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Today was a special day.  Laurenn remembered it as soon as the sun began to invade her consciousness.  It was knocking on the door of her eyelids with a pesky persistence.  But today was a Saturday.  She didn’t have to answer the call of that faithful light.  

She could sleep in.  She didn’t have school.  But she did have…a birthday to celebrate!  An important one too.  Number fourteen.  Two sevens.  Double perfection.  In the year BTS achieved their first seven, Laurenn grasped two.  She hoped that today would be doubly perfect too.

She rolled over and climbed out of bed.  After dressing, she ran a brush through her long, dark locks and headed for the door.  Would she catch her mom working on a special breakfast for her birthday?

But all thoughts of food slipped from her mind as she opened her bedroom door.  A beautifully wrapped box was resting on the floor across the threshold of her door.  The wrapping paper was an iridescent gold that kept casting rainbows up into her eyes.  A matching bow adorned the top of the box.

The box was relatively large.  A square foot, Laurenn would have guessed.  But when she bent to pick it up, she discovered that the gift was quite light.  It surprised her.  She nearly dropped it.  Expecting it to weigh more, she almost overcompensated for its lightness.  But she caught herself – and the box – at the last instant.  Curiously, she stood gazing down at it as she wondered who this beautiful present could be from.

She glanced around, but no gift giver was lurking in the shadows.  Eager to open her present, she carried the box out to the kitchen.  Expecting to find her mother there.  But the room was empty.  Disappointed, Laurenn set the box on the table and reached out to undo the bow, but she soon realized that it was part of the lid; all she had to do was lift the lid off the box.

When she did so, she was instantly grateful that she hadn’t dropped the box a couple of minutes ago, for she suddenly revealed a beautiful snow globe nestled inside a bowl of foam balls that had been fused together to provide her treasure with a cushion.

Laurenn gasped as she unearthed her prize.  She held it up to examine it after dusting off the few soft, white balls that had clung to it.  She stared at the little doll trapped inside the glass sphere.  The tiny creature looked just like her!  Long, dark locks framing her face, the doll’s face was lit up with wonder.

“Well, of course, you’re happy,” Laurenn murmured as she gave the snow globe a shake and watched while a thousand tiny pieces of white glitter swirled around the miniature her.  “You’re dancing in the snow I’ve always wanted to play in.”

She watched in wonder as the artificial snow continued its soft descent around the tiny figure.  Once it had all settled to the bottom of the globe, Laurenn closed her eyes and pictured herself in the Midwest where her good friend lived.  Laurenn saw herself surrounded by snow.  Its reflection causing even the night sky to appear white.  She could feel the chill air surrounding her as she watched her breath crystallizing in front of her in a bubble of that cold vapor.  The ground was glistening, a landscape of pure silver under the moonlight.  Even in her imagination, it was all breathtakingly beautiful.  She drank in the crisp air as her eyes slid across the pale panorama.  How did the wonder of snow transform midnight into noon?

But with her next breath, she was brought crashing down to earth.  The warm air of Hawaii surrounded her and flooded her lungs with its life-giving force.  Her eyes fluttered open in disappointment.  She’d been born in November.  A cold month for those who lived in the northern United States.  But she was constantly surrounded by the balmy perfection found near the equator.  What she would have given for one week in the frigid beauty of a northern state.  

She sighed and set the snow globe on the table.  As her eyes traced her miniature self, she took note of the tiny, forest green coat clinging to the little doll.  Her eyes traveled across the red scarf wrapped around her neck.  It matched the knitted beanie clinging to her scalp.  Her minuscule feet were clad in sensible black boots.  Laurenn grinned at the adorable picture she made.  As though she was all ready for Christmas at the end of November.

Laurenn was certainly ready for Christmas.  She loved Christmas.  But she still wanted to experience a white one.  Surrounded by the hoary wonder of snow and chill air.  Sipping hot cocoa by a blazing fire.  Curled up under a fluffy blanket while Christmas carols played in the background.  She picked up her phone and clicked YouTube open.  She found the video she was looking for and began to play Jungkook’s rendition of O Holy Night.  As his soft, sweet vocals filled her ears with his enchanting breath, she smiled.  A perfect Christmas would include this man’s precious voice and a landscape filled with snow.

Ah, but she had never had a perfect Christmas.

Perplexed now that she hadn’t run into her mother or her father yet – not even her little brother – she decided to go seek them out.  She wandered down the hallway towards their bedrooms, but she found them all empty a moment later.  As she stood gazing into her brother’s room, she suddenly felt something soft hit the back of her head.  Jungkook’s tender tone was still playing from her pocket as she turned to catch her brother in the act of throwing another snowball at her.

Wait.  What?

She stared in consternation at him as her hand reflexively flew up to catch the white ball.  It was only as her fingers closed around it that she realized it was a ball of fluff.  Fabric fluff to be exact.  White plush.

“What is this?” she queried as another snowball hit her chest.

Her brother’s giggle met her ears after a second.  “Snowballs, silly!”

“Well, I can see that.  Where did they come from?”

Suddenly, her senses were assailed by another surprise.  “Is that…?”

She wandered towards the sweet smell emanating from the kitchen.  She found her mother stirring brown liquid in a cup.  Then she watched as the sweet woman tossed marshmallows into the mug before creating a swirl of whipped cream on top with an aerosol can of the white fluff.

“Marshmallows and whipped cream?” Laurenn asked incredulously.

“Well, it is your birthday.  Happy birthday, darling!” her mom smiled at her as she handed her the cup of hot chocolate.

“Mom!  You forgot to make the surprise!” her brother whined from behind her.

“Oh!”  Her mother’s eyes grew wide as saucers.  “I didn’t forget!”  She reached for her daughter’s cup and gently pried it from her fingers.  “One sec.”

She turned towards the counter and picked up something.  A moment later, she spun around and presented the cup to Laurenn again.  “Ta-da!”  Her mother’s grin was lighting up her dark eyes.

Laurenn glanced down at the mug.  An adorable snowman made of three big marshmallows grinned up at her.  Laurenn studied his cute hat.  Her mother had created it from the black flat of an Oreo cookie and a miniature Reese’s peanut butter cup.  He was wearing a scarlet scarf that had been cut from a fruit Roll-Up.  His eyes, mouth, and three black buttons had been piped on with melted chocolate.  And his nose was a piece of orange candy corn.

Laurenn giggled.  “He’s so cute!”  She grinned up at her mother.  “Mom, do I smell a theme?”

“Now, whatever would that be?” her mother asked mysteriously.

“Snow!”

Her mother’s lips spread into a wide smile.  “I have something else for you.”  Then she turned towards the fridge and opened its door.  She fished out a plate and pivoted towards Laurenn.  “Happy Birthday, sweetheart.”

The birthday girl stared down at a plate full of cupcakes.  Beautiful white cupcakes that had been dusted with crystalline sugar.  Her mom had piped melted dark chocolate into the shape of a tree.  She’d planted each chocolate tree in the snow of the cupcakes.  Then she had piped white frosting along the branches before dusting them with more white sugar crystals.  Laurenn was staring at an edible winter wonderland.  Her eyes widened in awe.

“Mom, they’re beautiful!  But,” her gaze clouded with confusion.  “What’s all the snow about?”

“Well, your father and I have planned a special surprise for you.  We know how disappointed you are every year that it doesn’t snow here.  And we also know how much you have always wanted to play in the snow.  You’re turning into a young lady! You don’t have many years of your childhood left.  So we decided that we wanted to surprise you this year on your birthday with a special treat.”

Laurenn glanced down at the sugar-snow-covered tree and the marshmallow snowman before turning to see the snowballs still lurking in her brother’s hands.  Not to mention the mischievous gleam in his eye.  He was planning to pummel her with white fluff as soon as he got the chance!  Her eyes then grazed the snow globe sitting on the table before they met her mother’s gaze again.  Just then, her father stepped into the kitchen.

“That’s why we’ve planned a special trip for Christmas,” he murmured.  “We’re going to Japan to celebrate the holiday.”

Laurenn’s eyes grew wide.  “We are?”

He nodded.  “And we’re going to enjoy the snowfall.”

“Oh, Dad!  Thank you!”  Laurenn felt like she’d just turned four not fourteen.  She was going to get to play in the snow!

“Happy birthday, coconut.”

She giggled at her father’s absurd nickname for her.  Every time he used it these days, it made her think of Jungkook and his coconut hair.  Her favorite Bangtan boy looked absolutely adorable in that haircut.  And like he ought to be preparing to enter his freshman year in high school along with her in a few months’ time. 

“Mom!  Thank you so much!” Laurenn gasped in excitement as the wonder of a snow-filled trip to Japan for Christmas overwhelmed her.

“We have one more surprise for you,” her mom added.

Was it even possible for Lauren’s brown eyes to grow any wider?  

“What?”

“We’re going to take a little excursion to South Korea while we’re gone.”

Laurenn was positively squealing now.

“What?!!!!!”

“Perhaps you’ll meet that boy band you love so much while we’re there.”

Her parents smiled at the stars shining from her eyes now.  But as her mother gazed down at the joy lighting up her daughter’s eyes, she had to wonder if maybe those stars were actually snowflakes.