Merry Christmas and Happy Wassalia, everybody! If there's one thing Melinda likes as much as singing around the castle, it's singing as she helps decorate the castle! Even James is starting to like doing that, even if he gets off to a rocky start. The decorating even leads to a favorite pastime: the family sing-along! The Statler Brothers' music is not mine.
Melinda was smiling as she helped the maids put up some more Wassalia decorations. She was also pleasantly surprised to see seven-year-old Amber and James helping them. At first she had thought that they would be in James' room letting the teddy bear that Amber had recently won at Royal Prep's recent Wassalia carnival help with a story that James was writing, but Amber had said that Princess Sparkle Bear and Duchess Kitty were having a tea party in her room.
As she came up to them, she saw that everything was going very well. Violet was watching James as he tried to balance on a ladder and hang some decorations. "Like this, Violet?" he asked before he slipped and fell off.
Violet and Melinda caught him, but he saw them share a smile. "That's perfect, Prince James, and we're glad you're all right, but now Queen Melinda and I get to do this!" Violet grinned.
James looked up, and Violet and Melinda kissed him. "Mom! Violet!" he groaned as he tried to pull away.
"Well, it's not our fault we're all under the mistletoe together, now is it?" Melinda grinned, pointing at what James had been hanging.
James pouted, but he couldn't stay too mad, especially when Violet gave him a bag of peppermints and Melinda covered him with more kisses. "Mom! Can we please get out from under the mistletoe before everyone in the castle kisses me?" he groaned.
"That's a good idea," Violet chuckled, "I have some more decorations to put up anyway!"
"And I thought of a song to play while we help her, as well as another way to help you feel better," Melinda smiled as she broke away, took a peppermint, then put on a song.
She started dancing around with James as she sang, Light the candles on the mantelpiece
Put another log on the fire
Just like we did last year at Christmas Eve
We'll have a Christmas Country Style
Violet smiled as she joined in, We'll have a Christmas Country Style
You can hear us singing for a country mile
So take your coat off and stay a little while
We'll have a Christmas Country Style
"Yeah!" James grinned. "Mom always say music makes everything better!"
"That's right," Melinda smiled. "Take a verse?"
"Okay!" James agreed.
He joined in as he helped hang another decoration, We'll pop some popcorn and we'll trim the tree
Build a snowman in the yard
And find some mistletoe for you and me
You can bet it won't be very hard
Violet smiled as Roland and Amber came up as they heard the singing. She smiled as she told them about the incident with the mistletoe, and her smile widened as they burst out laughing.
"James, we're not laughing at you, we're laughing with you!" Amber giggled when she saw James pouting again.
"That's brilliant, Amber, but I wasn't laughing," James muttered as he took up some garland and held it up for Marcy, who was on a different ladder.
"Oh, James, don't be like that, but you're right; we shouldn't tease you," Melinda smiled. "Let's have some fun as we decorate, okay?"
James' smile became more genuine. "Okay!"
He gave Amber a little spin as he sang, We'll have a Christmas Country Style
You can hear us singing for a country mile
He smiled as Amber joined him, So take your coat off and stay a little while
We'll have a Christmas Country Style
"That's right, you shouldn't be sad or upset, especially when we're having so much fun!" Melinda smiled as she spun them.
"Okay!" James grinned as he spun away from another sprig of mistletoe.
"Now you're getting it," Roland whispered as he was caught under it.
"I heard that, Roland," Melinda smirked, pecking him on the cheek.
"You love me," Roland smirked and blew her a kiss, doing what Amber and James did when they were about to be scolded.
"Amber taught Dad that!" James quickly pointed at Amber.
"Daddy learned that from James!" Amber pointed at James.
Melinda rolled her eyes as Amber and James tried to blame the other one for what Roland had apparently learned from them. "Nice try, sweethearts, I know who taught Daddy that, and just for that, you get to finish the song with me!"
"Okay!" Amber giggled.
"Yeah!" James agreed as they joined Melinda, with Roland joining in a moment later.
We'll have a Christmas Country Style
You can hear us singing for a country mile
So take your coat off and stay a little while
We'll have a Christmas Country Style
We'll have a Christmas Country Style
"You'll have to sing that at the party tonight," Roland smiled as he helped James put some more decorations up.
"Maybe I will," James agreed. "Just keep me away from the mistletoe!"
"We'll try, sweetheart," Melinda chuckled as she kissed him again.
