The Joy of Christmas

Trying to capture the mood and surroundings, and especially the excitement I felt as a little girl spending Christmas at my grandmother's house in her small town of Grandview, MB.

The whole room glows as she steps in. Immediately, she senses warmth and feels happiness as the full, broad Christmas tree stands proudly near the window, boasting its radiant colors of lights and decorations, its glimmering sash of tinsel sitting loosely on its branches. The star sits perfectly poised at the top like shining gold. There are several neatly wrapped parcels underneath with bows and ribbons of all colors. She breathes in the fresh smell of pine and looks at the varieties of treats sitting in dishes and containers on the sleek, polished wood of the coffee table - blue candies, pink candies, gingerbread cookies, and chocolate covered mints... She listens to the heavenly singing of the carolers across the road - the voices of angels. Then quietly, she tip toes across the room, the gray, carpeted floor quietly creaking under her weight. There is a glint of excitement in her eyes as she kneels down innocently and runs her tiny fingers across the smooth, silvery wrapping paper of a parcel addressed to her.

-Andrea