Travis bends to kiss Glory’s cheek and squeezes her hand. “Best Christmas present ever,” he says, kissing her tiny hand over and over. “Are you ready to see your presents?” They look at Glory, who stretches her arms over her head, and laugh. “The excitement is overwhelming her,” Travis says as he taps the baby’s nose. “I can call my parents and tell them we’re up.”
Lauren nods. “I’ll get some coffee on.”
Travis returns to their bedroom for his cell phone as Lauren walks downstairs with Glory. “Travis! Hurry!”
He bounds down the stairs to the kitchen, where he sees Lauren standing by a round, black walnut table wrapped in an enormous red bow. Lauren reaches for the card and reads it aloud. “For Christmas breakfast and all other meals that will follow. Merry Christmas, Larry and Meredith and John and Joan.”
Christmas 1972
Joan opens her eyes and looks at the clock on her nightstand: 7:30 A.M. “Oh my gosh!” she says, realizing that John is not in bed and that Gigi has probably been awake for two hours, waiting to open presents. She wraps her robe around her and races through the hallway, saying, “I’m so sorry I slept so late!” She stops inside the living room, seeing John, her mom and dad, Gigi, and Christopher standing like guards in front of the Christmas tree.
“Merry Christmas!” Gigi yells as they all break rank, revealing the table that John has been working on for the last several months.
Her eyes fill at the sight of it. “I thought you were behind on the work,” she says, looking at John as she reaches out to touch it.
“Ed helped me. I wouldn’t have been able to finish it without him.”
Joan bends over, examining the table. “It’s just beautiful, John.”
“A lot of family meals will be eaten around this table,” Alice says.
“It’s my best present ever,” Joan says, kissing John. “Thank you.”
“Look, Mommy!” Gigi says, pulling open the drawer underneath. “My favorite part!”
“Oh, this is wonderful!” Joan says. “What could we put inside here?”
“Candy,” Gigi says with great Christmas cheer. “Can we open our presents now?”
* * *
As they sit down to breakfast around the new table that morning, Joan wonders if she will always remember the laughter and warmth and heart of this day. She wonders if she’ll remember the look in John’s eyes as he reaches for her hand to squeeze it during grace or if she’ll recollect her mom and dad’s voices or the squeals of delight from Gigi and Christopher as they marvel in the wonder of the day. She wonders if she’ll recount her gratefulness or feel more love for her family than she does on this day, and the answer is yes, she will. She most definitely will.