The Wonder of the Season

First Published December 16, 2015

Fresh snowfall, Christmas preparations, and grandchildren’s concerts evoke this memory I described in my novel The Lost Encore. The main character, Angele Konrad, ten years old at the time, is lost in the wonder of the season as she travels home with her family by horse and sleigh after participating in her rural school concert.

“A light snow had fallen steadily throughout the day, making the roads nearly impassable. During the evening the sky had cleared and turned the night cold. As the canvas-enclosed sleigh carried them home along the snow-covered road, they enjoyed the warmth of a fire in the little heater. Carlos and Joni were asleep in blankets on a bench, Elena and Mae shared conversation and a lap robe on another. Pauly stood at the front window beside Tony, who sat holding the reins through a small opening in front of him. Perched on his extended knee and surrounded by her family within the sleigh’s warmth, Angele felt a deep satisfaction. She thought it must be like the heavenly contentment Pah sometimes sang about on his way to the barn after supper, How beautiful heaven must be …

She moved her face close to the window and peered beyond the horse’s bobbing rump into the snowy landscape awash in starlight. So still and beautiful, with only the squeak of the runners cutting through the cold, dry snow, the occasional creak of the harness, and the soft jingling of the trace chains. She didn’t want this ride to end; she wanted to believe this was like the night when the Christ-child was born and the oversized stars she saw pinned to the soft black sky were all like the star of Bethlehem. The serenity of the landscape and her childish imaginings mellowed the excitement of the singing, acting, and applause that pulsed through her.”

O Holy Night, indeed!

Wishing the joys of the season to all my readers!

Read all about Angele’s Christmas in Chapter Five of my novel at: Friesenpress.com/bookstore, type The Lost Encore in the upper search box, and click Google Search Box beside Book Detail.