I want to apologize and warn you in advance that this post is going to be very long. Let preface things with saying that I have written things as long as I can remember; stories, poems, letters (though I seldom mailed them), diaries, you name it. Often, I am hit with something that I NEED to write and it will not leave me until it is written down. That is exactly what happened the other night as I was laying in bed trying to go to sleep. The story that I am going to add here filled my head and would not be ignored. It took me a couple of days to get it all written out but the story was all there in a flash. I was not sure what to do with it once it was written so I thought that I would put it here. As I said, it is long so be prepared. LOL.


The Best Christmas Ever!

It was still dark and the room was very cold when Emily woke up. It was so cold that she could see her breath clouding in the air. She pulled the quilt her Mama had made for her last Christmas tightly around her to try to hold in the last little bit of body heat left in the folds of fabric. She knew that Papa would already be downstairs in the shop where he was first and foremost a harness maker but he also did blacksmithing and whatever else he could do to help those in town or earn some money for the family. It would be nice and warm in the shop. Emily also knew that Mama would be in the kitchen starting breakfast and the fire would be burning so it would be warm there too but the thought of crawling out of her bed to make her way to the kitchen and the warmth of the fire was more than Emily could stand. She knew the boards of the floor would be like ice on her feet.

She reached for her shoes and tried to get them on her feet without letting any of the cold air in under the blanket. She was never able to do that but she always tried. She didn’t bother to tie her shoes though. She stood up and pulled her blanket with her wrapping it tightly around her as her feet hit the floor. She grabbed her dress as she quickly made her way to the kitchen stopping only long enough to tell her brother William it was time to get up. In the kitchen, she hung her dress over the back of a chair and moved the chair close to the wood stove. This way, her dress would be warm before she had to put it on. She sat down and soaked in the wonderful warmth from the fire burning brightly in the woodstove.

As usually, Mama told Emily to move the chair back before she burned up her dress, her blanket and started the house on fire. She sounded angry but Emily knew that it was just an act and slid her chair a tiny bit away from the stove with a smile on her face. Aside from the warmth coming from the stove there are also already wonderful smells drifting towards Emily. Just then, with a hoot and a holler, William came barreling into the kitchen shouting Happy Thanksgiving to Mama and Emily. He was excited in a way that only an innocent child can be. He was only 6 and too young to understand how tough times were for this small, loving family. For him there was the excitement of a day off of school and the small chicken that would be dinner that night. He could not remember the days when Thanksgiving meant a goose so big it would hardly fit in the stove surrounded by all the other trimmings. Emily was 10 and had faint memories of those days but often thought it just dreams created in her mind from stories she had read in books. Mama told William to go tell Papa that the biscuits were ready for breakfast and William ran down the stairs to the shop hollering all the way.

Both Emily and Mama shook their heads. In so many ways, Emily was much older than her years. She was so aware of the difficulties her family and friends faced. Money was always a struggle for them. Breakfast was almost always biscuits spread with bacon grease. Usually, lunch was more of the same carried to school in a metal lunch bucket. If they were lucky, there might be a small piece of meat left over from dinner the night before stuck in the biscuit with the lard but that seldom happened. Sometimes Emily would look with longing at the lunches of a few of the boys and girls at school whose families did not struggle so. Emily had one friend that almost always had bread with meat or jam inside as well as real butter and never lard. Emily knew that she should not be jealous of what others had but should instead be grateful for the things she and her family did have, but there were times that she could not help but long for something better. Today, being Thanksgiving, Emily was feeling that nagging feeling of wishing for more mixed with the guilt of knowing that she should be even more grateful today for what they did have. These thoughts were written on her face as clear as day as Mama watched Emily drop her blanket and quickly put on her dress. Mama too, wished for so much more for her family but was better able to balance that with being so glad that she was able to put any food on the table.

“I know that it is not a big goose with all the fixings Emily, but we will have a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner with the family.” Mama said with a big smile on her face just as Papa and William came into the room for breakfast.

This being a holiday morning, meant that Emily could not take the eggs from the chickens to the general store to sell so Mama had made biscuits, scrambled eggs and bacon. This helped both Mama and Emily to put aside their longing and the four of them sat down to eat. William, not at all aware of the feelings Mama and Emily were fighting, bombarded Mama with questions about those big goose dinners she had mentioned. Mama easily got lost in memories and dreams of better times and talked on about all the wonderful things she would cook for Thanksgiving dinner during those “better times”. She told of a goose as big as William, bread stuffing, salad made with apples, celery, nuts, and whipped cream. She talked about sweet potatoes cooked with sugar and molasses, white potatoes almost drowning in gravy, carrots and pecan pies. Emily listened to Mama talking about that dream dinner and she heard how happy those thought made her. In her mind, she began to make a list of all the things Mama would like to have for that wonderful dinner and the things it would take to make them.

As soon as she could sneak away for a few minutes after breakfast, Emily went to her room with a pencil and a small piece of paper she had found. She quickly wrote down all the things Mama would need to make that huge dinner she dreamed of. She tucked the piece of paper in her pocket where no one would find it. She had an idea for Mama for Christmas. She wanted to make this the best Christmas ever for Mama, Papa and William. She returned to the kitchen to help Mama with their Thanksgiving feast but her mind was on other things. She had a smile on her face as she worked and thank goodness most of the chores she had to do could be done without much thought because the only thing she could think about was the list she carried in her pocket and her Plan.

Both Mama and Emily spent the day lost in their own thoughts but they managed to have a good day. They cooked what they had and it was a very good meal. Papa commented at dinner how juicy the chicken was and good everything else was. Mama and Emily had even made an apple pie which was a real treat. Emily thought through her Plan and rehearsed a speech about a million times. She hoped and she prayed that she could carry out her plan but she knew that it would require help. She prayed that the help would come. As she crawled into bed that night, she prayed hard that God would see fit to open Mrs. Mueller’s heart the next day so that she would be able and willing to help Emily provide her family, especially her Mama, with the best Christmas ever. Emily also thought about others in town she could get to help her. She knew that everyone in town liked her family and respected her Mama and Papa for all the hard work they did for others, often without taking anything in return. If anyone is town was sick, Mama was the first to run over to care for them and Papa never refused to mend a harness, a saddle or shoe a horse whether the person asking could afford to pay him or not.

The next morning when she woke, the first thought in her mind was her Plan. That is how she thought if it; Plan with a capital P. The excitement of starting her plan kept her from lingering in bed as she normally did. Instead she jumped up and dressed quickly before going into the kitchen. Mama was surprised but didn’t say anything about it. It was clear to her that Emily had something on her mind but Mama was not one to pry too much. Emily helped Mama with the breakfast of biscuits and bacon grease. She got William up and while he dressed, went to the shop herself to fetch Papa. As soon as breakfast was finished, she put on her coat and told Mama she was going to get the eggs and take them to Mrs. Mueller. Some mornings as she did this chore, she only half-heartedly looked in the nests for the eggs but this morning, she looked extra carefully so as not to miss a single egg. She was hoping to find a few more than normal. Usually, she was able to take about 18 eggs to the general store each day. Today, she found 24. Maybe that was a sign from God that he was going to answer her prayers.

With her basket full of eggs, she hurried down the street to the general store. She was always careful not to break a single one on her way since the egg money was what paid for things like cloth for clothes, shoes, socks, Papa’s pipe tobacco, and often made the difference in whether or not they had food to eat. It depended a lot on how many people were able to pay Papa for his work. Sometimes people paid him with vegetables they had grown. Once he was even paid for a saddle with piglet. That year, they ate well. Emily again practiced her speech as she walked to the store and stood patiently waiting for Mrs. Mueller to finish with another customer. Mrs. Mueller looked over the eggs and counted them. She told Emily how much she would put on their account for the eggs and was surprised when Emily continued to stand there, usually she would just say thank you and run off to whatever else the day held in store for her.

“Is there something else I can do for you this morning Emily?” Mrs. Mueller asked.

Emily said one last silent prayer, cleared her throat, pulled the list from her pocket placing it on the counter and began to speak, “Mrs. Mueller, can you please tell me how much it would cost for all the things on this list?”

Mrs. Mueller looked over the list and tried hard not to show her surprise. She could not remember the last time the Baker’s had bought a goose but she knew that it had been many years. She also took note of the fact that the handwriting was that of Emily and not Mrs. Baker. Normally when Emily came in with a list, Mrs. Baker had written it out and Emily would pick up the items when she delivered the eggs but this list was different. Mrs. Mueller also noticed that this was a detailed list of items for a feast. Silently she added up the items on the list and when she was done, she told Emily the amount. It was more money that Emily had ever seen in her life and her heart fell. Doubt at being able to bring her Plan into being crept into her heart and mind. Mrs. Mueller could see all this since Emily’s face should every bit of her emotion.

“What is this about Emily? I can see this is not your Mother’s handwriting and this list looks like a very special dinner. What is the occasion?”

Emily mustered her courage and pushed down her doubt and went ahead with her Plan. “Mrs. Mueller yesterday was Thanksgiving and for dinner we had a small chicken that was barely enough to feed all four of us. As Mama and I were preparing the meal, she talked about her dream of making a feast fit for a king complete with a goose and all the fixings. I know that since you and Mr. Mueller run the shop by yourselves it is sometimes difficult for you to do all that needs to be done. I am a very hard worker! I know how to read, write and do numbers. I am not afraid of hard work and am very strong for my size. I was hoping that perhaps… just maybe… there might be some things I could do around here to help you in return for at least part of the things on this list so that I could give Mama and my family the best Christmas ever. I would be willing to come in everyday during lunchtime at school and everyday after school to help you. I did not expect the price of the things on the list to be so much but I will find some others in town I might be able to work for too in order to earn the money to pay for those things if you will help me.”

Mrs. Mueller stood in shocked silence for a moment fighting back the tears that threatened to pour from her eyes. She thought back over the years and all the times that the Baker’s had been there to help others. She thought about just a few short years ago when scarlet fever had come through town and how Emily had taken over the care of young William and the running of the house so that Mrs. Baker could help care for the sick housed in the church without a thought to her own safety. Two of those that had been sick and died were Mrs. Mueller’s own children. She thought about how sensitive Emily had been to not mention that in her speech. She thought about how grateful she had been that Mrs. Baker had been there to hold and comfort her children right to their last breath. She looked over the list again and thought about those people in town who had also been helped so many times over the years by the Baker family and quickly thought of who might have what extra they could contribute to fulfill the list.

“Well Miss Baker, I think that you and I should go have a cup of tea and talk about this proposal. Perhaps we can come to some kind of arrangement.”

Mrs. Mueller and Emily sat at the kitchen table and drank a cup of tea while they discussed Emily’s Plan. Mrs. Mueller said that Emily needed to focus on school during the day but if she would come to the store after school and work for one hour, then work for half a day on Saturday, Mrs. Mueller would provide Emily with the goose she wanted for Christmas. She would also talk to some of the other people in town and help Emily come up with the rest of the items she would need to fulfill the list and her family would have the perfect Christmas dinner. They agreed that Emily should tell her Mama and Papa where she would be and that she had agreed to help at the store. Mrs. Mueller suggested that Emily also say it partially because she was so lonely since losing her children. That would make the store believable she said. What Mrs. Mueller did not tell Emily was that she had a Plan of her own and the Baker family would have not only the perfect Christmas dinner but would have the best Christmas they had every had.

When Emily got home Mama asked what had taken her so long and said that she was starting to get worried. Emily told her that she had spent a little time visiting with Mrs. Mueller. It seems that Mrs. Mueller is a little lonely since losing her children to scarlet fever so she had invited Emily for a cup of tea. She also asked if Emily would help her out with a few things at the store after school and on Saturdays. Emily did not tell Mama about the surprise of course but she could not lie to Mama about where she would be or what she would be doing either. She told Mama that she just felt like helping Mrs. Mueller was something she had to do. Mama knew as well as anyone how hard it had been on Mrs. Mueller to lose her children and was so touched that Emily wanted to do something to help out Mrs. Mueller.

Both Mama and Papa were certain that there was something else going on, some other reason that Emily was going to help Mrs. Mueller at the store but they were not the kind to pry into things unless there was a good reason to. They were sure that whatever was going on, they would find out about in good time. They also trusted Emily to not do anything improper. So they accepted the story she told them and agreed to let her work at the store as long as she continued to do well in school and kept up with her chores at home. Emily was old her years and had never given them a moments worry. She had stepped in last year during the scarlet fever outbreak and taken over for Mama at home so that Mama could go to the church and help care for the sick. She had cooked, cleaned, watched after William, kept up with her chores, and even mended Papa’s shirt when it got torn in the harness shop one afternoon.

True to her word, Mrs. Mueller spoke with Mr. Smitt the next time he stopped in the general store and informed him that she would need the biggest goose he had at Christmas time. She told him the story about her visit with Emily Baker. This almost brought Mr. Smitt to tears. He thought back to last year and how Mrs. Baker had cared for his darling wife when she had scarlet fever. Luckily, his wife had recovered for the most part. She had not been the same since then but at least she was alive. He knew that he had Mrs. Baker to thank for that. He also thought about the times that Mr. Baker had repaired tacking for his horses and wagon, a wagon wheel that had been replaced and all the times Mr. Baker had shoed horses for him. Many of these things were done either free of charge or at ridiculously low rates. Mr. Smitt could not count the number of times he had been forced to pay later for work done by Mr. Baker because there simply wasn’t money to pay. Mr. Smitt told Mrs. Mueller that he would be honored to provide her with the goose free of charge for the Baker family and that the secret was safe with him. He suggested that they also speak with Mr. Miller about milk, cream and butter to help with the meal.

Over the next few weeks, Emily showed up at the store promptly after school and worked harder than anyone Mrs. Mueller had ever seen. She swept floors, washed windows, put bolts of cloth that weighed almost as much as her up on the top of the shelves, only to get it back down again when one of the women came in and just had to have that new cloth. She helped customers carry their goods to their wagons, often surprising everyone with her strength. Mrs. Mueller spoke to all those in town who sold supplies to the store and each and everyone of them instantly offered to provide items for the “List” for the Baker family and of course to keep the secret. All of them knew how proud the Baker family was and how humiliated they would be if they thought that this dinner was charity. To those in town who were contributing, it was not charity but instead was a very small way of paying the Baker family back for all they had done for others over the years.

Each morning, she would help with breakfast, gather the eggs and head off to the store with the eggs before going to school. Each night after returning home, no matter how tired she was, Emily fed the chickens and the horses, cleaned the chicken coop and the stalls, helped Mama with dinner and dishes and worked on school work until Mama finally told her it was time to stop and go to bed. When she crawled into bed at night, she was so tired; she was asleep almost before her head hit the pillow. Saturdays, she would get up early so that she could do some of her chores before going to the store with the eggs and to work until lunchtime. Never once did she complain and never did she give away the secret at all. Mama and Papa had no idea why Emily was working so hard.

On December 23rd just as Emily was preparing to finish at the shop and head home, Mrs. Mueller asked to speak with her. “Emily, you have worked so very hard this last month, I am not sure how I managed without you before. I know that our agreement was for you to work for me until Christmas but I would like to know if you would be willing to continue. I would like to have you work on Saturday from 8:00 in the morning until we close the store at 4:00. I will pay you one dollar a day and will also provide you with lunch on the days you work. I think that during the week, you should focus on your studies though. What do you think?”

Emily was so excited she could hardly stand it. The thought of having a whole dollar a week to help the family out was like a dream come true. She told Mrs. Mueller that she would need to talk to Mama and Papa but that if they agreed, she would love to do that. They also talked and decided that Mr. Mueller would deliver the goose and the other things on the “List” to the Baker house very late that night after the family had all gone to sleep. He could quietly bring it up the back steps into the kitchen and put it on the table. No one would know where it came from except Emily of course. Mrs. Mueller promised that everything they would need to make this the best Christmas ever would be inside the packages. Delivering it tonight would allow Mama time to prepare her perfect Christmas dinner for her family. Mrs. Mueller told Emily that since the next day was Christmas Eve she did not need to come to the store and the store was closed on Christmas so she would see Emily the day after Christmas at which time she would expect an answer about the job.

Emily skipped all the way home. She had a very hard time keeping her secret and simply could not wait until the morning when the family would find the packages from the store on the table. All evening, Mama and Papa knew that something was up. They knew that Emily was keeping a big secret but did not let on that they knew and they had no idea what the secret was. At dinner, Emily told Mama and Papa about the offer Mrs. Mueller had made for Emily to work in the store on Saturdays for a dollar a day. Mama and Papa assumed that this is what had Emily so excited. They agreed that she could continue working at the store. Secretly, they were very thankful because they knew that the extra money would help the family out a lot. That night, Emily could not sleep. She lay awake in her bed thanking God over and over for helping her fulfill her Plan and for Mrs. Mueller. She thought about all the things she could do for her family with the money she would earn working at the store. She never heard a sound and at some point fell asleep.

The next morning, Emily woke to Mama yelling for Papa in a way that she never did. At first, Emily thought there was something terribly wrong. She jumped out of bed and raced to the kitchen. There stood Mama by the kitchen table which was loaded with wooden boxes from the general store. In the center of it all was a goose almost as big as William. Just then, Papa came running into the room as well. His jaw dropped almost to the floor. Neither Mama nor Papa were sure how this had all gotten here or where it had come from but they somehow knew that Emily had something to do with it. They were not sure whether or not to be excited or angry. They both looked at Emily for some kind of explanation.

Emily suggested that they put things away and that she would explain things. Without another word, she turned on her heels and went to get dressed. By the time she returned to the kitchen, Mama had all the items out of the boxes and spread all over the kitchen. She was trying to organize where to put things until it was time to use them. Emily stepped in and helped. So did Papa and even little William. Every single item that had been on Emily’s list was there and even more. There were things that Emily had not even thought of that they might need for the perfect Christmas dinner there on the table, the counters and filling the chairs. There was one box in Papa’s chair filled with packages wrapped in brown paper and tied with string. Emily could see that each package had one of their names neatly written in Mrs. Mueller’s handwriting. As they put away all the food, Emily told her family about the idea she had gotten at Thanksgiving dinner. She told of going and talking to Mrs. Mueller and offering to work in the store in exchange for the items on her list. Mama cried as she listened to the story and put away all the wonderful treasures.

Once the food supplies were put away, they all stood looking at the box of packages. “Well Emily, this is your Christmas surprise so I think you should decide when we open these.” Papa said.

“Well I don’t know anything about these things, they were not on my list Papa.” Emily said. “So, I think that we should go find us a Christmas tree and put these packages underneath to open in the morning.”

“That is a wonderful idea Emily!” Mama said. “I can not remember the last time we had a Christmas tree with presents underneath. Then we can start our preparations for the biggest feast ever tomorrow.”

They spent the rest of the day decorating the house and the Christmas tree, baking pies and doing whatever they could do ahead of time for their Christmas feast. It was so hard to leave the packages alone and not open them. Each of them found themselves near the tree peeking to see which packages had their name on them throughout the day. But they all managed to get through the day without peeking inside a single package. Just before bed, they hung their stockings near the fireplace as they always did on Christmas Eve. Emily knew that Mama and Papa were the ones that placed the little goodies in the stockings, not St. Nichols as some children believed. She hoped that her Plan and the extra things that had come with the items on her list had not taken away the joy Mama and Papa must feel giving those small goodies each year. She hoped and prayed that it would instead add to their joy. She prayed that Mama and Papa knew that she appreciated all they did for her and William but that she had only wanted to do something special for Mama and the rest of the family too. She decided that she needed to talk to Mama and Papa and make sure they understood so she waited for William to go to bed then she told them how she felt and the tears poured from her eyes and she told them how much she appreciated all they did for her and William. She loved them so much. Both Mama and Papa hugged her tight and told her they understood. They told her how much they loved her and how special her surprise was to them. Then they all went to bed to try and sleep. None of them slept very well that night with the excitement and anticipation of what the morning would bring.

It was still dark and the room was very cold when Emily woke up. It was so cold that she could see her breath clouding in the air. She pulled the quilt her Mama had made for her last Christmas tightly around her to try to hold in the last little bit of body heat left in the folds of fabric. At first, the thought of crawling out of her bed to make her way to the kitchen and the warmth of the fire was more than Emily could stand. She knew the boards of the floor would be like ice on her feet. Then she remembered what day it was…Christmas Day! There was the tree they had found and decorated yesterday and all the packages waiting for them in the corner of their large kitchen. She listened for just a moment wondering if anyone else was awake yet. She had no idea what time it was. Just then William came tip toeing into her room.

“Emmy, you awake?” whispered William.

“Yes William. Are Mama and Papa awake?” She replied.

“I don’t know if they are awake but they aren’t up yet.”

“Do you know what time it is?”

“Papa’s watch on the mantle says that it is 5:00.”

“Well, I guess we can get up now. Let me get into my dress and we will stoke up the fire in the kitchen and then go see if Mama and Papa are awake, okay?”

She climbed out of bed and slipped her dress over her head. She put on her shoes to keep her feet warm and the two quietly made their way to the kitchen. Emily put the coffee on the stove to get it cooking before she and William went to tap and Mama and Papa’s door. By the time they were all in the kitchen, the coffee was done and Emily poured them each a steaming cup. William was about turning himself inside out with the anticipation of opening all the wonderful packages. At last, Papa said he thought it was time to see what the brown paper held for them. They started with their stockings. Each stocking had a peppermint stick, and the foot was filled with nuts. Emily’s had a book, William’s had a ball, and Papa’s had a small bag of pipe tobacco and some mustache wax. Mama’s had a shiny new pair of scissors.

The first package from under the tree had Mama’s name on it. She carefully untied the string and unwrapped the paper. Inside she found some beautiful blue flowered cloth. She unfolded it and saw that there was enough to make a new dress for herself, one for Emily and more than likely enough to add to other scraps she had for a new quilt as well. The next package had Papa’s name on it. His package held a brand new wool union suit to help keep him warm in the winter weather. There was a package for William next. It contained a bright, shiny truck with a wind up key on one side. When he wound it up, it went scooting across the kitchen floor. Everyone laughed as William run after it. There was a package for Emily that had a beautiful rag doll with bright red yarn hair. There were packages with wool socks for each of them. There were new pants for William and Papa. There was a box with several spools of thread for Mama and the last package had Emily’s name on it. Inside she found a wooden box. She opened the box there lay an envelope with her name written in Mrs. Mueller’s handwriting. She took it out and began to read:

My dearest friend Miss Emily Baker,

When you first came to me after Thanksgiving and asked me to help you with this surprise for your family, I was delighted to have the opportunity to do something to for them as they have done so much for this town and the people in it over the years. But I also accepted your proposal for selfish reasons. I have missed my children so terrible since their deaths last year. I am sure that you knew that but never mentioned it as I know you did not want to hurt my feelings or bring those sad thoughts to mind. During the time you have worked for me, I gained a great respect for you, what a hard worker you are and how much you love your family. You have brought joy, love and laughter back into my life and my home in the time we have spent together.

In trying to help you fulfill your dream of giving your family the best Christmas ever, I have talked to many people in this town. Every one of them has had nothing but good things to say about your family and all they have done to help others. I asked each of them to tell the story of how your family helped theirs. If they could write it down, they did and it is here in this box. If they could not write it down, I have written it for them. Many of them contributed some of the items either for your special dinner or for the packages under the tree. Since almost all of the items were contributed by others, you will also find the money you earned while working in the store and a small token of my affection.

Sincerely your friend,
Mrs. Mueller

Tears were coursing down the cheeks of all by William who was still distracted with his truck. Emily looked at the letters from their friends in town. She was afraid to try and read anymore right now. She found in the bottom of the box, a beautiful gold cross on a chain and $15.00, more money than she had seen at one time in her life. She and Mama decided that they would read the letters later on days when they felt sad or lonely. Emily placed the gold chain around her neck where it would stay for years and years to come. She and Mama got busy making the goose dinner and it truly was the best Christmas ever.