Summary: A slapstick fun story of Adam getting bested. A word to the wise, always double check what you’re ordering, especially in the 1800s. Out of his fiasco, came a family tradition out of necessity.
Rating: G Words 1100
Written for the 2022 Bonanza Brand Advent Calendar

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Bonanza

~*~*~ Advent Calendar ~*~*~

* Day 7 *

How Traditions Are Born

“Adam, your order came in,” I called from the kitchen grinning to myself. “This is going to be good. Can’t wait to see his face.”

“Hey babe, that’s the box?” Adam said as he reached up and hung from the door frame.

I turned around. “You know your dad doesn’t like that.” Adam dropped down and came over. I closely watched his face, as he turned the box around.

“Didn’t think I ordered that much, this box is big.”

“Mmmm,” I said.

“Is that all you can say is ‘mmmm’?”

“Oh, I can say more, no worries on that account,” I said, trying hard not to laugh. “Do you know how much you ordered?”

“I am well aware, yes, of my order.”

‘You mean what you think you ordered.”  My sides hurt as I tried to keep from bursting out laughing.

Adam looked over at me, getting annoyed.

“You ordered cinnamon sticks,right?  Right?”

His eyes became dark “Yes.”

‘How many in a pack and how many packs did you order?”

I heard an exasperated breath of air and, in a deep and very slow tone, Adam said, “10 in a pack, 10 packs. Are you satisfied now?”

“You’re sure about that?”  Oh,my goodness ,I’m dying here.

Adam opened his arms, “Yessss!” He opened the box, stopped, looked, and took out a pack. “What the <blip>?” He picked up the pack and read, “Cinnamon sticks. Extra large. No, let’s get this right. Extra, extra large–300 per pack.” He looked over at me.  “Having a good laugh?”

“I have yet to begin,” I said, pressing my lips together.

‘Ok, so my 100 sticks became, let’s see–“

“Let me help you out…150,000.”

Adam looked up at ceiling. “Give me strength, where do you get your math sense from? Stop now!” Getting back to his box “Jeez, 50 packs.”  Shaking his head, he put his hands on his hips. “Babe. 50 times 300 is 15,000.”

He gave me his “so there” look. So, I did my head thing that annoys him.  “Yes, if it is only one box.” I rubbed my chin, “but if you add nine more boxes that makes 10 boxes times 50 times 300. I love you but do the math.”

Adam gave me a blank look, so I pointed to the back kitchen door. He looked over, mouth open, moving but no words were coming out.

I lost it.

Hoss came in at that moment “Big brother, what’s with all the cinnamon, planning a side business?”

We were killing ourselves laughing. Adam gave us a dirty look and moved towards the door to check the rest of his order.  He stood there, rubbing the back of neck, pondering what on earth happened.

Ben came in, almost tripping over the boxes “What, what, what are these boxes doing here?” he said as he looked over to Hoss and me then back to Adam. “Is there an explanation?” At that moment Little Joe came in and said, “Wow!”

Ben gave Little Joe a stern look and pointed to the boxes.

“What? Why are you looking at me?” Joe asked.

I chirped up. “Maybe look at the labels.” Adam secretly gave me a rude gesture, which made me laugh more.

Ben bent down, picked up a box and read the label. “Adam Cartwright.” He shoved it at him. “You, really? an explanation?” But then, holding up his hands, Ben said, “No, on second thoughts, just deal with this,” and he left, muttering to himself.

The three of us looked at Adam. I smiled, ‘I’m telling Santa on you.”

Adam let out a sigh, hung his head and asked, “How much did I have to drink?”

“Not how much you had, it’s what you had. Bourbon, you get nutty when you drink bourbon.”

Little Joe, who had been digging in a box, said “Well, they’re top-notch high quality big brother.”

“Little Joe, I would move out of his arm’s length if I were you,” said Hoss. ‘We’ll leave you alone. Adam, you have some thinking to do.”

As we turned to leave, Adam’s lifted his arm, pointed at me. “Not you.”

“I’m sorry honey but it is funny, not often you get one upped.”

Adam pulled me to him and kissed the top of my head. “You’re the better math person today. Help me with this?”

“Christmas is in a week, a few stockings stuffers.”

“The Whole pack?”

‘No, you silly goose. I saw Mr. Olsen put the large candy canes in special wrappers. See if he has extra.”

“I’ll go in tomorrow.”

“I will think some more for you,” I said.

“Want to go for a walk? these boxes can wait.”

Ben stood in the doorway with his arms folded. “Walk last, boxes first.”

*****

I joined Adam that evening by the fireplace, cuddled under his arm. “I have a few ideas. You do know that these things are going to be with us for some time … a long time. We should call you the Christmas Cinnamon Monster.”

He laughed, “You’re funny.”

Some of the ideas that we came up with became a small tradition for the season for the next fifty years. There was a silver lining to our cinnamon cloud.

December became known as the cinnamon month. Adam’s schedule for his sticks:  The first week, he would grate enough for 8 large mason jars. Two jars will be made into oil. Two mixed with nutmeg, ginger, brown sugar to make tea. Two to mix with flour for breads, muffins and buns. The others used as backup.

Adam would place a large pot of water on the stove and I would add the cinnamon sticks, apple and orange peels, cloves, nutmeg and ginger to slowly simmer for the day as a nice air freshener.

I would make mulled wine with the sticks for evenings treats.

Adam would make his butter, he loves his cinnamon butter.

Christmas Eve morning at 4 a.m., Adam and I would get up and make a Cartwright Cinnamon Christmas Breakfast. The menu consists of Cinnamon buns, Cinnamon raisin bread, Cinnamon pancakes, Cinnamon bacon, Cinnamon French toast, Cinnamon scrambled eggs (normal eggs for me), Cinnamon coffee and tea. Adam’s Cinnamon butter. The smells always bring Hoss down first.

Whiskey Hot Toddy with Cinnamon-Recipe from Tablespoon.com.

1/4 lemon, juice only

1 cinnamon Stick

1 teaspoon honey

2 ozs. Bourbon.

6 ozs. hot water.

Cinnamon Butter -Recipe from The Classic Variety by Renee Groskrentz.

1 Stick of butter.

1 1/8t cinnamon

1/2 t vanilla extract

3T powered sugar.

Let the butter soften at room temperature. Add all of the other ingredients in a bowl, mix well.

Add small pieces of the soften butter stir in well. Add any other spices if you wish. (Once Adam added paprika–don’t do it!)

The End

 

My person-Adam.

My word-Cinnamon Sticks.

Link to the 2022 Bonanza Brand Advent Calendar – Day 8 – Gideon’s Trumpet (by Puchi Ann)