Eggnog & Evergreen

27 • Snowman

Nik and I stand over our snowman's skeleton. I mean technically, he's an invertebrate, but he will have two very killer twigs for arms.

"Let's forage for coat buttons," I say.

A tiny patch of dirt is barely visible under the shrubs. I bend down and clear the top layer away in search of little pebbles.

"Coat buttons?"

"Well, if you're going to make me build a snowman, I'm going to do it right," I say, throwing up my hands indicating duh.

"What are the odds we find a carrot out here?" Nik walks over to the next tree.

"I don't know. What are the odds you have one in your sleigh?" I ask. "Probably high," I add under my breath.

Nik laughs, eyes rolling affectionately. I can't help but smile back.

I find three uneven and mismatched rocks that will suffice as buttons. I add them to the arms, and Nik walks back over, holding long pieces of pine trees.

"Uh -What are you doing?" I ask, head tilted.

"Just making," Nik says, effortlessly bending the spindly branches into a loop with a long green tail hanging down. "Our snowman's scarf."

"You would," I laugh. "Don't show that to my aunt and uncle."

"So, we can start selling scarves at Trodder's?" Nik asks, head tilted.

"Exactly," I say, picking up the end of the green tail. "You know, I'd totally wear this."

"Yeah? Not too festive for you?"

"Hmm. No silver and gold. Doesn't have any hanging snowballs or holiday fringe." I nod.

Nik gathers snow from under all the tress and starts compacting three separate snowballs. He places the smallest one down beside the rocks and twigs.

"That'll be the head," he says. He picks up another snowball and hands it to me. "You work on the belly. I'll start the legs."

I take the medium-sized ball and start slowly adding more to it. The perfectionist inside me is trying her darndest to make it as round as possible. I admire Nik's large arms rolling the large snowball around like it's nothing.

He hums absentmindedly and even with the swirling wind and thickening snow, I have no difficulty picking up the melody.

"Really?" I scoff. "A bit cliché, don't you think?"

"We are in a meadow, and we are building a snowman." Nik shrugs. "Plus, you brought up the song!"

"It was not an invitation to hum it!" I roll my eyes.

I squint through the snow but can almost barely see Nik anymore. I only see his dark outline contrasting with all the white. Snowman's belly is now very (keg-level) full. No six-packs for him. I plop it on the ground next to what I can still see of the twigs.

"How's this?" Nik asks.

I turn around to see a looming white blob walking towards me. Nik's coat is covered in snow and his face is obscured by the most colossal snowball I've ever seen!

"Oh my god," I laugh. "Are we making the abominable snowman?"

"Looks like it." Nik grins. At least -it sounds like he's grinning. "Come on."

Nik jaunts over to the space beneath the pines, where the snow's falling slightly less aggressively. The red sleigh beside us is overflowing with snow. Nik brushes the snowflakes from his beard and pulls off his gloves. He's crazy!

We set up the bottom tier snowball on the ground, packing the snow around it nice and firm.

"Go on," Nik urges, patiently waiting for me to add my keg.

I place the middle ball on the snowman, making sure it sits just perfectly.

"And here's the head," Nik says, placing on the last ball.

"The accouterments." I told out the pebble and twigs, and Nik's homemade DIY scarf.

I press the uneven rocks into PB's belly, and Nik carefully applies the pine noose.

"But what will we use for its hat?" Nik asks, pondering way too seriously for a snowman's sake.

I pull Nik's spare beanie from my head and remove several solid ice chunks that formed along the edges. "I volunteer this."

I lean up to try and toss it onto the head, but I lose my footing and stumble into Nik, grabbing his (previously dreamed about) foreman to steady myself.

"Woah," Nik says, quickly removing his hand from my waist. "Let me."

Nik takes the beanie from my outstretched palm and sets it nicely onto the PB's head. We step back to admire our build, like 10-year-olds on a snow day.

"He's not so bad," I say. The pine scarf billows in the wind.

"Looks like we finished just in time," Nik says.

I follow his line of sight to the sky in front of us. It is pure with snow.

"Where's the sled?" I ask, looking where I know the sleigh must be.

"This way." Nik pulls my hand.

I follow him out from under the shelter of the pines. Somehow, it's snowed another foot since we've been here. It's not science.

"Damn," I curse. "That's the sleigh."

I wince as my foot collides with the side of the sleigh.

"We better get moving," Nik says, unsure.

"Are we close to the farm?"

"Kind of," he pauses. "We're closer to my cabin. If we wanted to go-"

"Whatever will get me inside faster," I say, my teeth beginning to chatter.

Trotter and Minka spring to life almost as soon as we're situated in the sleigh.

Nik stretches back in the sleigh, relaxed, like he's just sun-bathing on a hot, sandy beach. My eyes follow his turtleneck up to his jaw and onto his midnight shadow beard. Any minute, or several hundred, I'll be inside Nik's mountain cabin.

No, Noe!

I divert my eyes up, looking at the churning clouds. The ominousness is literally tangible. I clamp my soaking wet mittens over my cold, red ears -like this will somehow help! My bone marrow must be frozen by now.

Winter wonderland my ass.