Oakbrook - The Portal

Christmas Decorations

Christmas Decorations

The weekend before Winter Solstice, they decorated both houses for Christmas. They all piled into the cars and let the children choose real trees from the man that always sold Christmas trees in the supermarket car park.

Then Kate's house was first. While she waited for Lily to arrive with Andrew, Kate sent the Tom into the loft to retrieve the Christmas decorations and Susan followed him fearlessly. After a few minutes of muffled giggles, they appeared at the hatch covered in what looked like confetti.

"What is that stuff?" Kate laughed. Sam sniggered behind her and Susan declared it was snow!

"One of the carrier bags just fell to bits Mum." Tom was giggling as he shed tiny bits of plastic through the loft hatch and down the ladder. He trailed bits all over the house.

"Oh no! They did say they were biodegradable but I never thought." Kate burst out laughing. "We'll get a box for when we put them away." she brushed some of it out of his hair only to get showered with more as Susan threw handfuls down from the loft hatch.

The ensuing fake snow fight spread until Lily was left spluttering when she was caught in the crossfire as she opened the back door. Tom froze with a handful of pieces raised ready to throw. He held his breath, wide eyed, while she shook the tiny bits from her hair. She glared at him, waited for him to look sheepish, then she laughed. "I hope you'll be cleaning this mess up for your Mum?"

Before long the house was festooned with tinsel, garlands and the tree was lit up and sparkling. They put the tree in the living room, and just let the children loose with the decorations while Kate dug out the hoover to clear up the worst of the mess made by the shredded carrier bag and ensuing plastic snow fight. Kate stood leaning on the hoover and watched Sam and the children. Sam had been in the kitchen at the sink washing up and offering advice on tree decorations and the children had dragged her into the living room to help. Susan took a small gold coloured frame over to her, and Kate held her breath. She'd almost forgotten all about that.

"What's this Susan?" Sam asked, wiping the last of the washing up bubbles from her hands and taking it from her. It was a small photo frame, only a couple of centimetres square, with the picture space shaped like a star. Sam's own face looked back at her.

"We put that on the tree every year so you could be here." Susan told her solemnly. Sam looked up with tears standing at the edges of her eyes. She gulped them back before hugging Susan tight.

"Do you want to put it there this year?" she held the precious frame out to her daughter. Susan shook her head.

"I don't need to. You're really here this time." Sam buried her face in Susan's blonde hair and held her close. Kate smiled at them as they huddled there in front of the tall green bulk of the Christmas tree. Sam handed the frame back to Susan.

"Put it on anyway." Sam's voice was firm and sure but laced with a certainty and fear that Kate didn't care to hear.

"Can Mummy sleep here sometimes?" Susan asked. "We have a spare bedroom."

Sam turned to Kate.

"Maybe, soon." Kate allowed, knowing that was a step they'd likely have to take at some point.