THE little white house down the street bustled with activity. Every window was aglow with lights even at five o'clock, and as Merrilee raced over the crusted snow to ring the doorbell she could see Aunt Anne and Uncle Lan moving about here and there getting last minute things in order.
As she pushed the button she thought, "Such a sweet little house—so cozy and neat and tastefully planned. Surely isn't pretentious, but you can just tell it belongs to a family who love it. Love just seems to permeate even the frosty air. I want one just like it someday."
"Merry Christmas, Merrilee! Do come in." Uncle Lan took the armful of packages and headed toward the big tree in the living room. "Take off your coat and come on in," he called over his shoulder.
"Merry Christmas, Merrilee!" Aunt Anne came from the kitchen. "I'm so glad you can spend the holidays with us."
"This is going to be wonderful!" Aunt Anne said. "James and Shirley should be coming now. And Joyce and Charles will be in before suppertime. It will be the first time we've all been together for Christmas in a good many years, and having you here with us makes it that much nicer."
"Oh, thank you, Aunt Anne. I was afraid I might be spoiling your family fun. Where are John and Beth and the twins?"
"Oh, they've gone out for some last minute shopping. They just got here last night, you know. This is a great day for us, to have them back from Africa just in time for Christmas."
A car door slammed in the driveway, and a moment later two identical little girls in red snow suits burst in the front door.
"Look, Grandma, at ail the packages. Put them under the tree quick! This one is for you
and this one has a------" Her sister clapped her
hand over her twin's mouth. "Don't you dare tell grandma what's in that package!" Aunt Anne laughed. "Here, I'll take them and put them under the tree. You slide out of those overshoes and snow suits before you spoil my nice clean house."
Excitement mounted as James and Shirley and their kiddies arrived and the long-absent brothers greeted each other. Cousins gazed shyly at one another, then took off for the playroom to get acquainted. A loud banging on the door and ringing of sleigh bells announced the arrival of Joyce and Charles. For a moment all was confusion as everybody kissed everyone else and greetings were exchanged. Only Merrilee heard the doorbell when Marc arrived.
Uncle Lan hurried to Marc's side. "Boys, I want you to meet Merrilee's fiance—another minister in the family."
"Welcome to the ministry, Marc," John extended his big hand, "and this is my brother, James, and his Shirley, and this is my sister Joyce, and her rather new husband, Charles. And somewhere around here is my wife, Beth, and some children—all preachers' youngsters, so watch out. Anything can happen!"
Everyone laughed, and Aunt Anne said, "Come, let's go to the living room."
"Come on, children!" John boomed from the foot of the stairway. "Celebration's about to begin!"
The children raced down the stairs and stopped short as Aunt Anne opened the living room door. The tree was dazzling with its colored lights and glittering balls. Candles were the only illumination, and the room smelled heavily of fragrant evergreen.
"Children first," announced Aunt Anne, and the children led the procession into the living room.
"We've always done it this way," Aunt Anne confided to Merrilee. "We put the tree up the night before Christmas Eve, and when everything is decorated no one is allowed in the room till the tree is lighted and all is ready.
It's a custom we learned while in Europe, and it makes the air seem more festive somehow." "It's beautiful," Merrilee breathed. Uncle Lan turned on the record player and strains of "Silent Night" filled the living room. "Tonight is a very special night, I feel," he began. "It's a rare treat to have John and Beth and the twins back for Christmas and to have all of us together again. We're so thankful for the protection and guidance of our heavenly Father thus far, and for the happiness He gives us in allowing us to be here together again. We're glad Merrilee and Marc can join us in this holiday season. Let us thank God for His goodness."
Merrilee thought she had never heard a sweeter prayer, and she noticed Aunt Anne wipe away a tear. Even the twins were exceptionally quiet and peeked up at their grandpa, awe written on their faces.
"A real family father," Marc thought. "I hope I can be like that."
As Merrilee watched the activity and listened to the gay conversation she said to Marc, "You know, Aunt Anne is really in her element tonight. She's having fun taking care of her family again."
"She certainly is. And Uncle Lan, doesn't he look contented? You can tell, too, that their children love them. They surely seem to be brought up wonderfully—and all in the ministry. They were all preacher's youngsters, too, remember. Wonder how they did it?"
"I'll have to ask Aunt Anne sometime. Anyway, they surely turned out all right."
After the children had hung up their stockings and were all tucked in bed, the adults gathered about the fire to crack nuts and visit. "This may be a bit out of line to ask," ventured Marc, "but all your children were 'preacher's kids.' How did they turn out so well?" Roars of laughter from the boys and Joyce greeted this question.
"I'll admit, Marc, it was quite a deal. They had their hands full." John looked knowingly at James.
"Well, I guess mom had her share of settling arguments and fights over property rights and trying to keep us loving and kind to one anther. Then there was practice period. Nearly drove her crazy getting us to practice. And getting work out of us was a real chore, to say nothing of the frights we gave her over broken arms and mashed-in teeth, et cetera." James smiled as he reminisced.
"Yes, but you weren't 'preacher's kids' as the term implies. We never had trouble with you going out with other young people and getting
into trouble or smoking or drinking or anything like that," said Aunt Anne.
"Oh, that was because it was too much fun to stay home. We never wanted to be anywhere else," John remarked.
"Yes," James broke in, "the folks really knew how to make us want to stay at home. I remember the-folks nearly went broke buying a big house with a playroom and workshop out in the country where we had room to run and climb trees and ski and swim. Oh, it was great!" "Yes, and holidays," broke in Joyce. "They never forgot a birthday, and always there was a surprise—a party, a trip to the mountains, a special dinner—always something special."
"And always a parcel by my plate at breakfast on birthday morning."
"And Christmas," Joyce spread out her hands. "You see how they did it up brown. Every year. We had daddy for Santa Claus long after we were too old for such things."
"It was fun," James added wistfully. "Bein' kids was fun."
"We try to do the same by ours," John added, "only in Africa it's a little different."
"Doesn't matter where it is," Aunt Anne broke in, "nor what you do. You've got to build up family memories. Make them know they belong and are appreciated."
Joyce turned to her brothers. "Remember story hour by the fire? Especially on Friday
night. We always had a special supper------"
"Potato salad," interrupted John. "And cinnamon rolls," remembered James. "Yes, and afterward," Joyce continued, "always a story hour. And dad would get so sleepy reading to us his voice would trail off and he'd go to sleep in the middle of a sentence."
"Mom always had to take over, and sometimes she'd go to sleep on us too."
"Must have been awful having children that never got sleepy," said James.
"Only in the mornings," affirmed Aunt Anne, "we never could get you out of bed."
"We had our problems," Uncle Lan entered the conversation. "It was no easy task rearing and educating three youngsters. I remember your Aunt Anne," he looked at Merrilee, "throwing herself on the bed and weeping and saying, 'I'm just no good as a mother. I should never have had any children. They're all going to end up in the penitentiary!' " Everybody laughed at this. "Yes," agreed Aunt Anne, "and you Uncle Lan would tell me I was doing a wonderful job—the children were normal but not bad." "Well, I guess we never understand or appreciate what parents go through till we have children of our own." James pinched Shirley's ear.
The conversation began to lag. Marc stood up. "This has been a grand Christmas Eve, Thanks so much for asking us, but we must go now. The dormitory closes at eleven tonight, and I must get Merrilee in on time."
Long after the others were in bed Aunt Anne "puttered" as Uncle Lan called it. She picked up wrappings from the living room floor and put the screen up in front of the fireplace. She snuffed out the candles and picked up a stray glass or two that had been missed at dishwashing time. As she worked she smiled. This was fun having her children home again.
"Merrilee," she said to herself, "you have lots of responsibilities and trials and heartaches ahead of you, but there are lots of joys too."
