Promptvent - Day 25

25 days of winter prompts to thaw your writers (ice)block - and this year it's all about being Cozy.

Hello and welcome to day 25 of Promptvent!

If you’d like some wintry musical inspiration whilst you write, why not try listening to ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’ by Band Aid on Spotify.

Listen to me read the guided invitation via audio below or if you prefer to read the transcript, that is also available for you underneath the audio.

Welcome back to our Promptvent village advent calendar where you find yourself standing once again before the final cozy Christmas window. You feel a tinge of melancholy, you have explored so many facets of Christmas this advent and it has been a heartwarming and uplifting journey through memory, senses, sights, sounds and all things cozy.

Bundled up in your warm woolen mittens and thick scarf, you are eager to to know what final wintry word of the day awaits you. What world will you step into and discover today? You lean closer, and can feel the eagerness in your fingers as you pull off your mittens and reach for the iron latch on the window, lifting it with care.

There is immediate chatter and laughter dancing in your ears and you smile before you even see where the sounds are coming from. There is a large dining room filled with people, some sitting, some standing and bringing plates and drinks and presents from various other rooms. There are babies being bounced on knees and everyone is wearing a Christmas cracker hat. The environment is jovial and merry and music plays out just under the hum from a record player in the corner. A pile of discarded wrapping paper lies on the floor under the large Christmas tree and a few children try to hide under it, giggling.

A few of the party see you at the window and their eyes light up - they beckon you inside, the lunch is about to start.

All of a sudden the red wreathed door to your left opens, inviting you further. You step through the door, stamp off the snow from your boots and hang your winter coat up on a golden brass hook. You are led to a seat in the center of the table and a familiar face turns to you and offers you a Christmas Cracker, which is pulled and emptied of it’s contents, including a hat, a small keyring and a classic joke, of course.

The smells of the food are delicious, there are meats in various shades of gold with sauces to match, yellow crisp and fluffy roast potatoes, Brussel Sprouts seared with bacon, pigs in blankets, honey glazed carrots and parsnips, heaps of green vegetables and stuffing galore. Everyone seats themselves and before anyone has filled their plate, they are sharing the various dishes with others, passing plates and bowls to those with outstretched hands. Some people help others not so able to gather their own food and scoop spoonfuls of delicious food onto their plate.

People lean close and share private jokes, clapping each other on the the shoulder or back, others share a kiss under some mistletoe, or clink their glasses and share in some spiced wine. Another glass chinks somewhere at the head of the table and the group slowly grow quiet, a toast is shared to one and all, blessing the meal, thanking those who are here and who have made the year an easier one, and remembering those no longer at the table, but always in the hearts and minds of those that live on. You feel a warmth grow up from your toes to your spine as you all share this moment together.

When bellies are full and coffee and desserts have been served, each member of the table gets given a piece of paper and pen. At the top of each paper is one word written in cursive script.

It reads: SHARE

Everyone is asked, what is one thing you would like to share today, a memory, a feeling, a wish or a compliment or affection for something or someone? And what is something that you would like to share more of in the coming year? You all pick up a pen - and you write.