Thursday, 25th of Winter

When Alma woke up, she could feel something different in the air. The Feast of the Winter Star had that magical quality about it: no matter how old she was, waking up on the morning of Winter Star just felt special. She stretched and yawned in the bed, and Bisclavret lifted his head from the foot of the bed and also stretched out his legs before hopping off and shaking out his fur. Alma curled Harvey's flannel tighter around her shoulders as she scooted out of bed and put another log on the dying fire. The heat instantly filled the room.

As she boiled water for coffee, Alma thought about the day. Yes, of course it was a holiday, but a farmer never took a day off. She would still need to tend to the animals at least. She got dressed while the coffee brewed then pulled her coat over her shoulders and went out into the glimmering snow.

At the mill, wheat flour was ready, and she bagged it up and put more wheat in for the machine to churn. On her way to the coop, she could see the oak tapper was full of resin, so she bottled that up too. And in the coop, she was amazed to see that the eggs were excellent quality! "Wow, that heater made a difference, huh, ladies?" She cuddled each of them and could tell they were in much better spirits. "I'm sorry it took me so long to get you all warmed up! It won't happen again!" She visited the barn animals and picked produce in the cave and greenhouse too before dropping items she wanted to sell into her shipping container. Then she went back to the chests to brainstorm. "Now, Maru's gift …" She knew Maru enjoyed tinkering, so her first thought was something that would help with building her electronics and machinery. She knew she also liked foraging for minerals and gems. And maybe her tinkering tools were expensive too …. Alma's eyes kept returning to one of the shining gold bars in her chest. That could be used in her trinkets, it was an ore from the mines, and, if nothing else, it could be sold for money that could then pay for projects. So a gold bar it was! She brought it inside to wrap neatly in a package. "I hope she likes it," she said as she carefully placed the red and green box in her backpack.

Alma started for the door, but then looked at the phone. One thing felt off today: she wouldn't get to see her family. Maybe she could at least call them. A smile crossed her face at the thought, so she sat down in the chair next to the phone and dialed her dad.

"Hello?"

Her heart melted at the sound of his voice. "Happy Winter Star, Daddy."

"Alma, hi! I thought you'd be too busy to call your old man today."

"No, of course not," she said, instantly glad she called him. "I just finished my work for the day, and I was just about to head into town to see how they celebrate here in Pelican Town."

"Did you get any gifts? Maybe a little something for yourself?"

"Well, they do a gift exchange here, so I'm guessing someone's going to have something for me. We'll just have to wait and see." Alma told her father all about the mill and the mines and the animals, and it occurred to her … She had not yet told him about Harvey. "Uh, Dad? There is something I need to let you know about."

"And what's that, sweetheart?"

"I'm … I'm seeing someone, Daddy."

"Are you? Oh, that's great! Who is it?"

Alma felt relieved that he was happy for her, and she breathed a sigh of relief that she didn't know she needed. "His name is Harvey. He's the town doctor. He's really sweet, Dad."

"Well, he better be. If he doesn't treat you like you deserve, he'll need another doctor by the time I'm done with him."

"Dad," Alma whined, but a chuckle was hidden in there too.

"What? You'll always be my baby girl. And you've been hurt far too many times, sweetheart. Are you sure he's treating you well?"

"Yes, Dad. He's different."

"Well," he said with a huff, "I'm anxious to meet him and size him up for myself."

"I'm sure you'll meet him someday," she said with a smile at the thought. "So what are you doing today? Is Gray coming over?"

"Yes, in fact, he, Rebecca, and Heather should be here any minute. We're supposed to be having a late lunch together."

Alma felt a pang of homesickness at this. "Oh, I wish I could be there with you all."

"We'll be together again soon, sweetheart, don't worry."

"I don't guess … you've heard anything from Benji?"

"No," her dad said with a sigh. "You?"

"No, me either."

There was a beat of silence, both of them wondering where Benji was right now and if he was thinking of them too. Then Alma could hear the sound of the doorbell through the receiver. "Oh, that'll be them! Hold on a second." There was some rustling and some other voices, and she could hear her father say, "It's Alma."

"Hey!" her brother's voice came through.

"Hi, Gray," Alma greeted warmly. "Happy Winter Star!"

"Yeah, though it's not so happy with you not being here."

She heard Rebecca's voice behind him: "We miss you, Alma!"

Alma was surprised to feel tears come to her eyes. "I miss you guys too. I wish - I wish we could be together."

"Hey, it's all right," Grayson said, sensing her sadness. "You know it's mostly going to be Dad talking about politics, right? And hopefully some gridball."

She laughed a little through her tears. "Yeah, you're right. Boring stuff. Not like you all are important to me or anything."

"Is that Aunt Alma?" she could hear Heather's voice say.

"Yeah, you wanna say hello?"

"Hi, Aunt Alma!" the young girl's voice called.

"Hi, Heather!" Alma said with a sniff. "Oh, I miss you, big girl! Have you opened any presents yet?"

"Yeah, I got some books and a new toy horse that even plays music!"

"Whoa, that sounds awesome!"

"Yeah, it's really cool. I brought it with me to Pop's house so he could see it."

"I wish I could see it too.

"I know. You will soon, right?"

"Yeah," Alma said, wiping her face, "I bet I will."

"Okay, here's Dad," the girl said abruptly before more rustling.

"Hey, you still there?" Grayson's voice said again after a moment.

"Yeah," Alma said with a sniff.

Grayson's voice came through gruff as he asked, "What's this Dad tells me about some doctor?"

Alma laughed. "That was fast."

"Alma," Grayson said, his tone still serious, "is he good? I mean, does he respect you and treat you well?"

"Yes, Gray, he does. I promise."

"Okay. Good. Because if he doesn't …."

"I know, Gray, I know," she dismissed. "Always the big brother."

"And don't you forget it," he chuckled. "I just don't want to see you hurt again, you know? You've already started over once. What will you do if you need to run away from running away?"

Alma sighed. "That's not going to happen, Gray. I'm happy here. I promise."

"What's his name?" Grayson asked a little too quickly.

"Harvey."

"How long have you all been together?"

"We started dating at the beginning of the fall," she answered. "Grayson, is this going to turn into an interrogation?"

"Maybe," he answered. "How old is he?"

"He just turned thirty-seven. Now, I'm not going to answer any more questions, okay? We can talk about it later. It's time for you to go enjoy Winter Star with the family - for me."

"All right, all right," he sighed, "but this conversation isn't over."

"Sure. Bye, Gray. I love you, big bro."

"Love you too, Alma. You wanna say bye to Aunt Alma?" he asked, a bit distant from the receiver.

"Bye, Aunt Alma!" Heather called.

"Bye, Alma!" Rebecca's voice said too.

"I love you guys!" Alma said, her tears feeling hot again. "Happy Winter Star!"

"Happy Winter Star!" they all said to her.

"Bye," Alma said quietly, then she heard them hang up. She sighed and hung up the phone too, taking a minute to compose herself. She was really glad she called them, even if it made her feel maybe the most homesick that she's been yet. The thought of all of them together without her there made her heart hurt. But she knew she would feel sad if she missed Winter Star here too. She put on her coat and boots again, picked up her backpack, and head into town for the feast.

When she entered the square, Alma smiled at the sight of the multiple giant trees in the midst of all the hubbub and decorations. Pierre was set up there in a tent just at the entrance of town. "Alma! Hey there!" he greeted with a wave.

"Hey, Pierre! Happy Feast of the Winter Star! Selling much today?"

"My sales figures have been phenomenal lately," he answered with a big grin, "thanks to the Feast of the Winter Star! Boy, holidays are good for business." Then he added, almost to himself, "I wonder if I could invent some new ones …."

"Well, I'd celebrate with you," she giggled. She looked through the Winter Star decor he was selling. Most of it was pretty campy, but there was one thing that caught her eye. She thought it would breathe some nice life into her cabin. "How much for that large red rug?"

"Only a thousand!"

Alma bit her lip, trying to decide if she could justify spending that much on a decoration. "Let me come back to it."

"I'll hold it for ya!" he said with a wink.

Alma continued on and saw Marnie, Lewis, and Jas standing near one of the Winter Star trees. "Welcome to the Feast of the Winter Star!" Marnie cheered as Alma approached.

"Thanks, Marnie!"

"Today is a time to be thankful for this year's good fortune," Lewis said, sticking his hands in his pockets. "I know life on the farm is tough, but you've worked hard. Forget your worries for a day and relax!"

"I'll do my best." Alma saw Jas standing close to her aunt, her eyes darting back to the presents under the tree.

"Ohh!" the little girl gasped in quiet excitement.

"What are you most excited for today, Jas?" Alma asked, knowing full well that might as well have been a rhetorical question.

"Presents!" the little girl shouted, bouncing up and down.

"She can barely contain herself," Marnie said with a head wag.

"I remember those days," Alma answered. "Don't you?"

Lewis nodded and smiled. "Like it was yesterday."

Alma heard a bit of grumbling and looked over to see Pam and Penny standing near the entrance of the clinic. "I'm still upset I didn't win the ice fishing competition," Pam said as Alma approached.

"Well, of all people to lose to, Willy is a good one. And there's always next year!"

"Yeah," Pam trailed off.

Penny looked slightly embarrassed at her mother's behavior and tried to change the conversation. "You already saw the tree, right, Alma? What a beautiful tree."

"Yes, it is beautiful! All of them are!"

"Go take a closer look at the big one in the middle. It's breathtaking!"

"I will! Thanks, Penny." In front of the clinic, Marlon and Willy stood chatting. "Happy Feast of the Winter Star, gentlemen!"

"Hey, good afternoon," Marlon said with a nod.

"Do you want to hear the Legend of the Winter Star?" Willy asked.

"Is there a different story than the gift of Yoba?"

"Aye, there's a special legend specifically to this valley."

"Ooh! Yes please, do tell!"

"In the night sky of winter, there is a bright star only visible from this valley. No one knows why this is … but in times of old, people would come from far and wide to see it. They believed that anyone who laid eyes on the Winter Star would be blessed with good fortune. Some even claim that the mysterious fruit known as Stardrop is connected to the Winter Star in some way." He continued to puff on his pipe.

"Oh really? Fascinating! Have you never had a Stardrop, Willy?"

"No, lass. Not yet anyway," he said with a wink.

"Have you?" Marlon asked, looking a bit surprised.

"Yes, a few times now." Both of the men looked stunned. "I mean, one of them was just up for sale at the fair last season!"

"Well I'll be damned," Marlon said.

"I need to pay more attention to those vendors then, I s'pose," Willy said.

"Sorry to burst your bubble," Alma said. "But, yes, I'm sure you both will get your chance soon! Now, if you'll excuse me …." She took a little bow and moved on her way. She saw Linus standing off to the side of the town square, and he gave a little knowing nod to Alma. She slowly approached and waved. "Happy Winter Star, Linus."

"And to you, miss."

"Are you going to … join in?"

Linus sighed and glanced over the crowd. "I'd join in …" and he gave a little pitiful smile, "but I don't think I'm welcome."

"Aw, Linus, really? It's Winter Star! It's a literal feast! Surely there's enough for you."

"But do you think they'd like someone like me sitting next to them at the table?" He shook his head and scoffed a little. "No, I think not. I'll wait til it's over and grab some leftovers."

"Linus …."

"Miss Alma, really. I'm all right. You go enjoy. It's your first Winter Star in the valley." Alma hesitated, feeling guilty for her friend. "Go. Please."

She sighed, put a hand on his shoulder, and went back into the heart of the town square. Demetrius, Robin, Sebastian, and Maru were sitting together around a table full of food. "Hiya, Alma," Robin greeted. "You're welcome to join our family table if you need company."

"That's so nice of you to offer, but I'm still just making my rounds right now before the gift exchange." She looked over to Maru and tried not to look suspicious.

"I'll probably get another tool set this year," Demetrius mumbled with a sigh.

"And you'll like it too!" Robin half-joked.

Sebastian rolled his eyes and shook his head a little. "Spending time with family is tiring sometimes."

"Sure, I get that," Alma said. "But just try to enjoy it. Winter Star only happens once a year. You got this." The teen heaved a sigh and shrugged. Alma moved on to the next table, where Jodi and her boys were sitting together.

"Can we open presents now?!" Vincent whined loudly as Jodi filled his plate.

"No, eat your food first." She sighed as she glanced around the table, then she chuckled a little toward Alma and muttered, "It's not a good time of year for a diet …."

"Too many temptations, huh?"

"Yes, but," she said, handing the plate to Vincent, "I'm thankful."

"I'm thankful for my guitar and my skateboard," Sam said, almost like an announcement. Jodi looked at him and cleared her throat loudly as she picked up an empty plate to fill for him. "Oh, and my family, I guess. Sorry, Mom." Vincent giggled into his palm, but Jodi still gave him a nasty side-eye. Alma carefully moved on.

Alex and Haley sat together at a smaller table, and Evelyn and George were closeby. "Oh, hello, Alma," Alex said.

"Hi, Alex. You okay?"

"Yeah, I guess. The Winter Star is always a little …. Well, it's not my favorite holiday."

"A feast for some stupid star? Humbug!" Mr. Mullner said over his shoulder loudly.

"George, dear," Evelyn said quietly, patting his shoulder. Then her eyes turned to Alma. "Oh, my! Aren't you cold, dear? It's freezing!"

"No, ma'am, my coat is keeping me quite warm. But thank you for your concern."

"If you say so. Just looking at you gives me goose pimples!"

"I'll be quite all right, Granny, thanks," Alma said with a reassuring pat as she walked by.

Haley and Emily stood in front of the tree chatting. Alma came and placed her gift under the tree. She happened to look over and see the colorfully-wrapped package with her name on it as well. "Hey Alma! What are you hoping to find under the spirit tree?" Emily asked.

Alma hadn't thought that much about it, honestly. A new watering can would be nice - or maybe more sprinklers so she would never have to water again! A nice jug of spiced mead sounded really good right about now …. Or maybe a pair of stylish boots? One that she could just enjoy for looking nice and not for how much they would protect her feet in the mines? "I guess maybe a new watering can?"

"A watering can? Are you serious?" Haley scoffed.

Emily was a little more gentle. "All work and no play? That's not very fun."

"Well, what about you two? What are you hoping to get?"

Haley swooned, "I hope there's a new camera for me under the spirit tree!"

"I just hope my friends are happy and healthy."

"Hmph. Killjoy."

"I think it's a great wish, Emily. Maybe some new sewing supplies would be nice too?"

"Of course!" Emily said with a wink.

Alma walked on and saw Leah and Elliott listening to Gus going on about something. Neither of them seemed interested. " … though I can't imagine studying it for that long. But it's a fine art, making candy canes. You've really got to - "

"Why, hello, Alma," Elliott greeted.

"Hi guys. What's going on here?"

"Gus was just telling me about his artisan candy canes," Leah answered with a yawn.

"Oh yeah? Fascinating!"

"I was just saying," Gus continued, "you've really got to search far and wide for the best ingredients. They aren't easy to come by these days! Why, I had to go all the way to the gem sea to get - "

"It's chilly, isn't it, Alma?" Elliott interrupted again. "Are you staying warm?"

"Yes, trying to, thank you. Sorry, Gus, don't let me stop you."

"Oh, uh- " Leah tried to escape, but Gus continued on as Alma kept walking.

"As I was saying …."

At the next table, Shane and Clint were filling their plates on the far side of the table. Clint sighed loudly as Alma walked by. "What's up, Clint?"

"All these happy families. There's Demetrius and Robin with their kids over there, and Jodi with her sons, the Mullners, Haley and Em-Emily …. But for me, just another lonely year."

"Ah, don't let it bog you down," Shane said, continuing to pile food on his plate. "You're just feeling sentimental because of the sappy side of the Feast of the Winter Star. Try not to think so much about it."

"Easy for you to say," Clint mumbled.

"I've met some people who believe in the Winter Star mumbo-jumbo: spirits, and magic … but me? I've never seen anything that couldn't be explained by science."

"Not a thing? What about the way Jas lights up when the chickens come running to eat their feed?"

Clint looked up at Shane, whose face cracked with a smile for a second. "She got you there."

"Ah, whatever. Just enjoy the grub."

"Nothing like a piping hot feast on a cold winter's day, huh?" Abigail called.

Alma looked over at Caroline, who looked a bit pale. "Caroline? You okay?"

"Ooohh …" she moaned. "I'm okay. I've just - I've had too much nog. That's all."

"Eat more, Mom, it'll help," Abigail said.

"She's right, Mrs. Caroline," Harvey said from the other side of the table. "If you've ingested too much alcohol, the food will help with processing it and moving it through your system. And make sure to drink water too." He looked up and smiled at Alma. She smiled back and made her way to him.

"Thank you, Doctor," Caroline groaned.

"And what are you thankful for this year?" Alma asked him as she came next to him and pulled up a chair.

"A lot. I'm thankful there were no medical emergencies this year, to start with!"

"Fair."

"But there are a - a few other things, too, I suppose." He put his arm around Alma and kissed her head. "Have you eaten yet?"

"No, I was making my rounds and then coming to join you."

"Well, you'd better hurry and fill your plate. I think the gift exchange is about to - "

"Hello everyone!" Lewis called. "And Happy Winter Star to all of you! I am thankful for each and every one of you who help to make our lovely community a thriving home. I trust you all are enjoying the food? Thanks to Gus for cooking much of it and also to many others who contributed." He led the crowd in applause. "The time has now come for the gift exchange portion of our celebration! Please take the present that you have prepared from under the spirit tree and deliver it to your secret friend." Several people stood from their place in the crowd and made their way to the spirit tree. The atmosphere soon filled with the sound of tearing paper and cheers.

"Why don't you eat first?" Harvey encouraged.

"Nah," Alma said, standing up again, "I'd rather do it and then enjoy my meal. I'll be right back." She made her way to the tree, picked up her present for Maru, and walked toward her table. "Happy Winter Star, Maru!" she said from behind her.

Maru turned in her seat then stood to greet Alma. "Oh! So it's you?"

"It's me!" She handed Maru the gift. "I hope you like it. I thought you could use it for your tinkering."

Maru ripped at the package and smiled. "Ah … a Gold Bar! Thanks. This will come in handy."

"Good, I'm glad. It came straight from the mines, and then I forged it myself. So … that makes it a little special, right?"

"Absolutely. Thanks so much. Happy Winter Star!"

"Happy Winter Star." Alma began to make her way back to her seat, but she saw Marnie coming toward her. "Hey, Alma. I'm your secret gift-giver this year."

"Aw, yay! Marnie!"

The woman handed the rectangular package to Alma. "Here, open it."

Alma carefully undid the ribbon and lifted the lid, revealing a carton of twelve fresh chicken eggs. "Aw, this is so great! I love your eggs!"

Marnie smiled bashfully. "It's not much, but I hope you like it."

Alma reached out her arm for a hug, and Marnie hugged her back. "I love it. Thank you so much." She took the eggs back to the table and showed them to Harvey.

"Wonderful! Now, get some food, please."

"All right, I will."

"Mr. Dr. Harvey, s-sir?" They both turned around and saw Vincent standing with a shy smile. Jodi watched carefully a bit behind him.

"Yes, Vincent," Harvey answered with a grin.

The young boy held out a small gift-wrapped box. "I'm your secret friend! Happy Feast of the Winter Star."

"Well, what an honor!" Harvey exclaimed, accepting the present. "May I open it now?" The boy nodded emphatically. Harvey ripped at the paper and opened the box to reveal a rainbow shell. "Wow! Would you look at that? Did you find this on the beach?"

"Yeah! I mean - " he looked behind him, "yes, sir. I - I thought it looked really cool, so I thought you might like it too."

"I like it so much. I'm going to put it right in the front of the clinic so that everyone can see it. How about that?" Vincent grinned. "May I shake your hand, sir?" He shook Vincent's hand firmly. "Happy Winter Star, Vincent."

"Happy Winter Star!" he answered back as he rushed back to his mom. Harvey smiled at Jodi.

"Well, that may have been the cutest thing I've ever seen," Alma said.

"That is really sweet, isn't it?" Harvey said, placing the box on the table.

"Who was your secret friend?"

"Caroline," he said. "I bought her a nice tea set."

"Oh, that's a great idea! Did she love it?"

"She did. And I - I also got something for you."

"What? Harvey! You didn't need to do that!"

"I know, I know. But I - I wanted to. It's just a little something." Alma took the small box and opened it up to find a beautiful emerald. "I asked Gunther for help to find a beautiful stone for you. We both agreed this one suited you."

She hugged him tightly and gave him a kiss. "It's gorgeous. Thank you so much." As she put it away, she said, "But I didn't get you anything! I feel so bad!"

"I want to see you sit and eat a healthy meal, Alma! That's the gift you can give me. Please, eat something."

Alma laughed and picked up her empty plate again. "All right, all right."