T – is for Tinsel
Mr. Carson found her first, in an unused room off of the first floor corridor. He could have sworn he'd looked there before now, but perhaps the little girl had been hiding. After all, most of the household had been looking for her for over an hour, and it was a big house.
"Well, fancy meeting you here," he said in his softest voice. The last thing he wanted to do was to startle the child or make her cry harder than she already was. "We've been looking everywhere for you."
"I didn't want to be found, but I'm glad it was you and not someone else. I suppose you're going to take me downstairs to my family, now." Her little voice cracked and her eyes were too busy studying the carpet to see the compassion in Mr. Carson's sad eyes.
"Actually, I'd like to sit and talk for a bit to find out why you felt the need to run away. That's not like you. We've all been very worried about you, especially your Papa and Mrs. Hughes. We were about to put our coats on and go outside in the freezing cold ice and snow to look for you."
"I didn't mean to make them so upset. I should have gone downstairs first, but I thought you and Mrs. Hughes might take me back upstairs."
He wrapped his arm around the little girl and gave her a hug. "We might have, but we would have listened to your problem, first. I'm offering to do that now, if you'd like to tell me. Maybe I can help you with it. But, we'll never know unless you open up."
She wiped the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand and slumped against Mr. Carson's shoulder. "Aunt Edith is going to ruin our Christmas tree, and nobody seems to care."
It was safe to say that Carson had not been expecting that revelation, and he tried to quickly work out what on earth Lady Edith could do to the tree that would ruin it in the eyes of a child. "Hmm, that's not something I would think your aunt would do. She doesn't seem like the type of person who would do something malicious like that."
Sybbie wrinkled her nose and cocked her head to one side. "I don't know what that word means but if it is close to doing something mean, then that's her! And I tried to tell them that I didn't like her idea one little bit but Aunt Mary, Donk, and Granny had already started listening to Aunt Edith." She sighed heavily and shook her head. "I can still be friends with Marigold, though, even if her mama is ruining our tree."
Carson took her hand in his and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "Why don't we go look at the tree, and you can show me what she's done to make it less than beautiful in your eyes? You may change your mind once you see whatever it is she's doing to it?"
"I'd rather go downstairs with you and Mrs. Hughes and Mrs. Patmore. Your tree down there is pretty and doesn't have that awful stuff all over it."
"Indulge me, please. We can let everyone know you're not outside so Mrs. Hughes doesn't have to go looking for you in the snow," he said, hoping to appeal to her love for the housekeeper. "Then, I promise to sit and listen to you while you tell me about the tree. If I happen to agree with you, we'll talk to your Papa about it and he can talk to your Aunt Edith. I know the very last thing in the world she would want is to ruin the Christmas tree or to make you so upset that you'd run away and hide."
"That sounds fair enough, and I really don't want Mrs. Hughes to catch a cold for Christmas." She tugged on his hand and led the way back down the stairs towards the tree in question.
"Sybbie, darling! We've all been so worried about you," Tom said as he raced up the stairs to hug his daughter tightly. "Why did you run away like that? You had us all so worried."
"I'm sorry about that. I didn't mean to worry you, but I was upset and I tried to tell you but nobody was listening." She shrugged her shoulders and worried her bottom lip. "I told Mr. Carson that I'd talk to him and then he could tell you, if he agrees with me."
Tom looked up and locked eyes with Mr. Carson, sending him a heartfelt thanks for finding his daughter and for offering to be a mediator in the situation … a situation which baffled every single adult in the house but which was clear as day to Sybbie Branson. "Very well, if Mr. Carson has agreed, then you talk to him, and I'll wait. I'll go tell the others that you were in the house the entire time."
When her father was out of the room, Sybbie led her champion over to the tree and wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Just look what they've done to the tree. It's awful. Our pretty tree is now a mess."
He began to feel a little bit out of his depth in this situation but had no choice but to forge ahead. "I see all the beautiful ornaments that you and Mrs. Hughes worked so carefully to sort through in the boxes. And, all the lights seem to be burning on the tree, so that can't be the problem. Angels and stars are both represented, though that was more of an issue for the nursery tree, if I remember correctly. And, the tree skirt is the same one we've used for years, bought long before you were born."
She walked over to the tree and pointed to the strands of silver hanging from the branches and encircling the entire tree. "We had the tree looking so pretty and then she came in and added all this stuff. I can't even see some of the ornaments because it gets in the way. I asked them not to put it on there, but nobody would listen to me. Aunt Edith just came in and started wrapping the tree in this stuff. I could have made popcorn and cranberry garland if she'd wanted the tree to be all bundled up."
"I can see why you might be upset," he said honestly. "Change can be hard, sometimes, and compromise isn't easy all the time, either. But, it's the Christmas season, and I think we should be a little understanding when it comes to the tree. Remember when you and Master George had the row over the star and angel? You found a nice compromise and you both are happy about that tree, now. Right?"
She nodded her head and started to protest but he stalled her with a raised hand.
"Same thing applies here, wouldn't you agree? You have ornaments and decorations on the tree that you wanted. Everyone else has been able to add little things here and there. Your Aunt Edith should have the same chance to add her favorite thing as well."
"Your trees downstairs and at your cottage don't have tinsel on them, and they're two of the prettiest trees I've ever seen."
"Oh, sweetheart, that's just because they're what you're accustomed to seeing. They're familiar. What would you say if Mrs. Hughes suddenly decided to buy tinsel for the tree downstairs or for the tree at our cottage? They'd still be the same trees, but with a little bit of added sparkle from the tinsel."
"It's not sparkly. It's just dull and silver." She threw her hands up in frustration. "You're taking their side on it so I guess I'll just have to live with the ugly tree, but I don't have to like it."
Charles suddenly had a very outlandish idea. "I think I can change your mind about this tree and the tinsel. Do you trust me?"
"Of course I do, but I don't think you'll be able to make me like this tree one little bit. Aunt Edith put that stuff … that tinsel … on it and unless we take it down, it's not going to change."
He grinned. "Challenge accepted, Miss Sybbie. I want you to go back to the nursery, and after dinner service is completed, I'll come up and get you. I have a little surprise for you."
She reluctantly climbed the stairs back to her room while Carson went into the library to tell the others what he had in mind for the evening.
True to his word, after dinner service was completed, he returned to the nursery to escort Sybbie back downstairs to the tree. Mrs. Hughes was already there and waiting for them with a tea tray of milk and two chocolate biscuits each.
"I didn't know you'd be here, too, Mrs. Hughes. Are you here to try to convince me that the tinsel isn't ugly, too?"
"I'm merely here at the request of Mr. Carson, and he kindly asked me to bring this little treat for the three of us to share. You'll have to ask him about the rest of it," she added gently.
"If you two ladies will find a seat, I'll show you why we're here this late at night." Elsie and Sybbie settled onto one of two chairs near the tree and waited with piqued interest for Mr. Carson to explain himself.
Suddenly, he switched off all the lights, leaving only the tree illuminated in the great room. Sybbie gasped as the room was plunged into near darkness and the tree was the focus of her attention. Carson joined them in the vacant chair by the tree and sat down in silence.
For a long moment, he simply sat and stared at the tree, drinking in the beauty of it and waiting for either his wife or the little girl on her lap to speak. He was pleased when they both remained silent and eventually turned their attention to the tree, no doubt hoping to spot something that only he could see.
"Miss Sybbie, can you tell me what you see?"
"The Christmas tree and the ornaments," she answered honestly.
"What else do you see?"
"The topper, the angels, Donk's sleigh, that silly ballerina ornament," she said with a giggle, "lots of pretty, shiny balls."
"And you, Mrs. Hughes … what do you see?" He looked over the top of Sybbie's head and gave his wife a subtle wink.
"Hmm, the first thing I notice is the smell of the tree, freshly cut and the boughs which are bending with the weight of all the special trinkets on them. Then, there are all the pretty lights which makes the whole thing glow, sort of like magic."
"Good observations, the both of you. But, do you know one big thing that you both missed? Something which should be so obvious that it practically jumps out of the tree at you like a squirrel after a walnut?"
Sybbie sat up straighter in Mrs. Hughes's lap and began to really inspect the tree. She hopped down and went closer and closer until she was practically touching one of the branches with her nose. "I don't see it, Mr. Carson. I must not be tall enough to see it. Maybe it's something only you or a grown up can see because it's higher up."
He stood and lifted her high into the air, only slightly worried about dropping her or hurting his back. "There, now do you see it? It's right there in front of you … are you sure you don't see it?"
Her excitement was growing by leaps and bounds based on her animated reply to his question. "Oh, please tell me so I can see it, too. If it's something that big and pretty, I'd hate to miss it."
"Close your eyes and give me your hand. Let's see if you can guess." She did as he asked, squeezing her eyes tightly shut and wrinkling her nose in the process. He slowly guided her hand towards the tree, towards a bit of the tinsel which was eye level with her. "There … feel that? Any idea what it might be?"
Her little fingers explored the new texture, trying to envision the tree in her mind so she could place the object. "It feels weird, and it's long," she said, running her fingertips along the strand.
"Open your eyes and see for yourself."
She slowly peeked, opening first one eye and then the other. "It's the tinsel that Aunt Edith put on the tree." Charles gently lowered her to the floor and guided her back to Mrs. Hughes's lap.
"When you looked at the tree, you didn't even notice it was there. Neither did Mrs. Hughes. You saw what you wanted to see … the ornaments, lights, and everything else. The tinsel didn't matter to you because you were focused on something else. But, the fact that it was there didn't make the tree any less pretty or you would have mentioned it immediately. It blended right in with all the other things that make this tree so beautiful."
"I can't believe I didn't even remember it was there. I was too excited to see what you had planned and then Mrs. Hughes was here, too. I suppose I owe Aunt Edith an apology for calling her decoration ugly and for being so mean this afternoon."
"I think that would be a good idea, though I'm sure it can wait until morning. Right now, let's just sit here and enjoy this lovely tree and this milk and biscuits. While we do, you can tell me about all the ornaments on the tree that you like the most. I wasn't there when you and Mrs. Hughes went through the boxes, and I'd love to hear some of the stories."
And there, in the dimly lit room, bathed in the light of the Downton Abbey Christmas tree, Sybbie learned a valuable lesson. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder … even if it involves tinsel on the Christmas tree.
A/N: So, are you Team Sybbie or Team Tinsel? Tee hee. I know which one I prefer … coughNOTINSELcough but I have learned to appreciate each tree for its' own beauty. I hope you've enjoyed another snippet into the Christmas season with Charles, Elsie, and Sybbie.