Christmas morning dawned with new snow covering the little that had fallen previously.
"It"s lovely out there," Claire told her mother when she went into the kitchen. Her mom, dressed in a flowered robe covered with an apron, was turning the patties of sausage frying in the skillet. She went to her mother, kissed her on the cheek, and said, "Merry Christmas."
Her mom bussed her back. "Your father has already cut into the bread wreath. Help yourself."
Claire was an only child. Now that she was grown, she no longer rose before the sun on Christmas Day to rouse sleeping parents. Still, the scent of pine combined with freshly baked bread and spices filled her with the day"s expectations.
After breakfast was done and the dishes washed and stacked in the rack, it was time to open gifts. As w
