Christmas Day went by in a blur.
She tried to imprint specific moments on her mind-Mason's sheer delight in the antique medical
bag she'd found him, Harper and Austin squaring off over a foosball table.
There was Lily's predictable fascination with boxes and
wrapping rather than toys, and Hayley's joy in showing off a new pair of earrings.
She loved seeing Logan sitting cross-legged on the floor, showing Stella's boys-his boys now-the child-sized tools inside the toolboxes
he'd made them.
She wanted to slow the clock down-just for this day, just this one day-but it sped by, from dawn and the excitement of opening gifts, to
the candlelight and the lavish meal David prepared and served on her best china.
Before she knew it, the house was quiet once more.
She wandered down to take a last look at the tree, to sit alone in the parlor with her coffee and her memories of the day, and all the
Christmases before.
Surprised when she heard footsteps, she looked over and saw her sons.
"I thought you'd all gone over to Harper's."
"We were waiting for you to come down," Harper told her.
"Come down?"
"You always come down Christmas night, after everyone's gone to bed."
Black Rose
_________________
Christmas can seem so loud with activity and busyness that often times, we aren't really enjoying it. It can be such an amazing time of the year, if we just allowed ourselves time to be quiet and simply enjoy the season with family.