The mental snapshots of Christmastime~by Joanne Jaytanie

The holiday season is in full swing. It takes twice as long to drive through town, find a parking spot, check out of a store, and don’t even mention trying to mail a package. But I do love this time of the year. Yes, it’s a busy time, and no, I probably won’t get all the items on my to-do list checked off. Even so, I adore spending time with friends and family, a meal, a drink, even a phone call are the times to cherish. Sharing the wonder and joy of this magical season is something one should never outgrow. Keep the mental snapshots of every heartwarming moment close at hand. 

What better way than to share an excerpt from my story Christmas Reflections. I hope it spurs your Christmas hopes and dreams of this extraordinary time of the year. 

Christmas Reflections:

     Colton followed Juliet back to Forever Christmas. He offered to help unload her car. This was his first opportunity to see her shop and, he admitted to himself, he wanted to get a look at one of the old houses. They drove past the main house that buzzed with workers, and down one of the dirt roads. Evergreen trees framed the road and blanketed the landscape as far as he could see. 

     She turned off the dirt road into a clearing. In the middle of the clearing, sat a pristine two-story Victorian-style house, painted in shades of lavender and trimmed with chocolate brown. A wraparound porch surrounded the house. There was a large parking area to the side of the house and at the front of the lot, a large silver and purple sign read Christmas Reflections. Other arrow signs in the same color scheme pointed toward the back of the house. Colton got out of his car and helped Juliet unload.

     “Thank you, again. You really didn’t need to do this. Lunch more than made up for running me over.” She grinned at him.

     “My pleasure. I’m done for the day, and this gives me the opportunity to see more of your farm. The trees are really impressive from the road. On foot, you don’t get the same appreciation for the massiveness of the area.”

     An oversized cobblestone walkway picked up at the edge of the lot and led to the back of the house. He turned the corner and stopped, stunned by the view. The walkway bloomed into a full patio that encompassed the entire length of the building. The door was painted a deep purple, and the top half featured a beautiful window made of clear leaded-glass. Above the door, a large, elegantly-carved silver and purple sign read Christmas Reflections. Flanking the door, the bay windows burst with color, adorned with panes of stained glass in all different colors and patterns. 

     “You did a marvelous job, Juliet. I know a dozen people who would love to hire you, should the need ever arise.” A feeling of guilt stabbed him. “How long have you done glass work?”

     “Most of my adult life,” she said.

     “I find the name of your shop intriguing. Mind if I ask you how you decided on it?”

     “It’s based on my life. As we discussed over lunch, I left for bigger and better things, or so I thought. Upon reflection, I realized everything I needed to make me happy, I’d left behind.”

     When they entered the shop, Colton thought he couldn’t be any more amazed, yet he felt as though he’d left the world behind and entered a magical land. Colors flashed and sparkled around him, rainbows danced on the shop walls. There were Christmas ornaments made from dozens of tiny pieces of glass, jewelry boxes, and glass table lamps displayed on the cherry shelves. Oversized A-frame cherry wood stands held additional framed glass windows, stunning angels with milky white wings, and holly wreaths. The Christmas tree in the corner shimmered with glass holly, Santas, and snowmen. He was drawn to one of the glass table lamps.

     “This is all amazing, your work is breathtaking. I love this desk lamp” he said.

 The angel and blue box were made by me.

Wishing you and yours a wondrous Christmas season.

  

To learn more about Joanne and read her past blog posts click here.

Until next time...

Joanne