Book 3 26. CHRISTMAS Little House On The Prairie By Laura Ingalls Wilder
[Music]
christmas
for a long time it seemed that christmas
would never come
on christmas uncle andrew and aunt delia
uncle wesley and aunt lindy and all the
cousins were coming to dinner
it would be the best dinner of the whole
year and a good boy might get something
in a stocking
bad boys found nothing but switches in
their stockings on christmas morning
almanzo tried to be good for so long
that he could hardly stand the strain
but at last it was the day before
christmas
and alice and royal and eliza jane were
home again
the girls were cleaning the whole house
and mother was baking
royal helped father with the threshing
but almanzo had to help in the house
he remembered the switch and tried to be
willing and cheerful
he had to scour the steel knives and
forks
and polish the silver he had to wear an
apron around his neck
he took the scouring brick and scraped a
pile of red dust off it
and then with a wet cloth he rubbed the
dust
up and down on the knives and forks
the kitchen was full of delicious smells
newly baked bread was cooling frosted
cakes and cookies
and mince pies and pumpkin pies filled
the pantry shelves
cranberries bubbled on the stove mother
was making dressing for the goose
outdoors the sun was shining on the snow
the icicles twinkled all along the eaves
far away sleigh bells faintly jingled
and from the barns came the joyful
thud thud third thud
of the flails but when all the steel
knives and forks were done
almanzo soberly polished the silver
then he had to run to the attic for sage
he had to run down cellar for apples and
upstairs again for onions
he filled the wood box he hurried in the
cold to fetch water from the pump
he thought maybe he was through then
anyway for a minute
but no he had to polish the dining room
side of the stove
do the parlor side yourself eliza jane
mother said
almanzo might spill the blacking
almanzo’s insides quaked
he knew what would happen if mother knew
about that black splotch hidden on the
parlor wall
he didn’t want to get a switch in his
christmas stocking but he would far
rather find a switch there than have
father take him to the woodshed
that night everyone was tired and the
house was so clean and neat that nobody
dared touch
anything after supper mother put the
stuffed
fat goose and the little pig into the
heater’s oven
to roast slowly all night father set
the dampers and wound the clock
almanzo and royal hung clean socks on
the back of a chair
and alice and eliza jane hung stockings
on the back of another chair then they
all took candles
and went to bed it was still dark when
almanzo woke up
he felt excited and then he remembered
that this was christmas morning
he jerked back the covers and jumped
onto something alive that squirmed
it was royal he had forgotten that royal
was there
but he scrambled over him yelling
christmas
christmas merry christmas
he pulled his trousers over his night
shirt royal jumped out of bed and
lighted the candle
almanzo grabbed the candle and royal
shouted i
leave that bee where’s my pants but
almanzo was already running downstairs
alice and eliza jane were flying from
their room but almanzo beat them
he saw his sock hanging all lumpy he sat
down the candle and grabbed a sock
the first thing he pulled out was a cap
a button cap the plaid cloth was machine
woven
so was the lining even the sewing was
machine
sewing and the earmuffs were buttoned
over the top
almanzo yelled he had not even hoped for
such a cap
he looked at it inside and out he felt
the cloth
and the sleek lining he put the cap on
his head
it was a little large because he was
growing
so he could wear it a long time eliza
jane and alice were digging into their
stockings and squealing
and royal had a silk muffler
almanzo thrust his hand into a sock
again
and pulled out a nickel’s worth of
whorehound candy
he bit off the end of one stick the
outside
melted like maple sugar but the inside
was
hard and could be sucked for hours then
he pulled out a new pair of mittens
mother had knit their wrists and backs
in a fancy stitch
he pulled out an orange and he pulled
out
a little package of dried figs and he
thought that was all
he thought no boy ever had a better
christmas
but in the toe of the sock there was
still something more
it was small and thin and
hard almanzo couldn’t imagine what it
was
he pulled it out and it was a jackknife
it had four blades almanzo
yelled and yelled he snapped all the
blades open
sharp and shining and he yelled alice
look look royal
lucky look at my jackknife look at my
calf
father’s voice came out of the dark
bedroom and said
look at the clock they all looked at one
another then royal held up the candle
and they looked at the tall clock
its hands pointed to half past three
even eliza jane did not know what to do
they had waked up father and mother an
hour
and a half before time to get up
what time is it father asked almanzo
looked at royal
royal and almanzo looked at eliza jane
eliza jane swallowed and opened her
mouth
but alice said merry christmas father
merry christmas mother it’s it’s 30
minutes to four
father the clock said
tick tock tick
tuck tick then father chuckled
royal opened the dampers of the heater
and eliza jane stirred up the kitchen
fire and put the cattle on
the house was warm and cozy when father
and mother got up
and they had a whole hour to spare there
was time to enjoy the presents
alice had a gold locket and eliza jane
had a pair of garnet earrings
mother had knitted new lace collars and
black lace mitts for them both
royal had the silk muffler and a fine
leather wallet
but almanzo thought he had the best
presents of all
it was a wonderful christmas
then mother began to hurry and to hurry
everyone else
there were the chores to do the milk to
skim the new milk to strain and put away
breakfast to eat vegetables to be peeled
and the whole house must be put in order
and everybody dressed up
before the company came the sun rushed
up the sky
mother was everywhere talking all the
time
almanzo wash your ears goodness mercy
royal don’t stand around underfoot
eliza jane remember you’re pairing those
potatoes not slicing them and don’t
leave so many eyes they can see to jump
out of the pot
count the silvery alice and piece it out
with the steel knives and forks
the best bleach tablecloths are on the
bottom shelf oh mercy honest look at
that clock
sleigh bells came jingling up the road
and mother slammed the oven door and ran
to change her apron
and pin on her brooch alice ran
downstairs
and eliza jane ran upstairs both of them
told almanzo
to straighten his collar father was
calling mother to fold his cravat
then uncle wesley’s sleigh stopped with
a last
clash of bells almanzo ran out
whooping and father and mother came
behind him
as calm as if they had never hurried in
their lives
frank and fred and abner and mary
tumbled out of the sleigh
all bundled up and before aunt lindy
handed mother the baby
uncle andrew’s slave was coming the yard
was full of boys
and the house filled with hoop skirts
the uncle stamped snow off their boots
and unwound their mufflers
royal and cousin james drove the sleighs
into the buggy house
they unhitched the horses and put them
in the stalls
and rubbed down their snowy legs
almanzo was wearing his bottom cap and
he showed the cousins his jackknife
frank’s cap was old now he had a
jackknife but it only had three blades
then almanzo showed his cousin star and
bright
and the little bobsled and he let them
scratch lucy’s fat
white back with corn cobs he said they
could look at starlight
if they’d be quiet and not scare him the
beautiful colt
twitched his tail and came daintily
stepping toward them
then he tossed his head and shied away
from frank’s hand
thrust through the bars you leave him be
almanzo said i bet you don’t dest go in
there and get on his back
said frank i dast but i got better sense
almanzo told him i know better than to
spoil that fine cult
how did spoil him frank said yeah
you’re scared he’d hurt you you’re
scared of that little bitty cult
i am not scared said almanzo
but father won’t let me i guess i’d do
it if i wanted to
if i was you i guess your father
wouldn’t know
frank said almanzo didn’t answer
and frank got up on the bars of the
stall you got
down off there almanzo said and he took
hold of frank’s leg
don’t you scare that colt i’ll scare him
if i want to frank said
kicking almanzo hung on starlight was
running around and around the stall
and almanzo wanted to yell for royal but
he knew that would frighten starlight
even more
he set his teeth and gave a mighty tug
and frank came tumbling down all the
horses jumped
and starlight reared and smashed against
the manger
i’ll lick you for that frank said
scrambling up
you just try and lick me said almanzo
royal came hurrying from the south barn
he took almanzo and frank by the
shoulders and marched them outdoors
fred and abner and john came silently
after them and almanzo’s knees
wobbled he was afraid royal would tell
father
let me catch you boys fooling around
those cults again
royal said and i’ll tell father and
uncle wesley
you’ll get the hides thrashed off you
royal shook almanzo so hard that he
couldn’t tell how hard royal was shaking
frank
then he knocked her heads together
almanzo saw stars
let that teach you to fight on christmas
day
for shame royal said
i only didn’t want him to scare
starlight almanzo
said shut up said royal don’t be a
tattletale
now you behave yourselves or you’ll wish
ahead go wash your hands it’s dinner
time
they all went into the kitchen and
washed their hands
mother and the aunts and the girl
cousins were taking up the christmas
dinner
the dining table had been turned around
and pulled out till it was almost as
long as the dining room
and every inch of it was loaded with
good things to eat
almanzo bowed his head and shut his eyes
tight
while father said the blessing it was a
long blessing
because this was christmas day but at
last almanzo could open his eyes
he sat and silently looked at that table
he looked at the crisp crackling little
pig lying on the blue platter
with an apple in its mouth he looked at
the fat roast goose
the drumstick sticking up and the edges
of dressing curling out
the sound of father’s knife sharpening
on the whetstone made him even hungrier
he looked at the big bowl of cranberry
jelly
and at the fluffy mountain of mashed
potatoes with
melting butter trickling down it he
looked at the heap of mashed turnips
and the golden baked squash and the pale
fried parsnips he swallowed hard
and tried not to look anymore he
couldn’t help seeing the fried apples
and onions
and the candied carrots he couldn’t help
gazing at the triangles of pie
waiting by his plate the spicy pumpkin
pie
the melting cream pie the rich
dark mints oozing from between the mince
pie’s flaky crusts
he squeezed his hands together between
his knees
he had to sit silent and wait but he
felt
aching and hollow inside all grown-ups
at the head of the table must be served
first
they were passing their plates and
talking and heartlessly laughing
the tender pork fell away in slices
under father’s carving knife
the white breast of the goose went piece
by piece from the bare
breast bone spoons ate up the clear
cranberry jelly and gouged deep into the
mashed potatoes and
ladled away the brown gravies almanzo
had to wait
to the very last he was the youngest of
all
except abner and the babies and abner
was company
at last almanzo’s plate was filled
the first taste made a pleasant feeling
inside him
and it grew and grew well he ate
and ate an eight he ate till he could
eat no more
and he felt very good inside for a while
he slowly nibbled bits from his second
piece of fruitcake then he put the
fruity slice in his pocket
and went out to play royal and james
were choosing sides to play snowfort
royal chose frank and james chose
almanzo
when everyone was chosen they all went
to work rolling snowballs through the
deep drifts by the barn
they rolled till the balls were almost
as tall as almanzo
then they rolled them into a wall they
packed snow between them
and made a good fort then each side made
its own little snowballs
they breathed on the snow and squeezed
it solid
they made dozens of hard snowballs when
they were ready for the fight
royal threw a stick into the air and
caught it when it came down
james took hold of the stick above
royal’s hand then royal took hold of it
above james’s hand and so on to the end
of the stick
james’s hand was last so james’s side
had the fort
how the snowballs flew almanzo ducked
and dodged and yelled and threw
snowballs as fast as he could till they
were all gone
royal came charging over the wall with
all the enemy after him
and almanzo rose up and grabbed frank
headlong they went into the deep snow
outside the wall
and they rolled over and over hitting
each other as hard as they could
almanzo’s face was covered with snow and
his mouth was full of it
but he hung on to frank and kept hitting
him
frank got him down but almanzo squirmed
out from under
frank’s head hit his nose and it began
to bleed
almanzo didn’t care he was on top of
frank hitting him as hard as he could in
the deep snow he kept saying
how enough holler enough frank grunted
and squirmed
he rolled half over and almanzo got on
top of him
he couldn’t stay on top of frank and hit
him so he bore down with all his weight
and he pushed frank’s face deeper and
deeper into the snow
and frank gasped enough
almanzo got up on his knees and he saw a
mother in the doorway of the house
she called boys boys stop playing now
it’s time to come in and warm
they were warm they were hot and panting
but mother and the aunts thought the
cousins must get warm before they rode
home in the cold
they all went tramping in covered with
snow
and mother held up her hands and
exclaimed
mercy on us the grown-ups were in the
parlor
but the boys had to stay in the dining
room so they wouldn’t melt on the parlor
carpet
they couldn’t sit down because the
chairs were covered with blankets and
lap robes
warming by the heater but they ate
apples and drank cider standing around
and almanzo and abner went into the
pantry and ate bits off the platters
then uncles and aunts and the girl
cousins put on their wraps
and they brought the sleeping babies
from the bedroom rolled up in shawls
the sleighs came jingling from the barn
and father and mother helped tuck in the
blankets and lap robes
over the hoop skirts everybody called
goodbye goodbye
the music of the sleigh bells came back
for a little while
then it was gone christmas was over