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Morning sun filters into a wooden chalet bedroom as Jessica kneels over an open suitcase, packing a pink hat, fluffy gloves, a toy unicorn and stacked emergency biscuits. Lucy sits nearby clutching a sock, a dinosaur and half a banana.
In the mountains of France sat a magical village called Avoriaz. There were no normal roads. People skied to the shops and horses pulled sleighs through the snow. Jessica packed her pink hat, fluffy gloves, toy unicorn, and seventeen emergency biscuits. Lucy packed one sock, a plastic dinosaur, and half a banana. Nobody discovered the banana until three days later. Dad said it had become a science experiment.
At dawn in the cozy chalet bedroom, Mum leans against pillows as Jessica kneels on the quilt, proudly announcing Mother's Day. Lucy pops up beside them, arms raised, mouth wide, golden morning light streaming through the window.
On Mother's Day morning, Jessica climbed onto Mum and Dad's bed. "Mum! Guess what day it is!" Dad opened one sleepy eye. "Tuesday?" "No!" Lucy popped up like a tiny jack-in-the-box. "IT'S MOTHER'S DAY AND SKI DAY AND SNOW DAY AND HOT CHOCOLATE DAY!" she shouted. Mum laughed and hugged them both. "Best wake-up call ever," she said. "Now let's get our ski clothes on!"
At the chalet kitchen table, Mum beams, holding a handmade card of her with giant skis and seventeen pink dots. Jessica gestures proudly while Lucy giggles, insisting a green potato-shaped blob is her; soft midday light fills the room.
The girls had made Mum a special Mother's Day breakfast card. Jessica had drawn Mum with enormous skis. Lucy had added seventeen pink dots. "Those are emergency biscuits," Jessica explained proudly. "And this green blob is me skiing," said Lucy, pointing at something that looked like a potato. Mum hugged the card to her chest. "It's absolutely perfect." Dad winked. "Even the potato." "I'm NOT a potato!" Lucy giggled.
In the bright ski-school boot room, Jessica clomps in bulky ski boots, shouting they feel like robot feet. Lucy sprawls on the mat claiming she's a pancake while instructor Pierre hauls her upright; fluorescent lights gleam on stacked boots.
At the ski school, Jessica and Lucy got their boots. "They feel like robot feet!" said Jessica, clomping around. Lucy fell over immediately. "I'm a pancake!" she announced from the ground. Their instructor, Pierre, helped them up. "In France, we fall down seven times and stand up eight times," he said with a smile. "That means we fall a LOT," whispered Jessica. Mum and Dad watched from nearby, holding hands.
On a sunny beginner slope, Jessica slides forward with skis angled in a wide pizza slice, grinning proudly. Nearby, Lucy perches on the snow having a 'pizza picnic' with crossed skis as Mum attempts her slice; pennant flags flap.
Pierre taught them to make their skis into a pizza slice shape. "Big slice stops you. Small slice makes you zoom!" Jessica tried her pizza slice. She moved forward slowly, then stopped. "I did it!" Lucy made her skis into a pizza too, but then sat down instead. "I'm having a pizza picnic," she declared. Everyone laughed, including Mum, who was learning the pizza slice nearby. "We're a pizza family!" Dad called out cheerfully.
Inside a cozy mountain café, Lucy gazes at the whipped-cream tower on her hot chocolate, daylight glinting off snowy windows. Opposite, Dad laughs behind completely steamed-up glasses, camera poised, while heart-shaped cookies and marshmallow mugs crowd the table.
After morning lessons, they went to a mountain café. Jessica ordered hot chocolate with extra marshmallows. Lucy got hot chocolate with whipped cream taller than her head. "It's a cloud!" Lucy said, poking it. Mum ordered the special Mother's Day hot chocolate with heart-shaped cookies. Dad took a photo but his glasses steamed up completely. "I can't see anything!" he laughed. Jessica ate seventeen marshmallows. Her emergency biscuit training had prepared her well.
Outside a wooden crepe stand under crisp afternoon light, Mum wipes melted butter from Lucy’s nose while holding her own Nutella-banana crepe. Lucy, perched on a bench, smiles, plain-butter crepe unfurled before her and plates stacked high on the counter.
For lunch, they found a crepe stand. Mum chose Nutella and banana, her favorite. Jessica picked strawberry jam. Lucy wanted plain butter. "Just butter?" asked Dad. "Just butter is fancy," Lucy said seriously. Dad ordered cheese and ham. When the crepes arrived, they were enormous. Jessica's was bigger than her face. Lucy got butter all over her nose. "You look like a buttery snowman," Mum giggled, wiping Lucy's face gently. "Best Mother's Day lunch," Mum declared.
Outside the chalet at sunset, Jessica adds a carrot nose to a tall snowman while Lucy presses biscuit buttons on a tiny one. Mum knots a scarf around her snowman, finishing a crooked row of five snowpeople beside dark pines.
After lunch, they built snowmen near their chalet. Jessica made hers very tall with a carrot nose. Lucy made hers tiny, using emergency biscuits for buttons. "That's my emergency snowman," she explained. Dad made one with ski goggles. Mum made the fanciest one with a scarf and pinecone decorations. "It's the Mother's Day snowman," Jessica announced. They stood back to admire their snow family. Five snowpeople stood in a row, all slightly wonky and absolutely perfect.
In the open slope outside the chalet, afternoon light gleams on swirling snow as Dad lobs a playful snowball that strikes Mum's hood, sending powder flying. Mum laughs, mid-windup with another snowball, footprints and tossed snow suspended around them.
Suddenly, Dad threw a gentle snowball at Mum. "You didn't!" Mum laughed. She made a snowball and threw it back. Jessica and Lucy joined in immediately. Snowballs flew everywhere. Lucy's snowballs were very small and mostly fell apart. Jessica's went in completely wrong directions. Dad got hit in the bottom. Mum got snow in her hood. "SNOW DOWN MY BACK!" she squealed. Everyone was laughing too hard to throw properly. It was the silliest snowball fight ever.
At twilight on a snowy village lane, Biscuit the chestnut horse pulls a wooden sleigh past glowing chalets, bells jingling. Under blankets, Mum rests her head on Dad’s shoulder while he squeezes her hand, breath curling in the cold air.
That afternoon, they took a horse-drawn sleigh through Avoriaz. The horse's name was Biscuit. "Like my emergency biscuits!" Jessica shouted. They snuggled under warm blankets as Biscuit pulled them past snowy chalets. Lucy pretended to be a snow queen. Jessica waved at everyone they passed. Mum leaned her head on Dad's shoulder. "Thank you for the best Mother's Day," she whispered. Dad squeezed her hand. The sleigh bells jingled all the way home.
On the bunny slope at sunset, pink-orange light washes the snow while Jessica descends in a perfect pizza slice. Mum skis nearby cheering as Lucy sits halfway down having another 'pizza picnic', snow crystals glittering like diamonds.
On their last run of the day, Jessica and Lucy showed Mum their pizza slice skills. Jessica went down the bunny slope without falling once. Lucy made it halfway before sitting down for another pizza picnic. "I'm so proud of both of you," Mum said, skiing between them. Dad filmed everything but mostly recorded his glove. They skied together as the sun set over the mountains, leaving pink and orange streaks across the sky. The snow sparkled like diamonds everywhere.
Evening lamplight glows in the chalet dining room as Mum studies Jessica's glittering jar snow globe and Lucy's heart-shaped rock. The fondue pot bubbles on the table, bread-tipped forks poised, while soft snow drifts past the window.
That evening, they had dinner in their chalet. Jessica gave Mum a snow globe she'd made from a jar and glitter. Lucy gave her a rock she'd found that looked like a heart. "It's beautiful," Mum said, hugging them tight. They ate cheese fondue and Dad dropped bread in three times. Outside, snow began to fall softly. "Best Mother's Day ever?" Dad asked. Mum looked at her family, all tired and happy. "Best Mother's Day ever," she agreed, smiling.