“Here, boy,” Alice said, getting down on the floor to lavish affection on the exuberant sheltie.
The phone rang, rather startling them since they didn't expect calls on Christmas Eve. Alice hurried to answer in the library with Job at her heels.
“I shouldn't be calling you now, but I was too excited to wait,” Nia Komonos said. “I'm in Potterston staying with a friend. She has a great aunt who recently lost her beloved cat. She'd love another one but doesn't think she has the energy to take a kitten. Do you have an older cat left to adopt?”
“We do!” Alice exclaimed. “It's sitting on Louise's lap right now.”
“Well, please don't give it to anyone else,” Nia said. “My friend's great aunt will be thrilled to have it.”
The librarian hung up, promising to call Alice as soon as she got home after Christmas.
“Good news,” Alice said, rejoining her sisters. “Nia has a home for the shelter's last cat.”
If Louise was disappointed not to keep it herself, she put on a good face. “I guess it's not realistic to have two cats in the inn,” she said wistfully. “But this pudgy cat is certainly relaxing.”
“Something feels right about sharing Christmas Eve with animals,” Jane said.
“Maybe because our Lord was born in a manger in a stable for animals,” Alice said thoughtfully. She sat down beside Job and petted his well-shaped head, rewarded by the thudding of his tail on the carpet. “Would it be so terrible if no one else wanted our sheltie?”
Jane shook her head, and Louise looked a bit dubious, but neither objected.
“We'd have to fence in a play area for him, of course,” Alice said. “And get a nice doghouse. He's never going to be a house pet.”
Still her sisters didn't object, and Alice was daydreaming about the pleasures of Job's company when they could hear the phone ringing again.
“I'll get it,” Jane said. “You two enjoy your animals.”
Louise was humming to the purring cat, and Alice was wondering at how calm Job was under his gentle petting.
“It's for you, Alice,” Jane said, coming back with a grin on her face.
There was only one person likely to phone on Christmas Eve, and Alice hurried to take the call in the library.
“Merry Christmas,” Mark said, his mellow voice completing her happiness.
“I didn't expect you to call tonight, but I'm glad you did. I have good news. All the animals have new homes except for the sheltie. I think maybe I'll be able to keep him myself.”
“Then you might not want to hear my news,” he said in a serious voice.
“About the sheltie?” She was torn between wanting to hear he'd found a good home and wanting to keep Job.
“I'm at the zoo—a problem with one of the kangaroos. I was talking to a night custodian who also farms. He has teenage kids, and their border collie recently passed away. A Shetland sheepdog is the perfect replacement, since they have some sheep to look after. He's excited to adopt one.”
“Oh.” It was all Alice could say.
“I could tell him it's not available anymore,” Mark suggested kindly.
“No, Job—that's what we're calling him—belongs in the country where he has space to run. I guess it wouldn't be a good life for him penned up in town.”
“I'm sorry,” Mark said. “Not for finding him a home, but because you had your heart set on keeping him. I'm proud of you for considering the dog's welfare.”
“This means every animal in the shelter has a home for Christmas,” Alice said, trying to sound cheerful.
“Thanks to your kind heart and all your work,” Mark said.
“And yours. What did I do before I had you in my life?”
“You mean everything to me,” Mark said. “Merry Christmas, Alice.”
She went back to the parlor feeling misty eyed but deeply happy.
“Mark has a home for Job,” she announced.
Louise put the pudgy cat on the floor and hugged her sister.
“I'll miss him,” Alice said, “but just imagine, every pet in the shelter has a chance at a good home. I couldn't ask for a better Christmas gift.”
Alice wiped away an errant tear with the back of her hand and smiled at her beloved sisters. “And we still have Wendell.”
The king of the inn came up to Alice and rubbed against her leg until she picked him up.
“Every pet deserves a loving home,” Alice mused as she cuddled the cat. “But it's not just the animals who benefit. Think of all the joy Wendell brings into our lives. There's nothing more relaxing than holding him after a hard day.”
She laughed with her sisters when he purred to agree with her.
I remember hearing about your adopt-a-dog idea, but I hadn't realized all that went on. Thank you for sharing it, Aunt Alice,” Cynthia said. “That would make a lovely children's storybook.”
They had finished opening all the gifts under the tree, and the living room floor was littered with bright, shiny papers, tissue paper, and ribbons. Wendell had descended from his footstool and was attacking the scraps of paper. He had a ribbon twisted around his neck and paw.
“Oh, Wendell. Didn't you get your present yet?” Alice took a tissue-wrapped package down from the top of a whatnot shelf where he couldn't reach it. “Here you go.” She set it down for the cat. He eyed it for a moment, then pounced on it and tore into the paper. Watching his antics made them all laugh. He pulled out a fuzzy mouse with a long tail, caught it in his mouth, then tossed his head and sent it flying. Then he raced after it and pounced again.
“He does love presents,” Jane said. “I'll get a trash bag. We just have time to clean this up before church.” She hopped up and hurried out of the room.
They had the living room restored to order in a few moments. Each of them went to gather up purses, gloves and coats, and they met at the back door.
As they started up the path that connected Grace Chapel Inn with Grace Chapel, the church bells rang out the call to them to worship. The clear tones seemed to hang in the frost-laden air.
Jane took a deep breath and blew it out, making a cloud in the air in front of her. She looked over at her family and laughed with delight. “What a wonderful Christmas. I'd still like to know who put baby Jesus in the manger, though. Are you sure it wasn't one of you?”
Each of them denied doing it.
“Maybe it was Wendell,” Cynthia said, grinning. “He's a very smart cat.”
“He's a rascal, but he isn't that talented,” Louise said. “Besides, he wouldn't have put it in the manger, he'd have hidden the baby where we'd never find it. Now there's another great children's story for you. The cat that stole the baby Jesus.”
“Well if it wasn't any of you, and it wasn't Wendell, then who?” Alice said.
“Perhaps we had an invisible visitor last night,” Jane said, raising one of her eyebrows the way Louise did. “Not that I believe in ghosts, but I imagine Mother and Father would be pleased, seeing that we still hold dear the traditions they loved.”
“I'm glad you've kept the old traditions alive,” Cynthia said. “It makes me feel close to Grandfather and Dad, even though they are gone, and I feel like I knew Grandmother because of all the traditions she started.”
“Personally, I think an angel put Jesus in the manger,” Jane said. “I like that idea.”
“Your angel?” Alice said. “The one who protected you in the living Nativity?”
“You never know,” Jane said, grinning. “Anything is possible at Christmas.”
They all laughed, but then they fell silent, each of them considering the possibilities as they walked up the path to Grace Chapel to celebrate the birth of the Miracle-Giver.
About the Authors
Sunni Jeffers lives in northeast Washington. She and her husband live on a farm with an aging Scottish Highlander cow and an elderly Arabian racehorse. Sunni has won the Romance Writers of America Golden Heart, American Christian Writers Book of the Year and the Colorad
o Romance Writer's Award of Excellence.
Pam Hanson and Barbara Andrews are a daughter-mother writing team. They have had nearly thirty books published together, including several for Guideposts in the series Tales from Grace Chapel Inn. Pam's background is in journalism, and she previously taught at the university level for fifteen years. She and her college professor husband have two sons. Reading is her favorite pastime, and she enjoys being a volunteer youth leader at her church. Pam writes about faith and familyat http://pamshanson.blogspot.com. Previous to their partnership, Barbara had twenty-one novels published under her own name. She began her career by writing Sunday school stories and contributing to antiques publications. Currently, she writes a column and articles about collectible postcards. She is the mother of four and the grandmother of eight. Barbara makes her home with Pam and her family in Nebraska.
Everyone in Acorn Hill has a favorite
Christmas breakfast recipe. Here are a couple
for you to try at home.
Jane's Monte Cristo Breakfast Strata
1 large loaf French bread (prepared ahead)
8 large eggs
2 cups whole milk (can use 2 percent milk)
1 cup cream or half-and-half
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1–2 teaspoons salt (preferably coarse sea salt)
2 teaspoons coarse ground pepper
4 tablespoons melted butter
3 tablespoons seedless raspberry or strawberry jam
8 ounces deli sliced ham
8 ounces deli sliced turkey breast (optional)
3 cups shredded Havarti cheese (or mild Swiss cheese)
Powdered sugar
Maple syrup
Remove crust from French bread. (Crust can be left on, if preferred.) Slice one-third of the loaf thinly. Cut the rest of the loaf into one-inch cubes. Set aside to dry out for at least an hour.
Beat together eggs, milk, cream, mustard, salt and pepper in a bowl until creamy. Blend in melted butter.
Spread jam on thin slices of bread. Cut ham and turkey breast lengthwise and crosswise into one-inch pieces. Keep separated.
Grease bottom of 9 × 13 × 2-inch baking dish. Layer ingredients: Half of the bread cubes. Layer ham over the bread. Arrange the jam-spread pieces of bread on top of ham. Spread half of the cheese over the bread. (The rest of the cheese will go on during baking.) Add a layer of turkey breast slices (optional). Top with the remaining bread cubes. (You may not need them all.)
Pour the egg mixture evenly over the layers. Cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate at least two hours or overnight.
In the morning, one and a half hours before breakfast, take strata out of refrigerator. Leave covered and place in cold oven. Turn on oven to 350 degrees. When oven reaches full temperature, bake for thirty minutes covered. Uncover and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Continue baking for twenty to forty minutes or until middle is set.
Let sit fifteen minutes. Dust lightly with powdered sugar. Cut and serve hot. Serve warm maple syrup on the side. Serves ten to twelve.
Madeleine's Salted Caramel Praline Breakfast Bread (Monkey Bread)
Biscuits:
3 cups flour
2 tablespoons sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 stick butter
1 cup buttermilk (or milk with 1 teaspoon lemon juice or white vinegar; let sit for a few minutes to curdle)
Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Cut butter in small pieces, and cut into dry ingredients with pastry cutter or rub with fingers until coarse meal is formed. Add buttermilk and mix, and then form into ball. If batter is sticky, flour your hands. Knead lightly. Divide dough in thirds and cover each portion with plastic wrap or waxed paper to keep it from drying out.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Topping:
1 stick (¼ pound) butter
1 cup light brown sugar (packed)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup heavy cream or half-and-half
1 teaspoon coarse salt (preferably sea salt or kosher salt)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped pecans (set aside)
¼ cup sugar (set aside)
1 teaspoon cinnamon (set aside)
In saucepan, melt butter, add sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg, and stir until mixture just comes to a simmer. Add cream. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Stir in salt and vanilla.
To assemble, grease a Bundt pan. Sprinkle bottom with one-fourth of the pecans.
In a shallow dish, blend sugar and cinnamon. Pinch off walnut-size pieces of biscuit dough and roll in cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place loosely in bottom of Bundt pan, using one-third of the biscuit dough. Drizzle with one-third of the caramel sauce and sprinkle with one-fourth of the pecans. Repeat for two more layers.
Bake at 350 degrees for thirty-five to forty minutes. While still hot, invert onto large round plate, like a cake plate. Best served warm. Break off in pieces to serve. Serves ten to twelve.
A Note from the Editors
We hope you enjoy Christmas Traditions at Grace Chapel Inn, created by Guideposts Books and Inspirational Media. In all of our books, magazines and outreach efforts, we aim to deliver inspiration and encouragement, help you grow in your faith, and celebrate God's love in every aspect of your daily life.
Thank you for making a difference with your purchase of this book, which helps fund our many outreach programs to the military, prisons, hospitals, nursing homes and schools. To learn more, visit GuidepostsFoundation.org.
We also maintain many useful and uplifting online resources. Visit Guideposts.org to read true stories of hope and inspiration, access OurPrayer network, sign up for free newsletters, join our Facebook community, and follow our stimulating blogs. For more articles to get you into the true spirit of Christmas, visit Guideposts.org/Christmas.
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Tales from Grace Chapel Inn
Recipes & Wooden Spoons by Judy Baer
Hidden History by Melody Carlson
Ready to Wed by Melody Carlson
The Price of Fame by Carolyne Aarsen
We Have This Moment by Diann Hunt
The Way We Were by Judy Baer
The Spirit of the Season by Dana Corbit
The Start of Something Big by Sunni Jeffers
Spring Is in the Air by Jane Orcutt
Home for the Holidays by Rebecca Kelly
Eyes on the Prize by Sunni Jeffers
Summer Breezes by Jane Orcutt
Tempest in a Teapot by Judy Baer
Mystery at the Inn by Carolyne Aarsen
Saints Among Us by Anne Marie Rodgers
Never Give Up by Pam Hanson & Barbara Andrews
Keeping the Faith by Pam Hanson & Barbara Andrews
Rally Round the Flag by Jane Orcutt
Sing a New Song by Sunni Jeffers
Prayers and Pawprints by Diann Hunt
Empty Nest by Pam Hanson & Barbara Andrews
Once you visit the charming village of Acorn Hill, you’ll never want to leave. Here, the three Howard sisters reunite after their father’s death and turn the family home into a bed-and-breakfast. They rekindle old memories, rediscover the bonds of sisterhood, revel in the blessings of friendship and meet many fascinating guests along the way.
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