Chapter 2: Apples - 2028
"Why are we getting apples?" eight-year-old Rivka asked her older sister. "I thought Ima and Abba said we would be getting presents every day until Christmas."
Fourteen-year-old Tali sighed, "An apple is a present you know. So is a toy or some candy or even a special note from the giver."
"Apples have lots of meaning for the winter holidays too," added eleven-year-old Anthony. "They were among the first decorations to be hung on the seasonal tree a long time ago."
"Like when Abba was my age?" seven-year-old LJ quipped. Ziva had to bite her lip to keep from laughing out loud; she was listening to the conversation in the family room from the hallway.
"Older than that; much older!" Anthony shot back. "Abba is nowhere near as old as the tradition of using apples as decorations on Christmas trees."
Beth looked at her twin, "We also have applesauce that Ima makes from fresh apples for our Chanukah latkes. I like the applesauce with cinnamon that she makes the best of all."
"Well, I am glad I got the yellow apple instead of Anthony's green one; I think the apples he likes are nasty," Riv grimaced at the thought of the tart Granny Smith apple's taste.
Tali pointed to the five distinctly different apples that each child had received in the "countdown basket" that morning. "We all got different types of apples. Anthony has his Granny Smith apple which is less sweet than most types; it is probably the tartest of all the varieties. I got a red delicious apple; it is crunchy and mildly sweet. Riv's is the golden delicious. It is also crunchy and sweeter than the red. Beth has a Fuji apple; it is one of the sweetest varieties of apples. LJ has a gala apple; it is extremely sweet but not as sweet as the Fuji."
"How do you know so much about apples, Tali?" LJ was in awe of his big sister's knowledge.
"Remember that science project I did two springs ago about apples for the science fair? I was in seventh grade then," Tali grinned at her little brother. "Ima bought all those different types for us to try at the farmers' market over the summer."