And for the 16th Annual Festive Viewing
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
In which another exhibition of the Christmas season is attended…
In the drizzling, mild gray of the morning, traffic kept the little Silverspoon family at bay for about 45 minutes on the highway, following a night of late paper completing for OLeif.
Once finally arrived at the house…
Some number crunching for Collette with Carrie-Bri in the dining room and a look-over Dad’s Statement of Teaching Philosophy and Research Interests.
Linnea was busy with the ukulele, which apparently, to her dismay, had lately become a hipster item.
Mom and Puck were busy with Christmas films and making 1980’s construction paper chains. Francis was also involved in the process of watching the films.
The buns had been caught attempting The Great Escape underneath Carrie’s bed…
“Down to the floorboards,” Carrie reported.
As the afternoon arrived, Francis and Linnea-Irish departed for their final choir rehearsal of the year.
And the rain continued to steadily fall.
And by late afternoon, the kids had returned to witness the hefty twenty-pound stack of fresh mathematical texts that had just arrived for them in the mail.
Meanwhile, there was just enough time for Linnea to create a Christmas ornament for her choir mentor that year, German’s younger sister. She pulled out her packets and boxes of beads, buttons, bottle caps, and other paraphernalia while she and Collette began stringing together an avalanche of trinkets: wood beads, feathers, elephants, owls, game pieces, glass feathers, door knobs, wine corks, scissor pieces, shamrocks, etc. They decided to name it the hipster of all ornaments: ‘Grandma’s Attic’ or perhaps, more appropriately, ‘Flea Market’.
As the evening arrived, Carrie prepped chicken sandwiches for dinner as Francis and Linnea departed in the first shift.
The second shift was out the door shortly later where they would meet up with Joe at the church; (Rose was at her Christmas ladies’ Bible study dinner).
On the way out, Carrie asked Puck about his future plans.
“So when are you going to marry Anneliese?”
“When I am older and I ask her dad.”
“Oh, I see. And where are you going to live?”
“Next to Mama.”
“And who will make all the food?”
“Anneliese and me.”
“And who will buy all the food?”
“With money.”
“And who will get all the money?”
“I will buy it with money.”
“And how will you get that money?”
“With eggs and milk and cereal. You can come over.”
Apparently the little fellow had it all figured out.
And, yes, it was that time again. The Christmas choir concert. Although not quite so populated as in former years. But Grandma Combs already had a pew reserved and a tin of red hots to share with those who would. The evening ended before 8:30.