An Old Tradition Revived

When Mr Wilson arrived in New York from his conference at the end of the week, he was expecting to find his son on the verge of a nervous breakdown, his daughter-in-law living on a camp bed at the hospital, and his grandson being cared for by his wife, after she had driven the family's au pair away with a barrage of constant criticism. Instead he found a home that was in perfect harmony, which initially lead him to wonder if drugs had been consumed. The look on his face had said it all, and on seeing it, his son had laughed, then with a smile had said, "It seems that we do all change as we grow older, dad. Mom has not tried to interfere with everything, although she has made suggestions as to ways we could be doing things differently, and in all honesty, not all of them are awful. She and Mirabelle have become firm friends, and she has even made her peace with Beats."

Mr Wilson looked at his son, and said, "I really cannot condone you drugging your mother…", his words only partly in jest.

"Well it is just as well that we haven't then. Don't get me wrong, there have been moments when I have cringed with embarrassment, and boiled with rage, and Izzy has rolled her eyes more than once too. The fact is, whilst neither of us would want her to stay here or even close by on a permanent basis, we could manage to have her here for this length of visit again, although hopefully she would ask if she could come first the next time."

"Trust me when I tell you that I knew nothing about her plans beforehand either, or I would have given you more warning. I did think that she might like Beats a little more now; that can be attributed almost entirely to the fact that her standing in the Ladies' Circle was raised quite considerably when she was able to state that he had gone to school with you, and having a photo of the two of you in Dalton uniform on her phone meant she could prove it. Just wait, she is probably going to invite him to come and visit Kansas next year…"

Flint shook his head, and replied, "So that she can show him off to the ladies, just as Izzy was paraded before them all when we first got engaged? She will be out of luck with that one, particularly as I will be warning him about it right away. The fact that I can also point out that he might talk about the job we had together in college will put her plan well and truly to bed. We are having lunch with him and his family after the service tomorrow, so I will call him now before she can even launch her ulterior motives upon him…"

In the same call, Flint asked Beats to warn Lachlan's parents that she would want to be introduced to them on the Sabbath; therefore the fact that they were invited to sit with the Rosenfelds the next day when they arrived at the synagogue was no great surprise. After the service ended, Mrs Wilson hastened off to speak to Rabbi Hirsch, which gave Flint a chance to thank them for being so accommodating.

"To be honest, we were actually quite intrigued to meet her," Mrs Rosenfeld replied. "I may have been shown one of your wedding photos, and any woman that could be bold and daring enough to wear that hat…"

"It was quite the statement," admitted Flint. "I am afraid that I might have had to swiftly kick my best man in the shin to get him to stop laughing and keep a straight face."

"She actually reminds me of my late grandmother," said Mr Rosenfeld. "She had her own sense of style, was always trying to be one step ahead of the trend to impress her friends, and of course, she tried to marry me off to several of her friends' granddaughters and in one case, a daughter 15 years older than me. I was fortunately allowed to make my own choice with my parents blessing…"

"…and when my grandmother met her at the wedding, they realised that they had been at school together, had been the best of friends, but had then lost touch over the years. She was therefore able to claim that her grandson had married the granddaughter of one of her oldest friends, just as she had planned," continued Mrs Rosenfeld.

"Please do not tell my mother-in-law that," said Izzy. "If she finds that out, she will start to dig back into her own family history to try and find a connection to my family, no matter how far back she needs to search!"

"I won't," said Mrs Rosenfeld with a smile, "but this might be a good time to warn me if there are any other off limits subjects to avoid in conversation. We have agreed to join you for lunch…"

Elliott had managed to clear one of the quieter corners of the diner and create a large table for the group to eat at together quite informally, as they would all be having their main family dinner at home later. Elliott knew what to expect from Mrs Wilson, but neither Dante or Ty did, and all three of them had been concerned about the shared meal - indeed, Elliott's first reaction to Beats mentioning the meal had been to ask him if he had completely taken leave of his senses. All of the stress proved to be unnecessary, as Mrs Wilson was as kind to all of them as she had been to Beats, especially after they had posed for a photo with her.

During the lunch, Mr and Mrs Rosenfeld casually announced that they would be fostering a little girl in the next few weeks, getting them good wishes from around the table; the broad smile on Lachlan's face showed them all that he was looking forward to having a little sister too. As for Mr Wilson and Mr Rosenfeld, they eventually began to talk about work, and quickly realised that they worked in similar circles; they exchanged cards, conscious that they could help each other out in the future…

That evening they were all back in their own homes, and for the Wilsons that meant a formal dinner, full of all the traditions that had been handed down over the centuries. Mirabelle was out for the evening, but Aaron was at an age were he could participate in some things, and showed an interest in others, and his grandmother was only too pleased to take care of him and explain things. Mr Wilson of course noticed the way that his wife was wrapped around his grandson's finger, and he smiled. Turning to his daughter-in-law, he whispered, "You need to have a few more if that is the effect that they have on my wife."

She laughed, and then with a conspiratorial wink whispered, "We might have already done a little something about that…" Her father-in-law realised at once what she was saying, and it took him a lot of effort to hide the fact that he was ecstatically happy for them both. He knew that smiling was not an option though, at least not whilst his wife was in the room…

The following day Flint insisted on taking his parents to the airport, even though his father promised when his wife was out of earshot that he would ensure that she went home, and then headed home to reinstate the Christmas tree and decorations in the drawing room. This was much to the delight of Aaron, and the secret relief of Mirabelle, whose room had been both cramped and a little too much like Santa's grotto at Macy's for her liking with the tree there. She had decided not to inform her employers that her young charge had almost told his grandmother three times that he missed the tree being in the drawing room…

Her own opinion of Mrs Wilson, now that she had left, was that she was a woman with a strong faith who could not comprehend or stand how much the world had changed since her youth, nor understand quite how secular life now was. Her son was living in a world city, where a myriad of cultures had blended together over the years; a proof of this was in the fact that you would struggle to find someone in the city that did not like a bagel… As far as the young French woman was concerned, there had to be tolerance and understanding for the world to work, but there had to be some respect for the old ways, even if they now seem anachronistic. For all of her old fashioned ways though, Mrs Wilson was still immensely proud of the fact that her daughter-in-law was a paediatrician, and seemed to ignore the fact that back in the good old days she lionised, Izzy would have been expected to give up work on marrying Flint to become a full time housewife and mother…

Of course, Mirabelle did not dare tell her own devout Roman Catholic grandmother back in France that she was working for a Jewish family, because that would have left her scandalised and fearing for her mortal soul. Old habits and prejudices were deeply ingrained, and hard to eradicate. In any case, with the tree back in its rightful place in the drawing a room, a calm descended upon the household as they awaited the start of the holiday season proper, and all of the festive joy and entertainment it would bring…

Of course, the main event that year was the return of Niff's Christmas party on the last Sunday before the big day. What had started out as a small gathering of a few former Warblers had now morphed into a gargantuan affair; Nick came home from the office each night in the week before and after dinner, had begun to bake like no tomorrow, with a flurry of cookies, cakes and pies emerging from the oven, along with a couple of baked hams and a side of beef, which would make fillings for sandwiches. His husband had been equally busy whilst their son was at kindergarten; he had refreshed the decorations in the hallway, under the watchful eyes of Caleb, who even now could not understand why his humans brought a tree into the house at this time every year; it made no sense to him at all….

It did however indicate to the cat that there would be visitors coming soon, and he hoped that his Uncle Mike would be amongst them. His formerly weekly visits had all but ceased with the birth of Henry, as his schedule was now full with parental chores, on top of his busy work week rehearsing with the City Ballet for their Christmas shows. Something had to give to avoid him having a breakdown, and it had been his weekly visits to see his little friend that had to go, given that his other choice had been eating and drinking…

Caleb had seen him passing in the street from the dining room window one morning, but his miaows of greeting had gone unheeded given the fact that there was glass between them. That was also when he spotted the contraption that Mike was pushing before him, one that indicated that there was now definitely a little human in his uncle's life. He recalled how his two humans had been a little less attentive once they had a small one of their own too. The good news was that his own little human had now begun to bring him treats as well, so there was a balance. Last week he had even brought him a catnip filled toy, although if he was honest, he thought that he had detected just the faintest hint of Mike's scent on it… On balance, Caleb was pretty certain that if his humans were throwing a party, then his Uncle Mike would come, and would bear gifts. He had never let him down in that respect yet…

Caleb would be pleased to know that Mike had scheduled time to attend the gathering, if only for an hour, and would be bringing his son with him. Tina would not be coming at his own insistence, as he knew she was tired, and if he took Henry with him, she would have peace and quiet for a short while. That would help her prepare for the following week, when an influx of parents would arrive, all of them wishing to mark their grandson's first Christmas, even if the young man in question would not register anything different about the day. Tina's parents would arrive the day before Mike's, and would be accommodated in the newly decorated nursery; Henry would sleep in his parents' room, with Mike's parents being installed in the guest room. Much as Mike loved having the space in the city where rents were so high, he secretly envied his colleagues that lived in tiny one bed apartments right now, as there would be no place for parents to come and stay… Well, he almost envied them…

At the other end of the street, Seth was also making his preparations for Christmas. He would be leaving the city on the day after the party to head for Ohio, where he would spend the holiday with the Carmichaels and Thad. The Head Warbler would be driving to the city to attend the party, and then would drive Seth and Skylar back. The fact that he was staying in Ohio for the holidays had surprised all of them, especially the Carmichaels, who had expected him to be staying in New York to spend the day with his brother, sister-in-law, and new nephew. He had justified his decision by telling them all that someone had to escort Seth back to Dalton, and no-one was brave enough to point out that Skylar could have done that…

He had also pointed out that Michelle's parents would be coming, and that he did not want to impose on anyone in the city by asking them to put him up, although again, they all knew that there was the guest house at the end of the West Village street, or indeed, as he would be in Ohio, Seth's apartment. Somehow they all sensed that he had another reason not to stay in the city, and left it at that. What his friends did not know was that he had even declined the Carmichaels invitation initially; it had only been when Mrs Carmichael had cornered him, and told him that it would ruin her Christmas to think of him sitting home alone so close by that he had reluctantly agreed to attend. He knew that her comments about him being younger and fitter if Seth needed help were just another excuse to make him go…

Seth had taken great pains with his holiday gift shopping this year, and had purposefully chosen gifts for those closest to him that would be things that they had always craved, and could be kept, used and cherished for a long time. He had gone for the best quality, and as a result his spend was treble what it might normally have been, but it was worth it in his eyes. His motivation of course was the fact that he had begun to think that this might well be the last normal Christmas that he might have; with the way that his health had deteriorated rapidly in the short space of time since Skylar's wedding, he was not prepared to take the chance, and even if he was still alive this time next year, he would probably not be able to shop as he wished unaided.

As it was, being in his chair made it hard to negotiate the larger, busier stores, and even contemplating a trip to the likes of Bloomingdales or Macy's was horrific. Instead of heading there, or even browsing from shop to shop, he had sought out the items he wanted online, done his research, then headed to smaller stores to purchase them, or even just ordered it online. His most expensive buy was of course for his best friend; even although much of Skylar's architectural work was now done on a computer through CAD programs, he was still fond of making his original sketches for a building or a feature within it by hand with a pencil. He would then ink them up with a degree of clarity and procession that appealed to the engineer in Seth's soul. His models had always been seen as works of art in Skylar's eyes; to him, his friend's pen and ink plans, annotated with beautiful calligraphy, where up there with Jeff's portraiture.

What made Skylar's work all the more special was his preference for a fountain pen, and he took great care of those instruments. He knew that the best pens came with a solid gold nib, and that his friend had always coveted one, but had dismissed them as far too expensive on his budget. Seth had searched carefully, and had managed to find such a pen, in a set with a propelling pencil that was within his price range. It was presented in a handsome wooden case that was lined in its lower half with the finest velvet. Best yet was the fact that the store that had been able to supply the set to Seth had also quite happily installed a small plaque into the inside of the lid, and had inscribed it with the words 'To my brother, the eternal Sunny Sky, with love and gratitude for everything.' He knew that Skylar would chastise him for spending so much, but he justified it to himself with the thought that it was the cumulative total of what he might have spent in the years to come…

The time for gifts was later though; there was a party first. On the morning of the event, Nick was up early; he had already spent the entirety of the previous day at the stove, producing tray after tray of cookies, not to mention lebkuchen. He had always seen boxes of those Germanic cookies in the stores at this time of year, but had never attempted to make them himself, always concentrating on such delights as Stollen and Strudel. However, he always liked to challenge himself with new bakes, and for that reason he had first experimented with a batch at the beginning of the month. Jeff had of course been his first guinea pig, and he had approved, but that was not enough for the perfectionist in Nick, so he had taken some to the German delegation at the UN.

That first bake had not gone down too well with them, so he had asked them for their tips on how to get them just right. Two days later he found an envelope in his in-tray, and in it was a handwritten recipe that was used by the grandmother of head of the German delegation. Nick had gone home that evening and cautiously attempted the new recipe, ensuring he did everything exactly as directed. The fact that the smile on his husband's face was even wider was a good indicator of success. The next day, he returned to the German delegation office, and this time the cookies had been devoured in moments. Thus it was that old, tried and tested recipe that he was using now. The head of the German delegation came from Baden-Wurttemberg, a state just across the border from France, and the area where Nick's father's family had their roots. It was therefore all the more appropriate that Nick was using it. He had progressed from making the basic cookies to having some dipped in dark chocolate, and other coated with a sugar glaze; he had seen others in stores that were filled with apricot jam, but that was for next year…

On that Sunday morning, Nick was engaged in the savoury baking, taking the pastry that he had asked Jeff to make the night before to make sausage rolls in the British style, some filled with a spicy Cumberland sausage, others with a herby chicken sausage, and some with chorizo, as well as those made with cheese and onion. He also had a selection of rolls to bake up, then slice and fill, and that was before he even began to consider setting out the buffet tables. He was reminded now why he had stopped the parties, but this was special; this one was for the benefit of Seth…

By the time 2pm came along, Nick was able to stand back and survey the buffet he had created with a contented smile. The only things that he would be adding to the spread were his Christmas Puddings, steaming away nicely, and British scones, which he would bake fresh so they could be eaten warm later; batches of savoury cheese, cherry and sultana all awaited the oven's heat. The condiments were set out ready; a variety of mustards, sauces and pickles. At one end was a stack of plates, on each one a paper serviette, and a box of cutlery for those that wished to use it. Then there were the cups and glasses, waiting to be filled with tea, coffee or soda; there would be nothing alcoholic served with the food.

The doorbell announced the arrival of the first guests, and Nick hastened upstairs to join his husband and son in greeting Trent and Rory, temporarily childless as they had been left in Washington DC to enjoy some time with Granddad Burt and Grandma Carole. Trent's first words were about the decorations, which pleased Jeff no end, and earned him a discreet nod of thanks from Nick. Caleb came to say hello, then headed up the stairs to the studio and peace. Parties, even of the most quiet and respectable sort, did not sit too well with him. A cat did need to ensure that their afternoon naps went as undisturbed as possible after all…

Within an hour of Trent's arrival, the house was filled with Warblers, official and honorary, and close friends and neighbours too. One indication of the growing maturity of the group of friends was that there was no longer an immediate descent on the buffet table like a plague of locusts; instead people were content to sit and catch up, to share news and show off photos of their children. Cameron had come down from Vermont with Luke, and brought the apologies of both his wife and Duncan, the latter being tied up on an important work project that had to be completed before the weekend was over. Thus only five of the old group of six that had lived in the house next door were present, and four of them were trying hard not to remark too much on the fact that the fifth had arrived in his chair. They formed a tight little group around Seth, trying to keep the chat as normal as possible. To be honest, it was mostly about children; Colin and Edward announced that they had chosen a surrogate, Skylar and Julia were trying for a baby, and Luke admitted that he and Duncan were also on the verge of starting a family now they were settled in Vermont for good.

Mike arrived amongst the last guests, with Jasper and Brad in his wake. They apologised profusely for their late arrival, due to the fact they had been delayed at the airport on their way from Chicago. It had been a long time since they had attended one of these gatherings, and naturally all attention turned to them for a while. This was no bad thing in Skylar's view, as he had been struggling not to blurt out something with all the talk of babies. Julia had told him this morning before he left that she had missed her last two monthly cycles, and normally they were regular as clockwork; that meant there was a chance that she was pregnant… Skylar did kind of wish that she had kept the information to herself until after the party, as he had promised to share the news with only one person in the room, but he had not yet had the chance…

One important figure was missing from the room, and that was because he was on stage in the matinee at the precise moment. In Sebastian's absence, Dave felt a little bit of an outsider, and was glad when Nick spotted that and came to chat to him. They ended up down in the kitchen together, preparing drinks, and whilst they did so, Dave confided in Nick that his husband was already in line for a new role as soon as he was ready to leave Young Frankenstein.

"If you had told me back in my Junior year of high school in Ohio that the Sebastian Smythe I knew then would go on to be the darling of Broadway, I would have laughed long and loud at your stupidity. Yet, that is exactly what he is, and the offers never seem to stop flooding in. He did make it known that he wanted to do something serious again, and his agent has done the best she can to achieve just that. He won't mention it to any of you himself, because you know how superstitious he can be about not wanting to jinx things, but there is a part that he has been lined up for that would just suit him to a tee…" Dave had said that all so proudly, and as Nick smiled, he continued, "The fact is that you and I have something in common, Nick. We are both good at what we do, and we are well known for it in our own field, but to the world in general, our abilities are more than eclipsed by those of our husbands."

"And we would not have it any other way," replied Nick, which Dave answered with a nod.

Sebastian arrived in a cab just before five, and with the actor now in the room, Nick bravely stood in the doorway of the drawing room where everyone had assembled, and announced that it was time for them to eat. He swiftly stepped to one side, recalling the crush of previous years, but there was no need on this occasion, as people paced themselves and went slowly. The food still disappeared as swiftly though, plates being loaded with the savoury treats first. Edward had carried Seth down the stairs, citing that for him to walk down might be dangerous if someone whispered the food was running low and their was a sudden rush; he was grateful, although he would never admit that walking up the stairs to the drawing room earlier had left him exhausted. He was also happy to find that as he returned to his chair, which had been brought down by Skylar, Colin had already collected a plate loaded with his favourites that Nick had prepared, just as he had done for Artie. Although he said nothing, the latter was sure that his plate had only been prepared to spare Seth's feelings…

Savoury was of course followed by sweet, and Nick's lebkuchen were once again voted a resounding success. He was glad that they all loved them, as there was a box containing them and their favourite flavour of cookies for all of them to take home. Mike did not stay for dessert; he quickly headed upstairs to the studio to see Caleb, who had greeted him with joy, even if it was only a fleeting visit. He returned down to the kitchen to say his goodbyes, and collect his son from the arms of Artie, and was presented with a bag by Nick, which contained the box of cookies, and another two of savoury and sweet treats for Tina.

"You really did not need to do this," Mike exclaimed as he saw them all.

"Nonsense, it is exactly what friends do for each other. You and Tina both did so much for me and Jeff when Wes was small, and now it is simply our chance to return the favour," replied Nick. He was rewarded with a hug, and then with his son strapped back into his papoose, Mike headed home, knowing that Tina would appreciate Nick's kind gesture, particularly seeing as he had made and then selected all of her favourite things…

There was a moment of exclamation when Nick unveiled his two Christmas puddings, which had turned out exactly as he had hoped, and soon they were being demolished with gusto. With the dessert course done, it was inevitable that someone would start singing, and soon the house was echoing to the sound of their collective voices, raised in traditional Christmas tunes.

Up in the attic studio, Caleb was roused from his third nap by the sound. He stretched and headed in the direction of the door, then paused as he saw that someone had brought him up a bowl of ham and chicken trimmings, and another of water to wash it all down. He purred in pleasure, as his stomach had been rumbling, and this meant that he did not have to try and sneak to the kitchen unobserved to eat. He had to admit that the singing was nice enough, but he was still keen to have his house back…

He did not have to wait all that long as it happened. After a second smaller attack on the buffet, people began to announce that they needed to head home. Whereas before the celebration might have lasted into the small hours, they were now in the main people with homes to travel back to, work in the morning, or children that needed their parents home so babysitters could be discharged. It suited their hosts, who after tidying the worst of the mess, decided that an early night would be no bad thing…