A Citadel Christmas #3

The late evening brought 3 more guests to Citadel Heath, the Treleavens. Zach, within 10 minutes of arriving, had lost one of the important video pieces that was in his hand when he came in the door.

So a search began, upstairs, downstairs, through the garbages, under toys, over counters, parents wondering why there isn't a way to attach some kind of locator to toys that can be lost.

The lost toy was located where? Down in the cracks between the cushions of the couch, the first place anyone would look if they were searching for money.

Gabe wore a new red Santa fur-trimmed hat for much of the evening. A Santa hat he said, one that he had just got that day. Nobody could enjoy the social events of the season more than he. The Treleaven families got together for Chinese food at Shirley and Ron's on the 24th, a long standing tradition for them.

Art and Marcia cooked a turkey on Christmas day and Marcia's sisters joined them for festivities. When Gabe heard that Alex and Duncan would be at Doral's & Anita's, he wanted to join that party as well. Go, Gabe, go.

Audra was present at the party, quietly present, making her way through each room, her little cast showing just above her fingers. She is invisible -- going upstairs, and downstairs, barely at knee level for most of us. She sat on her mother's lap for a while, since she has now forgiven her for leaving for a week.

Marcia was wearing a beautiful red sweater which I tried to scam off of her, or at least have my name go on the top of the list of people she is going to give it to when she is tired of it.

"You can borrow it, but there is no chance that I will be giving it away. I have had it for 20 years. Wyona knit it. Yes, it is beautiful and it is not leaving my possession."

I wonder why Audra wouldn't go directly to Marcia when she returned home. An hour, it took her, Marcia said. I wonder if it wasn't because she was in shock after losing her beloved primary caregiver, and now having found her again -- paralyzed with happiness, I think.

Soon it was late. The evening had come again. The sky had darkened. Some were packing up to leave for home.

A a new family treasure had been pulled from behind the Christmas tree and placed by the hearth -- to go above it.

Something Doral has beening eyeing for a while now. A large screened TV. The Johnson's last TV was $800 and lasted 10 years -- about $70 per year or $7 a month.

They are hoping to get the same wear from the new model.

Arta