The Christmas Addition

If one were to take it upon themselves to ever wonder about that shining beacon of hope on the edges of town during these long winters nights, a long stroll through the silent apple orchards, the crunch of hooves on snow being the only echo, would show them that all is well in the Apple family homestead.

A warm hearth is always burning, lovingly tended usually by the largest member of the Apple family, Big Macintosh, also tasked with trudging through the ever growing banks of snow to gather more wood to be burned. The kitchen, wood of its creation long since forever ingrained with the smell of apples, plays host to the middle sibling Applejack, toiling away at pastries and occasionally sneaking herself a bite from a fritter filled with cherries.  Applebloom, the youngest of the apple siblings can usually be found in the living room reading a story to her grandmother or listening to any of several tall tales of her granny’s past christmas’ including a rather daring escape from a cabin surrounded by timberwolves in the dead of winter, of course, whilst pregnant with their father.

All would be found as it should be, but still, we find reason to take a peak in through the window and perhaps, perhaps listen for a moment just to be sure.

Applejack gently placed the tray of now cooling cookies onto the counter and delicately scraped each off and onto a snowflake painted plate. Applebloom was rather proud of her painting accomplishments and with but a flicker of thought Applejack wondered if perhaps her sister had finally found what she had been searching for and the fire had simply yet to ignite. A small smile graced her lips as she cleaned off the tray of any crumbs or grease and turned, dusting the floor for crumbs with her tail as she walked. As she appeared through the kitchen and into the living room the eyes of her family fell upon her.

It was three weeks into what they called the snow season here on the farm and despite what others may think, after the first week of snow with no chores the Apples adjusted quite well to the easy life the years harvest provided for them. Even Big Mac ceased his attempts to find airing holes in any wall to plug up with spackle and wood shavings after three days and succumbed to the habits of sleeping in and even occasionally, thought he would never admit it, a mid day nap.

The cookies found themselves delicately deposited onto the coffee table at the center of the room and for a moment it seemed the family was sitting down to dinner before Applejack rose and headed for the kitchen once again. Applebloom spoke up before her sister had taken more than a few steps “Aren’tcha going ta enjoy the cookies ya just made us sis?” Warm though it was in the home, Applebloom still wore a simple green scarf about her neck that nearly swallowed her forelegs in its fuzzy grip, making her look all the more young for it.

Applejack turned to cast a glance over her family, smiling all the while, “Ah, forgot the milk. Don’t want Granny here ta choke none now AB.” Applejack, ever the one for routine still had her trusty stetson with her at all times. However, during the winter, a little known fact, Granny would insist that she not wear it on her head. So with the help of an old dress string, Applejack still wore the hat around her neck, the Stetson resting over the bend where her neck met her shoulders and back.

“Applejack?” Applejack turned to answer Big Mac with a gaze and he continued, “Would ya mind grabbin’ me tha peppermint extract please?” He was similar in fashion to Applejack, having opted for a simple change in his attire. Granny Smith had allowed him to wear his yoke under a simple condition. Upon agreeing to it, Granny had knitted two very small Santa Hats to be placed on the grips of his yoke. Again, though he would be hard pressed to admit it, they made him feel more in the spirit of the holidays and he enjoyed waking up to see them resting on his ever faithful gear.

“Not a’tall Mac.” Once in the kitchen Applejack rummaged around for the extract and placed it beside the cups on the counter she had procured. In a few moments the milk was over the stove in a pan to be warmed and Applejack was depositing the extract in front of Big Mac with a thin, tall vial beside it. Big Mac reached around his yoke and picked a piece of hay stalk out from behind where it had been hidden from view and gently placed it into the vial like a flower sticking out of the vase. Strange as it may have seemed, it was just one of the few small ways that he enjoyed the season while it was here.

Applejack, returning with the steaming milk in mugs for each of them, placed them gently around the table and they all began with fervor. Everyone knew the apple family cookie recipe was delicious. And though Granny had indeed been snoozing not moments after Applejack had departed to the kitchen, she now grabbed a pristine specimen if ever there were one and began the lengthy process of "truly enjoying" the old recipe. Granny, never one to be called a hypocrite in any fashion, had donned a pair of plush reindeer antlers and a small santa's cap. As the other apples knew well it would be a chore to get her to ever take those off while December was still on the calender.

From the vantage point of the window where our little peak has taken place into the lives of this wonderful family we clearly see that as Applebloom excuses herself for a moment she comes back from upstairs with three presents stacked behind her back and shuffles over to her family, depositing one in front of the other for each of them.

As they unwrap their gifts and exchange others between each other, we tie the ribbon on this occasion and leave it to be opened again another day when we find ourselves wondering about that little haven past the edges of town, and the true gift the family there has always given us.