On Christmas morning Leona jumped out of bed and went running down the steep steps. After quickly glancing at the empty plate and glass, and then seeing a few presents under the Christmas tree that weren’t there the previous night, she ran into her parents’ bedroom, with Comet following not far behind.
“Mama! Papa! Wake up! Santa was here! He ate all the cookies and left us lots of presents.”
“Huh, what?” a half-awake Murdock mumbled.
“I guess it time to get up, Murdy,” Margaret said as she walked from the kitchen into the bedroom after hearing the commotion.
“But, Maggie, it’s barely four o’clock!”
“I know, dear, but you’re never gonna be able to get back to sleep now anyway. I hear Lillian and Arlene coming down the stairs. And even little Wally is awake.”
After a half-awake Murdock struggled to put on his bathrobe and slippers, he quickly washed up and joined the rest of the family in the living room. Margaret was sitting in her rocking chair holding Wally, and the children were eyeing and gingerly shaking the presents under the tree, trying to figure out what was inside. The excited expressions on his little children’s faces made Murdock quickly forget that he’d been awaken from a deep, peaceful sleep only minutes earlier.
“Okay, kids, move aside and give me some elbow room so I can pass out Santa’s gifts first.”
When Murdock passed the gifts to his three daughters, they hurriedly opened their presents, and each found a pair of ice skates. All three shrieked when they saw them.
“You can try ‘em out on the little patch of ice in the backyard,” Murdock said. “As soon as I shovel off all the snow that fell this week.”
“We’ll help you, Papa,” Lillian told him.
“Why doesn’t Santa leave presents under the tree for you and Mama?” Leona asked.
“Santa only brings gifts to children, dear,” her mother answered. “We had plenty of gifts from Santa when we were young; didn’t we, Murdy?”
“We sure did, Leona. At least, I did, because I was always such a good little boy. But I really can’t vouch for your mother,” he laughed.
“I can assure you children that I received even better presents than your father,” Margaret said with a straight face, to which they all laughed.
“It’s my turn now,” Leona said with glee, as she grabbed her gifts from under the tree and eagerly handed them to her parents and sisters. Lillian and Arlene soon did the same.
Leona gave her father a water canteen with his name engraved on it. She had purchased it quite cheaply from a popular surplus store in Bangor where her parents used to buy gifts and other items. While living in Bangor, Murdock had become good friends with the owner, so he always gave the Haleys an extra discount, often letting them buy things at cost; and although Murdock never knew it, the owner occasionally sold to them at a loss.
“Thanks, sweetheart,” Murdock said. “This canteen will come in mighty handy on days I need to wet my whistle, especially next summer when I’m haying.”
The gift he received from Arlene was a red-and-black woodsman cap and a new pair of winter gloves; and Lillian gave him a pair of warm, fuzzy slippers. Leona gave her mother a beautiful yellow apron and a fancy wooden spatula, while Lillian and Arlene chipped in together to give her a wicker sewing-basket, complete with all kinds of threads and needles. The children bought all their gifts from the surplus store, and this year the owner gladly took a loss on them so the Haley children could afford to buy good gifts for their parents.
“These presents are all so perfect,” Margaret said. “I’ll put them to good use; you can be sure of that. Now, I get to pass out my gifts.”
After getting them from under the tree she handed her husband and children their gifts. From experience the children already knew what was inside one of the presents and quickly unwrapped the shiny silver foil covering the basket chock-full of homemade cookies.
“Yummy,” Arlene said as she took a bite from one of her cookies.
“I guess that means thank you, Arlene; and that you’re pleased with my present,” Margaret quipped.
“Yup,” the red-faced girl replied.
“You’re welcome. The cookies should be really fresh this morning, thanks to Leona,” Margaret said while looking in her daughter’s direction. “I barely had time to finish cooking them before she came running lickety-split down the stairs to wake us up; at FOUR A M, no less.”
Leona just grinned. Murdock then opened the gift from his wife and proudly showed his children the fancy woodcarving set that Margaret gave him.
“Thank you, sweetheart,” he said. “I’ve always wanted a set like this. I’ll put it to good use.”
Then the children opened the other gifts from their mother. Lillian and Arlene each got a new dress that Margaret clandestinely stitched at night while they were sleeping; and Leona was given a beautiful winter scarf. The biggest present, both literally and figuratively, was given by Murdock to his wife. It was the missing piece of custom furniture that she knew was sure to come. But what she didn’t know was just how beautiful the designs that Murdock carved into it would be. Each Christmas she would be surprised as the etchings became more and more elaborate, and more and more beautiful; and this year would be no different. Murdock had etched the faces of all of the Haleys onto the drawers of Margaret’s new dresser. The parents’ faces adorned the top drawer, while the faces of their children adorned the bottom four.
“Oh, Murdy, I’ll cherish this present for the rest of my life. How’d you make the faces look so real?” she said, as tears streamed down her face.
“You know what they say, Maggie: ‘Practice makes perfect.’ There was a lot of trial and error involved I want you to know. But after a while I got the knack of it and made darn sure I took my good ole time once I started the actual drawers.”
After this wonderful first Christmas in Glenburn, Margaret’s furniture now consisted of a beautiful bedroom set; a dining room table with six chairs; a kitchen table, also with six chairs; and her comfortable rocking chair that she enjoyed more than anything. Her cherished bedroom set was crafted over the last two years and contained a wide six-drawer bureau, a tall five-drawer dresser, and a matching full-size bed. The bed and the bureau were readied a year ago for the Christmas of 1917, and the elaborately carved dresser was made ready in time for this Christmas. Margaret was especially happy and extremely proud of her husband when she saw the wonderful gift that he had worked so hard to make.
“Thank you, darling. It’s just as beautiful as all the other pieces of furniture you made me, if not more so.”
Leona felt warm inside when she saw her mother’s face light up; and she was so full of joy that she felt like exploding. It was then that Leona came to truly understand just how much her father loved his wife, to make something so special for her. She also realized that her father must love his children just as much, because he always made special things for them as well. This year he made a small desk for Arlene and a jewelry chest for Lillian.
“He’s such a wonderful Papa,” Leona thought as she opened her present and eyed the beautiful cradle he crafted for her old Raggedy Ann doll.
“Thank you, Papa. It looks just like the cradle that you made for me when I was a baby.”
“You’re welcome, dear. Now look under the little blanket your mother stitched for you.”
Leona lifted the blanket and found a book with a pretty bright-green cover lying there. It was The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn written by Mark Twain, her favorite novelist.
“Oh, thank you, Papa; I can’t wait to read it.”
“You’re welcome again, dear. I hope you like it; it’s from your Mama too. Now, where are you gonna put your cradle?”
“In my room, next to my bed.”
After making a cradle for Lillian in 1904 when she was a baby, Murdock decided to make each of his children their own special cradle with their names etched into it. That way, he surmised, wherever she was, Margaret would be able to rock her babies at her feet without having to constantly run into the bedroom to check on them. Margaret was thankful that he made those cradles, because now she had something really special to keep as mementos, not only as fond reminders of her children, but also as reminders of her thoughtful husband.
He had long ago built the large crib that sat in their bedroom for the last fourteen years. When he built it he made sure it was strong enough and large enough to hold a 5-year-old, in case his children didn’t want to leave its comfort when they reached the appropriate age, which he assumed would be by three. Although it was not fashioned as a Christmas present, he put as much effort into making that crib as he did any of the Christmas presents he made.
Little Wally was the latest occupant of the crib that was once used by his three sisters. Although at the time she used it Leona was too little to remember, she often heard her mother speak, almost with pride, about how “my three girls slept in that very same crib.” But right then, no one was asleep in that crib. Little Wally was now sitting on his mother’s lap, wide-awake and anxiously waiting for his presents.
—1—
Being now 3 years old, Wally seemed to be especially excited by the coming of Christmas this year. Leona had been looking forward to this moment ever since he was born. Her brother’s previous Christmases were enjoyable for him, but she knew that they would be even more enjoyable when he was old enough to truly experience the excitement of Christmas, and this year he finally was able to. She had watched her wide-eyed brother champing at the bit for nearly three weeks wanting desperately to open his presents, but knowing that he like everyone else had to wait for Christmas morning. Leona had felt that same excitement for the past five years, and again this year, but seeing Wally’s reaction somehow made this Christmas even more special to her. Every day she watched Wally eye all the presents under the tree from his parents and siblings, and ask about the missing present: the one that Santa Claus would bring on Christmas Eve. Now it was time to watch him experience the thrill of opening those presents.
“Okay, Wally, why don’t you get your presents now,” his mother said.
She didn’t have to ask twice. Wally jumped off her lap and ran to the tree. From three weeks of looking he knew exactly where they were placed, including the new one from Santa, and had them gathered up in his arms in almost no time. He sat on the floor and began opening them, saving Santa’s present for last.
Lillian gave him a bright-red toy truck, Arlene gave him a coloring book and a box of crayons, and Leona gave Wally a beautiful Paul Bunyan children’s book. She knew he wouldn’t be able to read a book for a couple of more years, so she carefully chose one that not only had an enjoyable story, but also had colorful pictures that told that story even without the words. The little boy savored each of his sibling’s presents and politely thanked them, after a little urging by his parents. He then turned his attention to his parent’s presents. Margaret gave her son a winter scarf similar to the one she gave Leona, while Murdock gave him a small wooden wagon crafted like his slagon; however, those were just surrogate gifts meant to keep him from finding their real gift. But first they wanted to watch him open his present from Santa.
“Wally, why don’t you open your present from Santa now?” Margaret asked.
Again there was no need to ask him twice. Wally ripped the wrapping paper off Santa’s present, and immediately a smile appeared on his face when he was face-to-face with a large brown-and-white teddy bear. Everyone watched with delight as he crawled on the floor, pushing and tugging on the cuddly toy. Occasionally there were screams of excitement emanating from his little mouth, and soon thereafter there were giggles coming from the mouths of his three older sisters.
“I guess Santa didn’t think Wally was that naughty after all, Mama,” Leona said.
“I guess not,” Margaret responded. “Santa must have a lot more tolerance and understanding than your father and I when it comes to Wally.”
“And me!” Arlene said.
Her remark caused the Haleys to explode into laughter. When she was able to stop laughing, Lillian asked her brother a question.
“Wally, what are you gonna name your teddy bear?”
“MY BEAR,” the little boy said.
“Mybear? That’s a funny name for it,” Leona teased. “So, if I say ‘where’s Mybear,’ then it means it’s my bear?”
“NO! It’s my bear!” Wally said while crawling toward Leona with a concerned look on his face.
That made everyone laugh. Just then, Comet ran from under the tree where he had been playing with torn Christmas paper and loose ribbons, and without warning jumped onto Wally’s back. The startled 3-year-old began to laugh when he realized that it was Comet who had attacked him. As Wally sat up, the tiny cat quickly made its way to the little boy’s shoulders. From there the playful kitten saw the teddy bear staring at him from two feet away. Then it rose up and leaped onto the sitting bear’s head, knocking it over.
“Stop that!” Wally cried out. “Leave Mybear alone!”
“Come here, Mycomet,” Leona said as she bent over to pick up her cat.
Even though the deeply-discounted, store-bought teddy bear was quite expensive and was definitely fun for Wally to play with, Murdock spent many long hours making a gift for his son that the little boy would treasure even more: a beautiful rocking horse that put store-bought ones to shame. Murdock fetched it from behind the tree where it had been well hidden.
“Here, son, this is from your mother and I,” he said.
Wally was shocked when he saw the large present for the first time. He wondered how he could have missed it, not knowing that his father had fetched it from a closet and hid it behind the tree after he went to bed last night. No matter, he ran to it and began ripping off the colorful paper that Margaret had so carefully wrapped it in. When he saw what it was, he climbed aboard and began rocking back and forth while yelling:
“Yippie!”
“Now Wally, you’ve gotta be careful not to rock on Comet’s tail,” Leona said.
But Wally was too busy having fun and paid no attention to his sister. After rocking for five minutes he climbed down and placed MyBear on the horse and rocked it back and forth. When he tired of that he climbed back on the horse and his sisters took turns rocking him, each trying to rock the horse harder than the others to see who could make Wally laugh the hardest.
Margaret and Murdock sat back in their rockers, blissfully watching and listening to their children’s antics, all the while realizing that the special Christmas that they had planned for, but most of all hoped for, was now a reality. And to insure that would indeed be the case, this year the Haleys spent more of their hard earned money on Christmas gifts than in any previous year. After a few minutes of watching the children playing near the tree, Margaret spoke:
“Okay, kids, calm down. Your father and I have a special present for you.”
Instantly, the room became quiet with anticipation, and Leona gently placed Comet on the floor. Then Murdock, who had earlier slipped out of the room unnoticed while the children were playing, came walking in from the kitchen. In his hands were two large snow-sleds that the kids would be able to use even when fully grown. The kids screamed with delight when they saw the sleds.
“Your mother and I bought these for you kids,” Murdock said, “but you have to share them because we could only afford to buy two.”
Including last year’s toboggan and this year’s skates, which were purchased on sale last spring, the sleds were the most expensive store-bought gifts the children had ever received, and, in reality, they were more expensive than the Haleys could afford to buy. But Margaret and Murdock wanted to give their kids something really special this Christmas, and the sleds were just what the doctor ordered. They would keep their children entertained, and last for years if taken care of. The girls were thrilled when they saw the new sleds. They had seen other children in Bangor sledding and having fun, and now they could do the same. Only little Wally could care less about the sleds that day; he was too busy riding on his rocking horse and playing with Mybear and Comet.
—2—
“This was the best Christmas ever,” Leona said, when Margaret came into her bedroom at noon and placed a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and glass of milk on the small table next to her. She fixed a snack for her daughter knowing that dinner wouldn’t be ready for two hours and that Leona was anxious to read her new book: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. As Margaret turned to leave, she said, “I hope you enjoy your book, dear,” and closed the door. Leona opened the book and began to read:
“CHAPTER 1——I Discover Moses and the Bulrushers——YOU DON’T know about me without you have read a book by the name of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, but that ain’t no matter. That book was made by Mr. Mark Twain, and he told the truth, mainly. There was things he stretched, but mainly he told the truth. That is nothing. I never seen anybody but lied one time or another, without it was Aunt Polly, or the widow, or maybe Mary. Aunt Polly—Tom’s Aunt Polly, she is—and Mary, and the Widow Douglas is told about in that book, which is mostly a true book, with some stretches, as I said before.”
After Leona read that first paragraph she laughed aloud, as she would do many more times that day. At times she even caught herself crying, but mostly laughing. The only time she put the book down was to eat Christmas dinner. It was well past midnight when she finally closed the book and laid it down, having finished it all.
“Wow!” she thought, “I’ve never read a whole novel in just one day.”
Leona enjoyed it so much it became her favorite Mark Twain novel.
Upon changing into her nightclothes and climbing into bed, Leona lie there with a smile on her face as she fondly thought about her first Christmas in Glenburn. Although the little girl was thrilled with all her gifts, and by the heart-warming image of her family enjoying Christmas together, there was one part of this Christmas, and those that would follow, that stood far above everything else: Murdock’s spellbinding rendition of The Night Before Christmas.
Hearing her father read that poem to celebrate their first Christmas in Glenburn, in his deep baritone voice, made an endearing and lasting impression on the 8-year-old, sending chills of both excitement and anticipation through her bones. She remembered fondly when he spoke those awe-inspiring words for the very first time, and when, after the reading was done, he gave the book to her for safekeeping. Before putting it away, she tucked an envelope inside the back cover so it would never be lost. In it was a remarkable newspaper article that she found to be as inspirational as the book’s poem, and it was even more special because Hans was the one who gave it to her a few days before the previous year’s Christmas.
Until this day she kept the envelope that held the amazing article tucked inside her Holy Bible, and it was kept in the top drawer of her nightstand, where all her most cherished items were kept. On the envelope Leona had written the words Dec. 22, 1917 … special gift from Mr. Hans Andersen of Norway, Europe … to Leona Bessie Haley of Bangor, Maine. However, before tucking it in its new resting place, she put a line through Bangor and wrote West Glenburn in its place.
After the envelope was safely tucked inside its new home, Leona placed her father’s lone copy of The Night Before Christmas in her nightstand, amongst her other cherished books; and from that day forward it was to be the only book she kept there that did not exclusively belong to her. In spite of that, it became the most treasured of all the books that occupied her nightstand; and she often pulled it out, staring at its pretty red cover and thinking of her loving parents whenever she needed to be comforted.
Other than those few occasions, that book stayed in her bookshelf until the moment came on Christmas Eve when Murdock once again asked his little girl to fetch it from its yearlong resting place. Without doubt, watching her father read that wonderful poem from the large shiny red book each year, while he and his wife sat peacefully in their rocking chairs, was the most special part of Christmas for Leona. And those moments would linger forever in her mind’s eye, long after her mother and father were no longer present in her earthly sight.