Page 11 of The Christmas House
Thanksgiving Day dawned with brilliance, nary a cloud in the sky.
Liz imagined Dat must be thankful for the rather dry weather in Pennsylvania all these weeks, making it possible for the house expansion to move forward to completion.
Maybe he can come home sooner , she thought, torn between wanting that especially for Mamm’s sake .
.. and knowing it would mean losing touch with Matt.
For surely Adam would return to helping her with the buggy tours again.
Reuben and Gracie had invited Mamm and the immediate family, as well as Dat’s parents, for Thanksgiving dinner at noon, when everyone would sit around their twelve-foot-long table.
Gracie had stuffed and baked two large turkeys for the feast and made numerous side dishes, and Liz’s two married sisters had brought some sides, as well.
For dessert, there were more pies and other goodies than the long kitchen counter could hold, so another folding table was brought up from the basement to accommodate all the food in the spacious kitchen.
Liz’s young nephews and nieces played in one corner of the kitchen, and two toddlers had hidden under the table. Martha Rose spied them and managed to coax them out just before everyone gathered to sit down.
There was enough food for seconds, and eighty-seven-year-old Dawdi Lantz hinted at wanting some leftover turkey to take home “for a sandwich later, just maybe.” Gracie assured him there’d be plenty for that, and Dawdi reached for her hand and squeezed it.
Mammi Lantz looked so contented sitting at the table and holding her sleeping three-month-old granddaughter.
She bowed her head for the silent table blessing led by Reuben at the far end of the table.
After the prayer, when the baby whimpered, Mammi reluctantly gave her back to her mother.
Observing this, Liz tried to imagine holding her own little one someday, and a sweet longing filled her heart.
After the meal and all the dishes, pots, and pans were washed, wiped, and put away, everyone assembled in the front room for a time of singing songs of thanksgiving. Later, the family divided up to play various games—Farm-opoly, Dutch Blitz, Uno, and Scrabble.
There were fewer family members at the early supper hours later, since some of the siblings had plans to visit in-laws, wanting to see both sides of the family on this special day. Liz was happy to linger at Reuben’s to spend more time with Gracie and their two playful children.
By the time Mamm talked of heading home, twilight had fallen. Liz offered to take the driving lines, since Mamm had trouble seeing after sunset. As they rode, Mamm fell quiet, surely thinking of Dat, and Liz found herself thinking of Matt, wondering about his day with family.
Driving past the Hyatts’ farmhouse and yard, Liz could see the familiar trappings all set up and ready to go, the decorative lights still dark.
Tomorrow they’ll flip the switch and light up the whole place , she thought with a rush of excitement, looking forward to the first buggy tour to the Christmas House this Saturday afternoon.
It’ll be nice to have Matt along this year. Even more so than Adam , she thought before catching herself.
During a simple breakfast of homemade granola with bananas and coffee the next morning, Mamm suggested they go to the general store and purchase a box of canned goods to donate to the food pantry she’d heard about.
Liz eagerly agreed.
“I’ll call for a driver to pick us up and bring us home,” Mamm said, indicating that she didn’t want to take the horse and buggy clear over to Bird-in-Hand.
“We could prob’ly donate some of our own canned goods—we have so many,” Martha Rose said, referring to their shelves of pantry items down cellar.
“Accordin’ to the flyer, they don’t accept home-canned goods,” Mamm told her.
“So off to the general store we go,” Liz said. “It’s much closer than goin’ all the way to Quarryville to BB’s Grocery Outlet, then backtracking to Bird-in-Hand.”
When they arrived at the food pantry, Liz was surprised at the many cars parked out front. “Folks must be helpin’ to restock the items distributed before Thanksgiving,” she said.
“Which is why I waited ’til today to come,” Mamm replied.
“ Gut idea,” Martha Rose said as she slid the side door open on the passenger van.
The driver went around to the back and lifted out the box of canned goods they’d purchased earlier, offering to carry it for Mamm.
Inside, Liz saw Plain and English folk alike donating canned and boxed foods, as well as paper products.
The store was well organized with shelves for pastas, beans, and jarred and canned goods that included soups, vegetables, and peanut butter.
A sight to behold. And although she had no idea before arriving if this was the same place where Matt volunteered, within a few minutes, she spotted him pushing a grocery cart for an elderly gentleman using a walker.
Seeing Matt there doing what he loved warmed her heart.
She remembered what he’d said about this being a practical kind of ministry.
When Mamm was ready to leave, Liz heard her name called, and when she turned to look, Matt was walking toward her.
“Well, this is a surprise!” He smiled broadly.
She greeted him and explained that her Mamm had seen a flyer and come to donate canned goods. “That’s why we’re here.”
“Ah, so you’re not stalkin’ me.” He winked.
She chuckled at his little joke. “Would ya like to meet my Mamm ... and my sister Martha Rose?” she asked, knowing they both would enjoy it very much.
“Sure would.”
Liz found it easy to introduce them to Matt, and he to them.
She felt proud of her friendship with him, almost as if she were showing him off to her family.
Mamm brightened when she learned who he was and asked how long he’d been volunteering there.
Martha simply stood back and observed, giving Liz an occasional sideways glance.
Liz got the impression that Martha was trying to hold it together, seeing Matt talk with their mother like this.
During the ride home in the van, Liz could almost feel Martha’s eagerness to share her thoughts, yet amazingly, her sister was able to keep still for the entire trip back to Hickory Hollow.
But while Mamm was paying the driver, Martha grabbed Liz’s hand and hurried them toward the back porch. “You never told me he was so handsome. ”
“Well, his looks weren’t the first thing I noticed,” Liz blurted in response, although she felt heat creep into her face.
Martha was blinking like crazy. “Are ya kiddin’ me?”
Liz had to laugh and explained quietly as they made their way into the house that it was Matt’s kind manner that initially caught her attention. “Not how nice-lookin’ he is.”
“Well, this has to be a first.” Martha shook her head.
Liz assumed Martha was thinking of her former beau, who was also very good-looking, a fact that had not been lost on either Liz or Martha when he and Liz had started going out.
“I hope I’ve matured since Calvin, dear sister.
I can tell ya there’s far more than meets the eye when it comes to Matt Yoder. ”
Martha washed her hands at the kitchen sink, glancing over at her several times. “Do ya hear yourself?” She dried her hands and leaned back against the sink. “Not only do I think Matt’s sweet on ya, but I wonder if you might not be fallin’ for him, too.”
Liz shrugged, embarrassed, but it wasn’t as simple as that. “I really don’t know,” she replied.
Mamm entered the kitchen just then, and Liz was relieved to see her, since it was time to make the noon meal anyway. All the while, Martha’s comments lingered in her mind.
Saturday’s dawning shone on the fresh dusting of snow as Liz opened her dark green window shades. “First day of the Christmas House buggy tours,” she murmured, stretching her arms and yawning.
Last night, before falling asleep, she’d thought a lot about her and Martha’s curious conversation.
What had her sister so quickly seen between Liz and Matt that she hadn’t?
Surely it wasn’t Matt’s winking at her with his joke.
Even Dat winked when he was teasing them.
Was it Matt’s easygoing manner with Mamm as they talked?
Yet Liz knew from experience that Matt was that way around everyone.
Sitting at the window and staring down at the pastureland, Liz realized that a person could actually take Matt’s comments and actions two ways.
Being ultra-friendly and engaging might just be how Dat had asked him to be while on the buggy tours with her.
On the other hand, Liz could sort of see how Martha Rose might have mistaken Matt’s friendliness at the food pantry as potential romantic interest.
At last, it was time for the final buggy tour of the day to begin, the one Liz had been anticipating for weeks.
The earlier skiff of snow had disappeared due to the mild temperature—even the sky had a softness to it.
Her passengers seemed delighted with the buggy ride past farmhouses and vast fields, chatting and laughing with her and sometimes Matt during their commentary.
At the Amish Toy Store, many of them lined up at the cash register to purchase the wooden cars, trucks, doll cradles, and doll-sized rocking chairs.
Being Amish-owned, the shop was not decorated for Christmas, but there was a vibrant expectation in the air now that Thanksgiving Day was behind them and Christmas was less than a month away.
Spirits on the buggy ride to the Christmas House were festive, and the Hyatts’ music was loud enough to hear quite a distance away.
As they came upon the lit-up display, the passengers pointed to the dancing elves, but the main attraction was the large rooftop Santa in his reindeer-drawn sleigh.
Matt looked her way, sort of shrugging at the spectacular show as the younger children in the buggy squealed with delight.
It’s just so strange to see in the middle of Amish farmland and houses , she thought.
She didn’t dwell on this, though, wanting instead to share about family traditions as she halted the horse in front of the Christmas House.
“We Amish don’t decorate like our English neighbors here, but we have our own ways of celebrating the Lord’s birthday.
Every Christmas for as long as I remember, my Mamm has served baked oatmeal with maple syrup and cinnamon for breakfast, and pancakes with strawberries and whipped cream. ”
“Yum!” one little boy interjected enthusiastically.
“Then, after breakfast, we all stay around the table while my Dat opens the Good Book and reads from chapter two of the Gospel of Luke, about the Lord’s birth in a stable surrounded by cattle.
I love that passage because it tells how Mary and Joseph were so far from their home and family, and weary from travelin’—poor Mary, great with child, on a donkey—yet they trusted in God to provide,” Liz told them.
“At the end of that reading, Dat always reminds us, ‘The Lord Jesus left the glories of heaven to bring us hope and healing. Never forget.’”
The tour guests’ murmured responses sounded like a soft hum. This had been Liz’s favorite story to tell last December during the Christmas House Buggy Tour. And she felt the honest beauty and hope of it once again.
Continuing, she said, “The day before Christmas Eve, we head to the Amish schoolhouse for the annual program. This year, my six-year-old niece will be in the nativity play as one of the angels. And let me tell ya, she doesn’t quite fit the part ... ornery as she is.”
A peal of laughter followed.
Liz went on to talk about the popular traditions of exchanging cookies and decorating the house with simple garlands of Christmas cards hanging over the entrances to the kitchen and the front room.
“And along with some evergreen cuttings on the table, my Mamm will set out white tapers in candle rings with red-and-green ribbons,” she added, remembering the fun of making the candle rings at her mother’s Sisters Day gathering.
A man wearing a Phillies ball cap and matching jersey wanted to ask a question. “I realize Santa Claus doesn’t play a part in Amish celebrations, but do you give each other presents?”
“Absolutely, ’specially to the children. Some Amish families make all their gifts; others purchase them or give a mixture of both.”
Another person raised a hand. “What do the Amish neighbors think of having this noisy and decorated-to-the-hilt house in the middle of their quiet village?”
Liz drew a quick breath, wanting to keep a positive mood in the carriage and not really sure what to say since her seasonal buggy tours made the house a highlight yet added to the traffic in the area. She looked over at Matt.
Graciously, he took the cue. “I know the owner of this farmhouse,” he said. “And truly, the man just wants to demonstrate all the Christmas joy and beauty he can for his family and the community. Spreadin’ joy is his only goal.”
Matt hadn’t really answered the passenger’s question, but what he’d said kept things light and cheerful, the way Liz had hoped. She was thankful again for his quick thinking and tact.
She directed the horse slowly toward the large nativity scene on the other side of the yard. “Here’s my favorite part of the display,” she told the passengers. “Just look at all those angels in that heavenly choir.”
“The background music makes ya want to join in with ‘Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,’ doesn’t it?” Matt said, smiling at her again.
A few passengers did start to sing along, quietly at first, then with more gusto, a delight to hear. And Liz hoped nothing more would be asked about the brilliantly lit farmhouse that stood out so boldly amongst its Plain neighbors.
At Ella Mae’s, a variety of Christmas cookies on trays and cups of hot cocoa with marshmallows waited just inside the back door when Liz and Matt brought the passengers up to the back porch.
“ Willkumm , everyone! Can yous sing for your treats?” Ella Mae joked from where she stood in the doorway, her face crinkling into a smile. “A Christmas carol will do.”
Liz wasn’t expecting this since Ella Mae hadn’t done this last year—a woman full of surprises, for sure.
Matt quickly led out in “Joy to the World,” and everyone joined in while Liz began to bring out the cookie trays before going back for the hot cocoa.
All the while, the Wise Woman bobbed her little head as they sang, her black shawl wrapped around her slight shoulders. Liz couldn’t wait to visit her another time for tea, just the two of them, but for now, she enjoyed the special moment there on Ella Mae’s porch.