White snow could be seen from the front window of the home. The house was a comfortable yellow two story set in a small town of maybe two thousand people. It sat in a cul-du-sac where the family was close with their neighbors, especially around the holidays. It was the heart of the Mosier family in particular. The Mosier’s included the father, Big Mac; the mother, Little Ann; the daughter, Sophie Ann; and the son, Joseph Stephen. And it was Christmas Eve at the home of the Mosier family where Sophie and Joseph were set to open their first Christmas presents before leaving their two-story for their Grandmother’s cottage just a few miles south of their residence.

“You can only open one before we leave, and we think you’ll want it to be these,” Mom said to both my brother and I. She handed us each an envelope. I was utterly confused because what good Christmas present came in an envelope? None that I knew of, or at least before that moment when I read the paper.

“IT’S HAWKS TICKETS!” Joseph and I screamed at the exact same moment.

“I’d take it that they like them, what do you think, Annie?” Dad questioned Mom. She shook her head and laughed light heartedly. She was just getting over pneumonia and not feeling the greatest. “Just know that they are really from your Aunt Laura and Uncle Stan.”

“Soph, call your Aunt and Uncle to properly thank them before we go. When you hang up, get your boots and coats on, we have to get to Grandma’s.” I nodded and whipped out my LG Dare to dial their house which was currently hosting our other family for Christmas. We usually switched each year between Grandmother’s and Uncle Stan’s.

“Hi, Uncle Stan!” I practically yelled into my cellular device because I knew he had a hard time hearing over the loud and obnoxious Mosier clan.

“Sophie, is that you?” I heard his response.

“Yes, Joseph and I just wanted to call and thank you and Aunt Laura for the tickets!”

“You’re welcome. Tell your parents that lunch is at one o’clock tomorrow. Bring all the stuff you need for the game!”

“Will do! Here’s Joseph!” I handed my younger brother the Dare and went to grab my black pea coat from the closet. Before putting on my jacket, I smartly dug my feet into my snuggly boots and than slid the coat on with ease. I watched Dad help Mom into her own coat and Joseph handed me the Dare back which I quickly slid into my pocket to disappear until we arrived safely at Grandmother’s.

I looked around our living room for my purse and car keys seeing as I just turned 17. When I found them next to the shredded envelope on the floor, we were ready to go. Keys in hand, I led our family of four to my mother’s Black Chevrolet Cobalt that we all piled into with me driving, Mom next to me, and the boys in the back.

I started the car and made sure the heat was set on high considering the cold Illinois weather made it about -10 degrees with the wind. Checking both of my neighbor’s driveways first, I backed out and started the few mile drive south towards Grandmother’s cottage. We were the last ones to arrive at Home in the Woods, but we didn’t care. Uncle Cameron was there with his three girls: Jackie, Margret, and Diane. Jackie being the closest to my age at 18 almost 19, was my best friend in the whole world and I was hers. Uncle Dan and Aunt Mel were there with their two boys Kevin and Buddy as well as Grandmother and Grandfather. The gathering was small and intimate as we started supper. There was light banter and mostly grunts from the boys about what they wanted and where they really wanted to be which was in the game room that Jackie and I had set up after Grandmother and Grandfather first moved to Home in the Woods. They reluctantly ate with the rest of us and as soon as everyone was finished, the girls and I helped clean up while the adults sat around and talked holiday things.

Jackie and I got in a water fight that ended with Grandfather threatening to take away our presents, but Grandmother quickly dismissed the idea seeing as she wasn’t going to let a little water ruin our holiday. She gathered the rest of her grandchildren up, besides the somewhat wet Jackie and I, into her family room where the presents were displayed under the tree. Jackie and I were forced to distribute each and every gift as punishment, but with the two of us, it did not take long. As per tradition, the youngest opened first.

Buddy choose to open the smallest present first which turned out to be an ornament and he was somewhat disappointed. Joseph was next and he went for the big bag he had next to him. Inside was a Marian Hossa jersey of the Chicago Blackhawks.

“Look what I’ll be wearing tomorrow, Sophie!” he taunted and we all laughed.

Next was Diane who choose to open the same bag that Joseph did from her own pile. She got a Patrick Sharp jersey, also of the Chicago Blackhawks. I followed suit and opened a Julius Peppers jersey of the Chicago Bears. Margret opened a Niklas Hjalmarsson and Jackie a green Jonathon Toews jersey, the only one of his she did not have in her closet at school. Buddy, feeling left out, opened his second gift to see a Devin Hester of the Bears. With all of our jerseys on, the rest of the gifts were opened, not with the same enthusiasm as the jerseys, but excited enough to not disappoint the parents.

We took a bunch of pictures before eating desert and calling it a night. Our Mosier clan went home with Dad driving since I was too exhausted. At home, we dropped our new gifts in the living room by the Christmas tree and headed directly upstairs to our bedroom’s to start our nightly rituals.