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They were far enough from the other residents of the Ridge so they could relax and speak openly - and Jamie had quite a few questions about just why they had to go traipsing through the snow drifts to cut down a tree to bring inside.
“After all the grief ye gave me about tracking the outdoors inside the new house, ye want to bring a whole da-” he caught himself, “a whole tree inside,” he muttered to Claire.
“It’s for Jem and Mandy,” Claire reminded him, though his bafflement amused her.
“We never did the like when they were here before,” Jamie pointed out.
“Before, Jem had never experienced a twentieth century Christmas - let alone a twentieth centuryAmerican Christmas,” Claire emphasized. “Besides, it’s the only kind of Christmas Mandy knows.”
Mandy and Jem had run ahead and were busy balling up the snow to throw at one another. Claire could hear Roger whistling “Jingle Bells” as he kept an eye on them and tossed a bit of snow at his kids while they were preoccupied with each other. It didn’t take long for Jem and Mandy to gang up on Roger, pelting him with snow until he sank to his knees so they could jump on him.
“And what does it being an American Christmas have to do with anything?” Jamie was thoroughly confused.
“The Americans are rather… enthusiastic about certain aspects of Christmas and how it should be celebrated.” Claire was at a loss for how to explain the extent of Christmas in America as opposed to England in the twentieth century.
“Aye, that may be so, but Roger and Brianna were living at Lallybroch. What experience would they have with an American Christmas?”
“Oh, we went all out,” Brianna chimed in, coming up beside them as they paused to watch Jem slip snow down the front of Roger’s shirt while Mandy squealed to see her father squirm. Brianna shifted the axe into a better position against her shoulder. “We put the tree in the hall and strung popcorn from the banisters, lights on house - though no one lived close enough to see them. We made gingerbread houses and sang Christmas carols…”
“Americans simply don’t know when enough is enough,” Claire said quietly to Jamie as Brianna continued to list the lengths they went to in their celebrations.
“Stockings by the fireplace, and milk and cookies…”
“Stockings? Do ye put ‘em on yer feet when they’re warm?”
Claire and Brianna laughed attracting the attention of Roger and the children. Mandy scampered over, her cheeks bright red with the cold. “Mama, I’m all wet.”
“That’s what you get for rolling in the snow,” Brianna said by way of a gentle scolding.
“Here mo chiusle,” Jamie said bending down to lift her. “Perhaps ye can explain why we need to cut a tree and dress it up.”
Mandy giggled as she hunkered down in his warm arms.
“Will you quit being such a Grinch,” Brianna muttered.
Claire and Mandy laughed. It had been some time since Claire had cause to remember all the Christmas stories and television specials from her time in Boston but she recalled all too clearly how much Brianna had loved them. Obviously, she had passed her affection for them onto her children.
“What - may I ask - is a Grinch?”
“From Dr. Seuss,” Mandy told him.
“Is this a physician friend of yer Grannie’s?”
“No, Grandda. Dr. Seuss wrote about the Grinch. He’s green and he takes the Whos’s trees and presents and food and goes to throw them all away but changes his mind when they sing and he brings everything back.”
Jamie looked to Claire with a raised brow.
“A wee green thief,” Jamie asked, his skeptical gaze turned to Mandy who nodded with solemnity.
“The Whos down in Whoville liked Christmas a lot, But the Grinch who lived just north of Whoville did not,” Brianna recited as best she could remember. “Jem loved that book last year. Must’ve read it to him fifty times.”
Jamie sighed in resignation. “Well, if we’re gon get a tree, why don we hurry up about it.”
“I think Jem has his eye on that one over there,” Claire pointed.
“That wee scraggly thing?” Jamie asked, blinking.
“It does look a bit Charlie Brown,” Claire remarked.
“Charlie who?”
“Never mind,” she insisted. “It’ll look better when Jem and Mandy have fixed it up a bit.”
“Aye, with their baubles and trinkets.”
“And lights,” Mandy said adamantly. “Its gotta have lights too.”
“I don’t know, Mandy,” Claire cautioned. “We don’t have the sorts of lights you did last year.”
“What about candles?”
“No,” Jamie said firmly, leaning in to whisper to Mandy. “Best not let candles near the tree unless ye want it to burn the house down. We usually leave that te yer Grannie and her ether.”
Claire reached over and gave him a light smack on the arm. Mandy laughed as Jamie set her down so he could wrap his arms around Claire, lifting her from the ground.
“Dont. You. Dare,” she warned.
Jamie dropped to the ground bringing Claire down with him and pressing her into a cold snow drift as she squealed.