Santa Claus is coming to Town
Having an urgent pep to his step, Vincent found Rebecca, who was nervously biting her fingernails! So when she saw Vincent approaching, she anxiously asked, “Well?”
With a sigh of relief, Vincent informed her, “Father is ready.”
Ecstatically Rebecca replied, “Oh wonderful Vincent!"
Fanning the nervous flush from her face, Rebecca speculated, "Can you imagine how unnerved Mary would be if she got wind that Father had the jitters?”
With a brotherly hug, Vincent surmised, "About as unnerved as you are?"
Bashfully, Rebecca confessed, and shared, "I just didn't want anything to ruin this night. Father as well as Mary are so pleased to have a second chance at this special event with Father himself at the helm."
Surely Vincent nodded, and said, "Well Rebecca, I believe we have done all we can; now it’s up to Father."
Thankfully Rebecca replied, "I have confidence he will come through as he always does for us. Well I better go and help Jamie, Brooke and Laura rally the children."
As Rebecca helped the girls gather the children for the serving line, Rebecca gleefully told them, "Listen children! After you pick out your cookies, you need to settle in on the quilt...and we will bring your hot coco safely to you."
To which an enthusiastic Zach observed, "On the quilt? Just like a picnic!"
"Yes...you are right…" Answered Rebecca, "…just like that."
And then excitedly Kipper declared, "We will be right in front! Hey! We should hear really good there."
With a playful ruffling of his hair, Rebecca answered, "That's the idea!”
Rebecca then excitedly repeated the instructions, "So like I said, once you are sitting, we will bring your hot coco to you, and the good news is, thanks to Catherine, each mug shall have one big marshmallow!”
Happy to hear this scoop, the children all cheered!
And then lastly, Rebecca with emotion said, "And children, you all look so nice, thank you for taking extra care tonight."
To which Samantha shared, "Rolley told us to wear our brightest, most colorful garments for our "Surprise" concert...NOT!"
Jamie stifled her giggles, as she said, "Yea, guess Mary let that cat out of the bag uh?"
In agreement, the children each chimed in their version of, "She sure did!"
Meanwhile, Vincent finally met up with Catherine who was behind all the children in the buffet line.
To which Catherine asked, "So is everything all right?”
With a relieved sigh, Vincent in reply, said, “Yes, I believe so...fingers crossed.”
Together they took in the sweet sight of the children, who were excitedly hopping in place, and talking as they chose their cookies, and just doing all the things a child hosting too much excitement is inclined to do.
And so with rich emotion in her voice, Catherine expressed, “Vincent…the children…they are all so happy here, they understand and appreciate life's simple joys.”
Gathering her thoughts Catherine continued, “I have seen people in my world, with much in terms of material things, and their children are not excited by these kinds of moments, moments that really matter. I think maybe sometimes...life's lessons get lost on those of us in the world above.”
And because Vincent wanted to imply, his Catherine was not to be included in this category, he thoughtfully replied, “Perhaps for some…”
With a humble smile, Catherine looked downward, appreciating Vincent's compliment.
Now stepping onward to the vat of hot cocoa, Catherine looked over the eclectic rustic urban collection of mugs before her, and picked out her favorite. And as William served her with his ever quick ladle, he then plopped in a billowy marshmallow, and said, "Hey Catherine...thanks for the marshmallows...nice touch!"
Happy to contribute, Catherine thanked the good hearted tunnel chef, and then she and Vincent sat down beside Charles and Peter.
Leaning forward, Peter asked Vincent, “What was the deal? I heard Rebecca say something about Jacob…is everything all right?”
Hesitantly, Vincent replied, “Not to worry Peter. Father is fine…he merely needed my help with something.”
But then to him-self Vincent prayed…that was still the case.
Meanwhile, Mary acting as Mistress of Ceremonies, stepped up and said, “I see almost everyone has their hot coco, and so children, are you ready for Father?”
After they all cheered that yes, they were ready, Mary stood in front of the captivated crowd, and said, “And so without any further ado, it is my honor to introduce Father…”
Everyone waited, and when he didn’t come forward, Mary cleared her throat to repeat her introduction, and said a bit louder, “Here is Father!”
As the normal allotted time passed for Jacob to step out, Rebecca shot Vincent a terrified look wondering if Father freaked out again.
Thinking Mary was not announcing loud enough, taking charge, a boisterous William stepped up, and more loudly repeated, "Here's Jacob!"
And so because Jacob heard William loud and clear, he came out from the galley, and warmly welcomed everyone! Yes it would seem the problem simply was, that Jacob did not hear Mary’s mellifluous introduction!
So with a nod toward Charles, Catherine and Peter, and then to the young crowd who sat in front of him, Jacob smiled triumphantly!
Meantime, Vincent noted his father’s commanding yet affectionate aura…and so he looked over at Rebecca, who at the same time looked at him! And because all seemed to be well, she gave Vincent a thumbs up, both feeling relieved that Father was fine.
And so everyone listened as Jacob proudly, and with a tinge of emotion said, "Hello children! May I say you are all looking quite festive...what a fine looking group you make...yes indeed!"
Jacob then lifted his nose to the air, and after taking in the delicious chocolate aroma, he noted, "Hmmm, your hot coco is wafting, oh my! It smells delightful. Well, after Jamie and Elizabeth..."
It was then it dawned on Jacob, that the usually private Elizabeth was in attendance, to which he joyfully noted, "...Elizabeth you are here! Splendid!"
To which Elizabeth humbly shared, "After my nice visit with Catherine, Dr. Peter, and Charles...I realized I should attend. After all, this could be an occasion which would warrant a mural!"
Feeling so pleased Elizabeth was there, Jacob warmly nodded, and then continued, "Well as I was saying, as soon as Elizabeth, and Jamie take their seats..."
To which Jamie efficiently explained, "Just need to serve two more hot coco's to the children Father..."
And it was then Jacob looked behind himself, and noticed Mouse was messing with the tree! And so Jacob curtly added, "And when Mouse decides to sit down as well!"
To which Mouse anxiously replied, "Thought I better get Arthur!"
Just then giggles from the audience rang out as they saw the furry pet, munching away behind Jacob's back!
Well because of all the giggles, Jacob did a double take, and now noticed the raccoon himself in the tree! After giving Mouse a perturbed look, he said, "Yes Mouse, PLEASE do! And make sure that is Arthur's last serving of Gingerbread will you? The tree is looking a bit sparse!"
Everyone giggled at Jacob's retort, as a very guilty looking Mouse, pealed Arthur from the tree! So with his buddy on his shoulder, Mouse slunk back to his seat.
Well finally after Arthur had been retrieved, and the last of the children were served, Jacob looked around proudly, and began, "Now that everyone is settled..."
And just as Jacob was getting ready to tell the story, Kipper piped up, and after bringing the chimney hat out from behind his back, with his signature sing sang manner, said, "Oh Father...you are forgetting something!"
Well everyone began to laugh as Kipper presented the humorous festive hat to Jacob.
With a raised brow Jacob accepted the hat, and after placing it on his head, he wryly said, "I hadn't realized I would be requested to wear this festive adornment tonight..."
To which Kipper reminded Jacob, "Remember, it's tradition!"
As the community was getting quite a kick out of Jacob donning the funny hat, Jacob began to ham it up a bit as he nodded to Kipper and said, "I suppose I should thank you for remembering..."
With an insistence, Kipper said, "Oh don't thank me Father, thank Vincent, cuz he was the one who remembered."
Looking over to Vincent with a look which really ramped up the laughs, Jacob wagged his finger and responded, "I shall get you for this Vincent..."
With his hands folded, and a tip of his head, Vincent replied, "I only felt it was a tradition too rich to bypass Father."
Well perhaps the hat provided just the ice breaker Jacob needed to set the tone, because after he put the hat on and got a few more laughs, he was definitely enjoying himself.
Just then the children began to point and giggle again! To which Jacob asked, "What is it children? Is the furry rascal back again?"
And it was then, a frantic Olivia and Kanin stood up, calling for Lukey!
Well everyone including Jacob, caught sight of Lukey, front and center, pushing his little rudimentary wooden car around on the floor, even Jacob started to laugh, and responded, "Well perhaps this rascal isn't furry, but he sure is cute! Hey Lukey, better go to Mamma now."
So after Lukey was retrieved by a very red faced Olivia, Jacob cleared his throat, and clapping his hands said, "Ahem, very good...as I was saying, now that everyone is settled...tonight, I will tell you the story of, “The First Tunnel Christmas....now can you imagine, here we were, this newly formed community, now serving as a family to one another, and we were faced with this most blessed and holiest time of the year! Christmas, which is rich with religious and family traditions, as well as customs and personal memories.”
Dramatically spinning around to face a new section, Jacob continued, “So the question was posed in our Common Meeting, how do we fulfill the lonely homesickness, and voids from memories past, without dissipating, essentially ending what we have only just begun here? Which was a new world…our new world.”
Standing tall, Jacob gleefully added, “And so we decided to celebrate Christmas in our OWN way! Collectively we shared our traditions from the world above, and with the aid from our helpers, Lou…Peter, and others, we festively decorated our halls and chambers.”
Stooping a bit, and in a huskier tone, Jacob continued, “And because food is a large part of any celebration, well so it was at our first Christmas as well! And so thanks to William's old pal, a butcher by the name of Morty, William was able to prepare a gifted Turkey for us, and it was stuffed, with all the trimmings for our Holiday meal! Hmmm, some traditions die hard yes? Well while we waited for dinner to be served, Anna, read a story, and the story was “The Gift of the Magi” by O’Henry.”
As Jacob rubbed his hands together, he continued, “So here we were, all gathered, listening to Anna, while warming ourselves by the numerous fire kettles; and we were getting hungrier by the minute, because of the delicious aromas in the air. Well thankfully, it wasn’t long after the classic story was finished, when William called us to Dinner. And so we sat together and by candle light, right here in the Dining Hall, John led us in prayer…”
And Jacob was about to continue, but because of the mention of John’s name, he was interrupted by gasps and wide eyed looks that were exchanged amongst the children! Yes they always reacted this way anytime John's name is brought up, because they all knew it was really Paracelsus that Father was talking about! And truth was, even some of the elder’s exchanged looks too.
As Jacob picked up on the apprehension John’s name set off, he acknowledged it, and said, “Yes, though it may be difficult to imagine…you must...because it is our history...our truth...which is that Paracelsus was here on day one, and helped develop our tunnel world. But know this...he was a different man in the beginning Paracelsus was, when we all knew him as John. He had good in his heart then…much good. And I must tell you, that without him back then, I am not sure we would have made it. Ahh he was so brilliant, and let it be known, that when you read his early manuals, you can see that it was his codes and schematics that helped develop our vision, our mission if you will, which really laid all the ground work for our new found society, putting everything in motion."
Jacob then thoughtfully smiled, as he shared, "We referred to ourselves as comrades in arms back then...because we were united against all that was wrong in the world above, the wrongs of which we felt powerless to correct. And so when, and if I mention John…it is not Paracelsus I want you to envision, but rather a kinder gentler man, who did care…a man called John Pater.”
Sorrow from the loss of this close friendship caused Jacob to expel an anxiety filled sigh, because the tragedy of this dissolved coalition still, after all this time, made him sad.
Getting back to the festiveness of the moment, Jacob cleared his throat, and continued, “So yes we prayed, and our petition that night was to bless all of our helpers, Peter, Lou, Dr. Wong, Morty and many others that Holy night, who had helped make this celebration happen. So finally, after the last sip of cider was downed, and the last bite of sweet potato pie had been eaten, we then gathered around and...with the help of William, who happens to sing quite well you know, we sang Christmas Carols in honor of the Christ child. Yes the Christ child who was born in a poorly manger this night, and like him…our own surroundings were scantily adorned and as rudimentary as you can imagine. Yet…yet somehow, after that first Christmas Eve gathering, where we clung together as a family, we went to bed feeling fortunate, and very, very blessed.”
With a melancholy look, Jacob thoughtfully stalled, thinking of days gone by, saying, “I can still feel the warmth from it.”
And so during Jacob's thoughtful pause, Kipper sat waiting for what he considered to be the best part of the story! So finally because Jacob's thoughtful silence went on too long, Kipper raised his hand and asked, “There's still more to tell Father! Remember? Something magical happened!”
Snapping out of his musing, Jacob clapped his hands together and continued, “Ahh, quite right Kipper, quite right! Yes, those of you who have heard this story before, knows something magical did indeed happen! Well, I shall get to that part..."
And so Jacob adjusted his stance, and continued, "So meantime, after the dawning of the new day, the community awoke on Christmas morn, we gathered right here to share a nice breakfast of piping hot porridge, which William served from his large cast iron vat, and then...being caught up in the spirit of Christmas, we each had modest gifts to bestow upon one another...and so we began the trek to the Community Center, to our very sparse, meagerly decorated Community Christmas tree to open them..."
And then Jacob changed his tone to a sort of mysterious mode, as he described, "Well, as we approached our tree, we saw something extraordinary! Some say it was magical, and some had thought it was some sort of a miracle that occurred, but I believe it was simply the spirit of the season, where good begets good, which set these events in motion. But anywhoo, as we approached the tree, we suddenly stopped in our tracks, with our eyes wide with wonder!"
Excitedly, Jacob continued, "Yes indeed, we each privately thought our individual minds were playing a trick on us! But as we started to look at one another, we knew that couldn't be so, because everyone saw the same thing! And so with trepidation, we approached our tree, which was now heavy laden with fruits, peppermint sticks, and gingerbread men with candy cane hooks hanging precariously from the boughs of the tree. And beneath the tree...there was a gift, all beautifully wrapped in crinkle paper, and adorned with a either a ribbon or bow, with each of our names on them. Now the mystery is that no one knows from whence the gifts and treats came, or by whom they were given, but there was speculation...yes speculation that the gifts were from a generous helper, who wished to remain anonymous, but the fact remained...we never found out who it was...not even to this day. But who ever it was, knew each one of us personally, because each gift was a perfect fit.”
Oohs and ahhh’s and individual speculations of who the person was began to ring out, and of course, “Santa” was the #1 contender! But there were other suggestions too, so Jacob leaned on his cane for a moment or so, allowing the children to guess for a bit because it delighted them so. And then it was Samantha who excitedly said, "I know! I bet the secret giver was Dr. Peter! He was a helper back then, and he is always giving us presents!"
To which Peter chimed back, "Oh no it could not have been me kiddo, I was as poor as a church mouse back then. I had medical school bills to pay, in fact I received a gift too, and it was a sorely needed medical bag."
And so for just a moment, the children were let down that Samantha had not guessed correctly, and then they went back to guessing, and soon as the possibilities were exhausted, Jacob continued on, saying, "And so after the shock and wonderment wore off, we excitedly declared, there were presents to open! And so the gifts were passed..."
Excited about the presents, Zach asked, "What was your gift Father?"
Thinking back Jacob said, "Now as I said, we each received a gift that was a perfect fit, and well my gift, was the book, Bleak House, by Charles Dickens. Now the reason I say this was perfect for me, was because I had lost my copy of this very dearly treasured book, to a broken water pipe, a month prior."
Jacob then continued, "And this kind of "happenstance" happened over and over, let's see, William received much needed culinary items, Lou, supplies for his struggling barber shop, and as Peter said, he received a medical bag for his fledgling practice...Anna received a new pair of spectacles after her others had gotten scratched, Nathan, a pair of boots, Pascal's father had gotten supplies he needed to chronicle his coding, and..."
It was then Jacob kindly glanced toward Elizabeth, and continued, "And Elizabeth, received some paint supplies, and the paint colors were in every shade of the rainbow!"
As everyone glanced her way, Elizabeth smiled as she nodded, saying, "It's true..."
Continuing, Jacob finished up, saying, "...Jonah, Winslow's Father, he received...hmm, what in Hades did he get? Hmm..."
And because William remembered, he shouted out, "A pair of a larger sized britches!"
William then laughed as he added, "I know because Jonah liked to blame my cooking on the weight he had gained!"
And then rubbing his own belly, William good-naturedly said, "Although...guess I was in no position to dispute it!"
After everyone shared in William's good humored joking, Jacob expounded, "Yes, yes that's right...well thank you William, so it was a new pair of britches that Jonah had received...well now, you can only imagine how humbled and grateful each of us were for what we had received."
As Jacob hobbled forth, he smiled at the children and speculated, "So do Christmas miracles happen...was it something magical, or was it an act of good will...you decide..."
And then to finish up, Jacob with an informative tone, said, "And it was because of the love, mirth and unity we established on that First Christmas here in the Tunnels, that we felt encouraged to persevere, and felt inspired to thrive...and we have...and so because of that miraculous magical night so long ago, we are now looking forward to another Christmas here in the tunnels, which will come very very soon. And on that note, I want to wish you a very Merry Christmas Children...Merry Christmas everyone!"
The children all responded with a Merry Christmas of their own, right back at Jacob, and so did the whole community, all aglow with tunnel pride, as they gleefully clapped at the conclusion of the story, feeling a patriotism for their hidden world below the city
It was then Jacob asked the unbridled children, “Now children, I understand you have a gift to give to us! You are scheduled to sing?”
To which they all excitedly answered yes, and after they gave Jacob a grateful hug, they went to line up for their concert.
And so meantime, Mary knowing Jacob would be in need of refreshment, raced up to William, and anxiously instructed, "A mug of hot coco for Father please...oh, and make it quick before the children start singing!"
Of coarse William happily fixed a mug for Jacob, but didn't particularly appreciate Mary's tone! And so after he shot her a look, he took his time, pouring, then wiping the side of the mug, and finally, with finesse, he plopped a marshmallow in and said, "For Father!"
Even though by now Mary was fidgeting, she upon seeing the single marshmallow, in a furtive manner, suggested, "Ahem, maybe add an extra marshmallow William."
To which William sternly said, "Eh? But earlier you said that I was to put in ONLY one marshmallow per mug! In fact you told me that a few times, cuz you said the children only needed one!"
In response, Mary calmly yet firmly said, "Well earlier...I DID suggest that for the CHILDREN, but this is Father's mug of hot coco we are talking about now, NOT a hyper child's! So William...just pop another one in there!"
So pop it in he did, causing a bit of a splash! As Mary brushed the overage from her garment, she curtly said, "Thank you for the QUICK service, and for the dousing!"
To which William replied, "Anytime!"
And so after Mary left, he laughed to himself, saying, "Heehee, I sure like to get that little lady riled up!"
And so as Mary regained her composure, she walked up to Jacob, widely smiled as she offered him his cocoa, saying, "You must be parched Father, after your wonderful recanting of The First Tunnel Christmas!"
With a grateful smile, Jacob accepted his mug, and said, "Ah Mary...thankyou! And may I say, you are always so perceptively intuitive! William's cocoa! I confess I have been looking forward to a mug of this deliciousness since I first detected the aroma of chocolate in the air!"
To which Mary made note, "And with two marshmallows!"
With a raised brow, Jacob responded, "I see!"
And so they both stood chatting along with others, feeling a contentment, as they waited for the children to begin.
Meanwhile, Rolley took charge of directing the children, and as he looked about and saw the community was settled back in waiting for the concert, with a gesture, he motioned for them to begin.
As the children sang, Catherine listened to the sweet innocence of the young voices, which had an unconditional natural quality, that blended together so beautifully, it brought tears to her eyes.
Leaning into Vincent she whispered, “I don’t believe there is anything more moving than a children’s choir. “Look at them Vincent…all so sincere and unassuming. Why do we have to lose that quality as we grow older?”
As Vincent looked downward at his beautiful Catherine, he huskily whispered, “As I alluded to earlier when we were talking about the children, not everyone does…you haven’t…Catherine.”
Giving Vincent a quizzical look, Catherine wondered if what he said could be true! Does she still host an unassuming sincerity?
Catherine hoped so, at any rate, Catherine certainly loved Vincent felt it was true...and with a silent acceptance, she sat thinking that was all that mattered.
To be continued
Chapter Nine
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| Destiny of my Heart! By Sharon Holtz Chapter Eight ____________________________ |
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