A Christmas Program

On that bitter day, Mom headed out into the biting wind after church for a house tour in Webster Groves with Joy Tecumseh, Aunt Petunia, and Aunt Corliss.
Back at the house, Collette arrived with Puck to find the usual armada of Dad-selected cereal boxes on the kitchen counter, a paper sack of sugar, and a box of high-fiber cinnamon oatmeal. Each a sign of the individual breakfast preferences of the family.
By the time afternoon had arrived, Carrie helped Linnea mix up a batch of three dozen cookies for the reception that evening.
After another round of Dr. Who, Carrie was busy chasing Francis down in the yard, who was a little wary of reentering the house to submit to Carrie’s instruction while Dad took a nap.
“Bring me that pumpkin,” Carried demanded, after useless threats. “I’m going to throw it at you.”
Francis, with a giggle, handed it to her. The pumpkin, however, missed its mark. And Francis was locked outdoors.
Francis later tried to make amends by constructing a torch of peace in the backyard.
“Look, I made a peace treaty for you,” he told Carrie.
Carrie was not so much impressed, but the urchin was allowed back indoors.
On the way to Linnea’s Christmas program at church that night, she sat next to Puck, who was busy watching the road and making car sounds.
“Vroom! Vroom!” he said, with intensity.
Puck sat through the whole program to wait for his Lila to appear on the stage in her pretty Christmas red dress and brown boots.
At the end of the last song, Puck somehow knew it was the end and clapping both hands together, exclaimed, “Yay! Yay!”
The performance was followed with glasses of fizzing pink punch, and many plates of Christmas cookies, including chocolate kiss cookies, which were always Collette’s favorite.
And while Puck crashed into the crib almost two hours after his bedtime, and full of warm soy, OLeif landed himself an early snooze on the living room couch, while Collette continued her project: to finish the third season of Dr. Who.