{"id":2802,"date":"2013-12-24T11:51:34","date_gmt":"2013-12-24T16:51:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=2802"},"modified":"2026-07-22T13:18:29","modified_gmt":"2026-07-22T17:18:29","slug":"white-christmas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=2802","title":{"rendered":"White Christmas (by frasrgrl)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary:\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span>The 2013 Christmas challenge was to write a story that reflects on your favorite Christmas Carol. One of my favorites is White Christmas.<\/p>\n

Word Count: 1,154\u00a0\u00a0Rated:<\/span> K<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0White Christmas<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Ponderosa Ranch<\/p>\n

December 1874<\/p>\n

Ben Cartwright watched his youngest, and only son that was left at home, glaring at the yard stretched out before him. For the life of him, he couldn\u2019t figure out what could be troubling Joe. When the young man didn\u2019t acknowledge his presence, he went over and claimed the empty chair and sat a steaming mug of coffee in front of him.<\/p>\n

Glancing at the mug, then at his father, Joe nodded his head. \u201cThanks, Pa.\u201d and turned his attention back to the space in front of him.<\/p>\n

Ben was always amazed at all the ways this boy of his had and hadn\u2019t changed over the years. Oh, the outward sign of the passing of time was there. His once brown curls were now streaked with gray; his shoulders and chest had filled out and were now broad with well-defined muscles. He had definitely matured over the years, in more than one way. When Adam left the ranch, his youngest son stepped up and took over the responsibilities of his oldest brother. He couldn\u2019t fill Adam\u2019s shoes; not because he wasn\u2019t as good as Adam, but because he was his own man. When they had lost Hoss, Joe took hold of the reins and ran The Ponderosa when Ben was unable to. Now they were partners. Sure Joe humored Ben by pretending his word was the only one that mattered, but they both knew that the father trusted the son to make decisions without having to discuss them with him. But he was also still Little Joe, just as stubborn and hot-headed as he was at seventeen. He still held his problems close, wanting to work them out on his own and not talking until he was good and ready; or knee deep in trouble. Joe had been quiet for the past week; always skirting around the subject whenever Ben tried to find out what was wrong.<\/p>\n

Shaking his head at Joe\u2019s continued silence; Ben finally decided to take the bull by the horns. \u201cAlright Joseph, what\u2019s troubling you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNoth.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u201d Joe stopped mid-word when he saw his father\u2019s raised eyebrow. He never realized until that very moment how much that facial expression was so like Adam\u2019s. Lord, I miss him.<\/em> \u201cThis,\u201d he finally answered, sweeping his arm out, encompassing the expanse of the yard.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe yard? What did it do to you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s brown!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, it is.\u201d His brows were now furrowed together in confusion. \u201cAnd that\u2019s a problem, because.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe turned his glare on his father. \u201cBecause it\u2019s brown. Because it\u2019s December. Because it\u2019s almost Christmas. Because it\u2019s not WHITE!\u201d He crossed his arms over his chest and went back to glaring at the brown yard.<\/p>\n

\u201cI see.\u201d And he did. Joe was right. It was only days until Christmas and The Ponderosa was as void of snow as it was in October. \u201cThat\u2019s the only thing that\u2019s bothering you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Suddenly all the bluster was gone, his shoulders sagged, and Joe lowered his head. For all of his 31 years, he could still look like a lost little boy. \u201cI miss them,\u201d he answered, his voice barely a whisper.<\/p>\n

Ben didn\u2019t have to ask who \u201cthem\u201d were, he knew beyond a doubt. \u201cSo do I.\u201d<\/p>\n

Looking up at the blue, cloudless sky, Joe sighed. \u201cI can remember the Christmas\u2019s when we were still together. The snow ball fights. We never knew who would be the first victim, but it was inevitable it would end up in an all-out war, each of us finding some sort of cover and an endless supply of ammunition.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben chuckled, also remembering the snow wars that had occurred over the years. \u201cIt took me awhile, but I finally learned to stay inside and watch with Hop Sing from the kitchen window, unless I wanted to be the unwilling recipient of an errant missile.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHa! Nine out of ten times, you and Hop Sing would sneak out and gang up on us.\u201d Joe\u2019s attention seemed to be focused on his coffee mug as he slowly turned it in circles on the table, but truth be known, his mind was miles away, or more accurately, years away. \u201cWhen I was little, I would try my hardest to stay awake and listen for Santa. I don\u2019t understand how, but Adam and Hoss knew. There were times when I would hear sleigh bells and then thumping on the roof.\u201d Joe laughed softly at the fond memory. \u201cNot wanting to get caught awake by Santa, I would pull the covers over my head and pretend I was sound asleep. Even though I always thought I was too excited to sleep a wink, I would eventually doze off.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember.\u00a0.\u00a0. You have no idea how much they enjoyed doing that for you\u2014keeping the belief of Santa alive; even though I feared Hoss would come through the ceiling as he clomped around up there. They were as excited as you were for morning to come. Not for the same reason of course. They couldn\u2019t wait to watch the expression on your face when you would come bounding down the stairs to see what Santa left. What I always enjoyed was not the way you were with the presents you received, but the delight you took in watching your brothers and myself open our presents. You have always loved giving as much as receiving.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wiping his eyes with the sleeve his shirt, Joe smiled at the memories. \u201cIf only.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben reached over and laid his hand on top of Joe\u2019s. \u201cI know Son. I know.\u201d<\/p>\n

~~~~<\/p>\n

Joe yawned as he came down the stairs on Christmas morning. Running a hand through already tousled, hair, he stood in front of the tree and smiled to see that the candles had already been lit. \u201cHop Sing must have done it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Looking towards the table he was surprised not only at the absence of steaming plates of food, but also at his father\u2019s vacant chair. A soft sound brought his attention back to the tree. He could have sworn he had heard the gentle tinkle of a bell. Another melodious sound drew his eyes to the very top where an angel was perched. A loving smile graced his lips at the sight. \u201cMerry Christmas, Mama. Merry Christmas, Adam. Merry Christmas, Hoss.\u201d<\/p>\n

Entering the kitchen, Joe was confused to see it empty. Walking back out scratching his head, he took another look around. \u201cPa! Hop Sing!\u201d Silence was his only answer.<\/p>\n

Joe opened the front door and took a step out. Before anything could register, two snow balls hit him square in the chest.<\/p>\n

\u201cMerry Christmas, Joseph!\u201d<\/p>\n

Merry Chris\u2019mas, Li\u2019le Joe!\u201d<\/p>\n

The smile on Joe\u2019s face outshone not only the candle lighting the tree in the greatroom, but also the sun that was shining in the sky.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s WHITE! It\u2019s a white Christmas after all.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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

Summary:\u00a0 \u00a0The 2013 Christmas challenge was to write a story that reflects on your favorite Christmas Carol. One of my favorites is White Christmas.<\/p>\n

Word Count: 1,154\u00a0\u00a0Rated: K<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":87,"featured_media":13920,"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":false,"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":[1015,23,40],"tags":[424],"class_list":["post-2802","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-joe-pa","category-drama","category-challenges","tag-riders","wpcat-1015-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\/2017\/03\/Blizzard.jpeg?fit=292%2C167&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2802","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\/87"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2802"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2802\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/13920"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2802"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2802"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2802"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}