O –is for Ornaments
"Here are the boxes you asked for, Mrs. Hughes. Will there be anything else?" Albert stood tall and straight, just like Mr. Carson had taught him when he'd first been hired at the house. He was a young lad who seemed to enjoy his work, respected his employers, and truly looked up to Mr. Carson as a role model.
"No, Albert. That will be all for now. Later, once I've had a chance to sort through all of these, I'll have you take them upstairs to the tree. The family will be decorating it this evening so we want everything ready."
"Yes, Mrs. Hughes. Let me know when you're ready, and I'll take them upstairs for you. I'm going to go check in with Mr. Carson and see what he wants me to do now."
She smiled sweetly up at him. "Stop by the kitchens first and get a light snack. A growing lad like you expending so much energy will need something on his stomach to do a full day's work before lunchtime."
His cheeks turned a little shade a pink, and he left to do exactly as she'd suggested, knowing Mrs. Patmore was always willing to share an extra bit of toast or a cold slice of ham or chicken if he asked politely.
Elsie started at the monumental task in front of her. She disliked this part of her job almost more than any other part. Box after box, piece after piece … she had to inspect every single object and make certain it was in pristine condition before the boxes were removed from her sitting room to the upstairs hallway. She'd often wondered why the family didn't just look through the boxes as they were unpacking them, discarding broken, damaged, or unwanted items as they went. After all, they would have more of an opinion on which ones were important enough to keep, regardless of their state … whole or broken, chipped or fractured.
She'd just taken the lid off the first box when her husband arrived with a strong cup of tea and two slices of toast with honey. "Thought you could use a little fortification to help you through all this. I know it's your least favorite job of the year." He leaned down to kiss her cheek but she shifted her head quickly and caught his lips with hers for a lovely and unexpected peck on the lips.
"You're wonderful, Charlie. Thank you." She blew the steam away from her tea and gingerly took the first sip, sighing with contentment as she felt the warm liquid slip down her throat and into her belly. "It shouldn't take me too long to go through these. The last few years, the maids have been very good about boxing everything up carefully and your lads have carried them back to the attics with steady hands."
"I'm glad to hear it. I suppose I'll leave you to it, but if you need me, I'll be in my pantry. I've a few letters to write, and I need to check on the state of the silver for the dinner next week." He kissed her forehead and gave her shoulder a squeeze before leaving her with the task ahead.
She was halfway through the first box when a familiar knock sounded on her door. The little girl on the other side slowly opened the door and peeked her head into the room. "Are you terribly busy, Mrs. Hughes?" Without waiting, she walked into the room and knelt down in front of the box at the housekeeper's feet.
"I wouldn't say I was terribly busy, but I do have to get through all of these boxes before too much longer. Was there something you wanted?"
"Oh, can I help you? If I do, then we can spend time together, and you can get your work done faster. Then, maybe we can go outside for a walk, maybe down to the stables to see the cats and horses."
"I don't know about that, but you're more than welcome to stay. I'm sorting through these boxes of ornaments so you can help decorate the tree this evening with your family. Won't that be fun?"
"I suppose, but we only ever get to put one ornament on the tree every year. Papa usually helps me. Aunt Mary helps George, and Aunt Edith helps Marigold. I'd like it if we could really decorate it and make it look special."
Sybbie reached into the box and pulled out an ornament she'd never seen before. It was terribly old by the looks of it, and yet it was still in perfect condition. "Ah, be extra careful with that one, lass. It's one of the oldest decorations we have."
"It's not very pretty," she said, wrinkling her nose as she looked at the faded glass ball. "I mean, I'm sure it was nice at one time, but it's not very shiny now."
Elsie chuckled softly. "Well, no, it wouldn't be. You see, it's so very old, but it doesn't make it any less precious. I'll bet if your Granny Violet knew it still existed, she might get very excited. You see, it was an ornament she purchased when she was on her honeymoon with your great grandfather … so very long ago."
"Wow! And we still keep it? It must be ancient!"
"I wouldn't say ancient, but it's been in the family for a long, long time. That's why we must be very careful when sorting through the boxes. You never know what we might find."
Her interest had been piqued and Sybbie peeked into the box between herself and the housekeeper and carefully removed another ornament. This time, it was a crystal angel but her halo was no longer a bright gold, but more of a tarnished version of the color. "Where did this one come from, Mrs. Hughes? Was it very important like the other one?"
"I believe, if I remember the story correctly, that one was given to Lady Rosamund by her father on her tenth Christmas. I suppose we should pack that one separately and send it to her in London in case she wanted to put it on her own tree." Elsie took the ornament from the child with the intention of doing just that later.
One by one, Elsie and Sybbie sorted through all the ornaments in all the boxes. Sybbie was very intrigued by all the varieties, shapes, and sizes … and stories surrounding each one. Even Elsie surprised herself with how much she'd remembered from years past about the baubles and trinkets which went on the tree annually.
When they reached the last box, Elsie took a deep breath and sighed. It was the one box she dreaded most of all, for it held the most recent additions and with those, the more lovely and yet painful memories.
Sybbie, sensing something wasn't quite right, came around stood in front of Mrs. Hughes, holding out her arms so the housekeeper would slip her onto her lap. When she was settled, she gave her friend a tight hug. "What's wrong? Did something upset you?"
Elsie returned the hug and dropped a kiss to the child's head. "Nothing is wrong, lass. It's just that the ornaments in this particular box are some of the most special. They're not terribly old but they're irreplaceable, as are the memories associated with them."
"Oh, that makes sense then. But, I bet if we went through the box together, and you told me about them, we could find some happy memories in there, too. Would you show them to me if I promise to be extra careful?"
Elsie slipped the child from her lap and then both got onto the floor, one on either side of the box, as Elsie removed the box top. Memories of happier times began to flood Elsie's mind, bringing a smile to her face and a tear to her eyes.
"This one," she said, removing a small ornament shaped like a dog, "was bought by your grandfather, Donk, to remember his beloved dog, Pharaoh. She died long before you were born, but he loved her so very much, and she used to roam the house, especially the kitchens. Mrs. Patmore used to sneak her a bit of food, which is why we would often find her downstairs around meal times."
Sybbie giggled and gently placed the ornament off to the side so it could be added with the others making the journey upstairs. "He sounds like Isis and Tiaa. They love getting treats."
"Hmm, sounds like someone else I know," Elsie teased, tapping the girl on the end of her nose. "Now, this one is very precious. Would you like to know why?" Sybbie sat up on her knees and nodded very enthusiastically. "This one belonged to your grandfather when he was a little boy. I believe, the story goes, that he'd begged and begged for a sled for Christmas. On Christmas morning, he found this in his stocking but the real sled was waiting for him outside."
"Wow! I bet that was exciting. I wonder if I ask for something like that, if I'd get a special ornament, too? I'd love to have a real cat that could live in the nursery with me."
"I don't know about a cat for Christmas. You already have the ones in the stable that keep the horses company. And, how would Tiaa feel about a cat in the house?"
'I don't know, but she's Donk's dog, and this would be my cat, and I wouldn't have to go all the way to the stables to play with it. She would be right here all the time."
"Perhaps, we'd better take a look at another ornament. Why don't you choose one this time?"
She peered into the box for a long minute then retrieved a small white box. "What's in this one, and why it is already inside another box unlike the others?"
Elsie took the box and opened it slowly, knowing what she would find inside and trying to keep her tears at bay. "These were your Mama's favorites. We keep them in here because they hold a special place in our hearts, and your mother always cherished them. She made certain they were on the tree every year."
Sybbie leaned in closer and watched as the baubles were revealed: a small blue ornament with what appeared to be snowflakes painted on it, a little white cat with blue eyes and a red ribbon tied around its neck, and a wooden figurine of Father Christmas, which was incredibly faded and showed its' age.
"These were hers?" Her little voice was so soft, Elsie almost didn't hear the question. She reached in and lightly touched each one of them then looked up at Mrs. Hughes. "They're beautiful."
"They are … just like her and just like you. Your Mama placed them on the tree every single year, somewhere different, and it was my task to locate them. The longer it took me, the more biscuits she'd get, so I had to get really good at finding the hidden gems." Elsie smiled as she wiped away the unbidden tears which were falling down her face. "She was special, your mam, and she used to come and visit me, too, just like you."
"I wish I could have met her. She seems so lovely, and I know I would have loved her with all my heart."
"Oh, sweetheart, she would have adored you, too. And I'm sure she watches over you every single day."
"Just like you and Mr. Carson, and Papa … hey, what's this one? It looks weird."
How quickly the mood shifted from somber to joyful. "This one belongs to your Aunt Mary. I believe she chose it when she was about your age."
Sybbie wrinkled her nose and handed it quickly over to Mrs. Hughes, happy to be rid of the thing. "What's it supposed to be? I don't like it. It's not very pretty."
The little painted doll with the ruffles and feathers was supposed to be a ballerina doll. Once, it was probably quite lovely and, with all the pink lace and feathers, but after so many seasons of being put on a dress then boxed away for another year, it had seen better days. "Can't you tell? It's a little ballerina. Your Aunt Mary once wanted to run away from home to become one, though that was a long time ago, now."
"I'm glad she didn't. If she had to wear something like that, it wouldn't have been pretty at all." Quickly, she moved on to other ornaments in the box, asking questions and receiving answers about each one. When they reached the bottom of the box, Sybbie looked up with a confused expression on her face. "Where's your ornament and Mr. Carson's? Are they in another special box that we haven't gone through yet?"
"No, love. We don't have ornaments to put on the tree upstairs. It's just for the family. Mr. Carson and I have our own tree at the cottage. That's where we will put our special ones, and we try to get a new one every year."
"I don't like it that you don't have one for our tree upstairs. You are family, too. It's not right. I'm going to talk to Papa about that when I see him this afternoon."
"There's no need for that or to get upset. It doesn't bother us that we don't have ornaments on your tree. That's just the way it's always been and always will be. So, don't get upset about it. We are perfectly content to decorate our own tree at home."
"Would it be all right if I gave you an ornament for your tree at home? I think we are family, and I could make you a very special one to put there and you could keep it with yours. Then, when you unbox all your special ones, I'll be there, too."
"I think we would love that very much, and we'll cherish it always."
Sybbie got to her feet and kissed and hugged Mrs. Hughes. "I'd better go start on it now so you can have it when you're ready to decorate. Will tomorrow be okay?"
"Absolutely perfect, lass. Would you like me to walk you back upstairs or can you find your own way?"
"I'm good, thanks. See you tomorrow!" She opened the door and ran straight into Mr. Carson who was coming to check on the progress of the ornament sorting.
"Whoa, there. What's the rush?" he asked, giving Sybbie a wink.
"I've got a lot of work to do. I'm making you and Mrs. Hughes an ornament for your tree at home so I can be a part of your family tree."
Charles's eyebrows rose incredibly high on his forehead but one look at Mrs. Hughes and his questions were stalled … for now. "Right, well, off you go and don't run up the stairs. We don't want a busted lip if you should trip and fall."
"I'll be extra careful. I promise. See you tomorrow," she said before starting to run up the stairs but suddenly remembering the warning she'd just received. Holding onto the rail, she took the steps one by one, step by step … at least until she was out of sight.
"Family tree?"
"Christmas tree. We were talking about all the special memories associated with the ornaments, and I had to explain to her why we didn't have ones on their tree upstairs."
"We're not family," he said very matter-of-factly.
"Right, you are, which is exactly what I tried to explain. She seemed to think it was not fair so I told her about our family tree at home and how they contained our special ornaments like the tree upstairs. She asked if she could make one for our tree, and I didn't see the harm in it."
"Nor can I, really. I wonder what she'll make and if we'll get more than one."
"Guess we'll find out tomorrow. Now, if you'd like to send Albert back in here, these are ready to go upstairs. I'm done enough walking down memory lane for today."
"Does it ever get any easier … thinking about all the people and good times represented in these boxes?"
"If you'd asked me that this morning, I would have said no. But, sharing this with her today … it was nice and she chose the ornament she hated the most."
His lips drew into a fine line and he quirked one eyebrow. "The pink ballerina?"
"The very one! And, I'll have you know, there was no coaxing or coaching from me. Just goes to show that she has good taste in ornaments."
"I'll have you know I paid good money for that ornament, and, to this day, Lady Mary still loves it and puts it on the tree."
"Fortunately, at the back," she mumbled under her breath so her husband couldn't hear.
"What was that?"
"Nothing, worth repeating, love. Now, help me up out of this floor before I'm stuck here forever." She held up her hand which he gratefully accepted.
When she was on her feet again, he pulled her into a tight hug. "I heard that, you know, and for what it's worth, I agree. Looking at it now …" he shuddered, "it's quite the little ornament."
"Just promise me that if you ever take Sybbie into the village to buy one, you won't let her purchase anything like that. In fact, I think I should take her, myself, and we can purchase one for our tree this year and one for her to add to it. What do you think?" She rested her head on his chest and snuggled into his arms.
"I think our family tree is going to be the prettiest one yet, Mrs. Carson."
A/N: Many thanks for those of you who are still reading this little story. I'm very grateful to have your love and support for it and your reviews are amazing. Hope you've enjoyed this chapter, too, and are already looking forward to Peppermint!