Christmas from L.A.

chapter five: snowballs and snowfalls

 "I planned out our whole day: First, we'll make snow angels for two hours, and then we'll go ice skating, and then we'll eat a whole roll of Toll-House cookie dough as fast as we can, and then we'll snuggle."

~Elf

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Kelsey pulled on her dark green parka before hurrying downstairs, pulling on her white and gold pom-pom hat as she went.

She made a quick detour and yanked the monkey bread out of the oven and placed it on a trivet on the counter.

She almost ran into Jacob when she bolted for the door.

"Race you to the tree!" Jacob shouted.

He and Kelsey tore across the yard, almost slipping on an ice patch that had formed on the driveway.

Kelsey slowed in her pace, letting Jacob win, as he usually did anyway.

She tilted her head up towards the gray sky and turned, letting the cold chill her face.

For a few seconds, she was twelve again. Carefree. Adventurous. Filled with wonder.

A snowball clobbered her stomach and she doubled over, glaring up at Jacob.

"Hey!" she shouted, gathering a snowball in her mittened hands and lobbing it at Jacob, who dodged easily. Kelsey had never had the best aim.

"C'mon, sis!" he called. "Has California made you too warm-blooded?"

Kelsey frowned and gathered another snowball, but chose to take the tactical route this time. She raced behind a tree and waited.

Just as she was about to deliver a sniper shot across the yard, Jacob appeared on the other side of the tree and smothered the top of her hat with snow.

"Jacob!" Kelsey cried, bulldozing into him as payback. But Jacob lifted her up and held her by her waist upside down.

Kelsey flailed helplessly, shouting, "Jacob! Put me down! I'm serious!"

He laid her gently on the snow, where Kelsey gathered up a fistful of snow and chucked it at his face.

Jacob reeled backwards, wiping snow from his eyes. "Ow!"

"You deserve it."

Kelsey clamored to her feet, cold air burning her lungs as she laughed.

She turned and saw Becca coming out of the house. She was wearing a knee-length fur coat, but had kept her promise and still had her pajamas on.

Kelsey wanted to ask which wardrobe she'd just stepped out from the back of, but bit her tongue when she saw the awe on Becca's face. Her eyes were wide and her mouth agape as she stared up at the drifting flakes, hesitantly reaching her hand out to catch one.

Kelsey made her way over to her, a smile inching across her face.

"It's...beautiful," Becca murmured, still unable to take her eyes away from the scene before her.

"Do you wanna build a snowmaaaan?" Kelsey sang, imitating the song from Frozen (which Becca hated).

"I don't even know how!" Becca cried, but excitement lit up her eyes.