{"id":49924,"date":"2024-12-04T20:07:43","date_gmt":"2024-12-05T01:07:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=49924"},"modified":"2025-09-25T15:37:14","modified_gmt":"2025-09-25T19:37:14","slug":"the-ugliest-christmas-ornament","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=49924","title":{"rendered":"The Ugliest Christmas Ornament (by DJK)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Summary: Little Joe thinks an ornament is too ugly for the Cartwright tree. Adam has the opposite opinion in this slice-of-life vignette.<br \/>\nRating: G 610 words<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>The Ugliest Christmas Ornament\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cDon\u2019t, Hoss!\u00a0 We don\u2019t want that on our tree.\u00a0 It\u2019s ugly!\u201d\u00a0 With vehemence Little Joe voiced his opinion of the ornament that his big brother had just taken from the wooden chest where the Cartwright Christmas treasures were kept from holiday season to holiday season.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cBut, Joe. . .\u201d Hoss began.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Their elder brother reached out and took the misshapen lump with its worn colors from the large hand where it was nestled. A faraway look came into his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s not ugly, Little Joe.\u00a0 In fact, I\u2019ve always thought it was one of the most beautiful decorations on our tree.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Little Joe snorted and shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cYou must be going blind in your old age, Adam.\u201d\u00a0 His twenty-one-year-old brother had returned from college the previous spring, and this was the first Christmas since his homecoming.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cYou have been putting it on the tree every year, haven\u2019t you, Hoss?\u201d\u00a0 Adam\u2019s gaze pierced his brother.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Hoss shifted nervously and muttered, \u201cYeah, but, well, I always kinda tucked it in the back.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cWell, this year it\u2019s coming out front where I can see it each time I look at this tree,\u201d Adam declared, and placed the ribbon loop so that the ornament hung from a prominent branch just below the golden star.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Little Joe turned to his father as the ultimate arbitrator.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cPa, you ain\u2019t gonna let him hang it there, are ya?\u00a0 It\u2019s ugly!\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cLittle Joe,\u201d Ben motioned for his youngest to come to his side.\u00a0 Placing his arm around Joe\u2019s waist, he continued, \u201cSon, you\u2019ve heard people say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.\u00a0 Well, in Adam\u2019s eyes that ornament is beautiful.\u201d\u00a0 Little Joe\u2019s continued frown showed his lack of understanding.\u00a0 \u201cWhen love looks on love, it always sees only beauty.\u00a0 It was a gift of love made by hands that Adam loves dearly.\u00a0 It will always be beautiful to him.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Three minds gazed at the ornament and saw a three-year-old with head bowed and fingers working diligently to shape a lump of clay from the riverbank.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cWhat are you making, little buddy?\u201d<\/span><\/i><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cIt\u2019s for the tree, Adam.\u00a0 Can I use your paints?\u201d<\/span><\/i><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cI don\u2019t know. . .\u201d<\/span><\/i><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cPlease, please, I won\u2019t spill um, please.\u201d<\/span><\/i><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cMaybe if I help.\u201d<\/span><\/i><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>The chestnut curls danced as the little boy shook his head,<i><span data-contrast=\"none\"> \u201cYou can\u2019ts help, Adam, ya can\u2019ts.\u201d<\/span><\/i><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cBut. . .\u201d<\/span><\/i><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cCan I, Little Joe,\u201d Hoss asked.<\/span><\/i><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span data-contrast=\"none\">Little Joe\u2019s lips reflected deep thought, \u201cYeah, you can help, Hoss, just you.\u201d<\/span><\/i><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span data-contrast=\"none\">Hoss tried to send a message to his elder brother with his eyes.<\/span><\/i><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cOkay,\u201d Adam agreed, \u201cAfter it\u2019s dried you can paint it when I paint mine.\u201d<\/span><\/i><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>It was Christmas Eve before Little Joe crawled into Adam\u2019s lap with the finished ornament in his hand.<\/p>\n<p><i><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cIt\u2019s for you, big brother.\u00a0 You made my angel, so I mades one for you!\u201d<\/span><\/i><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cThat\u2019s why you wouldn\u2019t let me help?\u201d<\/span><\/i><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cYou can\u2019ts help make something for you. You like it, don\u2019t ya?\u201d<\/span><\/i><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cI love it, Little Joe.\u00a0 It will always be the most beautiful ornament on our tree.\u201d<\/span><\/i><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Little Joe leaned against his father as he also fixed his gaze on the maligned ornament.\u00a0 \u201cDid one of his mamas make it?\u201d\u00a0 Little Joe asked, thinking it unlikely any of his father\u2019s wives could have fashioned such a thing but at a loss as to whom Adam could love so much he would see that blob as a thing of beauty.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cNo, Joseph, it was one of his brothers.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cHoss?\u201d\u00a0 Joe watched three Cartwright heads shake slowly as grins spread across their faces.\u00a0 His eyes widened as a blush warmed his cheeks.\u00a0 Then he smiled in return as something much nicer warmed his heart.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"pvc_stats_49924\" class=\"pvc_stats all  \" data-element-id=\"49924\" style=\"\"><i class=\"pvc-stats-icon medium\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.0\" viewBox=\"0 0 502 315\" preserveAspectRatio=\"xMidYMid meet\"><g transform=\"translate(0,332) scale(0.1,-0.1)\" fill=\"\" stroke=\"none\"><path d=\"M2394 3279 l-29 -30 -3 -207 c-2 -182 0 -211 15 -242 39 -76 157 -76 196 0 15 31 17 60 15 243 l-3 209 -33 29 c-26 23 -41 29 -80 29 -41 0 -53 -5 -78 -31z\"\/><path d=\"M3085 3251 c-45 -19 -58 -50 -96 -229 -47 -217 -49 -260 -13 -295 52 -53 146 -42 177 20 16 31 87 366 87 410 0 70 -86 122 -155 94z\"\/><path d=\"M1751 3234 c-13 -9 -29 -31 -37 -50 -12 -29 -10 -49 21 -204 19 -94 39 -189 45 -210 14 -50 54 -80 110 -80 34 0 48 6 76 34 21 21 34 44 34 59 0 14 -18 113 -40 219 -37 178 -43 195 -70 221 -36 32 -101 37 -139 11z\"\/><path d=\"M1163 3073 c-36 -7 -73 -59 -73 -102 0 -56 133 -378 171 -413 34 -32 83 -37 129 -13 70 36 67 87 -16 290 -86 209 -89 214 -129 231 -35 14 -42 15 -82 7z\"\/><path d=\"M3689 3066 c-15 -9 -33 -30 -42 -48 -48 -103 -147 -355 -147 -375 0 -98 131 -148 192 -74 13 15 57 108 97 206 80 196 84 226 37 273 -30 30 -99 39 -137 18z\"\/><path d=\"M583 2784 c-38 -19 -67 -74 -58 -113 9 -42 211 -354 242 -373 16 -10 45 -18 66 -18 51 0 107 52 107 100 0 39 -1 41 -124 234 -80 126 -108 162 -133 173 -41 17 -61 16 -100 -3z\"\/><path d=\"M4250 2784 c-14 -9 -74 -91 -133 -183 -95 -150 -107 -173 -107 -213 0 -55 33 -94 87 -104 67 -13 90 8 211 198 130 202 137 225 78 284 -27 27 -42 34 -72 34 -22 0 -50 -8 -64 -16z\"\/><path d=\"M2275 2693 c-553 -48 -1095 -270 -1585 -649 -135 -104 -459 -423 -483 -476 -23 -49 -22 -139 2 -186 73 -142 361 -457 571 -626 285 -228 642 -407 990 -497 242 -63 336 -73 660 -74 310 0 370 5 595 52 535 111 1045 392 1455 803 122 121 250 273 275 326 19 41 19 137 0 174 -41 79 -309 363 -465 492 -447 370 -946 591 -1479 653 -113 14 -422 18 -536 8z m395 -428 c171 -34 330 -124 456 -258 112 -119 167 -219 211 -378 27 -96 24 -300 -5 -401 -72 -255 -236 -447 -474 -557 -132 -62 -201 -76 -368 -76 -167 0 -236 14 -368 76 -213 98 -373 271 -451 485 -162 444 86 934 547 1084 153 49 292 57 452 25z m909 -232 c222 -123 408 -262 593 -441 76 -74 138 -139 138 -144 0 -16 -233 -242 -330 -319 -155 -123 -309 -223 -461 -299 l-81 -41 32 46 c18 26 49 83 70 128 143 306 141 649 -6 957 -25 52 -61 116 -79 142 l-34 47 45 -20 c26 -10 76 -36 113 -56z m-2057 25 c-40 -58 -105 -190 -130 -263 -110 -324 -59 -707 132 -981 25 -35 42 -64 37 -64 -19 0 -241 119 -326 174 -188 122 -406 314 -532 468 l-58 71 108 103 c185 178 428 349 672 473 66 33 121 60 123 61 2 0 -10 -19 -26 -42z\"\/><path d=\"M2375 1950 c-198 -44 -350 -190 -395 -379 -18 -76 -8 -221 19 -290 114 -284 457 -406 731 -260 98 52 188 154 231 260 27 69 37 214 19 290 -38 163 -166 304 -326 360 -67 23 -215 33 -279 19z\"\/><\/g><\/svg><\/i> <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" alt=\"Loading\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/plugins\/page-views-count\/ajax-loader-2x.gif?resize=16%2C16&#038;ssl=1\" border=0 \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Summary:  Little Joe thinks an ornament is too ugly for the Cartwright tree.  Adam has the opposite opinion in this slice-of-life vignette.<br \/>\nRating:  G  610 words<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":143,"featured_media":12478,"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_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1009,30,8],"tags":[1098],"class_list":["post-49924","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-brothers","category-prequels","category-short-stories","tag-christmas","wpcat-1009-id","wpcat-30-id","wpcat-8-id"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":true,"total_views":519,"today_views":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Bonanza-SC-Angel.jpg?fit=385%2C289&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":13119,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=13119","url_meta":{"origin":49924,"position":0},"title":"A New Year&#8217;s Renewal (by Karen)","author":"Karen","date":"July 7, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0 It's the littlest things in life and the littlest one who can inspire. 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Rating:\u00a0 G\u00a0 words 2,530 Written for the 2022 Bonanza Brand Advent Calendar","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Joe Cartwright&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Joe Cartwright","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=1007"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/30wreath.jpg?fit=450%2C549&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5519,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=5519","url_meta":{"origin":49924,"position":4},"title":"The Christmas Surprise (by deansgirl)","author":"deansgirl","date":"December 24, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: \u00a0The first Chrismas after Marie died was going to be a sad one.\u00a0 Can Adam and Hoss make the season bright after all? 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