Summary:\u00a0 An afternoon spent preparing for Christmas
\nRating:\u00a0 PG\u00a0 (1,085 words)<\/p>\n
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The Brandsters have included this author in our project:\u00a0Preserving Their Legacy. To preserve the legacy of the author, we have decided to give their work a home in the Bonanza Brand Fanfiction Library.\u00a0 The author will always be the owner of this work of fanfiction, and should they wish us to remove their story, we will.<\/p>\n
Ponderosa Christmas<\/strong><\/p>\n Marie Cartwright was just putting the final bow on a large Christmas present when she heard the front door bang open and heard the sounds of her family returning.\u00a0 The door banging open would be Hoss of course.\u00a0 At ten years old, Hoss was already as tall as his older brother Adam at 16, and outweighed him by at least 50 pounds.\u00a0 He was as graceful as a newborn colt but his lack of grace was more than compensated by his enthusiasm.\u00a0 Thus, banging doors open, slamming them shut, knocking over lamps, glasses, and anything else that got in his way was not uncommon.\u00a0 She smiled as she thought of her big stepson with his big heart.<\/p>\n She wondered what was keeping the rest of her men.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t have long to wonder, because just at that time the door opened again and she heard the voice of four-year old Joseph.\u00a0 She couldn\u2019t quite make out the words, but she could hear the excitement in his voice and knew that he was eagerly relating some new discovery to his father.\u00a0 The talking turned to giggling as she heard steps coming upstairs and she figured Ben had swung him up on his shoulders to bring him upstairs.\u00a0 She quickly put the last present under the bed and walked out of the bedroom to meet them.<\/p>\n She laughed at the sight that greeted her.\u00a0 It was Ben and Joseph, but rather than seeing Joseph on Ben\u2019s shoulders as she had expected, she saw Ben and Adam bringing Little Joe upstairs, swinging him as they did.\u00a0 Little Joe was giggling uncontrollably as they threatened to throw him as they swung him.\u00a0 She adopted as stern a look as she could muster as she scolded them.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat are you doing?\u00a0 You put him down before he gets hurt.\u201c<\/strong>\u00a0 Ben and Adam made a great charade of trying to decide what they should do.<\/p>\n \u201cMama!\u00a0 We found a tree and it\u2019s so big it is gonna touch the top of the house.\u00a0 Papa said he may have to cut a hole in the top of the house, it\u2019s so big!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell my goodness, Little Joe.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know about a tree that big\u2026.\u00a0And remember, Little Joe.\u00a0 We always put it on the top of the tree at Christmas time.\u00a0 When I was little, my Papa would lift me up high and let me put it on the tree.\u00a0 Papa said the angel would protect the person who put the angel on the tree.\u201d<\/p>\n She watched him as he looked at the angel, turning it over and over, tracing the intricate details and holding it up to the light to make it sparkle.\u00a0 As any proud mother, she thought her child was beautiful and as she watched him with the angel in his hands, she thought to herself that he was an angel holding an angel.\u00a0 It was then that she decided that he should be the one to place the angel on the tree.<\/p>\n \u201cLittle Joe, would you like to put the angel on the tree?\u201d s<\/p>\n Yes I did, Joe.\u00a0 Come on and we will do that right now!\u201d<\/p>\n He picked up Little Joe and then picked up a blanket off the sofa and wrapped it around him and headed outside.<\/p>\n \u201cComing, Marie?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou go on, let me get my coat.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben took Joe and walked out into the middle of the courtyard so they could get a good unobstructed view of the stars.\u00a0 He began to point out the constellations and the individual stars that he had used as a ship\u2019s captain to guide his ship. He told Joe their real name, as well as their common name and holding Joe\u2019s hand, he traced the pattern of the stars making up the various constellations of stars.<\/p>\n He was pointing out the North star when Marie said, \u201cBen, the way you describe them, I can see them with my eyes closed.\u201d<\/p>\n She put her hand on his arm as she spoke and a shiver of excitement ran through him at her touch.\u00a0 He moved Little Joe over to one arm and put his other arm around Marie.\u00a0 They stood there, gazing at the stars until Marie said, \u201cI sure hope Santa isn\u2019t up there.\u201d They watched Little Joe\u2019s eyes widen slightly.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t want to be responsible for Santa not visiting us do you, Ben?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPapa stop!\u201d Joe yelled, starting to cry.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re hurting Mama.\u00a0 Stop Papa.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe touched his father\u2019s face and turned it toward him.\u00a0 Their laughter stopped abruptly when they realized that he was upset.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cOh no, Little Joe, Papa and I were just playing.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t hurt me at all\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh Son, I would never ever hurt your mother.\u201d Ben reassured him.<\/p>\n Little Joe looked deeply into their eyes and then relaxed as he realized that they were telling the truth.\u00a0 \u201cWell you sure sounded like you were hurting Mama, Papa,\u201d he said with a slight frown on his face.<\/p>\n Ben said, \u201cLittle Joe do you remember that time that Adam and I were acting like we were gonna throw you down the stairs and you were laughing and Mama told us to stop it?\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe thought for a minute and then said, \u201cYeah Papa, I knew you weren\u2019t really going to throw me down the stairs.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell Mama knew I wasn\u2019t going to really squeeze her too hard, too.\u201d<\/p>\n This explanation was sufficient for Little Joe so he smiled at them both.\u00a0 Marie said, \u201cNow then, young man, we\u2019d better get you to bed so Santa can come to visit you.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben and Marie took Little Joe upstairs and got him in his nightshirt and listened to his prayers and before his head hit the pillow practically, he was sound asleep.\u00a0 Ben and Marie stood together at his bedside for several minutes, just watching him sleep, his face again angelic in appearance.\u00a0 When they finally turned to go, Marie said softly, \u201cGood night, my real little angel.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben and Marie walked arm in arm into the hallway.\u00a0 Marie started back downstairs, but Ben held her arm and stopped her from going.\u00a0 She looked at him quizzically and said: \u201cBen, we have to put out all the Christmas presents.\u201d\u00a0 \u201cLater\u201d he said and pulled her close to him again and arm in arm they walked into their own bedroom and he closed the door.<\/p>\n MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL ***End***<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\nAND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT!<\/p>\n