"December 8: Favorite Moment:
Think of a favorite moment between you and your family (chosen family works). Now translate that into the world of your characters!"
Two families sat around the fire, a plethora of gifts spread out around their feet, two small children sitting in the middle. Their eyes were wide with excitement and they could barely sit still.
"Oh, I wish they would hurry!" exclaimed Elboron with a huff, throwing himself back onto the ground.
"The snow is coming down hard. Have patience, little Lord," said the King as he put more firewood into the crackling flames. His voice was stern but gentle.
Faramir rested in a large chair, Eowyn on his left and Arwen on his right. The women were chattering excitedly to themselves, doing their best to not interrupt the Prince's reading. Aragorn planted himself down by the two little boys, one leg crossed over the other. The King of Rohan and his family were to have their holiday at Minas Tirith, and unfortunately the blustery weather had delayed their journey.
Just as the boys could hardly wait a moment longer and were about to beg to at least open one present, the door to the hall flew open and three people came striding in. Eomer, carrying several boxes in a stack, walked side by side with Lothiriel, who carried their young child. He nearly leapt from his mother's arms to great the two boys, who he tackled to the ground.
"Brother!" exclaimed Eomer, pulling Faramir into a tight hug. The older man grinned widely, despite nearly being crushed by burly arms. While Eomer would never replace Boromir in his heart, Faramir felt blessed to be able to consider him family. "I have brought more things to add to the festivities."
The greetings delayed the little boys' opening of presents, which only worked to agitate them more. None of them could hold back any longer and finally begged their parents to let them start the most anticipated part of the night.
"I suppose it would be torture to make them wait any longer!" exclaimed Eowyn, clasping her hands together. "Let's begin! We'll all open our presents one by one, starting with the youngest."
So Aragorn, already seated on the ground, took it upon himself to take charge of handing out the gifts. Each present was neatly wrapped in colorful paper, with the intended recipient's name scrawled on an attached piece of paper. Starting with Elfwine, the little family opened each of their presents. The children received various toys, including hobby horses from a craftsman in Edoras and little wooden soldiers from Minas Tirith, and various 'grown up' garments. The adults received their own suitable, finely crafted gifts: books, clothing, jewelry, weapons. There were also shared gifts for each family. Arwen and her elven ladies had woven elaborate tapestries for the households of Edoras and Emyn Arnen, LothÃriel had personally stitched six decorative saddle blankets, and Eowyn had worked personally with typographers and bookbinders to create four exquisite journals.
As the gift giving died down, the family of nine rested in front of the fire, catching up. The children were satisfied with their gifts, immediately going off to play. That left the six adults, all of whom had lost family as a result of the war. So, they had made their own, and moments like watching the children open their gifts brought them even closer together.
