind and was eventually swept away. Joseph fell but grabbed onto the rain gutters just in time. The rain gutters cracked and Joseph lost his grip and fell two floors to the ground. Just before impact a winter wind grabbed Joseph and gently set him down. Before Joseph could say “what was that” a well-groomed blue and white skinned gentleman appeared out of nowhere. He wore a large coat, had a white beard, blue and white skin, black eyes, dark blue winter boots and a stylish winter hat. “Old man winter?” Joseph said sounding skeptical. “That’s right my boy! Winter is here for another wonderful season!” Winter cheered then put his arm up in the air to emphasize excitement. “What happened to you? Usually you are cranky and have anger problems also you drink in excess and chase off Autumn. Autumn actually left town a little early just so he wouldn’t have to fight with you like that one time you and he fought so hard half of the city almost was destroyed” Joseph told Winter. Winter let out an old man chuckle as he remembered the good times. “Oh ho ho, yes indeed I remember that. I am pleased to say I have given up booze and have been working on my temper. I am a new winter” Winter said with a smile.

            As Joseph was talking to Winter Jaye came rushing out of the house. “Old man winter! I am tired of your shenanigans!! Feel my wrath!” Jaye shouted and then swung a sledgehammer down and smashed Winter over the head with it. At that very moment Jaye remembered that Winter was immortal and probably wouldn’t be knocked out even by a sledgehammer, the searing pain made Winter instantly enraged and Joseph wondered how Jaye was able to get into the tool shed and find his sledgehammer.

            Winter screamed in pain and then took a deep breath in and blew out as hard as he could. The full force of winter winds was aimed at Jaye and Jaye was thrown backward. He sailed through the air half frozen and immediately regretting his decision. Joseph jumped in front of Winter “Its ok Winter, remember your progress? Ok? Also remember you weren’t always the nicest guy and Jaye didn’t know you were working on being a better person” Joseph said. Winter started to calm down but was still angry “Yes, you are right. I will leave though, I can’t risk being set off again by your friend” Winter said as he barely contained his rage. A cold wind blew over the area and Old man Winter was gone. After he disappeared snow began to fall from the sky, but only over Joseph’s house.

            Joseph looked over at Jaye who was upside down, half frozen and stuck in a tree. Jaye smiled and gave a thumps up. Joseph nodded and then sighed. Joseph helped Jaye out of the tree and into the house. The two friends then made some hot chocolate and sat in front of the fireplace to get warm. The fire crackled and the two friends sat in silence.

            Jaye finally spoke up. “Ever think…” Jaye was about to say but then Joseph interrupted. “…How hard it is to balance life, work and relationships? How after a while you see time, emotional energy and physical energy as commodities or currency like money, something to save up, spend and budget? How, no matter how much you yearn for the past you can never recapture it? Yeah I feel like that too” Joseph said all in one breath. He replied in day dreaming voice as if he was just airing out his thoughts and not actually talking to Jaye. “Uhh..What?” Jaye said finally. “what?’ Joseph said as he snapped back into reality. They both stared at each other with quizzical expressions. “What was that thing you just said?” Asked Jaye. “Oh, sorry, I was thinking about a hamburger I had today” Joseph replied.

            The two friends sat in silence for a while. Then Jaye looked outside to see it was still snowing “Want to build a snow fort?” Jaye asked. “yes, I really do” Replied Joseph. The two friends always preferred Autumn and missed it dearly but winter had its own good side and despite all of the trouble with Winter, Joseph Stephens and Jaye Williams were determined to have a great holiday season together.

Red and the winter festival part 2

It was the night before Christmas and Yule town was just finished setting up for their Christmas Eve party. Red stepped into the town square and saw tables set up outside full of food and various drinks. There was eggnog, spiced wine and brandy and for the children there was juice, hot coco and some kind of fruit punch. The food was an assortment of cheeses, roast meat with garlic cloves, lots of fruit, cakes and pies. Red was getting hungry just looking at it all.

The mayor walked up to the center of town and stepped up onto a newly built stage. “Greetings people of Yule, let us begin the joyous celebration at once!” Said the mayor. The people in the town square cheered. The party had officially begun and Red couldn’t wait to dig into a little bit of everything. There weren’t many partygoers at first, but as time passed villagers joined the party until the entire village was there. The stage now had a band on it. They played happy, festive music that filled the air and mixed with the sound of laughter and talking.

The entire village was dressed in colorful red and green and white clothes, some had little sprigs of leaves with berries pinned to their hats or dresses and some walked around with long walking canes painted like candy canes. Red was quickly caught up in all of the merriment and festivities and for a brief time forgot the danger that forced him to flee to the winter land in the first place. As Red danced and drank a man walked up to him. “Merry Christmas!” Red said happily, not really looking at the man. “Yeah, yeah. I need a word with you” Said the man gruffly. Red turned and focused on the man standing in front of him. The man wore an old fashioned black cap, with a scarf wrapped tightly around his face, he was dressed in plain winter clothes that were colored black, gray and tan. His clothes were so plain he almost stuck out in the crowd of people dressed like candy canes and Christmas trees. Red followed the man to the edge of the party.

As soon as they were away from the rest of the villagers the man spoke up. “Listen, I’m just a messenger. I’m here with a warning. You’ve made some powerful enemies and running into the winter lands isn’t going to save you. There is someone on the outskirts of town here to kill you. If you don’t meet him in an hour, he will destroy this precious town” Said the Messenger. Red was stunned. He couldn’t believe someone found him all the way out here. “who’s after me? And who are you?” Red asked. “I was paid to tell you to go face your doom outside of town or the town gets destroyed. You don’t need to know my name. You know who is after you, the question is who did they send to kill you. I don’t know the answer” The messenger said. Then before Red could reply, the man walked off and left the village.

Red didn’t want his trouble to effect the town so he went to meet with the mysterious assassin. Red walked for an hour and finally saw a tall thin figure standing in the distance. The figure quickly disappeared and reappeared directly in front of Red. The man wore pale blue robes with a hood, had white hair and bluish skin. The man put his hood down and stared at Red. “I am the Warlock of the winter wasteland. I live so far north that neither man nor animal lives there. It was to my surprise that a messenger from a far off land found me and offered me anything I want, the only thing I would have to do is kill a young man named Red. I used my magic and tracked you down. Now I am here to kill you. What do you have to say, Red?” Asked the Warlock. Red wasn’t sure what to say. It seemed desert assassins couldn’t survive the winter lands, so they hired one of the inhabitance to kill him. Red knew he couldn’t talk his way out of this and wasn’t sure if he could even win this fight, and he could only think of one thing to say “What was your price?” Asked Red. The Warlock smiled “Your not going to plead for your life, or bargain? I respect that. All I asked for Women, full of energy and life. Young and beautiful women are a rare commodity out in the wasteland.” Replied the Warlock

Red clenched his teeth. Red didn’t want to die, but now he knew that if he did die, helpless women would be shipped to the freezing wasteland like cattle, used as payment. Without a word Red pulled out two black and silver pistols and began firing. Streams of bullets flew at the Warlock with incredible speed and accuracy. Red never had to reload or buy bullets. His gun was given to him by Death itself and these guns could shoot bullets made of pure silver and death’s own decaying magic. The silver bullets would rip through undead and werewolves with ease and the decay magic would rot away at living tissue.

The bullets all zoomed toward The warlocks head, but before they hit, the warlock vanished in a puff of snow. “As long as there is ice and snow, I cannot be destroyed” Said the Warlock, his voice echoing through the valley. “We will see about that” Red said. He stood in place and slowly turned in a circle as he held his guns up ready to continue shooting. He wasn’t going to let the Warlock sneak up on him. A gust of freezing air and snow rushed up from underneath him, causing all of his muscles to stiffen and he was thrown off balance. The cold was so extreme some of the skin on his face and neck felt like it was burning. Luckily heavy clothing, a long coat and leather gloves covered the rest of his body.

The warlock appeared as Red tried getting the ice and frost off of his face. The Warlock grabbed a hold of Red’s neck and Red could instantly feel his skin burning from frostbite as his air way was slowly crushed by the Warlocks strong, bony grip. Red fired off shots at point blank but the Warlock was gone in a split second. Red gasped for air and coughed. Red was hunched over but tried to regain balance. He waited for the wintry bastard to reappear. The Warlock did appear again and was about to strike, but before he could, he was hit with a blinding light.

Red stumbled back away from the evil Wizard and opened fire. Two shots hit before the Warlock disappeared again. Red looked back to see where the light came from. It was from the village. it was almost midnight, which meant Christmas and the village lit up their tree and placed a bright shining star on the top. Without even realizing it, the village of Yule might have saved his life.

            The Warlock reappeared but was moving slower as the decay of death slowly poisoned him. None could escape the grasp of death, wizards and common men alike were at Death’s mercy. The Warlock pushed out his hands and shot a blast of ice. Red dodged it and opened fire. The bullets flew out like a machine gun and hit the Warlock. The evil wizard’s hands, chest and head were now full of bullets. The Warlock didn’t bleed, because he had no blood or humanity left in him, instead he just stood with a shocked expression, then a strong wind blew and his body faded into the snow.

            Red was badly injured but was able to hobble back to Yule town. Just as he arrived he heard a roaring cheer from the villagers. “Merry Christmas!!!” they said in unison. It was Christmas. The lights from the village glowed bright and sparkled like stars in the sky. Despite his injuries, Red felt an overwhelming sense of calm and joy. This is what Christmas was about, Joy and being with loved ones. Red knew he had to leave in the morning, to avoid any further threat to the town, but he would treasure his time in Yule town and always remember the Joy and happiness of Christmas.

Red and the Winter festival part 1

A young man in a long brown coat walked through the winter forest. The man was named Red. He traveled across the land, from the winter continent to the spring valleys. He never used his real name and instead was just referred to as ‘Red’ because of the bright red shirt he wore under his brown trench coat. Red also wore shin high brown boots and tan pants, with the legs tucked into the boots. He had light brown hair and brown eyes. Every so often in the right light his eyes would look dark crimson, this added to his nickname of ‘Red’.

            Red traveled through the winter lands and just made it through the forest when he noticed a sparkling village in the distance. Red was cold and tired and was looking forward to finding some place to sleep and get something to eat. He eagerly walked toward the town. The closer he got to the town the more he noticed all of the little lights and festive looking decorations on each house. The lights on each house reflected off the snow and made the whole area sparkle. Night slowly crept in and the darker it became the more vibrant the village looked. The red, green and white lights shined like a beacon for all travelers. Each house had an old fashioned and cozy look to it, each roof was covered in lights and every door had a wreath of evergreen branches on it.

            The village of lights was so close now. Red was so tired from all the walking he barely made it in through the town entrance. He leaned against a green lamppost and stopped for a minute to rest before he walked through the town to search for an Inn. Red looked up and noticed a hanging sign attached to the lamppost. It read “Yule town”

            “Well at least I know where I am now.” Red said to himself. It saved him from having to ask someone. After resting, Red began walking again. He strode through the middle of town. The town had a cobblestone road that went in different directions through the whole town, little stone paths branched out from the main road and led off to each house. At the center of town was a giant green tree covered in bright lights and decorations. The tree was surrounded by cobblestone, but was standing in dirt. Red assumed the village grew the tree at the center of town, that or they built the town around the biggest tree in the forest.

            As Red made his way through town he saw happy villagers going about their day, they all seemed merry and cheerful. They dressed warmly, but seemed used to the cold and never even flinched when the wind and cold picked up. Red on the other hand retreated into his coat with every freezing gust of wind. Red eventually found the Inn. It was the local tavern and the upstairs had beds for travelers. It was a big building decorated and designed the same as the houses, but this was larger and had big windows on each end of the first floor. Red looked in as he walked toward the door. A fireplace with a roaring fire warmed the area and the patrons ate, drank and laughed. Red pushed the wooden door open and a cold breeze followed him in. no one seemed to notice. Red felt the rush of warm air and let out a sigh of relief.

            He walked up to the bar and sat down. “I’ll have whatever everyone else is drinking” Red told the bartender. This town was so unique, Red hoped the alcohol would be just as unique. The bartender smiled and set down a mug of warm purple liquid. Red took a sip. It was warm, spiced wine and it warmed him right up. “Not bad” He muttered.

            The tavern carried on in a jolly manner and a small band of musicians played festive music. “Is there a celebration or festival going on?” Red asked the bartender. “There is a big one coming up soon, but our town is usually like this. It might be a little livelier tonight though” The bartender said with smile. Red nodded “Thanks, maybe I will stick around then. I will need a bed for tonight, or maybe till after the festival” Red told the Barkeeper. Red paid up front for the room and then paid for his drink.

            It was very late now and Red slowly climbed the stairs, he found his room and used to key to open the door. He stepped in and closed the door behind him. The room cozy, it had a single mattress bed with a basic wooden frame, white sheets and a red blanket. A nightstand was next to the bed with a candle on it. On the opposite side of the room was a small chest for Red to put his belongings. The room was on the small side, if Red sat in the middle of the floor and stretched his arms out on either side of him his fingertips would touch the bed with one hand and the chest with the other.

            Red dropped his small bag of possessions into the chest, snuffed out the candle and went to bed. The bed was so comfortable and he was so tired he fell asleep immediately.

            That morning was the day before the festival. Red had forgotten to ask what the name or purpose of the celebration was, but he put that out of his mind for now. Red stretched and put his brown coat back on and grabbed his belongings. he left his room and locked the door behind him. He walked down to the tavern on the first floor. It was quiet and peaceful, which wasn’t unusual for morning, but it was quite a contrast from the jovial singing and dancing from the night before.

            “Morning” said the bartender. Red turned and smiled. “Good morning. I forgot to ask last night, but I want to know more about your festival” Red said. The bartender smiled “Well, its called Christmas. It’s a word from the old world, no one knows what it means, all we know is it is a time of peace and joy. We decorate with bright lights, lanterns, evergreen branches and we even decorate the tree in the center of town. Its our Christmas tree. The rest of the year we just call it Yule tree and we take down all the decorations and lights. Our homes usually have some lights or some little decoration all year, but its on Christmas time that we truly let loose. For this land it marks the end of the year. Even though we aren’t sure the original purpose of the celebration, today we use it celebrate a year of good will and good fortune. To help make sure the next year is just as good, everyone in town exchanges gifts as we sit under the giant Yule tree. Then we will drink hot beverages and sing. It’s a good time. Tonight is Christmas eve, so there will be a little party then the gifts will be exchanged tomorrow. Then tomorrow night we sing and welcome the New Year” The bartender explained, His face beaming with joy and pride.

            Red smiled “wow, Its pretty good luck that I arrived when I did.” Red replied. Red was on the run from assassins and criminals and hadn’t had a chance to stay in one place for too long. Yule town was far off the normal roads and trade routes and it was so cold, Red doubted desert assassins would show up looking for him. With that kind of peace of mind all he had to do was relax and enjoy the celebration.

Jack Frost

In early December Fred was driving home from work. He wore a heavy brown jacket a wool hat and brown work boots. He drove an old sedan and had the heat cranked up. He sped down a lone country road, the road was clear but snow piled up in the open field next to the road.

The dusty smell of an old car’s heating system and the sound of Christmas music filled the car. Fred hummed along to one of the many tunes that he knew by heart, but kept forgetting the name. As he was driving he spotted a young boy walking alone through the snow in the snowy field. Fred carefully slowed down and then stopped his car. He opened his door and stepped out. He took a few steps away from his car and called out to the boy. The child didn’t respond. Fred heard crows and looked up, spotting a murder of crows flying overhead. Fred walked into the snow, it wasn’t too deep and only went up to his ankles. It wasn’t that easy to walk in though. Fred called out again as he walked closer to the boy.

After a few minutes Fred was only ten feet or so from the boy and yelled again, this time getting a little angry. The boy looked up. He had crystal blue eyes that were alert and showed a sense of intelligence and cunning, but his face was that of a young boy. His hair was white and his skin pale as snow. The boy smiled and a chill went down Fred’s spine. Fred blinked and the next moment the boy was gone. The crows no longer seemed interested in this spot and flew off in different directions. Confused and a little scared, Fred walked back to his car. When he got to his car he silently drove home and never told anyone about what he had seen.

Fred was just one of many to have seen this boy. The boy was actually not even a boy, but the spirit of winter, Jack Frost. He had pale blue skin, crystal blue eyes and hair made of ice and snow. He was small like a child but was devious and intelligent as a creature centuries old. He could look like a human, or close enough to fool people, and loved to play tricks. Depending on his mood he might do something as innocent as lead some poor chump out into a snowy field and then disappear or maybe something more sinister like using wind and snow to hide and knock down markers on a hiking trail and laughing as winter hikers got lost and muddled around in the snow.

Some have called Jack Frost an icy devil or snow demon and compared to the saintly Santa Clause, he might be. Jack Frost isn’t really evil though. He doesn’t care about corrupting men’s souls or trying to end anyone’s life, he only cares about having fun, even if it is at the expense of others.

Unfortunately, some people have died from Jack’s cruel tricks. He never had intended to kill anyone, he just doesn’t seem to realize or care how dangerous winter can be for humans and how fatal his tricks can become. Since Jack Frost's tricks can be so deadly, crows follow him around as they look for their next meal.

So if you ever find a boy alone in the snow and surrounded by crows, it is best to ignore him and save yourself the grief Jack Frost will most likely bring.

Showdown with Santa

            On a cold winter night, the night of Christmas eve, a figure could be seen riding across the sky. Santa clause and his reindeer sped through the air at breakneck speeds, traveling the world in one night all thanks to Christmas magic and a sugar high from cookies and candy canes.

            This Christmas eve night was different than most, as Santa would be visiting the house of the dreaded, Nathan Wilson. A character so dastardly he made the reindeer uneasy. Since Nathan was married, Santa had to visit his house for the first time in twenty years to bring Nathan’s wife Ashley a gift for Christmas. Santa was nervous though and decided to tread lightly. He could recall the incident so many years ago as clearly as if it were yesterday.

            Twenty years ago santa arrived to the Wilson house. Silently he crept, stopping only to snack on some cookies. Then suddenly a little four-year-old boy appeared from the darkness. “Hello, little boy” Santa said, with a warm smile. The small child was cute enough, but hardly innocent. Because just as santa went to pat the boys head, the little four year old triggered some kind of booby trap, making a rope wrap around santas leg and fling him into the air. He hit the ceiling then dropped back down, hanging from his foot like a giant red piñata. The little boy then beat santa with a rubber snake until the little devil got tired and fell asleep. Santa eventually freed himself and vowed to never return.

            Year after year he watched Nathan grow, hoping for some kind of change in behavior, something to put the child back on the nice list. But every year, was the same. Tormenting his poor cousin Stephen. Beating on his innocent siblings and even going so far as to burn down an orphanage.

            So the night had arrived and Santa crept into the House of Nathan and Ashley. Holding a gift in one hand and Candy cane fighting staff in the other. Then Nathan stepped out of the shadows the devils smirk across his face. “Hello Santa, is that for me?” He asked. Santa noticed Nathan was carrying an axe and readied himself for battle. “No, the only thing you get is a one way ticket to hell!” Shouted the emotionally scarred Santa as he lunged at Nathan with his fighting cane. “Bring it on, Fatman!” yelled Nathan as he chopped down with his axe, striking the cane, but to his surprise it was made of steel, not candy. “Ha, you will not get the drop on me kid” Santa said then struck Nathan’s leg with the cane, sending the menacing figure to the ground. “You old fool, you can’t expect to win!” Nathan said as he jumped up and struck santa with the axe.

            Santa stumbled backward, out of breath and slightly wounded. Nathan approached, his axe ready to strike again, when suddenly Ashley bust into the room. “Nathan, NO! we talked about this” She said angrily. Nathan’s eyes went wide. “B-but” He began to say, but then Santa took his chance to strike and delivered a sucker punch right to Nathan’s face. Nathan growled and stumbled backward holding his face, then the fat man made his escape, leaving the gift behind, tucked away under the tree.

            Up the chimney and to his sleigh he went. He flew off with his reindeer, going half way around the world before stopping to finish his Christmas deliveries.

So another year past and all the good little girls and boys got their gifts, meanwhile Nathan plots his revenge. So until next year, Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.

(Disclaimer: Any characters used in this story are fictional and any resemblance to real life people either alive or dead is merely coincidental)

Spending Christmas alone

Christmas music played softly in the background in a dimly lit room. A man named Andrew sat at his writing desk with a mug of eggnog. Most of his apartment lights were off, but he had a string of multicolored Christmas lights running along the top of the wall. This was one of his favorite times of the year and was always a time to be joyful. This year was different though, this was the first year in a few years that he had been single for Christmas. Andrew wasn’t the type that needed girlfriends, but there was one specific girl named Rachel that he met around Christmas two years ago. The excitement of a new relationship mixed with the holiday cheer that he was already feeling.

            On Christmas eve they would visit her family, then on Christmas night they would visit his. Christmas morning however was just for them. They would make love in the morning, have a simple breakfast and then Andrew would get as excited as a kid to open his presents. They would exchange gifts, Rachel always tried to guess what was in the box before she opened it, she never did get one right. After they opened presents Rachel insisted they listen to Christmas music to relax before more family stuff.

            Present day and Andrew continued to listen to the music in the background, it was their favorite holiday CD. Tears filled his eyes, as every little thing around the holidays would remind him of her. It was strange that having someone around for the holidays made it twice as fun, but when the person is gone, it ruins everything. Andrew still had his health, his job and his family and for that, he was grateful, but still, something was missing. He thought of her constantly and doing so made his chest hurt, like he was being stabbed in the heart. It had been ten long months since they broke up and it hurt for a while, but Andrew thought he had gotten over it. Before the holiday season he was even feeling confident enough to start dating again. But then the cold weather set in and the jingle bells started to play and Andrew was reduced to a miserable helpless mass.

            The eggnog he was drinking was full of rum, he drank it down in one gulp. He was already drunk and this would only add to it. He didn’t care though. He needed something to help him forget the pain, to drown his sorrows. Andrew eyed his phone, but kept stopping himself before he called anyone. He was sober enough to know that no one wanted to talk to him in his current state and trying to contact Rachel would be a really bad idea, especially if he was drunk. He just wished for a few months they could be together again, have the old holiday feeling back, then they could go their separate ways.

            Andrews mind tormented him, playing over what he did wrong and what she did wrong and all the bad stuff that split them up. He couldn’t drop it, even though it hurt so bad to even think about her. In a fit of confusion and rage, Andrew threw his empty mug, shattering it against the wall then began to weep softly. His emotional pain felt like physical pain too, that plus the alcohol made him act like a wounded animal. How badly he wished he could find comfort. Comfort from his loneliness and from his own tormented mind.

            It hurt now but the pain would heal, he just needed to get through one day at a time and things would eventually get better. Then his phone rang, he rushed for the phone and answered it. “Hello?” Andrew said, drunkenly. “Merry Christmas, Andrew” Rachel said from the other end, rather meekly. Andrew’s heart sank into his stomach. How badly he wanted to say her name and go see her, to find comfort in her and pretend everything was back to normal. Andrew cried silently. “Hello? Are you there?” Rachel asked sounding worried. Andrew loved her, she was the only woman he ever loved and moments ago he would have given his right leg to talk to her again. But now, it just didn’t seem right. He didn’t know why she called, but things would never go back to normal, they would never be the same. Unable to speak and not knowing what to say, he hung up the phone. She might call right back, or she might never call him again. Right now, it didn’t matter.

            As soon as the phone clicked shut, he instantly regretted his decision. For another thirty minutes he threw himself around the room, arguing with himself and wondering if he made the right decision. When he eventually sobered up the next day, he decided that he did in fact make the right decision. That chapter of his life was over and it was time to move on. The rest of the holiday season was still lonely for Andrew, but who knows, maybe in the future Christmas will take on a new feeling for him and it will be a happy time, once again.

Winter road

            As I walk down this road, I wonder where the time has gone. I march, leaving behind a forest of autumn trees, pumpkins and rain-scented land. Ahead of me is snow as far as the eye can see. Peacefully it drifts through the air and lands gently on the ground, millions of tiny snowflakes dancing on the wind for a short moment before gathering together in mass. Cold wind blows in my face, as if trying to push me back, but still I march. 

            I’ve made this trip countless times over millions of years. The seasons change as I walk down this road. Spring starts the birth of a new year, then summer a time to enjoy the warmth you have in your life, Autumn is a time to reflect on your life and Winter is the end, a time to enjoy the time you have left with the ones you love. So I leave the world of the harvest and set down this winter road, to a world of holidays, celebration and warmth against the cold night.

            My mind drifts back into memories, remembering good times of winter and Christmas as I look forward to the new winter fast approaching. I love listening to the Christmas music that stays the same every year, yet never seems to get old. I crave nostalgia almost as I crave warm desserts.

             Traveling on this winter road is wonderful as it is difficult. The snow looks so nice in the daylight as sun shines off the ice, making it sparkle. Animals play in the snow and the fields of pure white are a sight to behold. When the sun goes down stars sparkle brightly across the clear night sky. The beauty of nature always impresses me, year after year. Though to say it gets cold and a little lonely out here is an understatement. The wind blows so harshly that I feel it cut through my coat and chill my bones. Walking through snow is also very tiring and when your walking alone, the journey seems a little tougher.

            Winter is so diverse, that might be why I like it so much. It is such a mixed bag of good and bad with so many different emotions to experience. So I make this trip down the winter road, walking my way through the season, headed north for the holidays. But now its time I leave you, but I wish to leave you with warm thoughts, thoughts of family, sitting by the fire staring out at the snow, bright lights, and delicious food.

            Have a happy holiday and I will see you again in the spring.