"How 'bout this one?" John asked pointed to a snow covered pine tree.
Kathy looked up from the snowball she was packing together to inspected it. "Too short." She said decisively, then launched the snowball at her older sister who was trying to catch snowflakes on her tongue and showing Kim how to do it.
Charlotte sent John a consoling smile. They had been out in the snow for an hour and a half looking for the perfect tree, all to no avail. This one was to short, that one was to tall, the other one was to skinny.
Becky and Kathy were now breaking into a snowball fight, and both of the adults had to laugh as Kim tried to make a ball and throw it, but only managing to shower himself in loose snow, staring curiously as to why it didn't work.
Charlotte pointed to a tree at the edge of the grove. "What about that one?"
"Oh! It's perfect!" Becky cried. "Daddy, that's the one!" She said, turning to Trapper.
"Okay," He said with a large grin. "I'll go get it." He turned and headed towards the perfect tree, but before he got very far, a snowball smacked him upside the head. "Who threw that?" He said, spinning quickly. Becky, Kathy and Kim all pointed at Charlotte, who was doing her best to look innocent behind the mischievous smile, and was pointed back at them. "Oh, yeah? Well," he said, quickly dropping the hatchet he carried and grabbing a handful of snow, "C'mere." He said, running towards her with it as she started running with a squeal. The children nearly fell over with fits of giggles as he chased her with the snow, finally catching her by the back of her coat, and shoving the half melted snow down the back of her neck.
Shortly thereafter an all out snowball war erupted, every man for himself. It was another hour before John picked up the discarded hatchet to retrieve the long sought for tree, and he was covered in snow when he did so. After doing so, they tied the tree to the top of Trapper's car, piled the now snotty faced children into the back seat with lots of blankets and headed back for the house.
"Go upstairs and change out of those wet clothes. Don't want you three catching pneumonia!' John ordered as they all filed in through the front door. "Kathy, find Kim some of your old play clothes." He called after them as they solemnly filed up the stairs, disappointed the fun was over for now.
"Lucky for me you have a tomboy for a daughter." Charlotte said, having not thought to bring a change of clothes for Kim.
By the time the kids changed, the tree had been put in its stand and placed in its corner of the living room. A fire blazed in the hearth and the kids started picking out ornaments as Charlotte made hot cocoa and Trapper swore under his breath as he tried to string up the Christmas lights.
Charlotte, who had left the living room in some semblance of order was surprised to be greeted by peels of laughter and tinsel all over everything. The couch, the carpet, and the kids were all covered in tinsel. John, who was now hopelessly tangled in a string of lights, guffawed at the crazy antics.
"Save some tinsel for the tree!" Charlotte said with a laugh, setting down her tray on the coffee table. "Come and get some hot chocolate and cookies." The tinsel was immediately dropped and a mad rush was made. Eventually, and with much help from Charlotte, John managed to disentangle himself from the lights and snag some of the goodies before the kids wolfed it all down."
Soon, the tree was trimmed, and enough tinsel had been scraped off the furnishings to cover the tree, and the kids were hanging their stockings, arguing who got to put the star on top of the tree.
After John lifted Kim to place the star, they all gathered around as he read "The Night before Christmas" to them. Kim was out cold by the end, tired out from all the excitement, and the girls were only half-conscious. "I'll put them to bed." He said, wrapping a sleepy Kathy's arm's around his neck, carrying her piggy-back, and scooping Kim up in his arms. Becky had already attached herself to his leg.
When he got back, Charlotte was carrying a large wrapped package in from outside. "I put Kim in the trundle bed for now." He said, looking at the present. "What's that?"
"Just a Christmas gift." She said, coyly, with a smile.
He reached for the box. "Here, let me." He said.
"Thanks." She said as he took it from her then followed him into the living room. "I'll hate to wake Kim. He never sleeps well after he wakes up."
John set the box down with the rest of the presents under the tree. "You could just let him here." He said.
"I would but he still sometimes wakes in the middle of the night and would want me." She said as she sat down on the sofa, pulling her legs up under her.
John's eyes flickered as he thought of something, but he didn't speak for a moment, but then looked at her with a grin. "Let me give you your Christmas present early." He said.
"NO! You can't open them until Christmas day. That's always how it is!" She insisted with a giggle at his boyish excitement, but then caved. "Oh, alright, but let me go first . . ." she said, then pointed at the box he carried in. "That's your's"
He smiled, then sat down in front of the couch, pulling the gift to him and quickly ripping off the shiny paper. His jaw dropped, though when he opened the box. Inside was a brand new, full set of golf clubs.
"Are they alright? The guy at the shop said that they were the best." She asked, hesitantly after he didn't say anything.
"Alright? Charlotte, this is . . . wow!" He still couldn't find the words. "You shouldn't have. These are really expensive." He said, picking up the putter and inspecting it.
"I wanted to." She insisted. "I didn't actually know what to get you. Then I saw a photo on your fridge with you and some of your buddies in Korea with golf clubs, so I asked Becky if you liked golfing and she said you did, so I just thought . . . why not?" She giggled a little.
"Makes my present look cheap." He said sheepishly as he handed a flat, rectangular package up to her.
"You didn't have to get me anything." She said as she started taking the paper off. When she had, she found a beautiful framed picture of all five of them, the day the had gone whale watching. "John, it's beautiful!" she gasped, looking at the photo. "I had forgotten we had this taken. It's beautiful." She said again, without looking up from it.
John's hand covered the picture for a moment and she heard the clinking of something against the frame's glass. She gasped as he pulled his hand away, leaving a diamond ring sitting on top of the frame in her lap. "I want you always to be in the picture." She heard him say as she picked up the ring.
She quickly looked up at him, her face pale. "John, are you . . ." She couldn't even finish her question,
"Charlotte, will you marry me?"
Kathy looked up from the snowball she was packing together to inspected it. "Too short." She said decisively, then launched the snowball at her older sister who was trying to catch snowflakes on her tongue and showing Kim how to do it.
Charlotte sent John a consoling smile. They had been out in the snow for an hour and a half looking for the perfect tree, all to no avail. This one was to short, that one was to tall, the other one was to skinny.
Becky and Kathy were now breaking into a snowball fight, and both of the adults had to laugh as Kim tried to make a ball and throw it, but only managing to shower himself in loose snow, staring curiously as to why it didn't work.
Charlotte pointed to a tree at the edge of the grove. "What about that one?"
"Oh! It's perfect!" Becky cried. "Daddy, that's the one!" She said, turning to Trapper.
"Okay," He said with a large grin. "I'll go get it." He turned and headed towards the perfect tree, but before he got very far, a snowball smacked him upside the head. "Who threw that?" He said, spinning quickly. Becky, Kathy and Kim all pointed at Charlotte, who was doing her best to look innocent behind the mischievous smile, and was pointed back at them. "Oh, yeah? Well," he said, quickly dropping the hatchet he carried and grabbing a handful of snow, "C'mere." He said, running towards her with it as she started running with a squeal. The children nearly fell over with fits of giggles as he chased her with the snow, finally catching her by the back of her coat, and shoving the half melted snow down the back of her neck.
Shortly thereafter an all out snowball war erupted, every man for himself. It was another hour before John picked up the discarded hatchet to retrieve the long sought for tree, and he was covered in snow when he did so. After doing so, they tied the tree to the top of Trapper's car, piled the now snotty faced children into the back seat with lots of blankets and headed back for the house.
"Go upstairs and change out of those wet clothes. Don't want you three catching pneumonia!' John ordered as they all filed in through the front door. "Kathy, find Kim some of your old play clothes." He called after them as they solemnly filed up the stairs, disappointed the fun was over for now.
"Lucky for me you have a tomboy for a daughter." Charlotte said, having not thought to bring a change of clothes for Kim.
By the time the kids changed, the tree had been put in its stand and placed in its corner of the living room. A fire blazed in the hearth and the kids started picking out ornaments as Charlotte made hot cocoa and Trapper swore under his breath as he tried to string up the Christmas lights.
Charlotte, who had left the living room in some semblance of order was surprised to be greeted by peels of laughter and tinsel all over everything. The couch, the carpet, and the kids were all covered in tinsel. John, who was now hopelessly tangled in a string of lights, guffawed at the crazy antics.
"Save some tinsel for the tree!" Charlotte said with a laugh, setting down her tray on the coffee table. "Come and get some hot chocolate and cookies." The tinsel was immediately dropped and a mad rush was made. Eventually, and with much help from Charlotte, John managed to disentangle himself from the lights and snag some of the goodies before the kids wolfed it all down."
Soon, the tree was trimmed, and enough tinsel had been scraped off the furnishings to cover the tree, and the kids were hanging their stockings, arguing who got to put the star on top of the tree.
After John lifted Kim to place the star, they all gathered around as he read "The Night before Christmas" to them. Kim was out cold by the end, tired out from all the excitement, and the girls were only half-conscious. "I'll put them to bed." He said, wrapping a sleepy Kathy's arm's around his neck, carrying her piggy-back, and scooping Kim up in his arms. Becky had already attached herself to his leg.
When he got back, Charlotte was carrying a large wrapped package in from outside. "I put Kim in the trundle bed for now." He said, looking at the present. "What's that?"
"Just a Christmas gift." She said, coyly, with a smile.
He reached for the box. "Here, let me." He said.
"Thanks." She said as he took it from her then followed him into the living room. "I'll hate to wake Kim. He never sleeps well after he wakes up."
John set the box down with the rest of the presents under the tree. "You could just let him here." He said.
"I would but he still sometimes wakes in the middle of the night and would want me." She said as she sat down on the sofa, pulling her legs up under her.
John's eyes flickered as he thought of something, but he didn't speak for a moment, but then looked at her with a grin. "Let me give you your Christmas present early." He said.
"NO! You can't open them until Christmas day. That's always how it is!" She insisted with a giggle at his boyish excitement, but then caved. "Oh, alright, but let me go first . . ." she said, then pointed at the box he carried in. "That's your's"
He smiled, then sat down in front of the couch, pulling the gift to him and quickly ripping off the shiny paper. His jaw dropped, though when he opened the box. Inside was a brand new, full set of golf clubs.
"Are they alright? The guy at the shop said that they were the best." She asked, hesitantly after he didn't say anything.
"Alright? Charlotte, this is . . . wow!" He still couldn't find the words. "You shouldn't have. These are really expensive." He said, picking up the putter and inspecting it.
"I wanted to." She insisted. "I didn't actually know what to get you. Then I saw a photo on your fridge with you and some of your buddies in Korea with golf clubs, so I asked Becky if you liked golfing and she said you did, so I just thought . . . why not?" She giggled a little.
"Makes my present look cheap." He said sheepishly as he handed a flat, rectangular package up to her.
"You didn't have to get me anything." She said as she started taking the paper off. When she had, she found a beautiful framed picture of all five of them, the day the had gone whale watching. "John, it's beautiful!" she gasped, looking at the photo. "I had forgotten we had this taken. It's beautiful." She said again, without looking up from it.
John's hand covered the picture for a moment and she heard the clinking of something against the frame's glass. She gasped as he pulled his hand away, leaving a diamond ring sitting on top of the frame in her lap. "I want you always to be in the picture." She heard him say as she picked up the ring.
She quickly looked up at him, her face pale. "John, are you . . ." She couldn't even finish her question,
"Charlotte, will you marry me?"
