The living room was filled with a warm glow as James stared at his reflection in the glass ornament he had picked up out of the box. He turned and handed it to his mother, who in turn gently placed it on the branch of their Christmas Tree. The scent of her applewood perfume mixed with the smell of pine wafting through the air from their tree, creating an aroma that smelled just like Christmas.
James looked back down at the ground, and the many decorations spread all over. They twinkled and sparkled with a kind of magic, the magic to make a place beautiful. And in the middle was his little sister Alice, playing with the tinsel as if it were the grandest scarf she’d ever seen. She giggled, throwing the sparkly garlands all around the living room. His heart warmed. He knew his mom was trying her best to make Christmas special for him and his sister, and though he had his doubts, this Christmas was already remarkable.
For the first time in a while, he saw his mother smile. That beautiful smile with the ability to light up a room, adding to its beauty. She laughed at his sisters' antics and pulled her up out of the tangled mess. The light from the Christmas tree illuminated their outline, like beautiful angles. James walked over to the coffee table and picked up his hot cocoa, the marshmallows melting on his tongue to complement the chocolate. “How about we put the star on?” His mother called from her spot by the tree. James nodded eagerly, setting his mug down to grab the star from its spot on the couch.
His mother picked up Alice and took the star he held out, climbing back up onto the chair. “Careful,” he joked. “You don't want to drop her!” Alice just looked up at her mother, complete trust in her eyes, and James could tell it melted her heart. As she reached up, James felt something in his heart. He felt hope. Hope for his family and the season, and somehow, someway, he knew everything was going to be ok.