It was amazing to Holly how the time flew by. It seemed like only yesterday she'd been aspiring to become a magician, and had met and befriended a talking snowman who called himself Frosty. And the strangest thing of all was that not only did her friend Charles accept that Frosty was real (and befriend him) but with only a little bit of convincing she'd been able to get the whole town to believe in Frosty.
For a while, anyway. As time went by and the memory of that winter carnival faded away, most assumed they had imagined the whole thing. Holly knew better, but as she was just a kid most didn't believe her. Still, she held out hope that Frosty might come back someday even just to briefly say hi.
Now, Holly was a teenager. She was slated to start high school next year, and her dream of becoming a magician had faded ever so slightly. It was still her dream but she knew that her skills had reached that point where only training with someone more skilled could really help her. Plus, there wasn't really anything she could major in that would put her on the right path there.
So it was that Holly found herself spending her Christmas break (even if the schools always called it a Holiday break) at a party hosted by one of her classmates. She'd made several friends since that encounter with Frosty, but there was one friend she'd been hoping to see that she hadn't seen in a long time: Charles. She could still remember the day about a year after that winter carnival when Charles had told her he was moving away.
The two had tried their best to keep in touch, but communication was always difficult. And the holiday season only made it worse. Had her most recent letter to Charles made it to him? And if so had he already sent a reply?
Well, there was little point in wondering. The red haired teen had come to the party hoping to take her mind off her troubles. At least it was snowing, the weather forecasts leading up to Christmas had originally said snow wasn't going to come and that Christmas would be green instead of white. But when the models had updated the night before everything had changed. A powerful snow making system was sweeping through the area, by Christmas Day it was expected to have blanketed the entire town.
"Hey, Holly," One of the party guests called from another room. "The party's in full swing! Don't you wanna grab some egg nog and play some party games?"
"Maybe in a minute." Holly called back and let out a sigh. She'd been waiting for long enough. Charles was probably not coming. Yet another holiday season would be spent without her best friend.
But just as Holly had resigned herself to what seemed like the inevitable, she heard the door open. Could it be?!
Leaping to her feet, Holly ran to try and get a glimpse of who was at the door. As she got closer she managed to hear a voice she thought she would never hear again. "The first snow of the season, and it falls on Christmas. So I guess that makes it a Christmas snow."
Holly couldn't believe her eyes! Standing before her was a tall and slender teenage boy with those instantly recognizable glasses! It was him! "Charles!" She happily exclaimed as she ran to greet him!
Charles just adjusted his glasses and flashed a warm smile. "It's great to see you again, Holly. My apologies for not answering all your letters right away. I've been trying to ask my parents for one of those cellular phones, but they always say no."
"Hey, that's okay, I don't have one of those yet either," Holly replied. "Mom and Dad say I'll have to get a job and buy one myself if I want it," Then she hugged Charles. "Oh Charles, how I've missed you."
Charles continued to smile. "I missed you too, Holly. This Christmas party was the perfect opportunity for me to meet you again."
The red haired girl ended the hug as she let Charles hang up his coat and take off his scarf. His hair had grown a little since their first meeting all those years ago, but he was still the same loveable Charles on the inside. At least, she hoped he was. "So, what have you been doing, Charles?"
The teenaged boy simply replied. "I've been doing research. Research on snowmen."
"You mean, like Frosty?" Holly questioned.
Charles nodded. "Somewhat. I wanted to know whether Frosty was one of a kind or if it was possible that other snowmen like him existed somewhere," He cleared his throat. "There are supposedly stories about snowmen coming to life like magic, but it's all just rumors and speculation, no concrete proof."
"And you haven't seen Frosty again either, have you?" Holly guessed.
The boy shook his head. "I have not. I suppose he must go wherever he's needed. He helped both of us, and who knows how many other kids all around the world need help making friends?"
Holly reluctantly nodded. "I suppose that makes sense. Would be nice to see Frosty again though, even just for a little while," Then, as she looked up toward the ceiling she got an idea. "Say, Charles." She questioned.
Charles, suspecting nothing, replied. "Yes, Holly?"
The red haired girl, sensing her opportunity, pulled her friend close so they were both standing beneath the mistletoe that had been clumsily strung up above. But it would do for now. "You know what happens when you're under the mistletoe, right?" She asked him.
"We kiss, but I don't see why you'd…" Charles began, only to be cut off as Holly pressed his lips up against hers. Hesitant for but a second, he returned the kiss and the two shared the embrace for a sweet moment.
"I love you, Charles!" Holly warmly declared as the kiss ended and they separated for air.
"I… love you too, Holly," Charles commented as his face seemed to flush red for a moment. "But… why did you do that? I knew we were close, but I never really thought about romance."
Holly just replied. "I guess it's the spirit of the holiday. The more I thought about you and the good times we used to have together, the more I realized I loved having you in my life. You complete me, Charles."