Twelve Days
by Charles Lacey
Chapter 11
Monday 23rd December
In the morning we woke to see that strange, bluey light peeping around the curtains. I leaped out of bed and drew them, and called Tracy over. There was a thick coating of snow on the ground.
Mamma decided to stay at home. She very much preferred warm, sunny weather! But Tracy and I and the girls took ourselves to Kensington Gardens the moment we had finished our breakfast. First we built an immense snowman (Mrs Huntly had provided us with a handsome carrot to serve as his nose). He must have been six feet high at the very least. Tracy had to lift his head into place as he was the only one of us tall enough! This done, we then we joined with some other children who were playing there in a snowballing contest. Fortunately the Zam-Buk had done its work well on Tracy's feet (though I continued to rub it in nightly until they were fully healed) and he was able to walk and even run with much less discomfort.
After luncheon, the greengrocer's boy arrived with the Christmas tree, and we settled it in its pot, which we adorned with brightly coloured paper, in the Drawing Room. Jane brought down our collection of ornaments from the box-room, and Mamma and the girls decorated the tree. It was really beginning to feel like Christmas. When they had finished, and I had placed the porcelain angel dressed in her finery on top, we all joined hands and sang Silent Night and O little town of Bethlehem. Tracy joined in (I freely admit that it gave me great pleasure to hold his hand) and revealed that he had a very pleasant and musical singing voice.
The decorating had taken most of the morning. Why is it that females can never do anything without breaking off every ten seconds to chatter about it? But I am bound to admit that the tree looked very fine.
And now it was time to decorate the house for Christmas. Tracy and I were sent to the garden to collect holly branches with bright red berries from the bushes that were growing there for that purpose. Tracy, being a little taller than I, was given the job of putting up holly and ribbons along the picture rail, while I adorned the overmantel and the bookcases with garlands of greenery tied with bows of red ribbon.
The greengrocer had sent a splendid wreath, too, which Mr Sissons fixed to the front door, and Mother and the girls had made a centre-piece for the dining table which looked splendid. The house was ready for Christmas, and so were we.
In the evening we all sat in the Drawing Room. Papa, as usual, had the evening paper, and read out bits and pieces to Mother. The girls were involved in embroidering handkerchiefs, or some such nonsense. Tracy and I sat together on the settee, reading The Happy Prince . I have been fortunate enough to have had many good times in my life, but I have seldom been so quietly happy as I was that evening.
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