THE HOLLY AND THE IVY:
Jess was awakened from the most delightful of dreams. At first she was angry because after all, it was the kind of dream that one hated to leave. However, she was brought back to reality by a familiar voice.
"Jess." the voice whispered.
She fought against the voice, because she wished to continue her dream. However, the voice persisted.
"Jess…" This time however the whisper was joined by a kiss on her forehead.
Now she couldn't continue this fight. To do so would be futile. When she slowly opened her eyes, she saw the loving face she knew would be there. Joe's clear blue eyes were looking into her soulful brown ones. When she finally confirmed that the face matched the voice, she smiled. Joe had climbed into the futon that she was sleeping in.
"Do you enjoy waking people in the middle of a good dream?" Jess asked with a smile.
"Well, only if you were dreaming of me." Joe said with an equal smile.
"What else would I be dreaming about?" Jess responded. "So, why exactly are you waking me at 6am?" asked a sleepy Jess.
"Ah, well that would be part of the traditional O'Sullivan Christmas. We always wake up this early on Christmas morning to open presents and eat breakfast."
"Okay, I'll be right down…I need to shower and dress…" However Jess couldn't finish her thoughts.
"Dress code for Christmas morning is pajamas in our family. See, look at me, not exactly formal. Come on love, besides you look gorgeous." Joe couldn't resist. He pulled Jess into his arms and held her close, eventually kissing her. They both pulled away after a bit, and simply looked into each others eyes.
"In that case, let me just pull my hair back and grab my robe."
Jess got up from the futon, however Joe remained where he was, and watched her make herself somewhat presentable.
Once she did that, Joe looked at her…and as always amazed at his fortune. Joe couldn't wait to take Jess to Blarney Castle tomorrow, however he would have to wait. Today's smaller gift would have to suffice. He smiled at the thought of both of his gifts for her. Just as they were about to go downstairs, Jess remembered to grab the few gifts she had for the family. She struggled on what to get, as Christmas was not a normal event for her. However the items she had, she was glad to have Joe there to help her carry them down the steep staircase.
As they arrived in the living room, all of the O'Sullivan household was already gathered there. They were greeted with a cheerful 'Happy Christmas.' Jess smiled at the scene in front of her. It reminded her of the many family celebrations at home. Jess of course replied with a cheerful, yet sincere 'Happy Christmas.' Jess and Joe took a seat on the floor by the beautifully decorated Christmas Tree.
Sean and Ian took over…passing out all of the gifts. Jess was amazed at how the pile in front of her grew. In all honestly, she was only expecting a gift from Joe, but it looked like every member of Joe's family got her something. She was terribly embarrassed, and was afraid the gifts she had for the O'Sullivan family were suddenly not enough.
Jess' parent opened the gifts that she had brought.
"Oh Jess," Molly said. "The placemats and napkins are absolutely beautiful. I've never seen fabric like it before. Wherever did you find them?"
"My mom and I made them. They're made out of silk sari fabric." Jess answered. "I really hope you like them. I didn't know what you'd like or even if the colors would work."
"Don't worry, dear. I absolutely love them. The blue and the green are so vibrant. Sari fabric you say? Beautiful, and absolutely perfect. And the chocolates and candies…well these certainly won't go to waste at Christmastime."
Jess was relieved. She was afraid that her mother and her had made something too Indian for this very Irish of families. She was smiling from ear to ear…there were no fears left. Jess turned her attention to Joe. She had no idea on what to get him, so she "made" his gift as well.
"Joe, this is for you." Jess quietly said as she handed him a somewhat large box.
Out of curiosity, Joe tore through the wrapping to get to the contents. Inside was a chronicle of Jess' life since the two had met. Ever since the tape that Jess had sent to Joe, she collected ALL of their game tapes, and had them transferred onto European video. Besides the tapes, there was a scrapbook of all of the games that Jess had played in…both the Harriers and Santa Clara. Joe was impressed by the amount of time this gift had taken to put together. Now he could see everything that Jess had done…it would be like he was there.
"J-jess…" Joe stammered. "I don't know what to say."
"Do you like it? I didn't know what to get you. I'm afraid it's not much…"
"Like it? I love it. I can't believe you did this for me." And with that, Joe kissed Jess…neither cared that they were being watched by six pairs of eyes. "It's the best Christmas present I've ever received."
Everyone continued on the gift opening marathon, including Jess. From Joe's parents, there was a beautiful green sweater, from the woolen mill right there in Blarney they said. Jess had a feeling it was something special…she could tell from the craftsmanship of it. She was going to have to ask Joe later about this sweater. From Joe's sisters, she received a leather bound writing journal. There were many pages for her to jot down her thoughts. Joe's brothers had given her a stationary set. The paper was handmade by someone, and there were wildflowers pressed in the pages of the creamy paper.
All that was left, was for Jess to open the gift from Joe. Out from under the tree, Joe pulled a square, red box, tied with a simple white satin ribbon. It was different from all the gifts already opened, as it wasn't wrapped in a Christmas themed paper. All Jess had to do was untie the ribbon, and open the box.
And that is what she did. Nestled inside the box, was another box. However it was smaller, and covered in a velvet like material. Jess retrieved the box from its confines. Even though she had never received a box like this, she knew it contained jewelry of some sort. She was almost afraid to open it…mostly because all eyes were on her, including Joe. She had to get a reassuring nod from Joe to open it up. When she opened the box, she was speechless.
In the box, twinkling at her was the most beautiful necklace she had ever seen. The pendant was in the shape of a snowflake, and on each arm of the snowflake, there were two small diamonds. She knew they were diamonds, because printed on the inside of the jewelry box was the name of a Westport jewelry store. In the center of the snowflake was a symbol of some sort. It was like a knot, and she was sure she had seen something like it on a school trip at some point.
When Jess still didn't say anything, it was up to Joe to break the silence.
"Do you like it Jess?"
"It's beautiful…I've never seen anything like it. But it's too much, I feel like my gift to you is not enough." and with a tear streaming down her cheek, Joe took her in his arms and just held her. His father winked at him, and his mother nodded his approval.
"Shhh, love. I couldn't ask for more than what you've given me. Now, how about we see how it looks on you, okay?"
As Joe clasped the necklace around her neck, and Jess was wiping the tears from her cheeks, she asked about the symbol in the middle of the snowflake.
"Joe, what is the gold symbol in the middle of the snowflake:
"Ah, that would be a Celtic knot…been around for centuries, and used by pagan and Christian alike."
Jess laughed. "I thought I recognized it from a field trip somewhere. Now I remember seeing it on a trip to Scotland."
"Scotland you say?" inquired Patrick. "At least they took you outside of England to see some culture." Patrick winked at Jess, and she laughed at his joke.
"Oh, look at this mess." exclaimed Molly. "However, it will have to wait, because I'm hungry, and I have a feeling you all are as well. Am I right."
Everyone responded in agreement. The table was quickly set (with the new placemats and napkins of course), and everyone quickly grabbed their seats. Grace was quickly said, and breakfast was shared. There was hearty Irish oatmeal, and bacon as well as bread and jam. Breakfast was to be a somewhat light affair, as Joe had said that a late lunch at Nana's would fill any empty corners one might have…and then some.
After breakfast, Jess helped Joe and his siblings clean up the mess by the Christmas tree while Molly and Patrick cleaned up the kitchen. Once everything was tidied up everyone just sat back and relaxed. One by one, the family members would go upstairs and get ready for going to Nana's. When it was Jess' turn, she didn't waste any time…because she didn't want to spend time away from this amazing family.
When she did come back down the stairs, she was dressed in a knee length charcoal wool, wrap skirt with a scarlet colored long sleeved turtleneck sweater. The red simply made her more beautiful. Her new necklace shone around her neck, which of course made the family look more closely at it. Molly was impressed with her son's good taste…and she even thought of asking Patrick to get one for her.
Leisurely, the family sat around and talked. It was a comfortable atmosphere …in fact Jess felt like she was at home with her own family. Molly wanted to know where Jess and her mother found such beautiful fabric. Jess told her that if she came to London to visit Joe during the summer when she was home, that she would take her to the Indian district to show her the fabric shops. Molly knew that she would definitely take the girl up on her offer, though while they weren't Indian, the fabrics could find a place in her own home. And of course silly childhood stories came out. Jess even told some of her own, of course stating that her own family could tell some real gems about her, especially the ones that she couldn't remember, or was too embarrassed to tell. Joe of course was thankful when it was time to go to Nana's because he was sitting there as red as Jess' sweater, as the entire family was now digging through the archives of Joe's life.
They were all laughing, especially Jess, as they bundled up. There was no need to take a car to Nana's, as they were simply walking across the road. As the family walked into Nana's house, even Molly and Patrick were surprised. Normally, they were the first to arrive since they were so close. However, this year was different. Somehow, the entire extended O'Sullivan family had beat them there. It seemed that Joe's return to Ireland, and with an Indian girl was all it took to get everyone together and on time this year. Joe whispered into Jess' ear that next year, no one else would be there for another hour or so, as punctuality was not an O'Sullivan family trait.
For the next 20 minutes or so, Jess was subjected to countless introductions. There were aunts and uncles, great-aunts and uncles, first cousins and distant cousins. It was even a bit of a blur to Joe himself. It seemed that the family had gotten considerably larger in his four year absence. While Joe was introducing Jess to the family and saying hello to all of his relatives, Molly, Fiona, and Moira helped Nana in the kitchen. It was to be a plentiful feast of goose, stuffing, potatoes, vegetables, breads, fruit preserves, mincemeat pies and chocolates. In the back of her head, Jess wondered where all these people were going to sit when she met them. However, when dinner was announced, all fears were set aside. When Jess saw Nana's dining room, she was taken aback. She had never seen such a large room, especially one for just dining. Of course she also didn't pay much attention to how large the house was, because she was busy talking when they came in. Every adult had a place to sit. And the children would be dining at the large farm table in the kitchen.
When everyone was seated, Nana said the grace. Jess was touched that she was named specifically in the grace, as was Joe. It was confirmed that the large presence was the result of Joe coming home. With the blessing completed, food was passed. Jess had never eaten goose, nor much of the other food before, so this certainly was going to be an experience. She took a little bit of everything, but ate more vegetables and bread, as meat was not a staple in her family.
By the time everyone was finished eating, Jess thought she wouldn't be hungry for a month. Joe was right…a strict diet was certainly going to be in order if Nana kept feeding her like this. Jess hoped that dessert wasn't going to be served right away, because there was no way she was going to be able to eat anything more. The thought of more food however was interrupted by Joe's Uncle Seamus. He offered the most eloquent of toasts to Joe…it seemed that even though Joe thought him a tad bit odd, that Joe was his favorite nephew. Joe almost cried at his uncle's kind words.
Molly helped Nana clear away the dishes, while everyone else retired to the large living room. The tree was elegantly decorated as was the rest of the room. Holly and ivy were tucked about the room, adding a festive air to the room. The fire in the large fireplace crackled as it offered up its warmth to all who gathered. Jess sat in a comfortable chair, with Joe at her feet since there were not enough chairs for everyone. When Nana and Molly joined the family, there were numerous family tales being told. With everyone gathered, family gifts were handed out. Jess noted that this was a family that truly loved each other, as the gifts appeared to be generous and well thought out.
Jess was shocked when she was handed a small package. It was from Joe's grandmother. She handed the box to the young girl with a twinkle in her eye. What Jess found in the box was simple yet beautiful. Wedged between two pieces of glass and framed in silver, was a single four leaf clover. "For luck." was the response of Nana when Jess looked at her quizzically. Jess got up from her chair, and hugged the older woman, who of course gladly hugged the girl back.
When Jess returned to her seat to look more closely at her precious gift, Patrick was passing out pints of Guinness as he did every year. Toasts were given for everything under the sun…crops, money, health, love. And as Joe had promised, the more the men toasted, they slipped into Irish. Jess had never heard anything like it. It had a lilt and sound of its own. She listened, enjoying the sound and energy of it but not understanding a word of it. She decided she'd have to ask Joe tomorrow what they were saying. As if on cue, Joe decided to test out his legs. At first the older men were surprised by how fluent Joe was, but they realized his time had come. They were all about his age when they joined in on this little family tradition. Of course all they wanted to know about was Jess. He was able to talk freely, as to not embarrass Jess, however he never passed up on an opportunity to praise her.
Joe's sisters took Jess under their wing. They had a small feeling she was feeling a bit overwhelmed by the large gathering. However Jess reassured them, that they hadn't seen anything…she was used to large family get togethers which often included family members she had never met before. Fiona laughed and said it sounded like an Irish wake. Hours quickly passed, and it was dark before Jess realized. She had so enjoyed the company of Joe's female relatives that she hadn't had the time to notice. However, she did notice that on occasion, she would look over at Joe, and he would respond to her with that charming wink of his.
Eventually the large group started to dwindle in number. Because Joe and his family lived so close, they were also the last to leave. Molly made sure everything was neat and tidy before they left Nana's house. As they gathered their coats for the short walk across the road, Jess once again thanked Nana for the beautiful and thoughtful gift.
"No need for that Jess my dear." answered a happy grandmother. "It is the least I can do. Your bringing Joseph home to us, has made me the happiest grandmother in all of Ireland."
Jess smiled. "I hope it brings me much luck…I still have to finish school, and sometimes the exams are so hard, that a bit of luck will be much appreciated."
"Jess, love…you don't need luck." Joe said as he wrapped an arm around her waist. "You're my good luck charm."
Nana smiled at the happy couple in front of her. She had overheard the men talking, and she knew what awaited the young girl. "Luck," she thought. "It's a powerful force."
"Jess, Joe…I expect you two to come and say goodbye before you head back to England, okay?"
"Certainly Nana." replied Joe. "We'll stop over sometime tomorrow since we leave early the day after that. I'm taking her over to the Castle, and then we're meeting some friends at O'Brien's later in the night. Is that alright?"
"Certainly my boy. Now, run along you two…or they'll think I'm not letting you leave."
Joe kissed his grandmother's cheek, and with that out the door they went. They took their time walking the short distance to his parents' home…savoring every step in the crisp winter air…savoring their quiet time with each other even more. Once they crossed the road, and were just about to walk up the long drive to the house, Joe suddenly pulled Jess into his arms. He needed her, and he needed her right then. The kiss they shared, was unlike any other. It was passionate yet tender at the same time. Neither wanted to break that kiss, but they had to. When they did, they said not a word…their kiss and their eyes said everything that needed to be said.
Joe took her hand, and they walked inside.