And Peggy

A christmas to remember

Now that the end of the year is coming, I have finished school. And I may never Have to do lessons again! Mother says that since my sisters have left and I am of legal age of eighteen I know most of what I need to know and I'm nearly ready to enter the world.

So on my last lesson of the year, Hannah and I decorate the house for Christmas. We tie tinsel around the stairs and doors and hang up the embroidered Christmas quilts.

The next day, Mother, father, and I pick the Christmas tree up. There is a truck that brings the harvested Christmas trees to town every year. We layer up in our fleeces and many layered skirts and drive out into city square.

People are selling all kinds of Christmas merchandise in little stalls outside the shops. Ornaments, food, embroidery. You name it they sell it.
In the centre of the square, the Christmas trees are laid out on the floor. You can smell the pine scent from the other end of town. Families swarm around them picking them up, examining and smelling them. I quickly find the tallest tree and stand by it so that everyone knows this is our tree.
Daddy comes over and leans down to inspect it.

"Tall, wide, smelly. This might just be the one!" He exclaims. "Good choice Margarita!"

Father takes out his wallet to pay the man while mother and I start dragging it over to the carriage. Once he is done, he takes the heavy tree from us and casually lugs it over shoulder.
He ties it to the top of the carriage and we drive home.

When we place the tree in the living room, the decorations are already set out for us. First, we put on the baubles. Some are glass figures, some just solid colours and there are a few that have our names written on them in glitter glue. Mother and father debate on whether to hang up Angelica's and Eliza's bauble but I insist "for old times sake".
Next we do the tinsel. I attach one end to the tree then I walk in circles around the tree, unwinding it until I'm out of tinsel. The tinsel is red and silver.
Last of all, the angel on top. Father lifts me up like I'm six years old again and hoists me so that I can reach the top of the tree and perch the cardboard angel on the tallest of branches. We stand back and admire our work. It's very colourful and sparkly.

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On the night before Christmas, I put out my stocking for Santa. Hopefully he will still come even though I'm eighteen. I leave out a homemade shortbread cookie and a glass of daddy's leftover birthday brandy. Then, after one last glass of eggnog with the family, I head up to bed, imagining tomorrow's festivities.

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The next morning I wake up early. I ran into mum and dad's room and pester them to get up. I guess, despite being an adult, I still get excited about Christmas. Mother and father slowly trudge downstairs where I have already pulled down my stocking from the fireplace. They sit on the couch and watch with mild interest as I unpack it. I get:
An orange, a ribbon for tiger, a nice pair of earings with sapphire gemstones, a new book called Anne of green gables and a few dollars.

Mother and father open their gifts from various people before we have breakfast. I have an omelette and some wedges of my orange.

Being a Christian family, we go to church. We only go on special occasions such as Christmas and Easter. At church, we sing songs, listen to the story of Jesus' birth and watch some role play if the story. Mother and father don't act like higher social status here in the church. They talk to commoners and don't refrain themselves from laughing and don't act so formal. We are all equal under the eyes of god.

Sometime during the day, a parcel is dropped off. It is our Christmas present from Eliza. An album full of baby photos of baby Phillip. Phillip with Alex, Phillip with Eliza, Phillip crawling, Phillip eating. We all fawn over the photos, including Hannah and Amelia.

For Christmas lunch, we have turkey, chicken, mashed and jacket potatoes, a green salad, cherry tomatoes and for dessert Amelia's famous trifle.

For the rest of the day, we rest at home. I've started reading my book when I hear a knock on the door. When I don't hear Hannah opening it, I grudgingly get up to answer it myself.
When I open the door, there is no one there. I open it further and there is a thud and a rattle. I look down to see a brightly coloured box. Picking it up, I crane my neck to see who dropped the parcel at my door. There is no carriage parked outside the house and no one standing nearby.

With a shrug, I bring the present inside and unravel the ribbon. As I open the box, I let out at a gasp. Inside is the most beautiful glass ornament I've ever seen.

A man and woman are dancing together. The woman is spinning into the mans chest. Her dress is stained yellow at the bottom and fanned out around her. The man is wearing a tuxedo and completely clear except for his piercing blue stained eyes.
I sit the figurine on the floor and pull out a note that sits on the bottom.

"Dearest Peggy
I saw this when I was Christmas shopping and it reminded me of you. Merry Christmas!
Yours truly
Stephan"

With a sigh, I pick up the figurine and carefully carry it up to my room. I plant it on my book shelf where I can see it.

For dinner that night, we have Christmas lunch leftovers. Then after one glass of eggnog, I head up to bed. I stare at the figurine and the memory of John Laurens and I dancing at the Winter's ball floats into my head.

Having a nice Christmas with my family while so many others are missing someone special makes me feel guilty. I think of Henry Laurens missing a child at the dinner table.

The more I stare at the figurine, the more memories of John come flooding back to me. John and i in the city at the revolutionary protest, John and i at Eliza's wedding, me laughing at one of his many jokes, me staring intently into his eyes as we slow dance at the Winter's ball.

Despite the conflicting negative and positive thoughts in my head, I fall asleep on Christmas night with a smile on my face as I remember John Laurens.

Hello my readers!
Merry Christmas! I'm sorry that this chapter is so short but I really can't be bothered and I'm gonna spend time with my family instead of be antisocial on my phone. Hope Christmas is fun for you

Cocolocosam 🐔😊