Jim hit pause on the remote and strained his ears.
“I do now, shall we?”
Laura and Jim rose from their sofa and headed to the front door and passed the advent calendar with too many chocolates already missing – Jim.
The sound outside was getting louder.
Conscious of the cold breeze outside, the pair donned their winter coats and opened the door. The snow sat heavenly on the ground, the hedgerow and over the cars all up and down the road. The sky - filled with a thick, heavy grey, hung above and then began to shed whispers of white.
The carollers, seven strong, sang.
They’d finished Good King Wenceslas as they rounded the driveway and were now fully immersed in a modern rendition of Silent Night.
The pair stood there, shivering a little, but holding each other tightly.
As the carollers passed the mid-way point, a tear began to form on Laura’s face and then swiftly freeze. Her cheek glinted. Jim looked over at her and smiled.
“Are you OK, my love?”
Laura turned slowly, looked up at Jim and said,
“It’s, it’s just…”
Her words stuttered and stalled.
“What, my love? What is it?”
Laura leaned in towards Jim’s ear and whispered,
“…they’re just so bad!”