Keeping the Fire

Notes on New Year's Eve.

Credit: Kichigin.

Our kids are playing by the fire when we hear the chime jingle bells. The little ones freeze in their tracks. They had seen what appeared to have been a sleigh in the night sky earlier. Now their ears are raised to the air and their eyes are wide with wonder and suspicion. A hearty knock at the door, and a booming voice bids us open it.