Chapter 14: Holiday Spirit – 2019

Five-year-old Tali handed the cashier the ten-dollar bill from her wallet to pay for her Ima's Christmas gift. Abba nodded that she had the correct bill and grinned at her.

"Way to go, Tali-T; you're doing great on learning money," Tony high-fived his eldest. "Plus, I think that Ima will really like the gift you chose for her."

"Really?" Tali watched as the cashier counted back her change into her open palm - thirty-seven cents – and then put the microwaveable tea pot, mug, and assortment of tea bags into a plastic bag with the store's red bulls' eye logo boldly splashed across one side.

"Uh huh; you know how Ima loves her morning tea. This will be perfect for her to have as many cups as she wants, even when we're in a hurry."

"Will you help me wrap it and put a bow on the package?" Tali took the handles of the bag from the cashier as her father nodded his thanks to the clerk.

"Of course; what color bow?" Tony took Tali's free hand in his to navigate to the store's exit and into the busy parking lot.

"Purple; a big purple bow," the little girl replied with a grin. "That way she will know it's from me. Oh, and the purple princesses paper too."

"Sounds like a plan," Tony paused to the side of the exit before passing through the sliding doors to make sure his baby's coat was zipped and her hat was on her head. "Gotta bundle up; it's cold outside."

"K; Grandpa says it's gonna snow. Says his knees can tell," Tali commented as her Abba tugged the knitted cap over the unruly curls on the child's head.

"Where are your gloves?" he checked the pockets of the girl's coat. Both gloves were stuffed into the left side pocket; he quickly removed them and helped Tali slide her hands into the warm coverings. "Now you're ready to brave the cold, munchkin."

Tali grinned, "Where's your hat and gloves, Abba?"

Tony yanked the gloves from his jacket pocket and pulled the hood over his head. "Satisfied, little Ima?"

"Abba, you're silly. I'm not Ima," Tali giggled. "Ima would give you the 'Ima glare.' I don't do that!"

Father and daughter slipped gloved hands together and exited the store. Near the entrance a familiar red kettle stood on its tripod stand. The bell ringer was singing Hark How the Bells. Tony reached into his inner jacket pocket and pulled out his wallet. He opened the billfold and grabbed a twenty, folding it twice so it would fit in the slot of the kettle. He handed the folded bill to Tali and motioned for her to drop it in the kettle's slot.

"Bless you, Merry Christmas, sir and young lady. May the spirit of Christmas fill your hearts and home," the woman smiled and rang the bell.

"Merry Christmas!" Tony responded as he and Tali were waved across the line of traffic in front of the store.

At the car, Tali climbed into her booster seat in the rear as Tony put her bag with Ima's gift in the trunk. He slammed the trunk shut, checked Tali's seat belt, closed her door, and climbed in the driver's seat. He started the engine and backed out of the parking space.

At the parking lot entrance, he had to wait for the green left turn arrow to make his turn towards home. Tali was quietly watching the other vehicles and surrounding area. At the second light from the store, Tony had to stop as the light turned red.

"Abba?"

Tony glanced in the rearview mirror, "Yeah, Tals?" He could see the pensive look on his little girl's face.

"Spirits are like the ghosts in A Christmas Carol, right?" Tali made eye contact via the mirror. "I mean like the ghost of Christmas past and stuff…"

"Yep," Tony wondered where she was going with this.

"Well, that lady said the spirit of Christmas should be in our hearts and home. Why would we want ghosts in our house?" she furrowed her brow, so like her mother, as she tried to make sense of the words. "An' in our hearts?"

Tony had to suppress a chuckle, "The spirit of Christmas isn't a ghost; it's another meaning for the word 'spirit.' It means a feeling or emotion."

"Oh," she still had the frown of concentration on her face. "So, what is the spirit of Christmas?"

She had to ask the hard question, he thought before he answered his curious kindergartener. "Well, it's the happy feeling we have at Christmas; the feeling from being with the ones we love. It's being generous, and caring, and wishing everyone good things and good times. It's about love, and the miracles that happened many years ago at this time of the year."

"Like the Chanukah miracle with the lamp oil? And the birth of Baby Jesus?"

"Yep," he started to say more but the child cut him off.

"And being with our family at Grandpa's house on Christmas day; an' watching It's a Wonderful Life; an' eating Ima's Christmas cookies and our Chanukah gelt; and watching people smile when they open presents if it's something they really, really, really wanted…"

Tony turned into their driveway, "You got it!" He switched off the engine and opened the door to step out. He pulled the rear door open so Tali could exit the car as he pressed the trunk release on the key fob.

"Well, then I want the spirit of Christmas to stay at our house and at all of our family's houses all year long!" Tali skipped to the rear of the car with her Abba following. "Because I love all of our family all year long."