Chapter 18
Chapter Eighteen
ISABEL
“ D id you find this old popcorn basket in the attic?” Izzy turned the thing over in her hands. The lid of the basket slid on and off, although it no longer fit tightly. Maybe she should have spent more time searching for treasures up on their third floor. But in summer the attic was blazing hot and in winter, it was freezing. Besides, Holly kept her busy and there was no way she could drag her up to that dusty attic. Their time together was precious and searching for stuff in the attic wasn’t exactly quality time.
“Yep, it was up there behind the boxes.” Marlowe was busy stacking logs in the fireplace. They’d finished their dinner of Aunt Cate’s lasagna. Granted, it came frozen in a box. But it was delicious and Izzy totally understood why her aunt was somewhat limited in her recipes. After all, the woman had a demanding career that probably involved way more than forty hours a week. Aunt Cate and Uncle Monty had made no bones about the fact that they ate out a lot.
Looking very pleased with herself, Holly was seated in her runabout. It was amazing how far she could get with those little legs. She knew how to push it everywhere, but she didn’t know how to stop it. Together with her sisters and aunt, Izzy spent a lot of time teaching her that the tree was off-limits.
Izzy couldn’t remember a prettier tree. Since her arrival, Aunt Cate had been scouring the shops in Charlevoix for new ornaments, like the sled and the silver fox dangling from a low branch. Izzy decided to move those out of reach. Marlowe had added ice skates, snow skis and crystal icicles, along with a good deal of tinsel. For a while there it seemed as if her guests were having a competition.
But her family weren’t really guests, and she had to remember that. They owned this house as much as she did, and Izzy felt lucky that she was able to live at Sunnycrest.
Not to be outdone, Sam had carefully heaped handfuls of artificial snow on the tree. The tree looked as if it had risen from the snow drifts outside their house. The effect of the white lights on the artificial snow was so pretty at night, especially when they turned off all the lights.
Holly was mesmerized by the tree, especially when it was all lit up. And since his arrival, Bogart could often be found beneath the branches. In the morning without fail, they would find a couple of ornaments in a corner of the room. Sam had begun to leave her bedroom door open, and Bogart obviously liked to roam around at night. The tree had become his toy.
Although Piper preferred to stay curled up on Izzy’s bed at night, they could hear Bogart playing with the ornaments. One morning they discovered the gold piece of fabric Izzy was using as a tree skirt under the table in the dining room. The tree was so beautiful that Izzy didn’t even want to think about taking it down.
Her little girl had the same reaction to the tree at work. Holly loved to have the Pack ‘n Play near the tree. Izzy had been touched by all the gifts that appeared before she left work that last day. Debbie and her cousin Patricia had assured her that they could handle the shop Christmas Eve morning. What a relief that had been. Sleeping in was such a luxury. Well, as long as Holly would allow it.
“We’re all set in here,” Marlowe said, after lighting the newspapers stuffed under the logs. At least her sister had remembered to open the flue. The fire caught quickly and oh, what a glow that added to the room. The snap and crackle of the burning logs and the wonderful smell added to the Christmas spirit. Holly’s attention turned from the tree to this new delight. Thank goodness for their protective fire screen.
“Coming, coming!” Aunt Cate swept into the room, carrying the large bowl they always had used for popcorn, along with a jar of popcorn seeds. She rattled the jar in her hand for emphasis. Sam came trundling behind their aunt on her scooter. Her older sister was having trouble relinquishing her leadership role and immediately began to give directions.
"You handle the movies, Marlowe, and I’ll do the popcorn.” Bringing her scooter close to the fireplace Sam reached for the basket. “Aunt Cate, can you pour out some of that popcorn?”
Setting the glass bowl on the coffee table, Aunt Cate unscrewed the jar and dumped a generous amount to the basket. Clearly none of them remembered how much popcorn to add. Their father had always handled this with such enthusiasm, but measuring the popcorn kernels was a detail no one was going to mention tonight.
Izzy lifted Holly in her arms while Marlowe nudged the fireplace screen aside so that Sam could hold the basket over the flames. She balanced the long wooden handle on the handlebars of her scooter. Aunt Cate took her place in the big striped chair. Earlier Marlowe had popped the first movie into the VCR slot on the old TV. While Sam shook the popper over the fire, Marlowe pressed the remote.
When the family movie started, the room got quiet. Their father had driven up in a car that now looked ancient. When he opened the door, Mom got out holding a bundle wrapped in pink. “I don’t remember Dad being so tall,” Izzy said.
“Or so young,” added Marlowe.
“Yes, they were young then,” Aunt Cate said, nostalgia softening her words. “I took this movie. Uncle Monty was with me.”
“Oh, look, a baby,” Izzy said. She pointed to the screen and Holly’s attention followed. “Baby, baby” she said, for Holly’s information. Holly’s attention was on the TV screen.
“Izzy, that baby is you.” Aunt Cate said softly. In the film two little girls ran down the sidewalk toward the car. They were so excited as their father told them to step back. The film stopped there and picked up inside the Naperville house. On their old green sofa the pink blanket had been unwrapped and there was the baby. Both little girls wanted to hold her. In fact they got into an argument about it.
“Is that how it was?” Izzy asked. “You fought over me?”
“You bet,” Aunt Cate said. “Lots of competition on who was the best big sister.”
“But I was two years older,” Sam said. “Which seemed important back then.”
“I didn’t like it at all,” Marlowe said. “Now I kind of like being the younger woman.”
“I would give you a good swat,” Sam said, grinning, “but I might hurt myself.”
When the popcorn began to pop, Bogart rocketed from the tree and shot up the stairs. They all laughed when Piper soon followed, only to come peeking around the corner a few minutes later. Sam shook the basket so the popcorn wouldn’t burn. The smell of popcorn soon filled the room and kernels began to spill from the basket into the flames. They laughingly agreed that they'd added too much but it sure smelled good.
Yanking the wire basket from the fire. Sam dumped the contents of the basket into their popcorn bowl while Aunt Cate held it. She’d brought a saltshaker from the kitchen and wielded it liberally, grumbling, “So glad my doctor’s not here to see this.”
“Needs some butter,” Marlowe said after one mouthful. Jumping to her feet, she dashed back toward the kitchen.
“I am so glad my doctor isn’t here,” Aunt Cate said around a mouthful. “I’m so tired of hearing about my cholesterol count.” They all laughed.
Some of the kernels were burned, but most were delicious. Izzy couldn’t wait until Holly was old enough to munch on popcorn. It was hard to deny her this buttery, salty bliss. She needed something else for the baby. Dashing back into the kitchen, she returned with some Cheerios. Those would have to do for now. Soon Holly was munching away. Her baby loved all the company and Izzy dreaded the time when her sisters and aunt would leave. But she wouldn’t think about that now.
As the movies played, some were obviously in Naperville and others were at this house in Charlevoix. The films had darkened with age but still charted the three girls growing up. Marlowe and Samantha were their mother’s little helpers. Izzy was touched to see how devoted her big sisters had been.
Glancing over at them in the warm light from the fire, she loved them even more for coming here to share Holly. And of course Aunt Cate too. She seemed to be enjoying the movies, especially when a young Monty appeared in some scenes.
Her parents seemed so young and in love in these films. She felt so lucky to be a part of such a loving family. Their father had taken way too many movies. And there would be other nights when they could share them. The evening passed too quickly and Izzy ate way too much popcorn. They'd probably kept Sam up past her bedtime. That ankle must be bothering her. Izzy had noticed her older sister fidgeting and at one point, nodding off.
As the clock moved toward eleven o’clock, Aunt Cate headed up the stairs. Holly was asleep on the sofa next to Izzy and her big sisters got up to turn off the lights.
After making sure that the protective screen was in place in front of the fireplace, they snapped off the Christmas tree lights. Izzy grabbed the empty bowl and carried it into the kitchen.
“You go on upstairs,” Marlowe said as she left the room. “I’ll help Sam get up to her bedroom.”
As Izzy was changing Holly’s diaper for the night and covering her with a blanket, she heard her two sisters giggling together as Marlowe helped Sam negotiate those stairs. Leaving her bedroom door open, Izzy quickly changed into pajamas and climbed into her own bed. When they were growing up, their father always played the Waltons’ Christmas movie “The Homecoming” for them. And when they went to bed, they would call out each other’s names, bidding each other good night.
Izzy had forgotten all about that Christmas tradition until Sam called out through the darkness. “Good night, Marlowe! Good night, Izzy and Aunt Cate!”
Smiling, Izzy called back, “Good night, Sam and Marlowe. Good night, Aunt Cate.” And so it went until at the very end, when she heard Aunt Cate’s sleepy voice say, “Good night, children. God bless.”
As they drifted off to sleep, Izzy smiled and hugged her pillow. When a forgotten tradition comes back to you years later, its beauty warms your heart all over again.