Mistletoe Miracles

Chapter 7

Looking at all the cookies cooling on the racks, I turn to look at my mother who is busy preparing royal icing so that we can get to decorating right away. This morning she had woken me bright and early, and by early I mean five in the morning and the sky was still dark as night. It took the promise of hot coffee and breakfast for me to climb out of bed, take a much-needed shower, and stumble down the stairs to the sounds of Christmas songs coming from the kitchen.

She had greeted me with a cheery Good Morning and a mug of coffee in hand. I just replied with a groan, accepting the hot beverage and dragging a sip. True to her word, my mother had breakfast waiting for us and after our meal and two more cups of coffee, I was put to work portioning out ingredients for each and every batch of cookies she planned to bake and decorate while she went to work mixing the dough. This alone took two hours to complete, and we hadn't even gotten to the baking part yet.

Now, looking at the clock above the kitchen door, I sighed and returned my gaze to the plate of cookies that my mother said we could snack on.

"Are you okay Marissa?" My mother asked, looking up from the piping bags of various colored royal icing.

"Just peachy." I stated sarcastically, getting an eye roll in return. My mother returns to portioning the icing, humming along to some pop version of 'O' Christmas Tree' and I swipe a cookie from the plate. I wonder where my father had run off to, the man waking up three hours into mine and my mother's baking marathon and coming down to swipe a thermos of coffee. He said he was going to work on my mother's Christmas gift and would be back before dinner tonight and that piqued my curiosity. Usually my dad got some new baking gadget for her each Christmas, saying she could use it to bake even more cookies next year, so what type of gift did he get her that required him to leave the house and work on it.

"I think the cookies will need another hour or two to cool off before we decorate them." My mother says as she straightens up, her words bringing me from my thoughts.

"So I am free to go for a few hours?" I asked, hope creeping into my voice. She sighs, giving me a disapproving glance that soon forms into a soft smile. She knows it has been a while since I shopped on Mill Street, the last time being Canada Day during the night market on the day of the holiday, so hopefully, she will let me take these two hours to just relax and browse the shops before I return to decorate the hundreds of cookies we baked earlier.

"Yeah. I guess you could go out for a bit. I know you are sitting to go look at the shops on Mill Street." She agrees, nodding her head towards the door. With a grin, I rushed to her side, placed a kiss on her cheek, and then ran out of the kitchen before she could change her mind. I heard her laughter following after me as I shrugged on my winter coat and slipped into my snow boots. Luckily, I had left my purse on the hall table and already had my cell phone in my pocket, so I did not have to worry about running upstairs and wasting valuable shopping time. It seems it had snowed last night as a light layer covers my car. Thankfully, it wasn't the usual blizzard we normally see up here, or my shopping trip would have had to be canceled.

Grabbing the snow brush from my trunk, I get to work cleaning the little snow from the car before throwing the brush back into the trunk and climbing into the driver's seat. As soon as I turn on the car, the radio comes to life with its usual Christmas song, making my smile grow wider.

I know I already have a few gifts for my parents, but maybe I could find something else for the two of them while I am out. Hell, I might even find something for Alice after everything she has done for me these last two weeks since my breakup.