by Twice Loved
Dan felt immediate regret for his poor choice of words.Leaning over the bed,he took the child’s other hand. “I had a wonderful time on Thanksgiving. It was the best day I’ve had in a long time.”
“Then why won’t you come for Christmas?” This question came from Bev, whose vivid blue eyes were full of questions.
He smiled. “Because I’d like to have you and Amy over to my house for Christmas dinner.”
Bev’s mouth dropped open. “You’re planning to cook the meal?”
He shrugged. “Sure, why not?”
Amy giggled. “Can ya make pumpkin pies?”
Dan grinned then winked at Bev. “Actually, I was hoping you might furnish the pies, but I can roast the turkey and fix the rest of the dinner.”
Bev’s expression was dubious at first, but she gave him a nod. “It’s a deal.”
Dan had been rushing around for hours, checking on the bird he’d put in the oven early that morning, peeling and cutting the potatoes and carrots he planned to boil later on and placing presents under the tree. He wanted everything to be perfect for Bev and Amy. Though they might not realize it, they had brought joy into his life, and they deserved to have a special Christmas.
Satisfied that everything was finally ready, Dan put the potatoes in a kettle of cold water, grabbed his coat and gloves, and headed out the door. It was time to pick up his dinner guests.
A short time later, he stood in front of Bev’s door, glad she hadn’t refused his offer of a ride. It would have been difficult for her and Amy to catch the bus, what with the child’s ankle still slightly swollen, not to mention the weather, which had recently deepened the snow on the ground.
When Bev opened the door and smiled at Dan, it nearly took his breath away. She wore a lilac-colored gown with a wide neckline and a skirt that dropped just below her knees. And this time she had on a pair of hose. “You’re beautiful,” he murmured.
“Thanks. You look pretty handsome yourself.”
He glanced at his navy-blue slacks and matching blazer. Nothing out of the ordinary, but if she thought he looked handsome, that was all right by him.
Bev opened the door wider. “Come in and I’ll get our coats and gifts.” Dan stepped into the living room and spotted Amy sitting on the sofa, dressed in a frilly pink dress that matched her flushed cheeks.
“Hey, cutie. Ready to go?”
She nodded and grinned up at him. “I can’t wait to give you my present, Uncle Dan.”
He leaned over and scooped the child into his arms. “And I can’t wait to receive it.”
“That was a delicious meal,” Bev said, amazed at how well Dan could cook. She was also surprised at the change that had come over him since Amy’s accident. He’d driven Bev to the hospital and stayed with her until they knew Amy was okay. He had taken her home, back to the hospital the next day, and given them a ride to their apartment when Amy was released. Now, as they sat in Dan’s living room inside his cozy brick home on the north end of town, Bev could honestly say she felt joy celebrating this Christmas.
“I’m glad you enjoyed dinner and equally glad I didn’t burn anything.” Dan nodded at Amy, who sat on the floor in front of the crackling fire he’d built earlier. “How about it, little one? Are you ready to open your presents?”
Amy scooted closer to the Christmas tree. “Yes!”
“Okay then. Who wants the first gift?”
“Me! Me!”
Dan chuckled and handed Amy a box. “I believe this one’s from your mother.”
Amy looked at Bev, and she nodded. “Go ahead and open it.”
The child quickly tore off the wrapping, and when she lifted the lid and removed a delicate bisque doll, she squealed with delight. “She’s beautiful, Mommy! Thank you!”
“You’re welcome, sweetheart.”
Amy smiled at Dan. “Can I give Mommy her present from me now?”
“Sure.” Dan pointed to a small package wrapped in red paper. “It’s that one.”
Amy handed the gift to her mother and leaned against Dan’s knee as Bev opened it. “This is wonderful!” Bev exclaimed, as she held up a framed picture of Amy sitting on the patchwork quilt Dan’s late wife had made. “How did you do this without me knowing?”
“When you were busy with customers, I took Amy into my photography studio and snapped her picture,” Dan answered. “We bought the frame the day I took her Christmas shopping.”
Bev kissed Amy’s cheek and was tempted to do the same to Dan, but she caught herself in time. “Thank you both. I appreciate the picture and will find the right place to hang it when we go home.”
“Here’s my gift to you, Amy.” Dan placed a large box in front of the child and helped her undo the flaps. Inside was a quilt—the same quilt that used to hang in Twice Loved and he’d used as a background for Amy’s portrait.
Amy lifted the colorful covering and buried her face in it. “I love it, Uncle Dan. Thank you.”
“It’s a precious gift, Dan,” Bev said, “but don’t you think you should give the quilt to a family member?”
Dan took Bev’s hand. “That’s what I have in mind, all right.”
Bev’s heartbeat picked up speed. What exactly was he saying?
Dan reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a flat green velvet box. He handed it to Bev with a smile.
She lifted the lid and gasped at the lovely gold locket inside. “It’s beautiful. Thank you, Dan.”
“Open the locket,” he prompted.
She did—and soon discovered there was a picture of Amy on one side and a picture of Dan on the other.
“I’m in love with you, Bev,” Dan said, as he leaned over and kissed her.
Bev’s eyes filled with tears, and at first she could only nod in reply. When she finally found her voice, she whispered, “I love you, too.”
Amy grinned from ear to ear then handed Dan a large gift wrapped in green paper. “Here, Uncle Dan. This is for you, from me and Mommy.”
Dan tore open the wrapping and lifted a brown teddy bear from the box. It had new eyes, patched paws, a pretty blue ribbon around its neck, and a sign on the front of its stomach that read: I AM TWICE LOVED.
He tipped his head in question, and Bev smiled in response. “It was Amy’s idea.”
Dan gave Amy a hug then lifted Bev’s chin with his thumb. He kissed her once more and murmured, “I believe God brought the three of us together, and just like this bear and the quilt I gave Amy, we have been twice loved.”
Christmas 1945
“This is the Christmas that a war-weary world has prayed for through long and awful years. With peace come joy and gladness. The gloom of the war years fades as once more we light the National Community Christmas Tree.”—President Harry S. Truman, National Tree Lighting Ceremony, December 24, 1945.
The attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, and subsequent entry into World War II made many Americans fearful that Christmas would not be joyfully celebrated again for a long time. But on December 24, 1941, with Winston Churchill, who was in town for the Arcadia Conference, by his side, President Roosevelt did go ahead and light the national Christmas tree on the lawn of the White House. Over 20,000 Americans attended the celebration.
Then from 1942 through 1944, the national Christmas tree was erected on the South Lawn and decorated, but it was not lit due to both the need to conserve electricity and to black out Washington from any potential nighttime air raids.
With the surrender of Germany in May and Japan in September of 1945, Americans once again had liberty to celebrate special holidays. But Christmas 1945 remained a sad time for those who had lost loved ones in the war and those waiting for word on the missing. Still there was renewed hope as troops were returning home and the war effort had pulled the country out of the Great Depression into a new era of prosperity. President Truman encouraged the country to take time to celebrate Christmas with goodwill toward all men and to look ahead to a time of peace.
For further rea
ding see the Harry S.Truman years at www.whitehousechristmascards.com or Christmas 1945: The Story of the Greatest Celebration in American History by Matthew Litt (2010).
Wartime Recipes
Home-front cooks during World War II were restricted on what they could fix to eat by what food rations they were allowed to buy. Meat, sugar, butter, and cheese were the most commonly rationed items, but later they included processed and canned foods and any imported foods like coffee. Backyard gardening and animal husbandry were encouraged to help provide a family what the grocery stores could not. Often recipes of the time were aimed at ways to make a little stretch into a filling dish.
Creamed Chipped Beef on Toast
This preserved meat recipe became a staple in army mess halls and soon made its way to home-front kitchens. Spam was another canned meat that could be used in place of the beef.
2 tablespoons butter or bacon grease
1 (4 ounce) package of chipped beef (can be rinsed to reduce the salt), chopped or shredded
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
pepper
Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Add beef, stirring to coat in butter. Add flour, stirring to coat beef, and cook for about 5 minutes. Slowly add milk, stirring continuously as it comes to a boil and thickens. Pepper to taste. Serve over toast.
Rivel Soup
2 cups flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
6 cups chicken broth
Shredded cooked chicken, optional
Combine flour and salt with egg, until mixture is crumbly. Bring broth to boil. Sprinkle in mixture crumbles. Reduce heat and cook 10 to 15 minutes. Add chicken during last five minutes of cooking if desired.
Escalloped Corn and Oysters
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons green pepper, chopped
2 cups canned corn
1 (8 ounce) can oysters, drained
2 eggs, well beaten
1 cup cracker crumbs
1 teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste
Buttered bread crumbs
Shredded cheese
Melt butter in saucepan; add flour. Stir over medium heat until flour is bubbly and lightly browned. Slowly add milk and stir until bubbly and thickened. Remove from heat. Add green pepper, corn, oysters, and eggs. Stir until well blended then add crackers and seasoning. Pour into buttered casserole dish. Top with buttered bread crumbs and cheese. Bake for 30 minute at 350 degrees.
Candied Apples
5–6 cups water
5 ounces cinnamon imperial candies
2–3 drops red food coloring
8 apples, pared and halved
Bring water, candies, and food coloring to boil in large heavy kettle. Place apples in syrup. Cook, turning only once. Add more candies as you cook apples. Judge readiness by color of apples. They should also be fork tender but not mushy. Cook one floating layer of apples at a time. Boil remaining syrup down to jelly—ready when it fills the prongs of a cold fork. Pour some jelly over apples. Store remainder of jelly in glass jar for later use on bread and butter. Serves 8–16.
Honey Rice
¾ cup honey
½ cup raisins
2 cups white rice, cooked
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ cup chopped nuts, optional
Cinnamon
In saucepan over medium heat, heat honey then add raisins and rice. Pour into shallow buttered dish. Dot with butter. Bake 20 to 30 minutes at 350 degrees until golden brown. Transfer to bowl and mix in lemon juice and vanilla. Sprinkle with nuts and cinnamon before serving.
Ration Cake
No egg, no milk, no butter, no problem as long as you still had some sugar rations left.
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
½ cup lard or shortening
1 cup raisins
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon allspice
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1 ¾ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
Chopped nuts, optional
Candied fruits, optional
In saucepan over medium high heat, combine water, sugar, shortening, raisins, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves. Bring gently to boil and continue boiling for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Sift in flour and baking soda, stirring only until combined. Add nuts and fruit. Place in greased 9-inch square pan. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.
Wacky Sheet Cake
½ cup butter or margarine
1 cup water
½ cup lard or shortening
4 tablespoons cocoa
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon, optional
2 eggs
½ cup milk
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice
In saucepan, bring to boil margarine, water, shortening, and cocoa. Sift together flour, sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Combine dry mix with liquid. Add eggs one at a time. Mix in milk, soda, and vinegar. Place in greased 9 x 13-inch pan. Bake 15 to 20 minutes at 350 degrees.
Buttermilk Pie
1 cup sugar
3 egg yolks
2 teaspoons butter or margarine
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 heaping tablespoons flour
1 ½ cups buttermilk
Blend all ingredients in saucepan and cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly. Fill a baked 9-inch pie crust. Can be topped with a meringue made with leftover egg whites that is browned in the oven.
Faked Whipped Cream
An option for when you were out of rations for dairy products.
2 egg whites
½ cup powdered sugar
1 cup apple, grated
1 teaspoon lemon juice or vanilla
Beat egg whites until stiff. Slowly add half the sugar while beating. Then add grated apple and the rest of sugar, alternately while continuing to beat. Quickly stir in lemon juice. Serve on cakes, pudding, and the like.
Frugal Craft
Stuffed Camel
In a few easy steps, you can create a cute stuffed camel toy. This pattern was inspired by Rag Bag Toys, a 1940s-era booklet with patterns to create cost-conscious, homemade toys during the thrifty war years. Use spare scraps of fabric or worn-out clothing for the body of your camel. For stuffing in a pinch, try cotton cosmetic balls—just pull the fibers apart and fluff before stuffing.
Materials—
Remnant fabric (about ¼ yd)
Thread
Embroidery floss
Stuffing
Instructions—
1. Enlarge pattern to ¼ inch larger than desired finished size. (Sample toy is 9 inches tall.)
2. Fold fabric in half, wrong sides together, and cut using pattern.
3. Sew two fabric pieces with right sides together, leaving small opening at belly.
4. Turn right side out.
5. Using embroidery floss, embellish as desired. Add eyes, eyelashes, mouth, hooves, etc. Braid three lengths of floss together, knot at one end, and tack in place for tail.
6. Stuff.
7. Whipstitch opening closed.
Wanda E. Brunstetter is a bestselling author who enjoys writing Amish-themed, as well as historical, novels. Descended from Anabaptists herself, Wanda became deeply interested in the Plain People when she married her husband, Richard who grew up in a Mennonite church in Pennsylvania. Wanda and her husband live in Washington State, but take every opportunity to visit their Amish friends in various communities across the country, gathering further information about the Amish way of life.
Wanda and her husband have two grown children and six
grandchildren. In her spare time, Wanda enjoys photography, ventriloquism, gardening, reading, beach-combing, and having fun with her family.
In addition to her novels, Wanda has written Amish cookbooks, Amish devotionals, several Amish children’s books, as well as numerous novellas, stories, articles, poems, and puppet scripts.
Visit Wanda’s Web site at www.wandabrunstetter.com.