A short story that could have been included in my first novel, “My Dear Rosa Jean” by Carin Jayne Casey…
While leaning her elbow on the arm of a sofa, Aunt Grace propped her hand under her chin, “So you and your siblings were used to having Christmas in your earlier years, with the tree decorations, gifts, and all. How old were you when all that changed?”
While sorting her Christmas cards she had received in the mail, Rosa Jean stopped to ponder, “I suppose I was twelve, and the twins were still babies. Suddenly Dad joined a religious group that did not celebrate Christmas, or any of the other holidays, for that matter. It was hard to understand.”
“How did you handle it?” Aunt Grace asked. She tried to imagine what it would have been like for her as a girl, to suddenly have Christmas celebrations taken away.
“Over the years, we got used to it, but then when I was sixteen and had a boyfriend, we changed things for ourselves.”
“Oh, and how is that?”
“It wasn’t really planned. One day before Christmas while my boyfriend and I were visiting some friends, he gave me a big Christmas present – a beautifully wrapped box of assorted chocolates!” Rosa Jean laughed, “It must’ve been five pounds of chocolate.”
Aunt Grace laughed too, “What a nice surprise. But that was too much – what could you do with it? Were you able to take it home?”
Rosa Jean recalled how cold it was that winter day, and she had left home wearing layers of clothing for warmth along with her heavy coat and high boots. “It was my friends’ idea at first, to put the candy in baggies to smuggle into my house. We stuffed baggies of chocolate in my pockets, boots, wherever we could. I was fully loaded!”
Aunt Grace laughed, clapping her hands, “So I presume you made it home without incident? What did you do then?”
“Yeah, we got it all home without my parents seeing it, and I carefully hid the baggies in dresser drawers.”
Rosa Jean whispered, “Once it was night, and our parents were asleep, my siblings and I gathered in my bedroom with the door shut. We were quiet and careful not to wake our parents. We didn’t even have the light on; instead, we lit a candle that had been saved for emergencies.”
“We had a ceremony with prayers of sorts, with each of us saying what we were thankful for. Then Gina and I softly sang a few Christmas carols that we could remember. Finally, I pulled out one baggie of chocolates, and we ate all the candy that was in it.”
Aunt Grace’s eyes opened wide and she hugged Rosa Jean, “That sounds so secretive, and fun! I’ll bet you were all thrilled. That must’ve been the twin’s first memory of a Christmas.”
“Yes, it was. It was a real treat for us all. And we did the same thing every night until all of the candy was gone.”
“I’m so happy that you children were able to find a way to enjoy Christmas. Did you celebrate like that every year?”
Rosa Jean put her finger to her mouth, “I don’t think we did. So much changed by the next Christmas (including the mystery and tragedy involving my mother and baby brother), that sneaking around to celebrate a holiday was no longer something we considered.”
“Aunt Grace, I think that was my favorite Christmas.”