Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. No copyright infringement is intended to CBS, TNN, Trilogy, The Mirisch Corp, or anyone holding the copyrights. No money will be made from this work.
Author's Notes: Written in response to a challenge issued to include the following: Yule Log, Tree, Spiked Eggnog, Bell, and Snowman. For my pard Cin who desperately needed a laugh this year.
Christmas Eve
The small town of Four Corners prepared for the coming holidays. Under Josiah's helpful gaze, every person in the small town did their own small part to get ready for the holiday season. The town honored each person's beliefs in the Feed store where the town planned a large holiday party. The Menorah flickered proudly in the window, while the accruements of various faiths hung or sat in various places around the Grain Exchange. The owner offered to host the holiday party inside, making room for everyone to have space, spread out, dance a bit, and if it spilled out into the street, so much the better.
Having participated in the celebrations and traditions of all the other faiths, this Christmas Eve the townspeople prepared to bring in the Yule Log. Yesterday, Vin and Josiah went riding to find a suitable tree. They finally found a tall tree that would serve as the enormous log almost a day's ride away. Between them, they dragged the branchless tree behind their horses, fashioning a rough rope pulley, and stopped on the outskirts of town.
Today, all seven peacekeepers, dressed in their finery, walked to the edge of town and hefted the massive log. They took the front half, while the rest of the men in town that chose to participate carried the back end of it. With great ceremony, muted cursing in the presence of ladies, a few punches when said ladies were not looking, and a fair amount of wrangling, the Yule log was placed on the large fire pit dug outside, well away from any of the buildings so that nothing could catch fire.
With great ceremony, Mary Travis brought forward the piece of the previous year's log, and Casey carried the cinders, sprinkling them beneath the current log. The rest of the women brought the holly, placing it underneath the log as well to help light it.
Judge Travis, after following the custom of sprinkling oil, salt, and mulled wine on the trunk, turned over the long matches to Nettie Wells, unanimously picked to have the honor of lighting the log. With everyone surrounding her, she lit the log in several places, continuing until it burned merrily. A cheer went up, and the people moved inside.
Under Josiah's direction, the children of the town took their places behind a cloth-covered table. Arranged in a straight line by height, white gloves covering their hands, the children waited. In front of them, a collection of bells of various sizes and sounds waited for the small hands to make music. At his signal, they began playing O Holy Night, then O Come All Ye Faithful, followed by The First Noel, and ending with It Came Upon A Midnight Clear. Josiah turned to the assembled adults, asking for their participation. With a slow introduction, a mournful bell filled the air with the opening notes of Silent Night.
The voices filled the room with their cadence, actually sounding harmonious. Those who did not sing maintained a respectful silence, allowing the others to enjoy their moments as they themselves did. When the last note ended, everyone broke into applause. A short break ensued, followed by a passing out of the eggnog.
Mrs. Potter carefully doled out the liquid, making sure the children only received theirs from one large bowl, while the adults who chose to imbibe received some spiked eggnog. The food filled the bellies, while the eggnog warmed the insides, and the company soothed the soul. Throughout the night, townspeople would toss a piece of holly on the merrily burning Yule Log to burn away the year's troubles, as was the old tradition. The fragrant air brought a welcome change to the dusty town.
Around midnight, everyone gathered around the Yule Log, holding hands and singing Jingle Bells, along with a repeat of Silent Night. The parents took their children home, and the peacekeepers helped those who could not keep their feet under them or had trouble walking from the delicious eggnog to their beds.
The Seven did not seem to want to turn in on the crisp, cold Christmas Eve into Christmas. They made sure the Yule Log continued to burn, and quietly talked amongst themselves inside the Grain Exchange, helping to clean up from the party. It took an hour or so to do that, and when they went back outside to check the town again, a white blanket of thickly falling snow coated everything in sight.
Laughing, they walked around the town, making sure all the windows and doors were locked that needed to be, and then gathered outside the saloon. Sitting there, Ezra went inside and brought out a bottle of his private stock brandy, passing it around to the others.
JD, having always enjoyed a white Christmas, ran out into the snow and fell on his back, making snow angels. Buck laughed, falling down right beside him.
Seeing an opportunity, Vin and Chris both reached over to the hitching post, gathered a handful of snow, made it circular, and planted it in the faces of their friends.
"Larabee, you're dead!" Buck rolled over, brushing snow from his face, and he proceeded to hit Larabee right between the eyes with a hastily made and thrown snowball.
"You didn't want to do that, Buck," Chris called back, wiping white off his black clothing.
"Yeah, he did, cowboy." Vin tackled Chris, taking him into the street and smearing him face first in to the chilly snow. "Like I wanted ta do that."
"Bravo, Mr. Tanner!" Ezra saluted with the raised brandy bottle.
"Ezra," Josiah said.
Green eyes flicked over to the Preacher standing behind him. "Yes, Mr. Sanchez?"
"Your turn." Sanchez grabbed him in a bear hug from behind, carrying him over to a thick drift and dumping the dapper southerner in on his head. Two feet kicked out of the drift, causing Nathan to laugh uproariously. JD, filled with mischief, slipped down an alley, came up on the boardwalk behind Nathan, and tackled him into the muck. The healer's squawk of protest disappeared as he wiggled his way free and went after JD.
With all of them warring, a snowball fight quickly ensued throughout the entire town. All Seven used the skills they learned in gunfighting and battle to ambush, tackle, and otherwise make their fellow peacekeepers wet, cold, miserable, and covered in snow. An hour passed before they finally grew exhausted, regrouping in front of the saloon once again.
This time, Ezra raided for a couple bottles of whiskey, passing them around so the fiery liquid could melt the mostly frozen blood now running through the veins of the Seven. While they enjoyed their liquid refreshment, JD reached over and whispered in Buck's ear. The scoundrel laughed, standing up and brushing the snow off his already sodden trousers. They disappeared, leaving the others wondering.
Almost fifteen minutes later, they could hear the pair arguing behind the livery. Walking slowly over there, they rounded the corner and stopped.
Vin yelled.
Josiah held his stomach.
Ezra's gold tooth winked in the whiteness.
Nathan covered his mouth with his hand.
Chris contemplated murder.
Buck and JD, caught in the act, stopped. The Easterner rested his hands on his belt and waited for the explosion.
Buck walked over to Chris, patting him on the back. "Yup, JD, we got the expression just right."
"What is that, Buck?"
"It's called a snowman, Chris," Josiah helpfully pointed out.
Wilmington grinned. "It's you, Stud. Now there's two of you to play with."
It was, indeed, a snowman. A snowman made of three balls, each one a little smaller than the one below it. What made it different was the black shirt, black duster, and black hat. Along with a black and silver conch belt, the old one Chris never got around to throwing out in case his current one broke for some reason. The eyes were two pieces of black coal, little dots of green paint on top. The nose was a cut-off carrot, and the mouth, oh, the mouth. The mouth was a classic representation of the Larabee smirk.
"You're dead, Buck."
"Pard, you've been saying that for years."
This time, though, Chris appeared to mean it. The chase was on, over the drifts and through the woods, almost to Nettie's house they go. No horses led the way, no carrying a sleigh, through the white and drifting snow. OH!
The rest of the Seven laughed until their sides hurt as the yelling and threats continued, carried through the crisp winter air. It would be a Christmas Eve into Christmas none of them would easily forget.