Xmas (Nollaig Beag), X-ray (Ow, Ouch, Lexie!) and XOXOXOXO
By: Carrie-Anne
Nollaid glòmanaich (Christmas Eve)
Snow would be nice for Christmas, but it didn't snow over the stone castle in the Cairngorms. As the eve began, Archie and Golly finished decorating with red and gold bowed holly and Scot pine bough wreaths on the outside of the house. A crew of men, Ferguson McBain and The Appleby brothers drove in with a huge wire meshed and roped up Scots Pine Christmas tree on the back of a flat bed truck. The truck putted past the gatehouse, over the bridge and down the dusty lane, before stopping right in front of the house.
Archie was the first to greet the men, or in this case his 'bullies' who had him handing from a tree in the old Glenbogle forest just days ago. Golly stood watch from his ladder, hoping the men weren't bringing in trouble, than joy.
"We've come wit a bit of a peace offerin'…" Ferguson replied as Charlie and Marley ran around to the back of the truck and untied the Christmas tree.
"I see," Archie commented, still unsure if he should let the trio any closer to the house or him.
"Aye, looky, we're sorry about leaving you hangin' last time…"
"Well, you did, didn't you?" Archie eyed the bunch more thoroughly.
"Here's a Christmas tree…" Ferguson replied as he took the tree from Marley and Charlie and walked the pine over to Archie as the tree towered over the laird. Golly climbed off of the ladder and closed it up, before giving a nod to Archie's sideways glance and shrug.
"I see that. Thanks." Archie could have complained to them about being stupid and senseless for leaving him in the forest, but since it was Christmas and they were trying to be somewhat 'neighborly' he let it go…
"It's comes frem dat forest ya own," Charlie replied as Marley nodded and Ferguson rolled he eyes, but Archie just laughed, "Well, then, it's an extra special tree, aye?"
"Aye."
Archie lead Ferguson and the Appleby brothers into the house as Lexie, holding a fry pan from the kitchen and a dish cloth, while wondering if she should be using the pan to defend her husband's honor from the visitors, "What're they doin' 'ere?"
"They come with a truce," Archie smiled as Ferguson and the Appleby brothers, un- meshed, cut the ropes, and stood up the tree where Archie wanted it---in the front hallway near the wrap of the stairs. Molly traveled into the front foyer from the kitchen as Ferguson and the Appleby brothers left the house, while Archie gave them a 'no hard feelings, no harm done' speech and sent them on their merry way.
"Oh how lovely!" Molly marveled as she gazed at the undecorated tree and took in a few whiffs of the fresh scent with her nose.
"Yes, mother we have a tree, now we need lights and ornaments…also…" Archie spoke up with through instructions on how to decorate a Christmas tree suitably until his sister interrupted him.
"A top!" Lizzie shouted out from behind her mother with Martha at her side.
"I'll get those boxes…" Lexie smiled as she incorporated Molly, Lizzie and Martha into helping her out.
As the team went up the stairs in search of the attic, Susan, Paul and Nigel strolled in…
"Mummy, a tree!" Nigel bellowed as Susan laughed, "I see that…looking like we'll be needin' a ladder?"
"I'll be gettin' one," Paul announced as Golly stepped inside with the ladder he had been using to finish hanging up the wreaths as he replied, "Never mind Paul, I have it."
"Great!" Paul answered, as Lexie was the first to come down from the upstairs with a huge box in tow and the words "LIGHTS" written on it.
"Time to check 'em!" Lexie found way to an outlet as she opened the box and started to pull out the lights. Archie decided to help his wife as they untangled the massive wired ball of glowing (and not glowing) orange, red, blue, green and yellow lights…they also found themselves laughing (aside from the audience of now Molly, Martha, Lizzie and Nigel) as they had managed to entangle themselves in the wires. Lizzie laughing at the scene picked up the video camera and started to record the view of her brother and his wife, "Tell Dunc, Hello!"
"Me thinks Unc Arch and Aunt Lex make a better Christmas tree!" Nigel laughed as Molly handed him an angel to plant on top of Archie's head and an ornament or two to hang off of Lexie—the pair chuckled more as they stood there wrapped up in each others embrace (and glowing lights) as Lexie replied with a wink, "Me thinks yer quite right…"
Archie and Lexie then announced together, in complete wondrous tune, cheek to cheek like tango dancers, and directly staring into the camera, "Ho Ho Ho Duncan! Happy Christmas!"
After moments of struggling with the lights, the ladder, and hooking every light to the unfolding tree branches, the group started working on the ornaments. Molly helped hang and hand Golly multicolored glass balls, and other small woven ornaments since he could get the higher branches of the tree neatly arranged.
"Here you go!" Molly added with a bright beam as Golly nodded, "Thank-you, Molly."
Susan found herself sorting out candy canes, but Paul and Nigel kept stealing them from her and munching away on them!
"Now look those are for the tree!" Susan scolded them both as Paul laughed aloud, and whispered to his son, "It's best if we take 'em when we can,"
"I heard that!" Susan added as she waltzed up to Paul, gave him a smooch while holding her hands behind her back and then decided to hang two candy canes off of Paul's ears while Nigel laughed too and hung two candy canes off his ears as well… Lexie shouted out, "Stop!"
"What's that?" Paul asked as he was about to remove the hanging candy and gave Lexie an odd glance.
Lexie snatched the video camera from Lizzie, which had once sat on a chair in the front foyer that she had brought down earlier in the day. She had decided to take video footage of the house for Duncan, "Paul, we're tryin' to bring it to Duncan 'ere, you know the holiday spirit so everything has to homey as possible fer him…which means, don't touch the candy canes until you and Nye tell 'im 'ello!"
"'kay, so we'll have to sing 'im somethin'?" Susan suggested as Paul wasn't sure about singing anything to Duncan…but he was starting to feel ridiculous standing there with peppermint sticks dangling from his ears…
"Frosty the Snowman!" Nigel boasted and Susan gave him look, "Nigel,"
"But Mum, you play it on the guitar! She does, honest! She plays Rudolph the Red nosed Reindeer and---?"
"Nigel, it's been a long time since I've played anything on a guitar…"
"Oh Mum! You said you'd play only at Christmas!"
Lexie laughed before backing up Nigel's request, "I see an' when we glance at the calendar it does say Christmas Eve today and Christmas tomorrow."
"I know but I got that sheet music forever ago when I was living in Texas…it's nothing major…Nigel…we'll sing something else without the guitar…"
"Think you should, Suzy," Paul encouraged…
"I wanna hear Frosty! Wait 'ere, Mum!" Nigel nodded, as he disappeared upstairs and minutes later returned lugging a guitar case which Paul had seen in Nigel's room at the flat in Inverness and placed it at his mother's feet.
"Nigel, I dun no…"
"Please!"
"A wee bit of Christmas music might help out 'round 'ere!" Golly chanted as Susan then gave in while Nigel pouted, and began to beg some more.
"Fine one song and that's all…" Susan still wasn't sure about putting on a concert, but she knelt down before the black case, opened up the latches and then pulled out the instrument, and put her head through the strap which was placed at the head and end of the guitar body, before opening a side pocket to the case and pulling out a guitar pick with her right hand. "Okay, now what song was it Nigel…"
"Mum, Frosty! I wanna hear Frosty!"
"Nye…"
"Please play it…"
"Okay, okay, but I need back up singers!" Susan requested, as she glanced around the room and everyone seemed to agree with singing right along (even if they didn't know all of the words). Lexie decided to continue filming the feature with the video camera… "I'll direct the words, if you don't know them…one, two, three… here we go…" Susan started to strum up the hollow instrument into a melody… "Ahem…okay, ready, Nigel, you start it…the first verse is…"
Lexie then shouted out, "Now, this is it, Nye, so sing it nice a loud for Duncan and the same goes for the back up singers!" Lexie encouraged as Nigel nodded his head, "Aye! Aye! Aunt Lexie!"
"Frosty the Snowman
Was a jolly happy soul
With a corncob pipe and a button nose And two eyes made out of coal Archie ran over to the sitting room and plucked up Wayne and then Molly picked up Jayne as they listened to the song. Minnie found way to Golly's arms as she held out hers to be picked up too…Susan instructed Nigel and the rest to the second and third verse… "Frosty the Snowman Is a fairytale they say He was made of snow But the children know How he came to life one day "There must have been some magic In that old silk hat they found For when they placed it on his head He began to dance around Archie danced Wayne around as they continued to sing along, Paul found himself singing too, amazed at Susan's ability to still play the guitar and very well… "Frosty the Snowman Was alive as he could be And the children say He could laugh and play Just the same as you and me "Frosty the Snowman Knew the sun was hot that day So he said let's run And we'll have some fun Now before I melt away Susan started laughing in between her words while Lizzie and Martha, hand in hand, continued to dance together singing too… "Down to the village With a broomstick in his hand Running here and there all around the square Saying catch me if you can "He led them down the streets of town Right to the traffic cop And he only paused a moment when He heard him holler stop! "Frosty the Snowman Had to hurry on his way But he waved goodbye Saying don't you cry I'll be back again some day Golly jiggled Minnie as the ending of the song came near and she smiled, while laughing too… "Thumpety thump thump Thumpety thump thump Look at Frosty go Thumpety thump thump Thumpety thump thumpOver the hills of snow,"
Susan then finished the song, as she laughed, nodded her head, and Nigel took a bow. Lexie thought about the silly song and how Lili had once sang it as she glanced over to Minnie and spoke into the tape, "I hope ye're doin' well down there, Dunc, we sure miss ye up 'ere…"
Everyone cheered and clapped as Lexie stopped the tape from rolling and set it down on the chair to help finish decorating the tree.
"How about Molly tops the tree?" Golly insisted as the rest encouraged Molly to do it.
"No, no, not me, let Archie do it or Paul…" Molly tried to pass up the opportunity, but ended up with the angel placed into her hands by Lizzie.
"Mummy, you do it." Lizzie added trying to show some support as Molly latched onto the angel and started up the stairs and stood on a step just above the tree where she could reach it. Golly, standing on the ladder, tilted the tree just so towards Molly as she placed the angel, dressed in white, with a gold halo and wings on top of the tree. The group cheered once again…
"Hurry, Hurry, Golly!" Molly laughed as they both, in hand and hand, jaunted into the direction of the workshop. On Christmas Eve, Molly and Golly always found humor and joy in having the lot of men start outside the kitchen door with the Yule Log (as long as it wasn't down pouring or snowing outside where everyone could get wet). They both looked forward to a spectacular ceremony and then the Christmas Eve fare.
"I be getting' it, lass," Golly went into the shop and under his work bench was a fireplace long birch wood, or in this case, this years' Yule Log or 'burning heart of the season, the living symbol of all the warm emotions and bright thoughts' for the MacDonald's and other traditional Scottish homes…
Meanwhile, Lexie was upstairs in the bedroom fussing with Archie's short coat and tie… "Oh Arch,"
"Lexie, this has to go smoothly."
"It will, it will…dun worry, I still 've last year's Yule log under my side of the bed for 'Good luck' mind ye?"
"I know, but with Wayne, Nigel, Paul and I circling the kitchen with Golly's seasoned birch---it's got to be special!"
"It is an' significant! Dun worry! Meal is cooked up, everything will be perfecto!"
"You're perfect." Archie smiled warmly at his wife as Lexie's eyes of sky twinkled before she joked, "Of course I am and ye betta not forget it!"
Archie chuckled as his wife rubbed her nose to his, before hugging Lexie and kissing her tenderly.
In Nigel's room, Susan stood there trying to help dress her son up in a tartan, sporran, short coat, tie, knee high socks and a cap on his head…
"What ya think Mummy?"
"I think you're definitely apart of the heath," Susan sighed and then Paul presented himself at the door fully dressed up, "I still can't get used these things…" as he gave the kilt a tug, then the short coat, and the shoes on his feet.
"Oh really? You seem right a home in it!" Susan replied as she smiled, Nigel turned to his father, "Do you really dislike kilts, Dad?"
"Not entirely, considering it's now my known heritage and yours, but I'm just still adjusting…it's been a year ago when I finally decided to try to be more traditional at Molly and Archie's requests. Of course, I still have my ear plugs handy for you when Golly starts piping away on those bagpipes!"
"You didn't. You don't." Susan shook her head in disgust with Paul then glancing at the earplugs that Paul showed her, "I did an' do."
"You were that disrespectful to Golly? He's wonderful with bagpipes!"
"Of course he tried to sell them to someone but Lexie stopped the transaction from happening…this was last year though."
"I agree with Mummy…Golly says he'll teach me how to play them one day," Nigel spoke up, and Paul laughed, "The day that happens. I'll take you mountain climbing…since when do you like bagpipes and Scottish traditions, Suz?"
"I'm happy with them. However, it's not me jiving an' tail swingin' about the kitchen three times with a Yule log, now is it?"
"Yule log, who carries it first, Dad?" Nigel piped up, wondering, as he found himself getting nervous.
"It's carried from old to young, you and I first, then Archie and Wayne…Golly will bagpipe during the whole ceremony. Afterwards, Archie places the Yule log into the fire on top of last years' Yule log kindling and does the toast when we meet at the dinner table for the Christmas Eve meal. …" Paul then smiled, "Aunt Lexie has last year's log under her bed… and then she'll have this years once Christmas passes…"
"Why?"
"The Lady of the House has it for 'charm' against fire. To keep the home fires a light for 'Good Luck'."
"What is the Yule log?" Nigel asked with more curiosity.
"Well, it's un split birch, size of the fireplace that Golly cut down this past summer and put it away for it to become seasoned until now."
"Oh."
"It's for 'Good Luck" purpose, Nigel," Susan explained, "Only it's worse luck if the log burns out on Christmas Eve or Christmas!"
"Why?"
"If the log burns out, then the evil elves come down the chimney and take your meal and steal away your presents!" Susan laughed as Paul joined her, while Nigel gave them a huge wide eyed stare… "No, there's no such thing…"
"Aye, yes," Susan smiled.
"What happens to Santa?" Nigel quipped.
"I thought you didn't believe in MacNicholas?" Susan glanced at her son.
"Mummy!" Nigel tried to scold her before Paul started laughing again.
"Okay, okay, the fire continues all night long into Christmas morning, which is when Santa shows up so he doesn't get burned…" Susan gave a nod of her head.
"And then we leave milk and biscuits, right, like you did as a kid?" Nigel asked as Susan laughed and Paul replied, "For someone who doesn't believe in Santa, you sure know a lot! It's better than meat pie and wassail. Y' know, the traditional Father Christmas nibble!"
The bagpipes began to play as Golly dressed in his best stood there in the corner of the room after Paul, Nigel, Archie (who carried Wayne) toured the kitchen three times and then entered the formal dinning room. Paul held the Yule log out, passed it to Nigel whom in turn passed it onto Archie. Paul and Nigel walked over to stand beside Susan, Archie and Wayne together placed the 'new' Yule log on the last years kindling (which was already a light). Golly stopped playing the bagpipes and set them to aside, and smiled at Molly before standing beside her.
Archie handed Wayne over to Lexie, who sat him in a high chair next to Jayne and Minnie's high chairs. As Archie traveled to the head seat at the table, he raised his glass in a traditional Christmas Eve toast, as all eyes were set on the laird as he spoke up, "Joy, Joy. May God shower joy upon us, my dear family. Christmas brings us all good things. God give us grace to see the New Year; and if we do not increase in numbers may we at all events not decrease."
Paul replied as he raised his glass towards Archie, "May we have a moment of silence for chiefs who have passed and a toast to the new."
"Here! Here!" The group replied, before letting a moment pass and then sitting down at the table.
Minced meat pies, spiced mutton, wassail, and fresh oatmeal bread, which Lexie baked that afternoon, were set on (covered) plates on silver placemats at the table, minutes prior to the ceremony as the family began to dine on their meals, the conversation picked up about the evening's entertainment…
"Since Duncan isn't with us at the moment," Archie spoke up, while Lexie turned her head to look at him, "We're all going to be playing his role…"
"Yer jokin'?" Lexie spoke up, as she knew what Archie nattered on about.
"Oh no, I'm quite real about it. You see, we still have a skit to perform, games to play and mayhem to…" Archie smiled as he sipped on wassail in the glass.
"What kind of a skit?" Susan asked, as Lizzie laughed, "You're in for a real treat…you see my brother has a habit of liking one of the tales of Robin Hood, only it's 'Laird hood',"
"Now Lizzie,"
"It's true, the beautiful Maid Lexie, falls in love with Laird hood who continues to help the poor and steal from the rich. Archie wrote the wannabe story when he was eleven. Father and Archie turned it into a skit over the years for Xmas. " Lizzie explained, as Lexie rolled her eyes, "I am not playing any part in that…in fact we're late, being "The Abbot of Unreason" this year---can't we just forget it?"
"Lex, what's with you, you're normally always ready for traditions?" Archie started to sense something was up with his wife. Lexie at that moment turned pea green after taking one sip of 'alcoholic' wassail.
Lexie's body tried to tell her something, as she avoided the nausea at the pit of her stomach and focused on eating her dinner.
"Okay?" Archie asked with concern as he knew something was seriously up with Lexie. She was moody, acting off and completely out of sorts.
"Fine. Think I added a bit much Scotch to the wassail," Lexie slipped in a pun as Archie continued to look at her, "I'm dandy, Arch."
Archie still wasn't convinced by Lexie's reassurance as normally Lexie never kept anything from Archie as it was always the other way around. Archie was always the one to hide his feelings and then talk to Lexie about them after the fact.
"Anyway, I think it's marvelous and Christmas, if we do Archie's childhood skit," Molly stepped in playing peacekeeper. Lizzie piped up too, "I agree."
Susan turned to Golly and asked quietly, "Will there be bagpipe playing in it?"
"Aye, maybe…" Golly winked, while Susan spoke up, "Good because Paul wants to hear you play."
Golly sat there, looked at Paul and for once a smile formed on his face, as he touched that Paul had buried his attitude for once about the harmonious sounds of bagpipes and he actually wanted to hear them.
"Right, Paul?" Susan nudged him as he took a bite of the mutton and then turned to Susan.
"Oh right," Paul gave her a look of 'don't get me into trouble and what exactly am I agreeing to?' Susan smiled and spoke up, "You love Golly's bagpipe playing!"
Archie glanced at his mother and Molly glance back at him. They sat there holding their breath (Lexie included) as they knew all about Paul and how he didn't like the bag pipes at all. They remembered how Paul would cringe at the table every time Golly played them. Finally, around Christmas last year, after Golly had had enough of Paul's attitude and noticed the ear plugs in his ears, he wrestled up his instrument and stormed out of the dinning room. Golly had been holding his annoyance at Paul's disrespect for a long time. Molly and Archie had informed Paul, he actions were beyond uncalled for and to get used to the traditions, wearing a kilt, drinking Scotch, and bag piping included, throughout the year—or he could leave. Paul ever since then has tried his best to make sense of the heritage. He still doesn't like the taste Scotch though and well, now tolerates kilt wearing and of course piping bagpipes!
Paul forced a smile on his face, catching everyone's eyes, until finally speaking, "I'd love it. Golly's bag piping."
Golly was floored and gave a nod, "Aye, Paul." Golly also had no clue that the group (mostly Archie and Molly-with the permission of Paul and Susan) had up their sleeves and in store for him and Nigel during the skit.
Susan laughed, as Paul shot her one last look of 'getting me in trouble, are ya? Even for a good cause?'
Molly let out a huge sigh and Archie relieved added, "I think Paul would make a fine Laird Hood this year."
"I'd be overjoyed. Maybe Susan should be in the skit too," Paul replied as Archie's face beamed, "That's the Christmas Spirit and then I can watch from the side with Lexie!"
Lexie didn't smile, nor nod at Archie's pondering, like she normally would, she then gave into the nausea. She was going to be sick, so she stood up from the table, announced to everyone, "Excuse me…fer a quicky second," Lexie then traveled out of the room, and when she was out of Archie's sight she fled through the kitchen and out the backdoor before finally retching up the contents of the stomach outside of the house.
Susan stopped laughing, as Paul gave her a big smile on his face and a look of, 'Me not irked, just me getting even,' and whispered to her, "You'd make a wonderful, Maid Susan."
"Okay, excuse me," Susan stood up from the table as Archie was about to stand up and go in search for his wife, Susan reassured Archie, "I'll go."
Susan managed to find Lexie sitting on the back stoop outside of the kitchen door, as she rubbed her aching stomach, and then heard Susan's words, "You're not okay."
"I'm just in need of fresh air," Lexie smiled up at Susan and then replied, "I think I'm---?"
"Pregnant?" Susan asked, as Lexie gave her a strange look.
"That wasn't what I was about to say…what makes you think that?" Lexie tried to hide her thoughts, one of them possibly carrying around another child.
"Okay, look, don't mind me asking, but Lizzie said, and I agree with her, you've been ill a lot lately, for one. It's like your body is trying to rid of toxins, which pregnancy does to you. From what Paul told me, you've been acting all uncanny and moody, not like yourself. I might not have known you so long, but…"
"Perhaps, but I'm fine, Susan, really. I wasn't sick at all with the twins. I'd know if I was pregnant."
"Perhaps, this pregnancy is different. It can happen. I was sick as a mutt on doomsday with Nigel."
"Really?" Lexie's mind registered the fact that she was pregnant…she had to be, but she wasn't a body cycle late---not yet anyway.
"Yes, very much so."
Archie appeared at the door, and felt horrible for his wife and with an emotional admittance, "We can skip Laird Hood, if you're not feeling up to it, Alexandra."
"An' miss yer beautiful tale? Never," Lexie replied as she avoided Archie's concern and stood up about to walk back into the kitchen, as she turned to his husband and said, "It's Christmas, we should get on with it. Thanks Susan, for the concern, I'm fine. I am, the both of you, I'm grand, a little knackered out, but fine."
Lizzie smartly appeared in the kitchen, just as worried as Susan and Archie for Lexie's well being, "You all right, Lex?"
"Great, I'm starved. I think I'll be passin' on da wassail," Lexie worried in the back of her mind that Susan was right about her possibly being pregnant. Lexie had talked to Archie about another child, when they took in Minnie, but she didn't expect so soon (within a few weeks). Archie would be jumping for joy if it were the case and she would be too, but she forced the thought of baby three from her mind as her hunger kicked in by the sounds of her now rumbling tummy.
"That's a grand choice," Susan spoke up, as Lizzie gave her a glance. Archie and Lexie walked out of the kitchen.
"She is and I can sense it more now, it's my ESP." Lizzie nodded her head as Susan replied, "I think it is so."
"Well then. This is going to be interesting when it's confirmed for sure," Lizzie smiled and Susan smiled back, "How did you get her to realize it?"
"I didn't. You and Paul did, I mean, you said she's been sick all the time and Paul said she's been known to blow up at him more often…and when I stupidly smoked the last one of Paul's fags out of stress yesterday she turned pea green, just like at the dinner table just now."
"I was so sick with Martha."
"I was so sick with Nigel. Lexie mentioned she wasn't sick with the twins."
"No, she was darn lucky, da go-getter! Lex just acted as moody and also clumsy. She later found out about Jayne and Wayne. She went to see the doctor for strange spotting about two weeks after their honeymoon in Bermuda. Lexie and Archie always talked about kids. It was always Lexie wasn't ready for them, as Archie was 100 percent. Finally, they came to terms with child-rearing since the twins were ready for them. The rest, Lexie's fears, Archie's support, sorted itself out."
"Ah, well, I hope she's good and ready for labor again."
"Archie told me, same with Mum that she lucked right out, no stitches. No drugs, nothing. Just quicky pushes as she tumbled out the babies."
"Let's rejoin the lot, shall we?" Lizzie and Susan then linked arms as they laughed and voyaged back into the dinning room.