Waiting for the Snow to Come

Snow doesn't fall here. We wait for it all year, but it never comes. It's chilly yes, and as we walk through the streets wrapped in out sweaters and scarves, we curse the cold wind that bites our skin.  But we know deep inside that all we really want is snow.
People leave town for the holidays. Not all of them, of corse, but it's easy to notice the difference when the town you live in is small. Nobody comes though. Family for everyone is out there somewhere, somewhere other than here, and nobody wants to come to a place with no snow.
We prepare for the holidays with cheer. Those of us who are brave string lights outside our houses. We put up our trees and decorate them while laughing at all the Christmas memories we have. It's no different from anywhere else, really.
On Christmas Eve, those of us who are left go outside once the stars are out. We sit on our porches and place lit candles at our feet. We then proceed to sing Christmas carols until it's time for the small children to go to sleep. We pass around our Christmas cookies and sing until our throats go sore. And even then, we sing until it seems like the stars are singing with us.
Patty comes around at some point during the night to give us all Christmas hugs. We give her the biggest hugs we can manage while trying not to break any of her thin bones. When a child in one of the families turns eight, she gives them a small, crocheted Christmas ornament to put on the tree. She puts care into each one, and each one is different. But it's something that the kids get excited for each year.
As the night draws to a close, all of the families have their own traditions. Some read the chapters in the Bible where it tell the story of Jesus' birth. Or maybe the parents let their kid each open one present that's under the tree. Some of us look outside, waiting for the snow to come. Even though we know that it really won't come, we do know one thing. That on Christmas day, there will be smiles on our faces as we spend the day with the people that we love.