Chapter Twenty-Two
Chicago woke to an inch of snow on Christmas morning, 1921. The Hall Family’s four-story brownstone mansion had little to advertise the holiday on its outside save for a homemade wreath on its front door. The inside, however, was decked out in a grand fashion of holiday lights and décor. Joshua brushed a bit of snow from his overcoat and was greeted in the entryway by Webster, the butler, who promptly took the numerous packages and bags from Joshua’s arms. Webster closed the door with the heel of his foot and escorted the immortal through the hallways of garland, popcorn strings, candles, and ivy and into the sitting room. Joshua was announced to the Halls before Webster placed the packages under the twelve-foot Christmas tree.
Joshua stood still at the sitting room entryway and admired the exquisite tree, filled with paper Santas, lace snowflake-style doilies, aluminum tinsel, and holiday-shaped electric lights. Julianna had bragged to Joshua about her father’s purchase of the lights for the season as it was the family’s first set of electric lights. The tree was dazzling and stood tall over a small mountain of presents, many already open. A Lionel train circled and went under the stacks of dolls, bicycles, books, footballs, and sleds, blowing steam and its horn along its trail of tracks.
The Hall Family was a handsome and proud one, each a beautiful person in his or her own right. The patriarch, Dr. William Hall, sat in his walnut smoking chair next to the fireplace, pipe in hand, and slippers on feet. His thinning hair was combed back over his cone-shaped head as he lounged in his red flannel morning robe. His wife, Lucille, sat in a mahogany and leather sofa to the right of the tree, her legs pulled up behind her as she sipped hot cocoa in a light blue wool robe. Jacob, still a baby, was seated on the floor close to the sofa, chewing on a teddy bear. Stephen, four years old, was laying on the ground, flipping through the pages of a Mother Goose book while Sandra and Carolyn, both seven, were in their nightshirts, dancing around with dolls as identical as they were. Catherine, twelve, was next to the tree in her flannel pajamas, reading the presents’ tags and handing them out one by one.
Julianna was the first to rise and run to Joshua, her hair bouncing with vitality. She was a vision of beauty in his old eyes and as radiant in the morning as she was throughout the day. She wore a pair of silk Chinese pajamas, black and white in color with hand embroidered Chinese figure medallions of metallic gold; it was a gift from her father’s last visit to China. Her thin arms wrapped around Joshua’s neck as he lifted her small frame into the air, her legs pointing back toward the tree. Julianna planted a bold kiss on his lips, not the least bit shy in front of her family.
Stephen, Sandra, and Carolyn wailed out Joshua’s name in unison and hurried over to greet him, leaving behind Jacob and Catherine, who was still trying to pass out presents. “Hold on, hold on,” Joshua laughingly pleaded with the children, trying to settle them down, “there is only one of me and so many of you!” Their little arms held on tight to Joshua, welcoming him with all their hearts into their home for Christmas as Julianna took a step back, covering her mouth and trying to hold back her joy and excitement. It was to be their first Christmas together.
“Well done, Joshua. You’ve somehow managed to make these children even more insane than they were already,” chuckled William, rising from his chair.
