Friends

26 December 2013

A VIEW OF CHRISTMAS



A VIEW OF CHRISTMAS


The scene beyond the rustic garden gate was like a Christmas card. Outside the ivy laden cottage a robin was perched in a holly bush. A recent snowfall covered the thatched roof like oddly shaped clumps of cotton wool. Leaded light windows reflected the orange flames from the fire. Beneath those windows, a wooden wheelbarrow filled with logs.  The bare beech tree looked strangely out of place, dull brown when everything else was highly coloured. The cottage door, as red as the holly berries, was adorned by a festive wreath. The door was ajar and inside could be seen a Swedish Pine of mammoth proportions ablaze with twinkling lights. And the aroma that emanated from within was of turkey, slowly roasting.
   
In the snow-packed lane, an elderly itinerant peered over the boundary hedge, white unkempt hair wafting skywards in the biting wind. With ice-cold fingers he smoothed it over his crown then pulled his shabby grey coat closer to his chest. The motions were entirely mechanical for he was truly not conscious of the cold. He had no need of fires or Christmas fare, for his soul was warmed through with love for Jesus, who kept him safe and whose birthday they shared. 

THE END

(This story should have appeared on Christmas Day but the formatting was so terrible I removed it)

12 comments:

  1. Valerie, both the photo you chose and story you share are truly BEAUTIFUL!

    Perfection!

    Have a terrific Thursday, dear lady!

    X

    P.S. Yes, what' up with the formatting in the post editor at Blogger? I'm having the same issue with my posts. Thank god I know HTML because I've had to reformat many of my posts before publishing.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Valerie. This was just so touching and beautiful. Thank you for sharing it. I hope you and Joe had a wonderful Christmas together.

    ReplyDelete
  3. smiles...i wonder if he is santa claus? sounds like he has the right kinda warmth going on...

    i hope you had a wonderful christmas val...

    ReplyDelete
  4. Good morning, Ron. I know little bits about HTML but should know more. I was a bit of a late starter in that area and didn't give it much attention. Maybe now's the time! I notice things have changed for the better since I had the last moan. Anyway, I'm glad you liked the short tale.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Brian, my mind didn't reach as far as Father Christmas when I wrote this piece. Maybe next year I can come up with something different... smiles.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Perfect for today as we sit on the edge of the new year.

    I hope your Boxing Day was enjoyable. We....had bubble and squeak. The best bit of the day after. LOL

    ReplyDelete
  7. Beautiful Christmas scene and words. And thanks for visiting, I see we have several common blogging friends....:)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hi there, Troutbuilder... yes indeed we do share a lot of blogging friends ... isn't that great? Thank you so much for visiting again.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Oooh Mel, I do love bubble and squeak, no matter which day I eat it. Hope your holiday was enjoyable.

    ReplyDelete
  10. A lovely little tale, Valerie, and the photo so appropriate too. I hope your Christmas was full of love.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Beautifully done !!

    Hope the holidays were magical
    and relaxing ... memories made
    to share .

    ReplyDelete

If you're new to A Mixed Bag you might find something to interest you, a bit of mirth, a story or two, or some pictures. I'm so pleased you popped in, do leave a comment if you have time.