As he left the shop to head home, Silas noticed that the snow had arrived ahead of schedule. Everything was white. It was quite beautiful, and he thought about how everything looked fresh and bright under the cover of white. He drove slowly out of caution, but also because his mind was on the events of the day.
As he arrived home, he saw Emmett, snow shovel in hand walking down the sidewalk, as if not sure where to begin. Silas ignored him as best he could and parked his car in the garage. He turned off the engine and sat. And sat. And sat. With much on his mind and with a touch of melancholy, he finally made his way inside.
“Katie, Rob and the kids should be here in a couple of hours,” he thought. He wasn’t really hungry, and decided to wait until they arrived and share a snack or light dinner with them. He needed a cup of coffee to fight off the chill and keep him awake, so he turned on the new-fangled coffee maker that Katie had given him for his last birthday. He didn’t want her to know it had stayed in the box until yesterday. It had taken him over an hour to figure out how to use it. He still preferred his old Mr. Coffee, even though he had to microwave the coffee after pouring it. Old Mr. Coffee was just not as hot as he used to be.
After drinking two cups of the fresh brew, he emptied out the rest and put in fresh coffee for the next pot. They’d need it when Katie arrived. He was pretty sure she’d show up with baked goods and snacks in hand. It made him smile to think of how the house would smell tomorrow when she took over the kitchen and spent most of her day managing the Christmas Eve baking. The house will be full of laughter, fun and lots of food. The rest of the family would arrive tomorrow, and by Christmas day, the house would be full.
Silas had dozed briefly when he was jarred awake by the sound of the doorbell. He straightened the cushions and comforter on the couch and made his way to the door. When he opened it, he was surprised to see Katie and Bob, arms full of sacks, grinning broadly.
“You’re early!” beamed Silas.
“Yes!” laughed Katie. We got an earlier start and traffic was not bad at all.
Silas took the bags from Katie’s arm and set them on the kitchen table. He then hugged her warmly and gave her a peck on the cheek. He also gave Rob a big hug, but no peck.
“Anyone else with you?”
They’re coming tomorrow. Should be here by lunchtime, but it could be later in the day. You know how it is when you’re traveling with children,” replied Katie. “
“I do have some recollection of that. Of course, there was only you, and you were usually packed and ready to go before we were!”
Katie smiled. “But the good news is that no one has to leave until the 28th. So we’ll have a couple of extra days.”
They spent the next hour or so unloading the car, putting groceries in the refrigerator and pantry, then sat around laughing, talking and planning the Christmas Eve and Christmas day meals. Silas made a list of the things they might need to pick up at the grocery store tomorrow.
As they began to wind down the conversation, Katie asked Rob to take the suitcases upstairs, so that they could unpack and turn in for the evening.
“We need to get an early start tomorrow,” she said to both men.
Rob and Silas nodded their agreement.
The house was quiet as Katie lay awake, troubled by the ongoing feud between her dad and uncle. Every year she prayed for reconciliation, but nothing changed. As her dad got older with each passing Christmas, she wondered if there was any hope at all. She had this nagging fear that something would happen to Uncle Emmett and that her dad would never forgive himself for not resolving their differences.
She wasn’t sure how her dad would react if he knew that she continued each year to send her uncle a Christmas card, along with a “newsletter” detailing all the things that were going on with the family. He probably wouldn’t be happy about it, but Emmett was her mom’s brother and she wanted him in her life, as well as that of here children and grandchildren. She had even called him a couple of times in the past month, hoping to hear some news of progress with her dad. But none was forthcoming.
The rest of the crew arrived on Christmas Eve, just as planned. And surprisingly they were there by noon. The large gathering filled the house, not only with people, but with laughter and wonderful smells and lots of memories.
Some watched Christmas movies, while others played with puzzles or board games. The rest helped Katie with the baking. Silas was dispatched to the market to pick up extra butter and powdered sugar. Rob offered to go along, but Silas encouraged him to stay with the rest of the family. He assured them all that he would be back in a jiffy.
A couple of hours later, Katie asked if anyone had seen her dad.
“Come to think of it, no.” replied Rob. The others shook their heads, and went back to their activities.
“Would you call his cell phone, Rob?” asked Katie.
Rob nodded and placed the call.
“No answer. Just his voicemail. But I’m sure he’s fine. Probably went by to check on the store. This is the first Christmas Eve for that new helper. Probably wanted to be sure she had things under control.”
Katie nodded. Rob was probably right. She’d give him a little longer.
Thankfully, he showed up about a half hour later, butter in hand, along with several bags of chocolate drops and orange slice candy. Katie gave him a quick hug and nodded at the sack of goodies.
“Family tradition.”
“Always,” replied her dad.
She noticed her dad’s mood was light and playful. She hadn’t seen him this way the past few Christmases.
“What’s up dad?” she asked.
“I don’t know what you mean,” he smiled. It’s Christmas. I’m always a jolly old elf this time of year.“
Katies smiled and gave him another hug.
The rest of the day was uneventful. There was lots of snacking and a Christmas Eve meal of barbeque from a local restaurant. The serious eating would begin tomorrow morning with the annual Christmas breakfast and a mid-afternoon Christmas dinner. Of course, lots of gifts would be opened before breakfast, then napping by the adults while the kids played with their new toys.
Silas was helping Katie clear the table and finish the dishes when the phone rang. Silas jumped, then rushed to grab it. Katie watched him, wondering what could be so urgent that her Dad grabbed the phone before anyone else could. She looked at him quizzically, but he just waved her off.
He spoke into the phone. “Let me go to another room and call you back.”
He returned a few minutes later.
“Who was that, Dad?” she asked.
“Oh, just a potential new helper at the store. He just wanted to tie down a few details.”
“Why is he calling on Christmas Eve?”
Silas shrugged. “I think he wants to start day after tomorrow, which is fine by me”
“Well good. I hope he works out.”
“I’m sure he will.”
After the work in the kitchen was finished, Katie suggested the children head off to bed. “Christmas morning will be here in a few hours. And Santa doesn’t show up when kids are awake,” she warned. It was the same warning she had given for as long as she could remember. It was also the same warning she had heard from her mom throughout her childhood.
After the kids were in bed, the usual Christmas Eve activity ensued until everything was done that needed to be done. Then everyone was off to bed.
It was a silent night.
The next morning, Silas was up early, before anyone else in the house. He brewed the coffee and sat in silence until Katie joined him. She offered to get a head start on breakfast, but he encouraged her to sit.
It was only a few minutes before the pitter patter of footsteps could be heard from the bedrooms upstairs. It was almost 7:00. Thankfully the children had learned to gather at the top of the stairs until the parents gave the green light to attack the gifts under the trees as well as the stockings on the mantle.
When the “all clear” was sounded the rush was on. Gifts were distributed and opened. Any attempt at an orderly process gave way to flying paper and exclamations of surprise and much laughter. Silas and Katie tried to gather the discarded paper and put it in a garbage bag, but couldn’t keep pace with avalanche of gift wrap and bows.
It was a joyous morning.
“What was that?” asked Silas.
“I think it was the doorbell, Dad. I’ll get it.”
Katie waded through the boxes and wrappings and opened the door. She stood staring and speechless, unable to process the surreal event unfolding in front of her.
“Who is it?” asked Silas.
The visitor just raised his eyebrows and smiled.
“It, it, it’s Uncle Emmet” The words came out more as a warning and expression of concern. Any attempts to regain her composure were hampered by a concern of what might happen next. She could only stare at her uncle and then at her dad. And then at her uncle, and then at her dad.
“Well, don’t just stand there Katie. Invite him in. It’s cold outside”
By now, every adult in the room was frozen in silence and apprehension. They barely heard Silas response to Katie. One or two even stood to head off any physical encounter that might be about to take place.
Katie burst into tears. Emmett stepped inside and embraced her. “It’s all right, sweetheart. It’s all right.” She wrapped her arms around her uncle, unable to speak.
Everyone looked at Silas, who made his way to the door, placing an arm around Katie and his brother-in-law, who was also in tears.
After a few moments, the embraces were relaxed and Katie found her voice.
“Dad. I…I… I don’t understand.”
By now, Silas was fighting back tears and struggling to speak.
Emmett spoke. “Katie, your dad came to see me yesterday afternoon.”
Katie’s expression displayed her confusion. She turned to her dad. “While you were gone to the market?”
Silas nodded.
Emmett continued. “We shared a cup of coffee. First time in almost 15 years. It was good. I’m not going to share that conversation with you, other than to say it was an answer to a lot of prayers, and I’m so thankful to be here this morning. It’s still hard to talk about.”
By now, Silas was able to speak.
“Let’s just say that I had three visitors come to the store and I tried to help them out. What I didn’t know was that they were helping me. Maybe the good Lord sent them. I don’t know. But I do know that I couldn’t go on with the bitterness in my heart. I’m not a young man. Neither is Emmett. We’ve agreed to move forward together and try to finish well.
“I finally decided that if I was ever going to forgive and forget, this was the time. I figured that Christmas was the perfect time to remember why we celebrate as well as to forget what needs to be forgotten.
Emmett smiled. “When your dad and I spoke on the phone last night, he invited me over for dinner. Oh, and I have a few gifts still sitting on the steps. I had to do a little last minute shopping when I found out I was going to have breakfast with my family.”
“Dad, was that the phone call you took last night? You were pretty sneaky. What was that story about a new employee?”
“That was no story. That was the truth. Emmett is coming to work for me. He knows I need some help, and since we’re on speaking terms, he offered to help and I took him up on it.
Everyone else looked on as Katie sat speechless again. It was simply too overwhelming.
Silas seemed to sense the struggle everyone was having accepting this new reality.
“Katie, there’ll be plenty of time to fill you in later. For now I’m starved. Let’s get this breakfast started.”
“Of course,” Katie replied. “I completely forgot.”
“Understandable,” laughed Emmett. “Can I help?”
“You’d better,” answered Silas, “if you expect to eat.”
Katie began crying again.
“What’s wrong, Katie?” asked Uncle Emmett.
“It’s just the best Christmas ever. That’s all.”
Emmett hugged her again. “Can I ask a favor?”
“What’s that?” asked Katie.
“Would you let me make my special chocolate gravy recipe? It’s been a long time, but I know you always loved it, and I think I still know how.”
“Uncle Emmett,” I wouldn’t have it any other way.
She hugged her dad. “Merry Christmas, Dad.”
"Merry Christmas, Katie."