12/25/2025
A nice story by Paul Roedel. Kind of a long read, but this is what I wish for all of us this year: to find new friends out in the wild of this world
“I got lost on the way
to Christmas
as the snow fell
the path I was following
became covered in snow
and I accidentally wandered off
into the woods
I walked alone for a while
until I came across an owl sitting
on a a naked tree branch
“do you know the way
to Christmas?” I asked the owl
it didn’t
respond
of course it didn’t
I kept marching
through the rising snow
for another hour
the cold settling in
so deep
that each of my breaths became
a small dancing pale ghosty
eventually, I came across
the same owl perched
on a tree trunk
“I’m sorry, mister owl, but I’m a bit lost.
Can you please point me
toward Christmas?”
again, no response
of course
there was no response
the owl blinked its
dinner-plate eyes loudly
it sounded like curtains
opening and closing
the owl rose up
into the foggy night sky
and disappeared
I continued walking
into the wild as the storm
picked up
the footprints I left behind me
were being swallowed up
by the ghost
of the Christmas storm
I moved forward
for another hour
into the growing
snow swirl
I lost my footing
on a slope
and fell down
a ravine
I rolled
rolled
rolled
rolled
down
down
down
down
to the bottom
of the hill
I was flat
on my back
in the snow
I felt so tired
so cold
so defeated
my teeth felt fuzzy
almost electrical
“this is it,
this is where I give up,” I moaned
I could feel the tears
start to freeze on my
burning-bush cheeks
when I heard the sound
of wings flapping
right above me
the owl landed near
my feet
it tilted its head
as sideways as possible
and looked at me
I asked the owl
a litany of questions
“why is this happening to me?””
“where is Christmas?”
“should I just quit?”
“what do I do now?”
after my interrogation
was over
the owl spread its wings
open so wide
like a night flower
like an unfolding map
like the freshly ironed shirt of an old man
and the owl spoke to me
without making a sound
I heard its voice
in my head
and it sounded
like my father
who had been gone
for more than half of my life
the owl said
“make a snow angel.”
I was confused
“what?” I whispered
with a pair of blue lips
“make a snow angel,” it repeated
batting its wings back and forth
as if it were teaching me how
I stretched my my arms out
to my sides through the snow
and kicked my legs
back and forth
slowly at first
opening and closing
my arms and legs
like they were fingers
of a once-closed fist
carving out the shape
of wings and a gown
in the snow
the owl jumped up
onto a boulder near me
and began to hoo hoo
in rhythm with my angel-making
the crisp air filled my lungs as I moved
and everything around me was quiet
except for the gentle swish of snow
under my limbs
I felt a giggle
form in my lungs
I felt like a child again
but that was because
I was a child
all of my adult worries
were washed away
by the imagination
of being young again
instead of feeling stuck
in the reality
of all the mistakes
I have made
I felt held
by the pure magic
of possibility
I looked down
at my little legs and arms
now attached
to my eight-year-old body
I pulled myself
up out of the snow
suddenly
I was warm
“now,” the owl said
and it still sounded like my father
“come stand over by me”
I stepped out of the snow-angel mold
and walked over next to the owl
“what happens now?” I asked
“watch,” it replied
the outline of the snow angel
began to shimmer softly
at first
it was hard to tell
I thought my tear-frosted eyes
were playing tricks on me
but soon enough
the snow angel was glowing
and I swear
I could hear bells
playing somewhere in the background
the owl leapt up and down
and let out a loud chorus of hoos
that echoed through the wild
as the angel illuminated
more and more
it rose up out of the snow
about six feet into the air
it was a frozen phoenix
“there, much better,” the angel said
in a voice that sounded
like my mother’s
I stood under her light
for an hour
it felt like a campfire
while I did, the angel
told me and the owl
six stories about where
she came from
I would tell you
but I was sworn to secrecy
after the angel
told her final story
she bent down
kissed the top of my head
and asked::
“it’s so nice to find new friends
out here in the wild, isn’t it?”
I nodded
“what about you, owl
will you be my friend too?”
the owl flapped its wings
in the affirmative
“good,” the angel said softly
“then it’s time”
“for what?” I asked
“to find the others,”
the owl replied
the snow angel, the owl, and I
began our journey
deeper into the woods
in search of other lost
holiday wanderers
the angel held my hand
as she floated
a foot above the ground
the owl scouted ahead
then waited for us
to catch up
I was tired
but awake
like a daydream
my child legs
cutting through the snow
easily
as if they were made
of warm coal
the storm lifted
&
the sky cleared
the moon ignited
to light our way
through the deep night
my mind gets muddled
about what happened next
but this is what I remember
we found others
lost
cold
alone
and we helped them
as dawn approached
our small community gathered
on a hillside
and sang
to the rising sun
soon after
the angel’s form began to fade
melting back into the snow
the owl flew away
disappearing into the now brightening sky
I looked down at my hands
now returned to adulthood
I was back in my grown body
but my heart was lighter
because I wasn’t carrying it alone
it was being lifted
by others
standing there
in the first light of morning
I realized the truth of the journey
it was never about finding Christmas
in a place
it was about finding each other
inside the storm
and learning how to tie a knot with moonlight.
and I swear
I could hear bells playing
and I whispered
to myself and to you
“it’s so nice to find new friends
out here in the wild, isn’t it?”
and I could hear my parents’ voices
answering me
“oh yes it is, my love
yes it is
