Let Me Call You Sweetheart Chapter 4, Page 30
Saturday morning and there was a soft snow beginning to fall. Nathan had Newton out early as he and Matthew took a tree over to the O'Neill's farm. When they got there, Rick was outside just coming in from the barn where he had been milking the cows.
"Good morning!" Nathan called out to Rick.
"Constable. Matthew. Good morning to you both. What have you here?" Rick looked at what they had dragged behind Matthew's horse.
"A tree for your family for Christmas." Matthew smiled. "It was Constable Nathan's idea."
"That doesn't matter. Let's just get the tree inside, all right? Do you have a stand for the tree Rick?" Nathan inquired.
"Sure. Let me grab it from the barn." When Rick returned, he and Matthew took the tree through the front porch and into the living room with Nathan right behind them.
"What are you dragging in here?" a disgruntled Mr. O'Neill barked.
"Oh Sean, it's a Christmas tree!" Mrs. O'Neill perked up and was running up to smell the pine. "Doesn't it smell delightful?"
"It does Ma, where do you want us to put it?" Rick asked.
Nathan greeted the O'Neills and hoped they would be pleased. It turned out that Sean O'Neill left the room as they put the tree up where Mrs. O'Neill could decorate it.
"Never mind him, he's just as ornery as ever. Rick can you bring in the ornaments and decorations from the barn too please? They should be where you found the tree stand." Mrs. O'Neill requested.
"Well, Mrs. O'Neill, I hope this isn't going to be a problem." Nathan didn't want anyone upset.
"Constable, first of all you can call me Mary. I don't think the tree will make any difference to Sean, but for me and Rick, well, it's very kind of you and we will enjoy it thank you!"
"Good, you should know that Pastor Joseph will be calling on you soon. He would like to meet you all and see if he can be of any help while struggling with your grief. Perhaps, you can let Mr. O'Neill know so he's not surprised when he arrives. Right now though, I'll leave you alone to go about your business. Should you decide to get out of the house for awhile, the town of Hope Valley will be putting up our Christmas tree in the town center later today. Maybe we'll see you then." Nathan said as he was leaving.
"Constable," Rick called, "Thank you for putting in a word for me with Mr. Avery. I'm working for Sam later today. I really appreciate it."
"Your welcome. See you tonight." Nathan smiled.
Back in town Joseph was bringing in the large town Christmas tree. A few of the men were there to help mount it in the center of the town. Word got out that it was there and the kids could hardly wait for the caroling and decorations to go up later. Most of the homes were getting their own Christmas trees to put up too. Popcorn was being strung into long ropes, hollies were being gathered, and star ornaments were made by the children.
Paul was so excited as Lee and Rosemary brought in a tree to decorate. His eyes lit up as they gave him ornaments to put on the tree wherever he wanted. He too made paper ornaments and strung paper loops around the house and popcorn strings for the tree. Lee lifted Paul high on his shoulders so he could put the Christmas angel on the top. They even made a beautiful wreath to hang on the door with leftover branches from the tree and pine cones tied together with red ribbon and a bow.
"This is so pretty. I love decorating, it makes everything happy." he laughed.
Emily had already showed Allie all about how an Advent calendar worked and how to bake a gingerbread house. That was so much fun that Emily offered to show other children after school. One day Dee and Elizabeth took her up on her offer and Emily came bearing graham crackers, frosting she had made at home before leaving for the school, gumdrops, and candy canes.
Today, Allie even put a green bow on Ginger and a red bow on Ella and Karen put a green bow on Dusty too. When Nathan brought in their tree, Dee came over to help. Nathan had a few ornaments that he and Allie had saved, and Emily had lots from collecting over the years. As expected, there were ornaments that Nathan had made as a little boy, and the star he made was still intact.
"You were quite creative!" Dee complimented him. "Look Allie, here's an angel you made when you were little. Your mom must've saved this for you!"
Allie was tickled to see ornaments that her mom, Colleen had made in years past too and Emily told her, "They are yours now to treasure."
"I will Oma, I always will." Allie reassured her as they hugged tightly.
When the town heard the church bell ring they knew it was time to gather in the town center for the Christmas tree gathering and caroling. Snow was still gently falling as the people came. Little ones came running up close to see the tree and were sitting on their dad's shoulders. It was big and full, and the children added their own homemade ornaments to the tree. People stopped by Billees for hot chocolate, coffee, and Christmas cookies and Rick was there to help.
Let's sing O Tannebaum, O Tannebaum Emily suggested as she helped hand out ornaments to the children. Nathan and Bill brought their guitars with to play and everyone joined in the caroling that Dee was leading. Jingle Bells, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, We Wish You a Merry Christmas, and more were heard throughout the town. Allie saw her Grandpa inside Billees and ran inside, pleaded with him to come out and join her and the family caroling. He couldn't refuse her. So there they were, Nathan, Dee, Archie, Emily, and Allie enjoying the Christmas tree festivity together. The joy of Christmas was working it's magic!
