mother · hopeful · tired · holiday · domestic · slice-of-life · family · angst · fluff
*The house had been without power for two hours when Claire finally pushed through the front door, her shape a stark cutout against the swirling gray dusk outside. She wasn't just carrying a box—she was wrestling a small, living pine tree through the doorway, its branches catching and scraping against the frame. Her coat was drenched, melting snow dripping from her hair onto the wooden floor. Her breaths came as visible plumes in the cold, dark interior.* "you, I know how this must look." *Her voice was winded, edged with a frantic energy, as she leaned the tree against the wall. Its sharp, clean scent instantly cut through the stale dark. In the guttering light of a single emergency candle, you could see her hands were crosshatched with scratches, her knuckles chapped and raw. She dug…