{"id":46716,"date":"2023-12-08T20:17:37","date_gmt":"2023-12-09T01:17:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=46716"},"modified":"2026-07-29T12:48:23","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T16:48:23","slug":"white-christmas-by-sibylle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=46716","title":{"rendered":"White Christmas (by Sibylle)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bonanza
\n~*~*~ Advent Calendar ~*~*~
\n* Day 8 *<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Summary: Jamie tries to learn more about his oldest new brother, but gets something unexpected in the end!
\nRating:\u00a0 G
\nWords:\u00a0 1,800
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

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

\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u201cHe is his favorite, isn\u2019t he?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

T<\/span>he tip of the big man\u2019s tongue stuck out between pursed lips as he glued tiny white sticks into the head of a freshly whittled ox. Adding the last touches to the figure, meant as part of a surprise Christmas cr\u00e8che for Joe\u2019s new home, left him without much attention for the redhaired sixteen-year-old\u2019s question. \u201cWho \u2018n\u2019 whose?\u201d was all he squeezed out around that busy tongue.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYour brother Adam. Is he Pa\u2019s favorite son?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Hoss set the ox – now equipped with a pair of horns – on the dining table and looked up at his brother in confusion.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019cha mean? And besides, he ain\u2019t just my brother but ours and that means yours, too. And no, I don\u2019t think so.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBut\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think Pa has a special connection to each of us because of our mothers and\u00a0his memories of when we were young. Take Adam \u2013 he and Pa spent more than six years travelling on the road. Then the three of us, we lived here in a little cabin, learning to survive on the frontier. With Joe and his mother, Pa \u2013 well, all of us – had a very happy time as a family, something Pa never really had with his other wives. And you, I know Pa told you this, were chosen to be his son.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Jamie\u00a0<\/span>responded with a small nod. He had taken an old portrait of Adam as a<\/span>\u00a0student\u00a0from his father\u2019s desk and was scrutinizing it closely.\u00a0\u201cHe\u2019s handsome with that big grin and his glossy black hair.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJamie, what\u2019s wrong? Pa never rates his sons by their beauty. But\u2026\u201d Hoss made a pause for effect. \u201cIf he does surely I\u2019m his favorite.\u201d Hoss posed like a prize boxer and bared his teeth in an oversized grin.<\/span><\/p>\n

At that moment the door opened and Joe came in with something in his hands. \u201cHey,\u00a0\u00a0Hoss, you remind me of someone.\u201d He seemed to frown for a moment. \u201cOh, that\u2019s right–Harry Hawkins*! Good thing I\u2019m here in time to squash this nonsense, little brother. I can tell you this: the most handsome man on the Ponderosa is me and always has been!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

When Jamie glanced over at him, Joe quickly put his hands behind his back, just as Hoss snatched up the little ox and tried to conceal it from Joe. Each man decided he should hide his secret present in the downstairs guestroom; Hoss sidled to his right while Joe backed around the credenza, keeping a wary eye on Jamie<\/span>. With both of them aiming for the same place, they inevitably bumped into each other. By instinct Joe flung out an arm to fend off Hoss, then, realizing that Jamie might see what was in his hand, he twisted to put his back to the wall at the left of the door to the guestroom. Hoss had reached an equivalent position on the right side of the\u00a0doorway. They exchanged momentary glares, then simultaneously tried to slither sideways into the room. After another collision they ended up back where they had been.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are you doing, sons?\u201d Ben was just coming down the stairs. \u201cA dancing competition\u00a0<\/span>to determine the Adonis of the Ponderosa?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh, you heard us,\u201d Hoss said sheepishly. <\/span>By now the men were flanking the door like a pair of antique armless statues. They might have stayed frozen there forever if Hop Sing hadn\u2019t come out of his kitchen to greet Joe. Recognizing their dilemma, he quietly collected both hidden gifts and took them to safety in the kitchen.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAs for you, young man, you will never win the prize. You need a haircut!\u201d Ben continued.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPa!\u201d Joe said indignantly.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben grinned. \u201cI know.\u00a0Old habit. If you and your wife are both happy with that long hair\u00a0\u2026.\u201d Ben shrugged. \u201cHave you brought the mail and everything for Hop Sing?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSure, Pa,\u201d Joe\u00a0said with renewed cheerfulness. \u201cBut with all this snow, I don\u2019t think anyone will be going back to town before Christmas.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnything from Adam in the mail?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo. I\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s dark brown eyes became a little darker and his shoulders slumped.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBut, Pa,\u201d Jamie blurted out, \u201cI brought you a parcel from Adam on Monday!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh Jamie, it wasn\u2019t from Adam,\u201d Ben sighed.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBut I read it in bold letters, Pa, \u2018Adam Cartwright\u2019.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0Then he added in a low tone, \u201cI wondered why you weren\u2019t happy. I guessed that you miss him very badly\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJamie, it was marked \u201creturn to sender.\u201d That present I sent for little Paul\u2019s second birthday.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The happy, joking mood in the big room vanished like a popped soap bubble.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you think happened, Pa?\u201d Joe asked with a raspy voice.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know. I sent a telegram but as you said, Joe, nothing come back from Adam.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhy didn\u2019t ya tell us before now?\u201d Hoss frowned.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s sit down to talk, sons.\u201d Ben collapsed into his armchair.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m bringing some coffee and cookies!\u201d Hop Sing bustled out of the kitchen, carrying a tray.<\/span><\/p>\n

After a short pause, Ben muttered, \u201cLook boys, I didn\u2019t want to upset you so close to Christmas.\u201d He looked at Jamie, then at the other two. \u201cAnd to your wedding, Hoss, and the birth of your first child, Joe. Yes, I\u2019m worried, but we all know worrying changes nothing. So we shouldn\u2019t.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe you wrote the address wrong?\u201d Hoss suggested.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo, absolutely not. You know Adam is living in his grandfather Stoddard\u2019s house. If I know any address by heart, it is that one. I lived there with Elizabeth. I thought perhaps I could visit him in the spring and see my grandsons. I was going to ask you this week if you\u2019d be ok with that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

All three sons nodded\u00a0solemnly.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe Adam moved? He\u2019s an architect, maybe he built a new house,\u201d Joe said hopefully.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s possible, Joe. Now we have only to wait. At least once the snow stops.\u201d Ben gulped down his last swallow of coffee and tried to smile. \u201cWe have work to do, to secure the barn and the house. Let\u2019s start. And Joe, wouldn\u2019t it be better if you and Ann come to us in the big house?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cM\u2026maybe, Pa. I wanted to have my first Christmas with my wife in my own house. But \u2026 being here with you would be better, maybe.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI know you were looking forward to that\u2026\u201d Ben nodded. \u201cBut I always worry about a pregnant wife. You know I lost Elizabeth and almost your mother, too.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s expecting in the spring, Pa. But I do think staying here is a better idea.\u201d Joe put a firm hand on his father\u2019s shoulder.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYippeee, we\u2019ll all be together for Christmas!\u201d Jaime cheered, but broke off when he saw the still-anxious expressions of the rest of his family.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cPa, come out!\u201d Jamie cried loudly. \u201cI\u2019m not a child anymore, but here \u2026 here is Saint Nicholas coming on a sled. I know it\u2019s not really possible. But look!\u201d Jamie squinted his eyes against the blinding noon sun reflected off the virgin snow of Christmas day. \u201cI can see his cap trimmed with white fur and his beard.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Then\u00a0the sled and the traveler stopped, while not only Ben but also Hoss, Joe and Ann, and Hop Sing ran outside.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLook, look!\u201d Jamie cried again. Then everything began to happen very quickly.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben grabbed the traveler, nearly yanked him from the coachman\u2019s seat of the sled, and hugged him with all his might, laughing and crying at once, before he scolded: \u201cIf you weren\u2019t a father yourself, boy, we would have a serious talk in the barn. To worry me in such a way! To vanish from the earth without a word!\u201d Ben hugged the stranger again.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAh\u2026 it was meant to be a surprise, Pa, a happy surprise. And I sent you a telegram,\u201d the man stammered.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBut when? It never arrived!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLast week.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOnly a week ago?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPa, I didn\u2019t want you worried about our travelling – a man and his wife and two small sons.\u201d\u00a0The newcomer\u2019s voice was serious and he gestured behind him to where in the back, almost smothered in blankets and furs, three more heads appeared. \u201cSo I telegraphed when we arrived in San Francisco. And, Pa, a telegram isn\u2019t like a letter with the stagecoach, it\u2019s faster, you know?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Jamie could just make out a smirking mouth above the beard.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh, yes, even an old man like me knows that,\u201d Ben said with a sarcastic undertone. \u201cBut have you ever thought that we still need messengers to bring telegrams to the Ponderosa? And that it snows?\u201d Ben had risen his voice with each word, his arms akimbo.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh.\u201d The man slipped off his cap and tugged at his left earlobe with his right hand. To Jamie\u2019s surprise, he was almost entirely bald. \u201cI think, out in the world, in Europe and in the East I really forgot about that, and how bad the snow can be here.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben grinned and then again they hugged each other. \u201cI am happy,\u201d Ben whispered, and the other man mumbled softly to him, \u201cI found an engineering job in Virginia City, and I sold Abel\u2019s house in Boston to a distant cousin.\u201d In a louder voice he said, \u201cAnd now I would like to introduce my wife and my sons, and hug all the other Cartwrights here and Hop Sing of course. Maybe before that trip to the barn, Pa?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou scalawag! You are right, first things first. I\u2019m so happy to meet them all finally. Welcome, Glorie, welcome, Mark and Paul.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYes, yes, come all in! Hop Sing never too surprised not to feed all Catlights! Good soup to warm up the cold from big snow and later turkey.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBut snow can be also fun, ol\u2019 brother? What about a snowball fight after supper? Or have you forgotten how to aim, too, in the East?\u201d Hoss snickered as he wrapped the newcomer in a bear hug.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI have surely not!\u201d the other man said as he moved on to embrace Joe. \u201cBut not two against one any more!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Then he turned to Jamie. \u201cWould you like to take my side against those brothers of – ours?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Jamie stood there hesitantly, staring at the almost bald-headed man with the short gray beard. Could this really be Adam?<\/span><\/p>\n

But then the strange face broke into the same brilliant smile he had seen in the old family photograph!<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYes, older brother, yes, Adam, I will!\u201d An equally broad smile split Jamie\u2019s face in two as he fell into Adam\u2019s outspread arms.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Notes:<\/span><\/p>\n

My phrase: “the sled and the traveler stopped,”<\/b> from The Snow-storm<\/a> <\/strong>by Ralph Waldo Emerson.
\nMy Character:\u00a0Jamie<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

*Widow Clementine Hawkins deceased husband was Harry Hawkins – The Strongest Man on Earth – see the Burma Rarity.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

Thanks to Sklamb for her beta-read and polishing, and her time to discuss some details!<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Link to Bonanza Brand 2023 Advent Calendar – Day 9 – The Miracle of Midnight<\/a> by Inca<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Summary:\u00a0 Jamie tries to learn more about his oldest new brother, but gets something unexpected in the end!:
\nRating:\u00a0 G
\nWords:\u00a0 1,800
\nWritten for the Bonanza Brand 2023 Advent Calendar<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":114,"featured_media":5835,"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":[7,23,1008],"tags":[1062],"class_list":["post-46716","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-a-u","category-drama","category-family","tag-advent-calendar","wpcat-7-id","wpcat-23-id","wpcat-1008-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\/2014\/05\/Christmas-Traditions.jpg?fit=639%2C480&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46716","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\/114"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=46716"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46716\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5835"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=46716"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=46716"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=46716"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}