Christmas Eve was the peak. We hiked just a mile up the base trail, where the air was sharp enough to sting. From there, we looked back at the tiny town below. In a year defined by distance, those scattered porch lights looked like fallen stars, reminding us that even if we were apart, we were all still there, glowing in the dark. We toasted with lukewarm thermos cocoa, realizing that the "special" part wasn't the event, but the we finally had the time to notice. or perhaps add a bit more between characters?