The Bureau of Dreams to be Continued by Edward Drobinski - HTML preview

The Bureau of Dreams to be Continued

Page 134

First Christmas

In a small snow dusted town nestled between pine covered hills, a baby named Clara was about to experience her very first Christmas. She was just nine months old, with wide hazel eyes and a laugh that sounded like sleigh bells. Though she couldn’t yet speak or walk, her presence had already transformed her parents’ world into something brighter, softer, and more magical.

Her parents, Emma and Jonah, had always loved Christmas; the twinkling lights, the scent of cinnamon and pine, the carols drifting through the air. But this year felt different. Every ornament they hung, every cookie they baked, every fire they lit was done with Clara in mind.

On Christmas Eve, snow fell gently outside as Clara sat bundled in a red knit onesie, her tiny hands reaching for the shimmering tree. Her favorite ornament was a plush reindeer that jingled when touched. She giggled every time it bounced, and her parents took turns making it dance just for her.

That night, they read her a story by the fire; “The Night Before Christmas,” though she mostly babbled and tried to chew the book. Still, Emma swore Clara smiled when she heard “Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.”