“Is there anything I can get for you?” Buck asked his wife.
Amanda continued to stare into the fire that roared in the fireplace, her gaze sad.
After a few minutes of no response, he gently placed his hand on her shoulder. “Honey?”
She shook her head. “No, thank you. I don’t want anything.”
“Okay, well, I’ll be in the other room,” he said. He leaned over to place a soft kiss on her head and gently squeezed her shoulder before walking away. He walked to the kitchen and began washing the dishes. As he finished drying his hands, he stared out the window. Snow fell outside and he could see Christmas lights on the house behind his.
He placed the towel onto the counter, then walked into the dining room. He shut the lights off and before he turned to leave the room; he looked out the large window. The entire neighborhood was decked out with Christmas lights and a variety of Christmas decorations.
He shook his head. They’d only moved here a few months ago. This neighborhood sure went to town decorating for Christmas, unlike his old neighborhood.
After they lost their little girl one Christmas morning, Amanda never wanted to decorate the house for Christmas, inside or out, ever again. He understood that it was a painful time of the year for her. Even so, sometimes he wished they could at least have Christmas lights on their house.