The Brandon family left the palace after Christmas. At first, they had decided to leave before Thanksgiving, but then both Charles and Mary thought of His Majesty. This year would be his first holiday season without a wife, without any family to celebrate with him. Since they are his family, they thought it best to stay put.
The tradition of Thanksgiving was a relatively new idea. With all of the exploration happening and new colonies arising, a few ship captains brought back new traditions. One of these is the holiday of Thanksgiving. It came unpretentious with a fancy feast for dinner. The next day all the menfolk went for a hunt. His Majesty and His Royal Highness especially enjoyed the day after Thanksgiving hunt. But really, everyone was too stuffed to move. Their horses were heavier that day.
While the men went hunting, Mary began thinking through the palace's Christmas decor. She can't wait for Christmas to weave its magic over the whole estate. Somehow the world seems to become softer and a bit more beautiful than before. This year since there is no Queen, her father has allowed her to take the lead in decorating. However, he did tell her, "No frou-frou frilliness and nothing too excessively feminine. Please remember the palace is for everyone, even though I live here."
Decorating for Christmas is like being given the keys to the palace. Early in the morning, she gathered her team together. The primary members are Paisley, Dot, Lady Ashdown, Edith (the primary palace housekeeper), Rosalynn (her assistant), and Lady Percival (the palace historian's wife). They met over breakfast and discussed each area of Whitehall Palace.
To most people decorating the palace for Yule may seem a bit silly, but it is not. This undertaking is a very daunting task. This particular palace is much larger than the Palace of Versailles in France. Why His Majesty wanted to have Christmas here is beyond her, but that's beside the point. All the spaces and areas within need to be covered in Christmas, and there are a lot of rooms. One thousand five hundred of them, to be exact. But if she can have Hapus decorated with one hundred and twenty-two rooms, this should be similar. Right?
Except it isn't. The palace needs to stand out from all the other estates in England. Plus, if she messes this up now, it will be remembered forever. She'll go down as Mary Brandon nee' Tudor the Princess who ruined Christmas with tacky decorations in the annuls of history. And if she is ever Queen, this would be a stain against her reign.
So the team discussed back and forth different ideas. One ridiculous statement was to have the palace wrapped in a big giant bow. This idea was immediately nixed—the vision behind the massive big bow Mary liked. Unlike past Yule's, this year had a theme. It's called Our Gift to You. The palace will celebrate each allied nation and the everyday individual. Boughs of evergreen will line staircases and entryways, just like the ones at Hapus. Nestled in them will be oranges and lemons. These fruits will symbolize Italy.
The already busy servants will craft miniature Yule log centerpieces for various tables and rooms throughout the palace. The logs will symbolize France. There will be a Christmas crib (nativity) placed under every Christmas tree in the representation of Portugal. Also, illustrating Portugal will be the addition of the fruited King Cake at the Christmas feast.
Fresh evergreen wreaths will be hung above every fireplace and in the palace's windows. In the main hall, an Advent wreath will be on display. But the best thing of all will be the Christmas Market set up right on the front lawn of the palace. Lady Percival explained to the group how ChristKindMarkets have been popular in various European states. "They're most especially prevalent in Germany, France, Vienna, Austria, and Milan, My Lady," she clarified.
The older woman further elucidated the purpose. With her clear explanations, the group decided England needed their own version. Mary cannot wait for Christmas Market day to arrive. Paisley, Dot, and Joan will help her organize it. The market will be a place where artisans and merchants from all over the kingdom will display their wares in preparation for the holidays. People will be able to purchase everything they need for their Christmas celebrations, from decorations to sweets to toys for the children. It will be amazing!
So without further delay, the palace servants began to work like busy little bees decorating hither and yon. Each decorating committee member took a section of the palace to oversee. Abled male servants took to the woods to chop down firs and pines to make wreaths and boughs plenty. They also felled ten-foot-tall trees for each main room of the estate. Half the forest would require serious replanting if all the rooms had trees.
However, the front entrance will house an entryway of trees, almost as if one were walking through a magical Christmas forest. But the piece de resistance will be placed in the grand feast hall. For there, they would need to find a sixteen-foot tree. She's not sure why a sixteen-foot tree other than the fact it will look grand and plentiful with the vaulted ceiling. Tomorrow she, along with the groundskeeper and servants, will be going out to find it. They will measure and cut it down. She's already decided it will be like finding a needle in a haystack. Hopefully, she can convince Charles to tag along.
When the men returned from the hunt, the Whitehall Palace was practically decorated, save the main tree. How they all did this in one day, without advanced planning, is beyond them. "It's a Christmas miracle," Dot declared. Indeed it is. Nevertheless, His Majesty's face when he saw the palace made all the decorating worthwhile.
He looked one part stunned, another part impressed, and a final part as a kid at a candy booth. The irony is he and the men have only seen the back entrance, where a row of smaller-sized trees lined the path. Her Highness must note that apples, holly berries, pinecones, and orange-clove pomanders hung from branches, tied with beautiful silk ribbon. Each tree had a particular ribbon color (blue, white, blush). It created a stunning display.
King Henry took in the grand sight of this display. His intelligent eyes looked this way and that. Turning to his daughter, he questioned, "You did this? You thought of this?"
She nodded and let him know, "I did. But you haven't seen anything yet. Would you like a tour?" He indicated he would and, for once, let someone lead him. Charles fell in step beside his friend, as did Anthony, Sir William, and others. First, they toured the east wing, which astounded them. Then they walked all along to the west side of the house. They were equally shocked, especially the displays of Yule logs and evergreens in every main area. The touches of topiaries outfitted with apples mixed with other greenery are splendid, to be sure.
But Mary held the main entrance for last. When the King saw what was there, he clapped a hand over his Royal mouth. For once in his life, he was speechless. The tall trees lined up side-by-side, mimicking the smaller ones at the back entrance, were mesmerizing.
Stumbling for words, the His Majesty walked closer to the final tree and examined it. "Is that... Are those..." He cannot believe it, for his mother's angel figurines are right there! The team of servants had hung them from various branches. "This is unbelievable. Where did you think to get these?" He touched one of the delicate objects.
Holding her hands clasped in front of her, the Princess admitted, "I knew Grandmother had a collection somewhere. So I inquired about the angels from Lady Percival to see if they were still intact. Lady Edith told me she vaguely remembered them being in storage at Greenwich Palace. So she sent word there, and sure enough, box after box was delivered to us. Since they were Grandmother's special angels, we took good care of them and attached each one not to move. I hope you approve. If you don't, we'll take them down."
His Majesty sniffed, and he wiped away a few tears. He held his hand up as a signal to be quiet. "I had forgotten all about these. My mother's angels... I am quite overwhelmed at the sight of them. She would have been proud to have them used in such a manner. Let it be known His Majesty approves of all the decorations, but none more than this." He admired each one from every angle. Then he placed a kiss on his daughter's forehead.
Still touching an angel, he spoke. "What you have done here is truly astonishing. I can't help but wonder why this hasn't happened before? None of the previous Queens, even your mother, have not gone this far in any past Christmas displays. I feel this will be the best Christmas yet, and I'm single," he told her. They began to walk to the feast hall.
Even so, Her Highness shared the other things with him. "Father, if you like all of this, then you'll love what we do in the feast hall tomorrow. You have to promise you will not enter it at all, and you will not even try to take a peek." He held up his hand in an oath. "And you cannot send spies or servants to scout it out either."
Under his breath, he muttered, "Damn." As they entered and sat to dine, her enthusiasm carried her away. It brought her words to speak of the tree in the throne room. "In addition, there's also a tree in the throne room. It's aptly called The People's Tree. My workers and I are excited to put it together too. The idea behind it is to have a main artesian from each province in the country design a special ornament to hang on the tree. The ornament must represent their region somehow. We've sent messengers across the country to every province with letters to each Lord explaining the details. I hope you approve of this too." She waited with a hopeful spirit and a smile on her face.
The King seemed thoughtful. "Of course, I approve. That's a good idea, especially having each area represented." He turned to the Royal Record Keeper, who follows him inside the castle. "Are you writing all of this down? We need to remember these details for next Christmas."
Then Mary made a suggestion. "I was thinking about next Christmas. Wouldn't it be nice to have each crafted ornament be entered into a contest? An ornament contest! You could pick out the most creative, well-designed ornament from the bunch. Then it could be kept on display, in the palace, for a whole year."
His Majesty scratched his chin and twisted his signet ring around. "Why not have the contest this year? Once all the ornaments have come in, it would be agreeable to begin it." Just like that, The King had decided, and her idea took shape. The Royal Record Keeper furiously wrote all of this down for remembrance.
She wanted to speak about the Christmas Market, but she also wanted it to be a surprise. So in casual conversation, she asked, "Can we have a Christmas party on the front lawn? I promise it will not be mad with drunkards or kooks. I will be in charge of it. If it fails, then you can blame me. If it succeeds, then you may take credit."
His Majesty questioned this. "Why not have the party indoors here? It will be freezing outside."
She explained, "This particular party wouldn't work indoors. It's better to be outdoors during the daytime. Plus, it's a three-day party Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. So people would set up tents on the lawn to have a place to sleep. Do you approve?"
With a wave of his hand, he gave his approval, and without thought, his daughter squealed and kissed him on the cheek. He wore a soft smile the whole of dinner.
The next day, Charles and Mary woke up bright and early to go tree hunting. His Highness, however, was drug out of bed against his will and with words of flattery. "I never feel more loved and safe than when I'm with you," "I can always count on you!", "I am indecisive and have a hard time picking out important things. But I know that you can help me because you're always quick to know what you want." and "If you do this for me, I will add you to my to-do list." That got him out of bed so fast that his neck ached.
So the Prince and Princess, accompanied by the guards, a handful of servants, escorted by the head groundskeeper, trekked off into the woods. Charles stayed by his wife's side as she wandered around the forest following the groundskeeper, Sir Stephen. When they would come upon a tree, His Highness grew excited, thinking this was it. However, he was wrong every time because something would be wrong with the tree. Either it's not tall enough, it's too tall, it's not as full or fluffy as the tree before it, or "It doesn't make me happy. It's not a happy tree."
Who the heck cares? No one is going to look at it and say, "Wow. Her Highness chose an unhappy tree. It's the most unhappy tree in the history of Christmas." But he did not say this to her unless his aim was for her not to do him. Instead, he followed her like the good, freezing-cold husband that he is.
After what seemed like hours, she found the perfect Christmas tree. "This is it! This is the one! This is the tree that's going to brighten up the feasting hall. This tree is going to bring so much holiday joy and cheer. Don't you think so, Charles?" She turned her head to him.
"Yes. I've pined for a tree just like this since we came out here searching. I'm sure it'll spruce up dinners," His Highness joked. A mischievous grin befell his face.
She snorted a laugh and raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? Although I do admit, that's very punny."
Not able to help it, he declared, "But wait! There's myrrh where that came from. Get it? Myrrh— more? The three wise men?" The guards laughed at his humor, but his wife rolled her eyes. The servants loaded the sixteen-foot tree onto a large wooden wagon, pulled by a horse.
All the way back, the Prince and Princess held hands. Together they sang the carol Good King Wenceslaus on the trailback to the palace. They were so festive that they caroled behind the tree as the servants carried it from the back entrance into the feast hall. Other nobles lined the halls to get a glimpse of the tree and to hear the caroling. Some even joined in. As for the King, he welcomed the tree at the back entrance and sang with his family.
Once the tree was positioned, Mary's team set to work. The Princess ushered His Majesty and her husband out of the hall, then closed the doors. They worked arranging beautiful white ceramic doves of peace all over the tree for well into the afternoon. Some doves had small banners carrying signs like peace, hope, joy, and love in their mouths. Others had nothing; regardless, every bird on the tree was in winged flight. And at the top sat many smaller doves with an enormous banner that reads Adeste Fideles, meaning Oh Come All Ye Faithful.
When it was all finished, the team stepped back and admired their handiwork. Numerous exciting babbling broke out amongst the group, as did hands raised to mouths in awe. All the ladies agree this is a gorgeously decorated tree. "The whole palace is like the Spirit of Christmas descended and coughed up Christmas everywhere. It's wonderful," Dot told Mary.
Holding her two friend's hands, Mary remarked, "Well, since we all think the tree looks marvelous, there's only one thing left to do. We must send for His Majesty." Sending for him is just what she did.
The Page went to fetch him. Along with Charles and several of the other lords came to the doors. The Herald announced him. "Make way for His Majesty King Henry VIII." He entered the room with his kingly swagger and his commanding presence. The minute he saw the tree, he stood still in front of it. His hand raised to his mouth. He stood like that for several moments. Then he moved to view it from different angles, and there was a reverence about it everywhere he went.
Until finally, he walked to his daughter and embraced her in the biggest hug he's given yet. "I don't know quite what to say except thank you. You have captured the spirit of Christmas exactly. I cannot remember the last time this place was decorated like this during Yule, maybe never. If this is how the Feast Hall tree looks, I cannot imagine the people's tree will look any less magnificent."
Turning to the Royal Record Keeper, the King inquired of him. "Are you writing this down? We need this tree description because we need not repeat it next year. It must be different." Then he moved to exit the room, much like he entered— regal.
Instead of instantly following His Majesty, Charles stayed and told Mary, "My Darling, you've done a wonderful thing here. You've made this desolate place feel like home during the holidays. And your father is most grateful. Trust me." He winked at her, then kissed her forehead, not caring about propriety.
His Majesty was correct in his assumption. The people's tree looked fabulous, decorated with the artisan ornaments. Each decoration represented their region with an impressive showing. A sample of the ornaments that came in is a glass-blown dragon for Wales, a white horse ornament for Kent, and three miniature swords for Essex.
Everyone who ventured to the palace could hardly believe their eyes at the transformation. All of them, even the horrible harpies, stood in awe. However, none of it compared to the Christmas Market. The week before Christmas, vendors arrived and began to set up their booths. Upon seeing what was happening to his front lawn, Henry questioned, "What on God's green earth is this?"
None of his men knew, and Charles was feeling under the weather, so he was not present. They all either shrugged their shoulders or shook their heads, looking stupid. The King was not amused, not in the least. He motioned with his hand to the Page. "Bring me my daughter, the Princess of Wales."
In a flash, the Page was off. While he was gone, His Majesty stood staring out the window down onto the lawn. He shook his head at the sight as his blood pressure mounted. As soon as the Page returned, out of breath, Henry turned around and began interrogating Mary. "Daughter, what is this spectacle on my front lawn?"
Noticing her father was trying to remain calm, she thought to reassure him. First, she curtsied, then she spoke. "Father, that is the Christmas Market."
His eyes narrowed. "What pray tell is a Christmas Market, and why is it on MY lawn?"
She went to him, took his arm, and led him back to the large window. Pointing, she explained exactly what a Christmas Market is and its purpose. Then she further regaled him with, "If this is successful, you will look like a hero in the people's eyes. This market will foster goodwill, charity, and encouragement for everyone. It will also foster economic help for those artisans who need it. Every craftsman, man or woman, who wants to participate is here."
Motioning to another section of the lawn, she directed, "I've been down there amongst them setting up my own booth. I've seen some of the items for purchase, and they're incredible. There are all sorts of things: nativity cribs, nutcrackers, pottery, fine swords, glass blown drinking goblets and bowls, Christmas cookies, hot mulled wine, cinnamon almonds, loaves of bread, you name it, and it's probably there."
He thought about her idea, then stated with an upbeat tune, "Alright then, if you think this market is a good thing, we'll try it this year. Then we'll dissect it afterward for how we can improve. Now let's go have a look at these crafts."
So the King, the Princess, his men, and the guards all went to view the Christmas Market. What they found was mind-blowing. As Her Highness said, people from all over arrived, bringing merchandise of epic proportions. Henry got carried away at many booths, especially the sword and sweets booth. All in all, he was revered for this most thoughtful idea of the market.
And every day the market was open, citizens of every station in life came to it. Whitehall itself was opened for tours— well, only the primary area which housed the people's tree. The Christmas Market was a booming success for the kingdom's artisans at large. In fact, it raised more money than thought possible. His Majesty was very impressed with his daughter's ingenuity and industriousness. His eyes watched the Royal Record Keeper take notes so the holiday season could be discussed in more detail for next year. He hopes to capitalize on this success.
For someone who worries they are too dull, Mary continued to shine in the presence of her father. She received glowing praise from any who sought to speak to her. Mostly her bright smile and sparkly personality won her much admiration. She managed to dazzle her critics, who began to wonder if this was what her reign as Queen would be like. And her husband was even prouder because he knew that, given the right circumstances, she could be incandescent.