WINTER WONDERLAND: THE FIRST WEEK
Midnight falls upon the castle, and the clock slowly ticks to midnight. As the hands come together on the “12” and the second needle meets them, snow starts to fall outside, in dusty white swirls. The air is still, the sky is crystal clear, and the world is silent.
The season’s coming.
The first week is a beautiful thing; it’s finally cold enough for the snow to linger, and the grass slowly disappears under a blanket of wet snow that crunches with every step. The trees are finally barren, and every morning the residents of Cair Paradisa wake to misted up windows, warmer blankets on their beds, and winter wardrobes. Outside, chickadees flit between naked branches and the evergreens, and children leave the grounds covered in half-finished snow forts and lopsided snowmen.
Christmas decorations start to come up. Boughs of evergreens and holly wrapped around the bannisters, twined with red and gold ribbon. Little christmas trees, each covered with tiny candles and topped with surprisingly
real enchanted doves. Clusters of silver bells, polished to a mirror shine.
The kitchen seems to always smell of fresh cookies and brownies, and every table seems to be stocked with some sort of holiday treat. Bundles of candy canes, dishes of mints, plates of cake. Paradisa’s normally rich dinners seem to be brought up yet another level, and are accompanied by fine wines and juices.
The atmosphere is warm, cheery, festive.
Something subtle, some great power, seems to fill every room with some sort of warmth. There’s an abundance of love that makes good moods just infectious... and if you’re a sour puss, well... Scrooge on, you crazy diamonds.
It feels good. T’is the season, and all.
THE ADVENT CALENDARS
Each resident will find an advent calendar on their wall, crafted from delicate polished wood. It has 31 doors, each with an intricately carved number and golden hinges and locks. Every day, another door unlocks, revealing a foil-wrapped chocolate filled with rich flavoured cremes.
The calendar isn’t unbreakable, so anyone with a screwdriver or even a fork to pry off the locks can forge on ahead. Curiously, some days are empty: 6, 12, 15, 24, 25 and 29.
SPECIAL DAYS
The first “empty” advent day is Sunday the 6th. It’s subtle, or at least as subtle as Paradisa can be: whatever you order to eat or make has that familiar quality to it. Whether it’s a plate of ratatouille exactly like mother used to make, a perfectly grilled steak that brings you back to your first date with your first love, or a bite of ice cream that reminds you of hot summer days on the beach back home, it takes you back.
There’s something about the experience that just sticks out.
And, of course, it could be ascertained that Paradisa is trying to remind you of
home...MORE INFORMATION COMING...
Friday-ish: Week two’s mission orders and information on the yearly Christmas tradition.
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ex-boudica.livejournal.com2009-11-30 12:25 am
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