Age 7:
"What about that one, Tempe?" Matthew asked his daughter, watching her peer out of the window, the warm fluffy pink coat she was wearing impeding her view a moment, she pushed at it with her hand and peered out the window.
"Nah… nah, I don't like the blue lights on that one, Daddy." She said. "My favorite is down the road still." Temperance said as she swiped her hand across the window to remove the steam from her breath on the glass.
"Is it this one?" Matthew asked, pointing at a house with lights that glittered in the bushes, and colorful lights on the spruce trees in the front yard.
"Yeah! I like that one… the lights in the bushes look like little stars." She smiled at her father as he slowed at the house. "That one is my favorite, Daddy."
"I'm glad we found you a favorite, I was afraid we'd be driving around all night long looking for one." He said, glancing to his wife in the passenger seat as they smiled at one another. The warmth of their love was felt through the car, as Christine reached forward and turned the radio up just a little.
The little girl sat in her seat watching her mother sing along, the side of her face illuminated by the lights of the passing cars and the street lights, often the colors of the Christmas lights would light up the side of her face as she periodically looked into the back seat at her two children. Temperance was enamored by the beauty of her mother, listening to the angelic sound of her voice, her focus remained steady.
"Mommy?" Temperance said, watching her mother's eyes meet hers, she couldn't help but smile. "You have a very pretty voice."
"And so do you, angel." She smiled as she watched her daughter's blue eyes sparkle.
"Mommy, are there really angels?" She asked, watching her father start to speak, her mother reached across and touched her husband's lips to stop his response.
"Your daddy would have believe that there are no such thing as angels… he tends to stick to what he can see and feel, and touch. But mommy thinks that there are angels, she's pretty sure of it."
"Have you ever seen a real angel, Mommy?"
"You can't see real angels, baby girl… but you can feel them…" She smiled. "You know when you're standing in front of the Christmas tree, and you breathe really deeply, and all you smell is the realness of the tree, and you open your eyes, and you see those sparkly lights."
"Yeah…"
"And you get a little shiver down your spine, because you're so happy that you're surrounded by everyone you love."
"Yeah."
"That shiver…" She said, reaching her hand into the back seat, she tickled her daughter's neck as she giggled. "That's an angel kissing you." She smiled.
"No it's not, Mommy!" She laughed, pulling her mother's hand from hers, she held it in her hand, fumbling with the ring on her mother's finger for a moment.
"Are you saying that I don't know what an angel's kiss feels like?" Christine asked, pretending to be surprised.
"No!" Temperance laughed. "I believe you, Mommy!" She giggled, lifting her mother's hands to her lips, she kissed her on her knuckle, watching her smile brightly.
"Oh! I think I was just kissed by an angel!" Christine exclaimed as Temperance let out a laugh that filled the entire car.
"It was just me, Mommy! It was just me!" Temperance said happily, as the drive home from their annual Christmas eve trip was filled with laughter, singing and happiness, and another Christmas of family.