A Christmas Story Part 2

Good grief! How can it be Friday again? I mean I just posted the other day, didn't I? Life has just been so busy that the time is flying faster than normal.:) We have the house decorated, I've been sewing some, writing some and have had two Story Times. We haven't done any holiday baking yet as S is very busy sewing. (Yes, I know, she is always sewing.)

Well, I guess I'll just post the next part of the Christmas story as I really can't think of anything else to say. Hmmm, I wonder where I left you in the last part. . . Not that it really matters as I don't think anyone has read it anyway. By far the most popular posts are "Meleah's Western." I wonder why?:)

A Christmas Story Part 2

It had started snowing when we got outside again. They weren’t big flakes, but it was snow. Sir Prince barked at the flakes. I think he was excited too. We ran down the hill to the end where the street turns and winds back up to the main street. Back behind Mr. and Mrs. Myth’s house is a bunch of woods. They own it, but have always told me I could go there whenever I wanted. I like walking in the woods when it is snowing. The three of us walked towards the woods. The wind wasn’t blowing much anymore, and we could talk.
“Do you have a Christmas tree yet?” I asked.
“No,” Jon replied. “It costs too much money to get one this year, Dad said.”

I tried not to look surprised. How could you have a house that smelled and looked like Christmas without a tree? Surely there was some way to help. I thought of the little money I had saved. Would that be enough? But I knew it wouldn’t. Even a small tree costs more than I had saved. Suddenly I stopped short. Of course! “Why can’t we find a tree for you here in the woods? Do you have things to decorate it with? I’ll go ask Mr. Myth, if you think your mom would like it.”
Jack’s face lit up, and Jon said, “Like it? She would love it! I heard her tell Dad she had never had a Christmas without a tree before. Do you really think Mr. Myth would let us?”
“Sure he would. I’ll be right back,” I called over my shoulder as I raced away to the house with Sir Prince barking at my side.

Mr. Myth said he would be glad to have a Christmas tree cut from his woods. In fact, he came with us and brought a saw. We found a perfect one. It was a little heavy for us to carry home, but we managed. I didn’t have time to see what Mrs. Lee said about the tree, for I saw that I would have to hurry to get ready for caroling on time.

Every night starting on the 15th, my family goes caroling, as I think I mentioned before. Dad and Mom have great voices and have had us singing for as long as I can remember. Dad sings bass and can hit those really low notes that almost seem to be a growl. My voice hadn’t changed at that time yet, so I sang the tenor an octave higher. Mom usually sang the alto while Maggie and Tillie sang soprano. Sometimes Maggie and Mom would switch parts, but Tillie always sang the melody. She couldn’t sing anything else. Of course the twins couldn’t sing at all, but they tried and no one minded their off key efforts. The first night of caroling we always go to a nursing home first and end at Grandma and Grandpa’s for a late supper. I didn’t have time to tell anyone about finding the Christmas tree for the Lees when I got home, for it was a rush of getting ready and the frantic search for Tillie’s new shoes. It was still snowing when we left, and we sang “Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow” and “Jingle Bells” all the way to the nursing home. The singing went well that night, at least as well as it usually does on the first night.

When we woke on the 16th, the snow had stopped, but there was about three inches on the ground. Enough to try my hand at shoveling. I took my sled along for the Michaels have a great hill behind their house for sledding which they let anyone use as long as we don’t tramp on the flower gardens near the house. Jon and Jack came and helped shovel snow, being quite as eager as myself about this way of earning a little extra money. We split all the earnings. With three of us working it didn’t take long to clear all the driveways down to the Michael’s. There we took a break and went sledding. I went so far on my sled that last time that I ended up in the creek. It was cold! That put an end to the sledding for the time at least as I had to go home for dry clothes. Mom made me stay home that afternoon so that my voice would be okay for singing that night.

The days came and went rapidly, more rapidly it seemed than before, for I had some boys to play and work with. It didn’t snow anymore until the 21st, and then not more than another inch, but the previous snow has stayed on the ground. We had caroled every night, saving our own neighborhood for the 23rd which was the last night we sing. On Christmas Eve we all stay at home and read the Christmas story.

It was snowing again on Christmas Eve morning. This time large heavy flakes fell and covered all the ground that had dared to show itself again. It also covered the driveways and sidewalks. I knew it would be useless to try shoveling snow while it was still snowing, but I felt I just had to get out of the house. The girls were busy in their room with last minute secrets, the twins were reading stories with Dad, and Mom was in the kitchen. Calling Sir Prince I headed out into the world of white. For a while I just wandered about the neighborhood. I figured Jon and Jack would be busy with their own Christmas preparations, so I didn’t go over. I must have been out for over an hour before I heard Dad calling. The hot lunch Mom had prepared was delicious! It really warmed me up. After I had helped with the dishes I went back out. I just couldn’t stay in, and for some strange reason, my steps wended towards the Lee home. As I rounded the corner, I saw Jack sitting on the porch steps looking rather forlorn. Sir Prince whined, and his tail began to wag.
“Merry Christmas, Jack,” I said.
Jack looked up.
“Where is Jon?”
Jack nodded back towards the house.
Jack was usually quiet, but I hadn’t noticed just how quiet until now, for Jon had always been there to do his talking for him. “Oh, is he getting the last things ready for Christmas?”
Jack shook his head, but didn’t speak.
Funny, I thought. Out loud I said, “Well, come on, let’s build a snowman.”
Slowly Jack came over and began to help me, but I could tell his heart wasn’t in it. We had gotten only the base of the snowman constructed when Jon joined us. He too seemed quiet. The snow continued to fall as we erected that snowman. When we finally finished, we all stood around and looked at it. True it wasn’t one of those perfect snowmen you see now in movies or in books, but it was a snowman.
“When do you all open your gifts?” I asked. “Tonight or in the morning?”
Jack looked at Jon. And after a pause, Jon spoke, “We aren’t having a Christmas this year.”

Last part to be posted next week.