Keeping Christmas

by Dan Walsh

  33

  A few minutes ago, Suzanne got home from shopping. To her great amazement, the baby had conked out during the car ride. She had just put her down for a nap. While unloading the groceries from the car, she was surprised to see her cell phone lying on the kitchen counter. She couldn’t believe she had left it home.

  After picking it up, then waking it up, she checked for missed calls and texts. There was just one, a text from her sister Anna.

  Did you get a package from Dad in the last day or two? I just did, and it completely blew me away. I think he sent one to all three of us. Call me if you did and let me know your thoughts. It’s pretty crazy.

  Suzanne hadn’t gotten any packages. But then, she had come through the garage like she always did. She hurried to the front door and opened it. Sure enough, there sat a medium-sized box addressed to her. She picked it up; it was light as a feather. As she walked it into the living room, she saw that it was from her dad. What in the world? She set it on the coffee table and almost ran to the kitchen to grab a knife.

  Opening it, she found a fairly small package encased in thick bubble wrap and a red envelope. Anna’s text said this package was from their father, and it certainly looked like his handwriting on the box. But why had he sent this and not their mom? It was so odd. She cut the tape holding the bubble wrap together and unraveled it.

  She recognized the green wrapping paper immediately. This was how her mom had wrapped her favorite handmade ornament last year after taking it off the tree. Not just hers, but Anna’s and Brandon’s too. Suzanne and her mom had just been talking about these ornaments on the phone last week. Her mom had told her to think about which ones she wanted, besides her favorite, and she’d ship them to her before Christmas.

  Was that what this was? But Suzanne had never called her mom back. She had decided to drop the idea, to avoid causing her mom any more sadness.

  Carefully, she removed the green wrapping paper and smiled when she looked at the ornament. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph wrapped together in twine, faces like aliens from outer space. Her dad was right. It really was ugly. But she loved it, and she would love having it on her tree. She set it aside and picked up the card. She was dying to find out why her dad had sent it instead of her mom.

  The first thing she noticed after opening the card was how many words had been written. At most, she was used to a line or two from him, if that. But her father’s words went down both sides of the card.

  She started to read:

  Dear Suzanne,

  Your mom said the two of you had talked recently about her sending you some of your favorite ornaments (from the ones you made as kids). You know how down she’s been since Thanksgiving. Truth is, I’ve never seen her so unhappy. Seeing her struggle so much with this little project, I decided to take it off her hands.

  I’ve been trying to find some way to help her out of this slump. Nothing’s worked. Then I got an idea, which is why I’m sending you this ornament, and only this one.

  When I called you a couple weeks back to see if there was any way you and your family could make it home for Christmas, you said you’d love to but the money just wasn’t there.

  Well, now it is.

  I’m taking the money I’ve been saving for a boat and using it to bring the family home for Christmas. All of you. Spouses and kids too. If I figured it right, there’s just enough to fly you all here and back, and for one family to stay at a nearby motel. (We can put up two families in the spare bedrooms. I’ll let you guys work out who sleeps where.)

  So, I’m sending you just this one ornament. Your favorite. And what I’m asking is for you to bring it with you on Christmas Eve—you and your family—and hang it on our tree here, back home in Mount Dora.

  I know it’s a lot to ask, but it would make your mom so happy. And me too.

  You’ll have to act pretty quick to make sure you get decent flights. You can put it on your credit cards, send me the amount, and I’ll reimburse you right away. I’ll even pay for the extra luggage so you can bring home any Christmas presents you bought your kids.

  All my love,

  Dad

  P.S. I want this to be a complete surprise to your mom. Call me so we can coordinate how to make that happen.

  Suzanne had a hard time reading the last paragraph and her dad’s P.S. Her eyes had filled with tears.

  Stan was all ready for work. It had been over ten minutes, and Betty had still not called him back. He didn’t want to be a pest, but he also didn’t want to have this thing hanging over him all night. He reached for his cell phone to call her, then was startled when it rang. It was Betty.

  “Hey, Stan, I’m so sorry. Took longer than I thought. I’m such a sucker sometimes. I was all set to tell whoever was at the door I wasn’t interested, till I saw these two middle school kids in their band uniforms. They were trying to raise money for some band trip, selling those luminaries. You know what those things are, right?”

  “Luminaries? I don’t think so.”

  “They’re these white paper bags, like lunch bags. You put sand in the bottom and candles, then you spread them out on your driveway and sidewalk. They glow real nice at night. They were just ten dollars. Anyway, guess I just added one more thing to my to-do list, unless I can get Ethan to do it for me. So, tell me what you were trying to tell me before. Something about helping you with a gift for Barney.”

  Stan sighed. “It’s not about a gift for Barney. It’s actually the opposite.”

  “Really?” she said. “Well, I’m listening.”

  Stan did his best to explain to Betty. Took him a while for all his stammering and stuttering and beating around the bush. She listened patiently, didn’t say too much till he was through. And only after a lengthy pause. He wasn’t sure what she’d say.

  Finally, she spoke. “Why, Stanley Winters . . .” She stopped talking a moment.

  Sounded to Stan like she might be crying.

  “That just might be the finest thing I ever heard a man do for his wife. Feels like I’m in some kind of scene from a Hallmark Christmas movie.”

  Stan was so relieved. “But what about Barney? He’s gonna be so disappointed. I really feel like I’m supposed to do this for Judith, like God wants me to. But it’s gonna kill Barney.”

  A long pause. Almost too long for Stan to bear.

  “That’s gonna be tricky, telling this to Barney. I’m not gonna lie. That boat’s all he talks about.”

  Another long pause.

  “But I’ll think of a way to break it to him. Give me a day or two. Something like this, I gotta pick just the right time.”

  “He’ll be so disappointed, any way you say it.”

  “He will,” Betty said. “But he’ll get over it. I know he’s been worried about Judith too. We’ve talked about it several times.”

  “You have?”

  “Yes. But don’t focus on how Barney’s gonna handle things. You’re doing the right thing.”

  Sounded like she was choking up again.

  “I want to see the look on my best friend’s face when everyone shows up there on Christmas Eve next week. Be sure to record it, Stan.”

  “I will. But Betty, this thing isn’t firmed up yet. I haven’t heard back from any of my kids. I’m hoping they’ll all say yes, but you never know . . .”

  34

  Suzanne reread her father’s card two more times. It was still hard to believe he had done this. She’d always known he loved her mom, but he was never what you’d call the romantic type. This . . . this was high-end romance. Especially knowing how much Dad loved bass fishing, and how long he and Barney had been saving for that boat. She picked up her phone and called her sister.

  “Hey, Suzanne,” Anna said, “I’m guessing you read my text?”

  “I did. Just now. I was out shopping and didn’t even know the package came. After reading your text, I checked the front door and there it was.”

  “I’m sitting here staring at my big blue pinecone,”
Anna said. “When I opened the box, I almost dropped it I was so shocked. I’ve thought about asking Mom for it for years, ever since we moved, but never did. I just figured she’d let me have it when she was ready. Then I pulled out Dad’s card and recognized his handwriting on the envelope. That was the second surprise. But then when I read what he wrote . . .”

  “I know,” Suzanne said. “It’s just crazy. After getting your text, I had no idea what it could be. I never would’ve imagined this. So, are you guys gonna go?”

  “We are. I haven’t called Dad yet, but Bruce just called me back. He confirmed with his boss that he can get the time off. I was just about to go online and start shopping for flights. How about you?”

  “I want to go. I hope we can. I’ve got to call Todd. I already know he’s got the time off. His office is all but shutting down between Christmas and New Year’s. I can’t imagine him saying no.”

  “I wonder if Brandon can do it,” Anna said. “That would be amazing if all three of us could make it.”

  “Did you text him yet?”

  “I did, but I haven’t heard back from him. He’s probably still at work.”

  “And he’s two hours back in time from you, one hour from me.” Suzanne looked at her watch. “He should be getting ready to go on his lunch break in a few minutes. Maybe you’ll hear from him then.”

  “Hope so,” Anna said. “Well, guess I better check on those flights so I can call Dad.”

  “Are you going to book them already? My note from Dad said to call him first, so we could coordinate when to arrive.”

  “You’re right,” Anna said. “Mine did too. I was just thinking if we fly into Orlando, we could probably get there by noon or early afternoon the day before Christmas Eve. That way, if anything went wrong with the flights, we wouldn’t wind up arriving too late for Christmas. I thought I’d suggest to Dad that we all rendezvous there at the house at dinnertime Christmas Eve.”

  “That sounds like a good idea,” Suzanne said. “It’s pretty easy to book flights from Dallas-Fort Worth to Orlando. I’m not so sure about Brandon, though, being out in Denver. It’s not just farther away, they’ll lose two hours during the trip. Maybe we should let them be the ones to stay in the motel. They could fly in the day before us.”

  “Good idea,” Anna said. “Why don’t you call him and suggest that? Dad said he was leaving the details up to us.”

  “All right, I’ll call Brandon. Soon as I confirm things with Todd that we can definitely go.”

  “This is going to be so much fun,” Anna said. “I can’t wait to see the look on Mom’s face.”

  Stan couldn’t believe he’d already been at work for two hours. That was one nice thing about waiting on so many customers; the time flew by. It was already time for his ten-minute break. He took off his orange apron and nodded to several co-workers on his way out the front door. Before clearing the shaded area near the entrance, he pulled out his cell phone to see if any of the kids had tried to reach him.

  He was happy to find two texts from the girls and a voice mail from Brandon. Walking off to the side of the store, away from the entrance, he read the texts first, starting with Anna.

  Dad, Bruce and I are blown away by your generous offer to pay our way home for Christmas. Our answer is yes! Already looked into flights. We can get a flight that arrives in Orlando by 1:00 p.m. the day before Christmas Eve. Maybe we could all plan to rendezvous the following day at the house for dinner. Talked with Suzanne, haven’t heard from Brandon. She thinks they can go but is waiting to hear back from Todd. Call me tonight to talk over the details. Home all night. Love, Anna

  Stan smiled. One down, two to go. And from what Anna just said, it sounded like Suzanne’s text might confirm they were coming too. He clicked on hers next.

  Dad, this is TOTALLY CRAZY!!! Your card made me cry! First, that you’d do something like this for Mom, then make it possible for all of us to come home for Christmas. Just heard back from Todd. He said yes, definitely we’ll come. Talked with Anna. They are too. We both thought Brandon’s family should get the motel room, since they’re coming from farther away. Call me tonight, and I’ll give you the flight info. This is going to be SO EXCITING!!!

  Stan said a brief prayer of thanks as he clicked out of the Messaging app and clicked on Brandon’s voice mail. “Dad, got the package with the ornament inside. Had to laugh. Still so funny when I think of our family tree cluttered with these ugly ornaments. Until I read your card, I thought you and Mom were just sending it to us as a keepsake. I did not expect the note you wrote inside. Dad, I can’t let you do this. It’s way too much money. And I know how much you want that boat, what it took for you to save for it. Call me when you get this. I can take calls at work. Okay then, well . . . love you.”

  The message ended. Stan looked at the time. He still had a few minutes left before his break was over. He tapped Brandon’s phone number on the screen and listened as it rang. He got Brandon’s voice mail and left the following message:

  “Hey, Brandon, it’s Dad. Heard your message. Don’t worry about the money. God’ll give Barney and me another boat. I really want to do this for your mom. It won’t do any good now if you say no. Your sisters have already said they’ll come. So most of the boat money’s already gone. Please say yes. It’ll make your mom so happy having us all together. And me too. Look up the flights and text me the info. But you better do it quick. Christmas is just over a week away. Your sisters were thinking your family should have the motel room. They’ve worked out some plan about you guys flying in the day before Christmas Eve. Call one of them to work it out. Maybe Suzanne. Your mom’s going to go nuts when she sees you all. Please say you’ll come. And remember, I want this to be a surprise. Well, gotta go back to work. Love you.”

  35

  Two days later, on Saturday morning, Stan and Judith were finishing up their coffee in the family room. Stan thought about the plan; it was all set. Judith had no idea what was coming. Stan had received confirming phone calls from all three of his kids. Anna’s and Suzanne’s families would arrive the day before Christmas Eve in the early afternoon, then make the forty-five-mile trip north to Mount Dora. Brandon would arrive last with his family the evening before Christmas Eve, then drive here and check into a nearby motel.

  Betty had said the girls’ families could stay at her place until it was time for all three of them to meet at Stan’s house. Betty had also agreed to let Anna and Suzanne ship their family Christmas presents to her house ahead of time. The girls said they had already bought most of the presents and were concerned they might get damaged by baggage handlers. Brandon had said his kids had asked for smaller things and he’d feel better bringing them in his carry-on luggage.

  So far, Stan hadn’t talked with Barney yet. Betty told him her conversation with Barney had gone as well as could be expected. He was pretty upset at first, but she knew he would start to come around after the shock of the disappointment wore off. She had called Stan last night to say he was already doing a bit better. She thought he’d be almost as good as new in a few days. She’d also mentioned some new idea they had talked over that had given Barney some hope. Stan was interested to hear more, but she wasn’t ready to discuss it yet. She thought Barney might be in a few days if this new idea panned out.

  Stan had another idea he hoped would pan out. His girls had given him the assignment to arrange Christmas Eve dinner and to come up with enough food for the whole family . . . without tipping off Judith. He certainly couldn’t make the food; she’d be expecting a meal for two. But he hoped to have the problem solved today, maybe this morning. He needed to nail down a restaurant or catering service that wasn’t already too busy and wasn’t too expensive. He’d start making calls as soon as Judith left for her ornaments class.

  “You’re being awfully quiet over there.”

  Stan looked up at Judith. “Just thinking.”

  “What about?”

  He should’ve figured that question would come
next. “Uh . . . about your Christmas present.”

  “My present? I haven’t even told you anything I want.”

  “I know,” he said. “But I’ve been paying attention.”

  “You better not have spent too much money. We agreed on a fifty-dollar limit.”

  Stan had to smile.

  Judith stood. “Well, I better get going. My ornaments class starts in twenty-five minutes.”

  The ornaments class was wrapping up. It seemed to go even better than last week. Judith was definitely feeling more comfortable in the instructor role. It was especially gratifying to see how happy the moms and daughters were and to listen to the kind words they’d said when she finished. Most of them had already gotten up from the table and said their Merry Christmases and good-byes; and to Doris’s delight, instead of leaving the store, they now appeared to be shopping in the make-it-yourself area.

  Judith started to clean up the worktable.

  Doris came closer. “You don’t have to do that. We’ll take care of it.”

  “I don’t mind.”

  “I know, but you’ve already done enough. Besides, looks like someone else wants to talk to you.”

  Judith looked up. Taryn and her daughter, Maddie, were coming her way. Maddie was holding up her new creation, a snowman made out of three plush pom-poms of different sizes.

  “Look, Miss Judith,” she said. “See?”

  “I do see. You did a great job with that, Maddie.”

  “And you did a great job with this class,” Taryn said. “We had the best time. I just wish it was longer.”

  “It did go by fast,” Judith said. “But, you know, you can keep this going if you want to. Make something of a tradition out of it. That’s what I did. I made ornaments with my kids every year when they were growing up. We’ve got a whole box full of them at home. Of course, my kids are grown now. But we made some fun memories every year.”