{"id":15560,"date":"2016-12-18T01:18:51","date_gmt":"2016-12-18T06:18:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=15560"},"modified":"2026-07-29T12:13:00","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T16:13:00","slug":"a-christmas-journey-remembered-by-bluewindfarm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=15560","title":{"rendered":"A Christmas Journey Remembered (by BluewindFarm)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary:\u00a0 This story was written for the 2016 Advent Calendar.\u00a0 Escaping the hubbub of the annual Christmas party, Adam recounts a special tale to Hoss.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rating:\u00a0 G\u00a0 (1,210 words)<\/p>\n

A Christmas Journey Remembered by BluewindFarm<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cDidn\u2019t expect ta find ya hidin\u2019 out here,\u201d Hoss stated as he stepped from the ladder into the hay loft.<\/p>\n

Adam sat near the top of the stair-stepped bales of hay; his hands, with fingers interlaced, held onto a pulled-up knee, his other leg straight out in front of him.<\/p>\n

Responding to Adam\u2019s apparent indifference, \u201cWhy ain\u2019t ya inside with everyone else?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPa send you out to get me?\u201d<\/p>\n

Climbing up and taking a seat next to his brother, \u201cNot really. Hop Sings said ya were out here when I asked him where ya were.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sitting up and pushing his legs forward, \u201cI\u2019m not really in the mood for company right now, Hoss.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nestling himself in, Hoss stated, \u201cI thought ya might be out here beddin\u2019 down the animals, and thought I\u2019d come out here an help, but ya already done that, so whys ya. . . \u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not hiding.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen whatcha doin\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt just got to be too much.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cToo mucha what?\u201d Hoss innocently asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou wouldn\u2019t understand.\u201d Adam stood as if to leave.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven if I don\u2019t understand, that don\u2019t mean I don\u2019t care\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Turning, Adam slowly shook his head, but his heart won out. Sitting back down, \u201cInger had joined our family that fall. It was our first Christmas as a family.\u201d<\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

Ben decided to halt their journey for the winter, and had rented a small cottage on the edge of town. <\/em><\/p>\n

The days passed swiftly after the celebration of St. Lucia Day. Memories of her childhood in Sweden made the time before Christmas all the more precious.\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

She had finally convinced her husband to go out to find a small pine tree two days before the blessed day. While Ben and Adam were away, she had popped corn and washed the dried cranberries. From her sewing box, she pulled out string and needles. It saddened her when she had to explain to her son the reason behind the tree and how it was decorated.<\/em><\/p>\n

Their Christmas eve dinner consisted of a ham, pickled pig\u2019s feet, and many different kinds of sweets. She even made an attempt to create her own Risgryngrot, including the hidden almond. Inger smiled at the memory from the Christmas before, she had found the almond, and as tradition predicted she had married; but not to the man her brother had chosen on her behalf.<\/em><\/p>\n

*****<\/em><\/p>\n

She woke to find an unexpected snowfall; she envisioned Ben and Adam engaging in a small snowball fight after gifts had been exchanged. Pulling her robe close, she exited their room in anticipation of an excited Adam running down the steps, eager to see what Saint Nicholas had left under the Christmas tree.<\/em><\/p>\n

Entering the front room of their home, she found Ben overseeing a seriously concentrating Adam placing the kindling and the logs in the fireplace.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cGood morning!\u201d she gaily greeted.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cMerry Christmas, Mrs. Cartwright.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd Merry Christmas to you too, Mr. Cartwright. And Merry Christmas Adam.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cMerry Christmas, Ma,\u201d Adam replied before stepping aside to allow his father to set match to the kindling.<\/em><\/p>\n

*****<\/em><\/p>\n

With fully bellies from a breakfast of biscuits and jam and ham and eggs, they returned to sit in front of the fire. Retrieving his bible from the side table, Ben began to read.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026And there were shepherds in the same country abiding in the field, and keeping watch by night over their flock. \u00a0<\/sup>And an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all the people,\u201d pausing, Ben looked to his son, \u201cAdam, do you remember the next verse?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Thinking of all the time he spent reading the bible the day before, \u201c<\/em> for there is born to you this day in the city of David a Saviour,\u201d Adam looked to Ben who nodded while smoking his pipe, \u201cwho is Christ the Lord. And this is the sign unto you: Ye shall find a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, and lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men in whom he is well pleased.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Inger smiled, clasping her folded hands above her heart.\u00a0 \u201cThat was beautiful, Adam.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Slipping from where she had curled her legs underneath her on the settee, Inger stepped to the tree and lifted a box wrapped in brown paper from under the tree, she handed the package to Adam.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cGo ahead, open it,\u201d Inger encouraged.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cWhat is it?\u201d Adam questioned. \u201cIt\u2019s not my birthday.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s a Christmas present. It\u2019s tradition to exchange gifts on this morning.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cBut,\u201d Adam looked to his father. \u201cPa and I, we never\u2026\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s alright son. Go ahead, it\u2019s about time we began some new traditions.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

\u201cWe only had Ma for one more Christmas.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, what\u2019d my Ma get you for Christmas?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019d knitted me a stocking hat with matching mittens and a scarf.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSounds right practical\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd they were, I cherished them for a long time. They were the first Christmas presents I ever received.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cReally?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have to remember Pa and I really only had each other when we were traveling. Everything Pa ever earned he saved so we could continue traveling come spring. We\u2019d observe the day by me listening to Pa read from the bible. \u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat why you don\u2019t like the party inside?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess it\u2019s alright. Pa needs to have friends around him. And Little Joe, he thrives on the attention people give him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEspecially the girls.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, especially the girls. But, I kind of wished things were simpler, that it wasn\u2019t so much about the gifts and parties, but more about the reason, the Christ Child in the manger. The way it is when Pa reads to us from the Bible.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPa\u2019ll read to us later.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe I\u2019m just getting cynical in my old age.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOld at twenty-eight? Na, ya just need to come back inside and have some of that spiked eggnog.\u201d<\/p>\n

Together, the two made their way down the ladder; stopping to blow out the lantern before leaving the barn. \u201cAdam?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah Hoss?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks for sharing your memory of my ma with me. Ya know, I missed these times when you went back east ta college.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know you did little brother.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wrapping his arm around Adam\u2019s neck, \u201cLittle? I remember when ya come back, I was bigger than you, I still am.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trying his best to wrestle out of his brother\u2019s hold, \u201cI know, I know.\u201d He couldn\u2019t help but laugh at their own antics.<\/p>\n

With arms around the others shoulders, the brothers returned to the Christmas party inside the massive log home.<\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

And high in the night-time sky, three stars shone brighter than ever before, sparkling as knowing eyes watched over their loved ones.<\/p>\n

~The End<\/p>\n

\n

Wishing Peace on Earth, Good Will Towards Man ~~ Merry Christmas everyone!<\/p>\n

Link to the 2016 Advent Calendar – Day 19 – Glory Be…<\/a> (by sklamb)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Summary:\u00a0 This story was written for the 2016 Advent Calendar.\u00a0 Escaping the hubbub of the annual Christmas party, Adam recounts a special tale to Hoss.<\/p>\n

Rating:\u00a0 G\u00a0 (1,210 words)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":14760,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-full-width-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[1009,23,40],"tags":[1062],"class_list":["post-15560","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-brothers","category-drama","category-challenges","tag-advent-calendar","wpcat-1009-id","wpcat-23-id","wpcat-40-id"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/00001_Advent1.jpg?fit=791%2C680&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15560","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15560"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15560\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/14760"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15560"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15560"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15560"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}