In the morning my mother loved the table so much she danced around and sat in every single chair and said, “This is the best present I've ever gotten.”
And then she looked at every chair and said, “The fabric is completely perfect and full of good feng shui.”
And my grandmother said I gave her the exactly right thing that she really needed like mad which was safety pins. And my grandfather opened his present which was a lion piggy bank that I got at the tag sale for one dollar which was a lot but worth it because he said it was the handsomest lion in his collection and put it on the fireplace mantel in his office which is the best place he has in the whole house. And I gave Gumbo a tennis ball that I found rolling around on the sidewalk near our house which he loved, I think.
From Santa Claus I got a new red bike with a basket and a bell and a glittery helmet with silver streaks on the side that make you look like you are going really fast. Also he brought me a chef's hat and an apron and a cookbook that is made for kids and a new backpack and socks with toes built in and a jar of macadamia nuts which I love. My aunt Marguerite airmailed me a whole set of pens from Japan where she lives with her husband who works at a bank. They are good for drawing and they make smells when you write. The best one is pink and smells like strawberry cough syrup.
From my aunt Pansy who lives in Atlanta, Georgia, I got a book about flowers which I think is kind of a dopey present but she wrote in the front of it a note that said: “Dear Lucy Rose, Since all the girls in our family are named after flowers you should get to know species.” I already know that marguerites are the same as daisies so it's not like I have so much to learn. I am remembering what Madam said about having better luck next year.
And I got a silver necklace with a lighthouse on it from my uncle and aunt who live in Swampscott, Massachusetts. He is named Mike after Pop's father because flower names aren't good for boys and she is named Madelyn but everybody calls her Max. I don't know why. And I also got a painting kit from Madam and Pop. Plus I got a new red writing book that I love and is just from Pop by himself. I told him it was in the nick of time because this old book is almost full on account of all my original thinking.
Later when we were sitting on the new chairs having chocolate croissants and sparkling cider in champagne glasses the door knocker knocked and my mom looked at my grandmother and smiled and the front door opened and my dad walked into the hall! That was the thing that I told the Mazza Gallerie Santa I wanted most of all.
When he saw me my dad bent down on his knees and made his arms wide and I rushed in and we hugged and hugged and then stopped so he could back up and take a good look at me and he said, “You look prettier than ever, Lucy Rose.”
And I said, “You look like a million! And also different.”
“New glasses,” my dad said.
“Plus your hair is shorter,” I said.
“Too short?” he said.
“Nope,” I said, “exactly right.”
Then my mom said, “Hello, Bob.”
And my dad said, “Hello, Lily.” And I think they were a little happy to see each other. Then Pop got a chair from the kitchen and my dad sat down with us and ate a croissant and told a funny story about a girl he teaches who didn't know Bingo was a game and just thought it was a name for a dog and then we all started singing “B-I-N-G-O” and it was so fun even though it is a kindergarten song.
In the afternoon my dad and Pop and I went to see the National Christmas Tree which is near the White House and is huge and then we walked around and looked at all fifty trees from all fifty states and Pop took a picture of me and my dad in front of the Michigan tree and then we stood in front of the White House and I waved like mad in case the president was looking out.
At night we all had dinner together. It was crawfish étouffée which I am not one for eating but is a New Orleans food that Madam loves, so we have it. For dessert we had chocolates from Ann Arbor and a cake that looks like a log but tastes extremely excellent and afterwards I played the song of “The Little Fireflies” on my cello. My dad said, “It really sounds like little fireflies.”
And Pop said, “I hope you never learn a song called ‘The Little Buffaloes.’”
That was a joke.
Then my dad gave me a little present from my Michigan grandma. Her name is Glamma because when my oldest boy cousin was a baby he couldn't say Grandma and I say that is a good name for her because she is glamorous like anything. Inside the box there was a real gold ring and it fits just right and I have never had a real ring before. Madam says this is not the thing to mention about presents but I bet it cost a lot of money. And I got a Polarfleece pullover from his sister who is my aunt Betsy who has seven kids if you can believe it. I also got a present from my dad which was a red and blue plaid suitcase that has wheels and a handle for pulling. My mom and I ran home and packed it up real fast so I could go stay with my dad at the Capitol Hill Hotel near the train station.