"Thats it! Perfect!" Carol says, helping the kids roll cookies out onto baking trays.
Judith, Rj, Gracie and Hershel all stand around the bakery counters in aprons and hats as they ball gingerbread dough out, cutting them into little people with clean cookie cutters, laughing as they do.
"Will Santa really come if we leave these out?" Gracie asks, pressing the cookie cutter into the dough.
"Mhmm, and that big tree you're going to decorate with Connie and Kelly, he's going to leave presents under there for you all." Carol says, preheating the oven behind her, "as long as you've been nice."
"What if we haven't?" Judith asks, rolling out the dough.
"You get presents but instead they're filled with coal or bad things like.. liquorice" Carol chuckles as she says it.
"I like liquorice!" Rj says, the kids and Carol echo "ewwwws" as he says it.
Once the kids finish with their cookies of all different shapes and sizes, Carol takes them to the oven and puts them in and closes the oven door.
"Now, whilst you guys wait for these cookies to be done, go head to the community building and help Connie and Kelly decorate that tree, once that's finished head back here and we'll decorate these cookies." Carol says, "go on! I want to see that tree shine from this room!"
The kids take their aprons and hats off and hang them on the hook lined walls before thanking Carol and rushing off to the Alexandrian community building.
-
"I can't believe it's snowing!" Gracie says, walking across the snow covered grass blades, "I love snow."
"At least it isn't as violent as the last load of snow we had." Judith says, kicking a pile of snow.
"Yeah," Gracie says, smiling, "a lot calmer and a lot more fun."
They turn the corner of the street towards the community building where Connie, Kelly, Aaron and Daryl are bringing boxes into the building.
"That's a lot of boxes." Rj says.
"Which means a lot of decorations." Hershel sighs.
Daryl walks out the main door and waves at them, "Come on! We could use some youths helpin!" The kids rush over, practically tackling Daryl in a hug, "good lord, Y'all excited for Christmas?"
"Very." Judith says, "where's the tree we're decorating?"
Daryl nods inside to the tree which looks huge to the kids however it's only about 7ft tall. The kids rush inside, looking at it.
"Is it real?" Rj says.
"How are we supposed to decorate that?" Hershel says, looking at Daryl.
"Con and Kel are helping you out, careful," he leans into whisper, "Connie's quite the perfectionist when decoratin."
Connie taps his back, Talking about me?
Never. Daryl says with a smile, "have fun!"
He and Aaron head out to help with some other chores before Christmas tomorrow.
"Right, who's ready for some decorating?" Kelly asks, opening the boxes lined across the floor, "we have everything."
Connie's eyes light up as she starts taking baubles out and showing the kids how to decorate, the kids watch as she gently opens the bauble's string and threads the metal branch into it. The shiny gold bauble dangles singularly on the tree waiting for others to join it.
