1 [Report This]Date: January 14, 2021 11:56 am Title: O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree
This was lovely! Nice touch of having Pam's stpry with art runking parallel to it.
I'm curious, though. Where are you from?
Thanks for writing!
Author's Response: Thank you for reading and reviewing :)
I'm from Ukraine.
1 [Report This]Date: December 26, 2020 04:27 pm Title: O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree
Oh I love this beginning! It’s so very perfect for a Christmas story, a little bit of whimsy, but also a perfect blend of reality.
Spending Christmas with your partner’s family - even when you know them beforehand is always daunting!
“Pam was taken aback by the hurricane of hugs and greetings, and then — by the ebb-tide of complete disinterest.” Oof. This is so very real.
The list of reasons that Pam gives for not creating the decorations breaks my heart. It’s fitting of her relationship with Roy. It makes all the sense in the world that those are the reasons that stop her.
“little anchors keeping the most precious memories” This is beautiful.
“that was just a thin layer of shiny glass.Â
Inside, she was hollow.” Damn Dernhelm, this is such a great analogy.
This whole thing is so very, very lovely! I love the whole premise of it so very much. Pam and homemade ornaments is something I didn’t know I needed, but now I can’t imagine Christmas without out it.
Author's Response: Oh, Jenna, your review made me smile, thank you so much for your kind words! And I'm glad you like the idea and the story :)
1 [Report This]Date: December 26, 2020 10:35 am Title: O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree
Dernhelm this is lovely! This part in particular really spoke to me, and you can feel the emptiness and pain she is feeling: "She repeated her usual celebration pattern like a broken record but felt none of the Christmas spirit; all the cheers and sparkles couldn’t fill the void in her chest. At the end of the party, she was the one who stayed to clean up and take off the decorations. The Christmas lights were off when she stepped to the tree and took one of the ornaments in her hand. It laid on her palm, so tiny and fragile, and Pam wanted so badly to smash it into the dust. She wondered detachedly if the pain in her fingertips could muffle this emptiness inside of her body."
Beautifully done!
Author's Response: Awww, thank you so much, Bored! I had my doubts about this part in the story (it felt a little too ansty and, maybe, should have been included in a separate story), but I'm glad I left it :)
1 [Report This]Date: December 24, 2020 09:49 am Title: O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree
Lots of fun seeing Christmas through the years with Pam. Starting out how she never really fit right with Roy or his family. I like the thing that the hand-painted ornament got stuck in her head and wouldn't go away.
Jim being there to encourage her artisitc abilities was a lot of fun to read. Same with her internal thoughts about the teapot.
Then the Christmas where Jim and Pam are finally together again is just lovely. How he helps aswage her doubts with his impomptu surprise. You really get the feeling that this is the start of many hand painted baubles that will grace the Jim and Pam tree as the years go by.
Great job with this one. I really liked it.
Author's Response: Thank you, Warrior! I'm glad you like it. I think that, at some point, the Cece and Philip's baubles will appear as well, so they'll have to look for a really big tree :)
Date: December 24, 2020 08:25 am Title: O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree
Okay, I *love* the idea of Pam inventing a tradition of making decorations herself. Definitely the way she sees the world. And the way you retold the story of her personal journey through this idea was fitting and clever - it's something that occurs to her because she has too much time on her own with Roy, that Jim makes her feel like she might actually do, that being on her own allows her to start actually gathering what she needs for and that being with Jim prompts her to do and enjoy.
The description and imagery here is really strong, too - I really feel like I can picture what the Andersons' Christmas and Jim's apartment look like. And the description of Pam feeling hollowed out and empty during Season 3 is on point (and badly makes her want to give her a hug, poor girl).
Anyhow, I really like how this turned out, too. Thanks so much for sharing it with us. And Happy Holidays to you!
Author's Response: Thank you, darjeelingandcoke! I appreciate your lovely review very much (and I hope you had pleasant weekends yourself!)