Snowangels and Wellies

It had been nearly two weeks since Vivienne had finished her role as a snowflake in the local ballet company's rendition of The Nutcracker. If Vivienne had to hear one more piece by Pyotr Illyich Tchaikovsky, she would throw her pointe shoe at the radio playing Christmas music, or the television playing car advertisements. Really Vivienne Noël didn't dislike Tchaikovsky's work, but she was very tired of it. After years of Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Romeo and Juliet, and The Nutcracker, she had developed a mild disdain for each of the pieces by the time the ballet was finished, only for it to dissipate by the next season. Each season, she was filled with wonder and excitement, and this season had been no different. She had enjoyed her role, but it was time to rest and spend the holidays with family and friends.

It struck her as odd that this year was to be different. Her birthday was two days before Christmas, and she had passed her driving test. But her parents would not get her a car, even though her mother, Veronica, had told her husband that she couldn't keep driving her around to all the ballet practices and rehearsals for one more year. Vivienne was crushed.

"Mom, seriously, I'm sixteen," she whined.

"I don't want to hear it again," Victoria said on her daughter's birthday as she was baking pecan pies and dreading Christmas in general. Her husband had recently gotten a promotion and had to work Christmas Eve, leaving Victoria, a schoolteacher, alone with the kids over the majority of Christmas break.

"But Mom!"

"NO. You are not getting a new car no matter how much you whine, end of discussion."

Vivienne called her friend Jess and whined about how much she wanted that little baby blue mustang she saw at the dealership back when her dad was contemplating the purchase of a new car. Jess said that all parents suck and she should be thankful that hers weren't divorced. Vivienne invited Jess to walk over to her house, which was in the same gated community. Jess and Vivienne threw themselves out into the 3 ft. drifts of snow, making snow angels and throwing snowballs like they did five years earlier when school had been cancelled. For one moment, Vivienne forgot all about the car.

foot popping kiss at midnight

Kate's boyfriend of a year was indeed the cat's meow. Tall, dark and handsome, he never failed to be sweet to her. He even gave Kate her childhood Christmas wish; a kitten under the tree on Christmas morning, meowing and playing in the tinsel. The adopted kitty was an affectionate 9 month-old adopted from the shelter. He was named Matisse and would slink around the apartment, scaring her superstitious roommate, Ana, who believed that the black kitty was bad luck and was ruining her love life.

On New Year's Eve, Luca, Kate's sexy boyfriend, asked her if she would love him even if he were broke. Kate said that she would, and they spent the night in, even though she had planned on dressing up in her splurge of the year; a pair of Givenchy stilettos that cost nearly a month's rent. Sadly, she put away the beautiful shoes and put on a pair of sweats, a camisole and flip-flops. At midgnight, he popped a bottle of champagne Kate's sister Jane left for her on Christmas Eve. As the university bells could be heard in the distance striking each hour, he told her that she was beautiful, and stooped down to kiss her. This was the first year that Kate hadn't been alone on New Year's Eve, and she couldn't have been happier.