Holidays: Part 2 (Page 176) 

I forgot to mention a very crucial plot point yesterday. Cathy asks for bananas and Mother refuses because her father doesn't care for them. Yup. Was there no editor at whatever publishing firm took on this mess? 

It is now Christmas Eve and the children have been "living" at Foxworth Hall for 5 months. They still have not seen the entire house. To be fair, I'm certain that the staff hasn't seen the entire house, either. They are still saying grace before every meal, praying before bed, keeping their thoughts pure and innocent (except, you know, when they knowingly disobey the grandmother by sunbathing nude on some old mattresses and inspecting each other genitals.) Cathy believes that the meals they are provided are growing poorer in quality by the day. She doesn't actually address how they are not as great as before. We get pages of details about gifts and the mothers "filmy negligee" but for something like "how are the meals not good anymore" we get "they grow poorer and poorer by the day." Are they less substantial? Are they getting rotten fruit? Do they have to eat gruel and cold mush? 

It doesn't matter because Cathy is upset about not being able to go Christmas Shopping. But she consoles herself by reminding herself that in the future she'll be rich, rich, rich! And then she'll be able to go into a store and buy anything she wants! (Except, you know what, Cathy? The high end stores will realize that their guests have unlimited money and start making ridiculous things like pre-mudded jeans, and you'll buy them and then the poors like me will laugh at you.) 

Chris and Cathy have been making secret gifts for Momma and the twins. She's also secretly knitting a cap for Chris in the bathroom. Chris decides they need to make the grandmother a gift as well. Where are they getting the supplies for secret gifts? Our narrator describes the gift but doesn't actually say what it is, so I don't really know. Something about linen and a "stretcher frame" and me being uncrafty, I have no idea what they are doing. 

Mother brings them a tree. Okay, so now I'm supposed to believe that she's sneaking in a tree and the staff doesn't notice, yet she can't smuggle out a 4 year old for a trip to the hospital? 

They are given false promises of forgetting the time in the attic once they are in their own house in the future. 

The mother sneaks into the room in the middle of the night to fill stockings and put gifts under the tree. They are given candy, and nuts, and fruit, and gum, and chocolate. Which, IIRC, the grandmother said NO CANDY EVER. 

Carrie wants to know how Santa found them, which is, for once, an age appropriate question. 

Cathy points out that Chris's movements remind her of her father (whom she was clearly in love with, making me question VC Andrew's relationship with her own parents) and cries a bit. Then she looks around some more, and cries because she believes that her mom is trying and cares and loves them. Ah, because gifts = love. She's ashamed for thinking mean thoughts. Chris tells her to get up. Shut up, Chris. 

Santa's note told them to hide the candy from the grandmother. BUT WHAT ABOUT THE WRAPPERS? That's how you get ants! 

Cathy sits on the floor wearing a "stunning new robe of green velvet." They all got new robes. Did any of you get excited about new robes and pajamas when you were ... ever? I mean, I'd be happy for a new robe for Christmas, but excited? And to call a robe "stunning?" 

The grandmother comes in. They finally tell us that the gift is a painting which they created a garden. 3D collage style, from materials found in the attic. I wonder what they destroyed to make silk butterflies. 

Grandmother doesn't take the gift. Shocking. A lot of talk about the grandmother's cold eyes, her stone cold eyes. Grandmother's scornful eyes. 

Cathy is hurt and flings it to the ground, and swears and stomps on it. Chris tries to save it and they decide that they tried and Grandmother doesn't try. 

*** 

It's still christmas. Momma comes up to the room next to the attic, and gives them a dollhouse. Well, she gives Cory and Carrie a dollhouse. And the description - Corrine's dialogue - is marvelous. 

Quote

 

"It is very valuable, too," she gushed. "On the right market, a dollhouse like this would bring a fabulous fortune. Just the miniature porcelain dolls with the moveable joints alone are priceless, their faces all hand-painted. The dolls are made to scale to the house, as is the furniture, the paintings - everything, in fact. The house was handcrafted by an artist who lived in England. Each chair, table, bed, lamp, chandelier -- all are genuine reproductions of antiques. I understand it took the craftsman twelve years to complete this.

"Look at how the little doors open and close, perfectly hung -- which is more than you can say for the house you are living in," she went on. "And all the drawers slide in and out. There's a tiny little key to lock the desk, and look how some of the doors slide into the walls -- pocket doors, they are called. I wish this house had doors like that; I don't know why they went out of fashion. And see the hand-carved moldings near the ceiling, and the wainscoting in the dining room and library - and the teensy books on the shelves. Believe it or not, if you have a microscope, you can read the text!" 

 

I'll let you make your own jokes about 5 year olds and their interest in wainscoting. 

Christopher takes a book and tries to read it, squinting and holding it close. Cathy mentions that there is "a special kind of microscope he hopes to own someday." And how she "hopes to be the one to give it to him." Is it a special microscope so he can see his penis? 

It just keeps going on and on about the stupid dollhouse. I don't care. 

Mother says that it used to belong to her mother (I think that's the grandmother?) It was in a glass display case (which they call a glass box.) Finally, her father smashed the "glass box" and let Corrine play with it, as long as she doesn't break anything. Spoilers: she broke something. She was whipped for breaking a boy doll after she tried to take its clothes off. 

Carrie likes the dollhouse and Cory is interested in it because Carrie is. 

They are given tricycles and roller skates. WTF. 

Oh, and a TV! But no DVD player. How is Comcast going to install their cable service without anyone knowing? Hope they can get a good antenna signal in the attic. Also, imagine all the quality daytime tv they get to watch now! Days of Our Lives, Maury Povich and his paternity testing, Price is Right, Jenny Jones, The People's Court, General Hospital... They are going to learn so much! Oh and maybe Sesame Street, this predates the HBO thing. 

Mother also tells them that her father is having her put back in the will!  Because if there is one thing that 12 year old girls care about, it's contract law! 

And then Mother tells them that there will be a party that night to reintroduce her to society. Ugh. What kind of weird-ass grownup debutante ball will this be? Oh, it's going to be a  "grand affair." Lovely. I'm sure your children look forward to you telling them about it. At least they don't have to perform, ala Sound of Music. 

How the hell did she get the dollhouse upstairs without anyone noticing? Doesn't the staff wonder why she's always hiding in the attic?  I guess she could be putting it into long term storage, but what about the potted tree? Or the TV? TVs used to be a lot heavier.