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With bellies full of good food and the morning sun blazing over a magical landscape of winter wonderland, the farm families broke off to enjoy the day in their own ways.
Of course, much of this entailed throwing snow at each other.
It was a flurry of laughter and insults, snow particles flashing in the sun as the chaos ran amuck all around the village.
Maria won the day, letting herself be backed into a dry-ish hollow beneath one of the trees near the clubhouse deck before triggering her trap. Looking like a Christmas cookie dusted with powdered sugar by her attackers, she grabbed the ropes of Lily's tree swing and sat down. Hard. The ensuing avalanche from above could be heard all around, a 'whump' of impact that drove down the pack of hunters and sent out a roiling cloud of icy spray. There was some muffled yelling from hunter turned prey, but it was drowned out by Maria's hysterical laughter.
Alex and Carol were strong enough to shoulder off the piles of snow, but had to follow the squealing to free up Monica and Lucy.
"Good to see you getting into the Christmas spirit," Maria laugh-wheezed as she joined them to grab the four in a crushing hug. "I don't know about anyone else, but I could use some hot chocolate after all of that."
That was enthusiastically agreed to, Alex begging off to go change into dry clothes first. Still grinning and red-cheeked, she shook and stomped off the clinging snow as she headed over to walk down the side of the red barn towards the shouse.
Alex hadn't even noticed that Sam had slipped away from the festivities, only alerted to her dastardly plans by a hard impact to the head that exploded into snowflakes. Having already been drowned in snow once, Alex was having none of that! Squinting out of one eye, she zeroed in on the laughter, but took a moment to figure out where it was coming from.
Sure enough, there was a snow wall between two trees, a puppy-ears cap peeking over until dark eyes spotted Alex and they vanished again.
"You got her, Mama!"
"Now it's your turn, Princess Lily!"
Rather than let Lily's throwing efforts fail, Alex moved towards the flying snowballs, crying piteously, "my dearest princess! I shall save you from a life within a mere snow fort! Run away with me and I shall provide you with fireside cuddles and a queen's ransom of Carhartt!"
Mom and daughter cracked up at the display, Alex with one hand over her heart and the other reaching out, all of her caked in snow. Lily was around the snow wall like a shot, swept up into Alex's big bear hug. Sam was having none of that and poured on the melodrama. "My royal heir, turned traitor to the kingdom! Dishonor on you! Dishonor on your cows!"
Alex gasped in cartoonish outrage. "None shall disparage my cows! Prepare to be boarded!"
Lily was laughing too hard to stand, barely able to watch Alex duck and weave, dramatically stumbling from a hit to the shoulder, shambling the last few steps with her arm hanging as though dead. Sam squealed like a child as Alex's bulk smashed through her elaborate snow wall.
And the race was on.
Long legs and natural athleticism let Sam leap away, tumbling in the snow before finding her feet, but Alex was hot on her heels. And while Sam might be a human gazelle, Alex was compact, tireless and devious.
Hiccupping and with watering eyes from laughing, Lily stumbled after them into the trees. Like apparitions, Sam and Alex lunged around the protection of trunks and shrubbery, a steady stream of teasing insults providing commentary.
"You call that a throw? You throw like my grandmother!"
"I've heard tales of your grandmother and I take that as a compliment!"
"Foolish knave, you only delay the-- hey!"
"Ha ha! Braggart, you took your eyes from the prize!"
"It's not my fault you're a distraction in those shorts!"
"Alas! The snowbeast has figured out my cunning plan!"
All of the nonsense was accompanied by various playfully 'wounded' noises as the combatants were hit by flying snow.
Then Lily distracted her mom with a thump of the cold stuff to the hip and Alex scored a hard hit dead to the chest. That was as good a cue as any for Sam, who shrieked and gurgled dramatically as she spun drunkenly as though winged by a truck.
"Augh! Alas! Avast! Ahem! I have been shot! Taken in my prime, lost to a mourning world!" With a final spin, Sam went rigid and fell like a downed tree, snow billowing up around her. "Bleagh, I’ve died! The agony, the pain, the darkness overcomes me and it all disappears into the bla--Augh! Alex! No fair! I already said I was dead!"
The melodrama became complaining as Alex straddled her and pelted her with handfuls of snow.
"Dead men tell no tales!"
Lily barreled in to jump on them, Alex falling over to take the impact and hopefully save Sam from getting trampled or kicked.
"Quick! Bury the evidence!" Alex cried and Lily helped shove piles of snow onto a spluttering Sam, who flailed and growled at them. Of course this became the Pursuit of The Abominable Snow-woman, Alex and Lily wailing and carrying on that the 'monster' was going to get them.
Lena, drawn to the ruckus, could only watch them with a bemused smile on her face and stick to the shadows of barn and tree. For all that she adored her wild things, she had no desire to get involved in the shenanigans.
"They're nuts," Ruby muttered as she joined her mama, but there was no missing the little smile playing around her mouth.
"They are indeed."
Of course, Andrea witnessed the chaos, striding over to bump Lena affectionately "If the snow horse, mini monster and dad joke barbie are ready, lunch is up."
"Luuuuuunch!" Lily yelled and flailed away from the snow piles to charge at the dry trio. Muttering an curse that made Ruby laugh and follow, Andrea took flight with Lily bolting after her.