A.N. I have a lot of university work to do over the course of the next few weeks and have been looking for a little distraction from all the stress. I found it when I came across Chelsie Fan's Christmas/December A-Z prompts. At the moment, I'm envisioning a series of one-shots however that could change. I can't promise that they will be lengthy masterpieces but I will endeavor to make them longer than this little teaser of a one-shot. Hopefully it'll whet your appetite enough to have you follow my little efforts...

Christmas was always her favourite time of year. There was something about the prospect of putting up decorations, buying gifts and the general cheer that tended to descend that made it truly wonderful. It reminded her of her childhood spent preparing for the one day of the year that her family was able to take one day off from all the hard work on the farm. Her parents had always made a special effort each year to make it as memorable as possible for her and her siblings. There was one year in particular that she wanted a doll but thought the expense would be too much for her parents. Her father had made gentle hints that Santa may not be able to stretch to a doll that year in the weeks leading up to Christmas morning. So when it rolled around, she wasn't expecting much under the tree and so cried with delight when she found the beautiful brown haired and blue eyed doll that looked just like her. She called her Mairéad and spent every waking moment with her in the years that followed. Even now, she keeps it as a little memento in the bottom drawer of her desk and if she has a tough day it brings a smile to her face.

As much as she had enjoyed these memories, they always brought with them a certain sadness. She always felt the loss of her parents most at this time of year. In recent years, she had started to enjoy Christmas more and more. This was mostly due to the developments that have taken place in her relationship with Mr. Carson. She felt like they were really moving towards an enjoyable future together. He hadn't said anything outright but she could sense that something was changing in his resolve. With the prospect of a business venture on the horizon, who knows what will lie around the cornor...


A.N. So what do you think? A worthy beginning or a hopeless endeavor? all thoughts are welcome, a few nice ones might inspire me to keep going!