Out of the Frying Pan

Mom and Dad Arrive

Grandpa turned back and headed for the bathroom. In a short time, he came back in wearing his new clothes. “Now that we’re all fancied up, you would think we’re going somewhere. Let’s see if I have any life in them old fiddle strings while we’re waitin’.” He picked up his fiddle and started playing one Christmas tune after another with a break every now and then for something to drink. We laughed and sang. Before we knew it, we could see Mom and Dad pulling into the driveway.

“Here we go, boys, everything ready?”

“Yes, sir,” we replied.

“Then let’s go greet them,” Grandpa said. We opened the door and went out on the porch. The temperature had dropped since I was last out there and the snow flurries had started again. “Merry Christmas!” we hollered out as Mom and Dad got out of the car. They waved and hollered back and my brothers and I went out to see if they needed any help. Dad handed us some bags to carry in.

Mom was already on the front porch with Grandpa, who said, “Come on in out of the cold.” As we filed into the front room, Mom said, “What a beautiful tree!” Dad agreed that it was fine-looking. Mom and Dad took their coats off and we all sat in the front room while Grandpa told them how we got the tree.

“You climbed a tree and cut this down?” Dad asked while looking at me.

“Yes, sir, I did,” I replied.

“You used to take Harold and Hayes out to do the same thing, didn’t you, Dad?” my mom asked Grandpa. Uncle Harold and Uncle Hayes were my mom’s brothers.

“Yes, we did the same thing,” Grandpa winked, “many moons ago.”

Dad had told us to put the bags down by the tree. Mom stepped closer to look at the decorations and noticed the new lights. Grandpa told her that there were more around the front porch.

“I didn’t even notice them but I did notice the sleigh in the front yard.”

Grandpa told Mom and Dad all about our sleigh ride the night before. “I’ll tell you what, why don’t you and Glen hook up Jack and go on a sleigh ride yourselves?”

Mom looked over at Dad. He said, “It’s been a while, but a sleigh ride sure sounds good.”

“Lanny, you go over to the barn with your dad and get Jack. You know where the harnesses are and can help hook him up,” Grandpa said. Then he turned to my mother, “While you’re out sleigh riding, the boys and I will get Christmas dinner ready.”

Dad and Lanny put on their coats and left for the barn. Grandpa told Lenny to get four bricks from the sleigh where we left them last night, bring them in, unwrap them, and put them on the fire. He asked me to fetch two blankets. We went our separate ways to do what Grandpa asked.

When we returned to the front room, Mom said, “Your grandpa told me that you boys were really well-behaved and y’all had a great time together. I’m glad to hear that.”

“We sure did, Mom,” I said, and Lenny agreed.

Through the front room window, we could see Lanny and Dad hooking Jack up to the sleigh. Mom said, “That Jack is just as big and beautiful as ever, I see.”

Grandpa snorted. “Don’t let Jack hear ya say that, his head is big enough as it is.”

I could hear the bells ringing again and the sound made me smile. Dad and Lanny came in to announce that Jack was ready. “The bricks should be hot enough for a while, let’s get ‘em wrapped up,” Grandpa said.

“Bricks?” Dad asked.

To my surprise, my mother answered his question. “They’re to put our feet on to help keep us warm. Dad used to put them in the buckboard or in cars that didn’t have heat.”

Grandpa and Dad wrapped the bricks up and took them out to the sleigh. Mom got in and I handed her one of the blankets, then Dad got in and I handed him the other. Grandpa told them to take their time and to enjoy the scenery. With that, Dad snapped the reins and Jack began to move. We watched as the sleigh made its way out onto the driveway and down the hill, then we hurried inside out of the cold.