I wish we could put up some of the Christmas spirit in jars and open a jar of it every month. ~Harlan Miller
I shared a Christmas scene from Love Comes Home on Sunday. Tonight I’m sharing a Christmas is coming scene from These Healing Hills. In the story, Fran is having her first Christmas in the Appalachian Mountains after going there to be a nurse midwife. She is embracing the sweet spirit of the season and when it starts to snow, that makes it even better. So here goes.
Fran was pulling on her boots to go see to the animals when Jeralene came up on the porch.
“I wasn’t sure you’d make it today,” Fran said.
“I shoulda stayed over last night, but I thought the snow wasn’t gonna amount to nothing. But then it set in.” Jeralene stomped the snow off her feet before she stepped inside the door and stood on the little rug there. “If’n you’ll hand me the bucket, I’ll go on out and see to Bella. That way I won’t be tracking all over the floor and have to mop it later.”
Fran handed her the bucket and then shrugged on her own coat. “I’ll see to the horses.” Sarge bounced out the door, his ears up.
Jeralene laughed. “Looks like Sarge is a snow dog. I reckon that’s good if he’s gonna be following you all over the mountain. What with the way that wind’s blowing today, you best hope nobody comes hollering for you. But Ma says babies are contrary little beings who have a way of picking the stormiest times to make an entrance into this old world.”
“Babies come all times of the year and in all sorts of weather. Sunshine and moonshine.”
Fran followed Jeralene off the porch. Only one mother was close to delivering. Becca. But she hadn’t shown any signs of labor when she saw her yesterday.
“Even on Christmas Day,” Jeralene said. “My little brother, Davey, was born on Christmas back when I was ten. It was like a special gift for us all. Such a sweet little thing. Then. Now he can be an ornery pest.” She laughed as she held out a hand to catch a snowflake. “Christmas is next week.”
“At home, we always wanted a white Christmas.” Fran looked out over the yard and field toward the barn. Everything looked so pristine as she followed Jeralene toward the barn.
By the time she finished with the horses, ice was mixing in the snow. Even Sarge started looking toward the house with longing. Snow was one thing. Ice another.
At least she had taken Jasmine and Moses to the blacksmith at Wendover to have special shoes with studs put on to be ready for winter weather.
By noon, the snow changed completely to ice and put a slippery skim on top of the snow. Then the wind started up, whistling down through the pines and rattling the windows. A good day to stay in while she wrote her mother a Christmas letter.
When she thought about how her mother would be frantically decorating and planning for Christmas, Fran was glad to be in a cabin sitting by a warm fire with her dog at her feet.
She might go to Wendover on Christmas Day if Becca wasn’t having her baby. Or maybe she’d make cookies and stay right here at the center to hand out treats to anybody who came by. She could even wrap up some to take to Granny Em. That way she could stop in at the Locke house. Just thinking about that made her smile. She’d bought a little cloth sack of thumb-sized handkerchief dolls from one of the mountain women. Mrs. Jessup said they were church babies. Fran couldn’t wait to give those to Sadie.
Hope you liked sharing a little pre-Christmas peace with Fran. I bought those little church babies at a craft show years before I was even thinking about writing These Healing Hills. But when I went to the mountains for a story, they seemed to be perfect for Fran to buy and give to a little girl. I think they are called church babies because they are fun and better yet, don’t make any noise if a child drops them during the preacher’s sermon.
I enjoyed reading about all of your homemade Christmas ornaments. A lot of us have put needle and thread together to make a popcorn garland.
You’ve got one more post here to leave a comment to get an entry in the giveaway for a copy of Love Comes Home. If you commented last time, you can comment again on this post and get an extra entry. As I said in the last post, I’ll pick a winner on December 15th and notify the winner via email. And remember you have to be at least 18 to enter.
So are you busily decorating and getting ready for Christmas? If so, do you wish you could be like Fran and just sit by the fire and relax a while with a cup of something hot and a good book in your lap?
One more book with a Christmas scene. Maybe part of that one show up next week.
Comments 16
I am not crafty myself but I love the homemade ornaments with my boys pictures on them that they make at school They are always first to go up each year. As the years go by, they mean even more to me.
Author
I have one of those made at school ornaments with my grandson’s picture on it, Janice. I have to admit it is right up there at the top of favorite ornaments on my tree. He’s not 25, but those ornaments last through the years.
I have finished decorating and I did not put as many things out as before, but it looks like Christmas. Now I can sit and read.
Author
“It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.” Good for you, Shirley, that you’ve got Christmas showing up in your house. The grandkids came over and helped me put up the tree Friday night. They were great motivators for me to get it done. So decorating is done. Now if I can just get those presents wrapped to put under that tree and maybe do some dusting and cleaning and cookie baking. Always something to keep us busy at Christmas time.
Most of my gifts are monetary so I don’t have as much to do as I used to. I lost my sister and shopping partner so not much fun Christmas shopping alone. I enjoy the true meaning of Christmas which is Jesus.
Author
So sorry you lost your shopping partner, Sharon. Sisters are the best and I can imagine how much you miss her. And yes, we do need to keep that true meaning of Christmas, Jesus, in our main focus.
I just have to wrap presents. I try to read most days.
Author
I say every day that I’m going to wrap presents and then something else comes up and I say I’m going to wrap presents tomorrow, Una. Pretty soon I won’t have any tomorrows left before Christmas. But really, I’m going to wrap present tomorrow! 🙂
Not decorating yet. No fire to light. But just finished my out of town Christmas cards. I do relax by reading.
Author
Hope you are reading some great Christmas stories, Paula. I was too busy, or at least thought I was, to send out cards last year and have failed at it again this year. And I love doing that, but the postal rates make it hard to send as many as you would like sometimes.
Hope you have plenty of relaxing time.
I loved this book! I’m ready for another visit to the Appalachians, Miss Ann! One year I made a whole set of quilted Christmas tree ornaments. They were so much fun and went on our tree every year. However, a few years ago, we had a barn fire and lost all of our Christmas decorations, even the ones my boys made when they were young. It was heartbreaking! But, I still have my memories and think of them every year when we put up the tree!
Author
I’m so glad you enjoyed my Frontier nurse midwife story, Judi. I’m headed back to Appalachia for a new story now.
So sorry you lost all those beautiful keepsakes, but glad you can still rejoice in the memory of those fun times and special Christmas decorations.
Done decorating and gifts all bought. Good thing as now waiting to see if I got cancer.
Author
Prayers that you will get favorable results, Jane, and that you can enjoy Christmas without that worry hanging over you.
I haven’t had a chance to decorate yet, I spend most of my time crocheting. And I have a tall stack of books waiting for me.
Author
For sure I’d rather be reading than decorating, Marti. But isn’t it lovely to have all those stories waiting for you to dive in and enjoy? I’m guessing you are making something pretty with that crocheting.