Hey all! Excited to be writing in Durotos Chilly Noses and Warm Hearts Holiday Prompt! All of us were assigned a prompt related to the holiday season and I was given "A family gathering" Gotta admit I was stuck at first but I basically know what I want to do now. These will be in a series of every 1 to 2 day updates. Advent calendar style

As soon as I was done milking, I shoved my gloves back on and shivered. I hate the cold.

"Let's go girls!" I called out as I moved across the barn, ringing a brass cowbell. Several moos and baas were all the response I needed to know I got their attention. I exhaled in relief knowing I wasn't going to have to shove a 600 pound animal today. Then I grimaced at the sight of my own condensed breath. Goddess Damn, I hate the cold.

This season was truly going to make or break me.

It's not like I hadn't considered the winter when I agreed to take on this farm last spring, but I knew this was only going to make the worst season of the year even worse. All I had to look forward to was waking up every morning in a freezing house that I hadn't had time to winterize, bundling up in a billion layers that would never seem like enough and long LONG hikes through snow.

I paused at the front doors, putting the bell back in my bag before fiddling with the double door handles, shrugging with the lock mechanism through the bulky fabric of my gloves which were hindering my grip and dexterity. When the deadbolt slid in and the doors popped open to the outside, I raised a fist in victory. The momentary satisfaction was cut short when the vicious wind kicked in, showering me with icy pellets.

"Out you go…" I said almost apologetically, and the animals sauntered out, for the most part, unbothered. "You brave souls." I muttered.

I checked my watch, 7:00AM, record timing. I felt my mood lift again.

I pulled out my notebook and crossed off the neatly written take care of livestock.

I tried to keep my spirits up as I read the next step, prepare and sow fields.

I slammed my book shut and let my gaze span across the grey morning beyond the pasture. All that could be seen was a thick blanket of snow across the rolling landscape. I couldn't even see where I had tilled the day before. Who would have guessed there would be this much snow on the first day of winter?

Again I looked at my watch, an unnecessary and slightly neurotic action since I had just checked. If I was to go to bed at ten it meant I only had fifteen hours to make this all happen. If I factored in eating… I did some mental math- not enough time probably. Generally it took 12 hours on the first day of each season to sow and entire new season's worth of crops- winter cold and snow was going to slow everything too.

I'd have to rush this. I hurried back towards the little farmhouse I called my home to grab my supplies.

It was painfully pathetic compared to the other buildings in town, a well worn shack that hadn't seen much love for at least a few generations. Which is sad… since I've built pretty much every other house in the village. There just hasn't been any time for personal projects and luxuries. There's farming to do and restoration plans to finish, any free time outside of that is more productively spent foraging, mining, fishing or gathering building materials for the next restoration project.

That's my life in a nutshell: lists on top of lists, checklists that get to be expanded if you reach their ends.

Today I was going to cross off some major items even if it killed me.

It was on my way back I noticed the postwoman making her way to the house. I cursed under my breath and started to walk faster over as she waved at me.

"Coming!" I called as I half galloped over to meet her at the mailbox.

Tina grinned, "Rio! Hey!" she said. "How's the first day of the holiday season treating you?"

"Snow's a bit of a setback," I reported, "but I conservatively, I think I can safely say I'm going to be able to get all of my broccoli planted today, optimistically, all the daikons and bok choy too."

Of course, every second I stood here, the less chance of that there was going to be. Don't get me wrong, I like Tina a lot but I didn't have to time today, I hoped she didn't notice my shuffling.

Tina sighed, "Rio seriously do you ever stop? Talk of the village was maybe you were finally going to take a break from destroying yourself now that it's winter."

"There's plenty of winter crops," I said waving my hand in dismissal. "Rest is for the dead."

I wondered if I should have just said something like "Well gotta get back to work," but I figured it was rude to not ask her about herself in response.

"How about you?" I asked a couple heart beats too late to not sound forced.

She glanced up at the sky almost wistfully, "To be honest, it's a little hard you know?"

I glanced at her in disbelief. There's something I never thought I'd hear out of her mouth.

She gave me a slight smile. "I was actually talking to a bunch of other people on my route already today and everyone kind of agreed, it's the first time you really think about what it really means to be away from your family. Usually, back home, my sisters and I would start decorating the house today."

"Yeah, I can see how that would be hard," I said, putting myself in her shoes.

"How about with you?" She asked.

I fiddled with my glove uncomfortably, "Oh, I guess that's not such a big deal for me, I'm used to being alone starry night. My family's not really that close."

"Aw Rio," she said in sympathy.

I shrugged awkwardly, "I don't really care either way. I just want to get through this winter so I can get back to working without just being outside being a struggle- heck with this forsaken season!"

"That's so sad though," She urged, "winter is supposed to be the happiest time of the year." She leaned back and sighed deeply then there was a glimmer in her eye. "Maybe I'll just have to find myself a boyfriend, you should get on it too Rio."

I almost choked on thin air. "What?"

"NO ONE, spends Starry Night alone- that's just sad." She said, crossing her arms and shaking her head. "If you can't have family you gotta do the next best thing, get a date. Then who knows… Maybe by next year you'll have a family of your own." She winked.

I laughed nervously, "That's some insane reason to catapult into something as big as a relationship- not being able to be alone for one day."

She gave a sheepish smile, "Maybe you're right."

"Anyway, it was nice talking to you Tina. I gotta get back to work." I said.

She nodded, "For sure, let's talk again soon." The signature farewell for two people who never really talk.

With that she was off and I only spared a moment to watch after her. Was I the only person who had to plan everything through? I kind of envied her spontaneity.

I couldn't risk something like dating yet, that wasn't in the life plan. I had an order to things: get through school, find a job, develop a career, be firmly secure financially and only then pursue a relationship and have a family.

Doing any of these things out of order could mess everything up. Like what if I'd had a college boyfriend who proposed to me? Out of school I'd have had to have coordinated where I worked based off of where he could also find work- our options would have been severely limited.

Then what if we got married? The next step is typically children- but I couldn't afford to be pregnant while still setting my farm up! Even now, I was already juggling being a farmer and carpenter to this town, I could never balance a boyfriend!

I shook my head. No, everything has its own order.

I opened the front door to my house and froze at something that definitely should not have been there.

A small toddler in a monkey onesie was crawling across my floor. The chipped and splintered floor, my Goddess, I was gonna get sued.

She looked up at me with shining blue eyes and a blond curl fell out from under her hood.

"Mama!"