Revision [28273]
This is an old revision of Christmas1869 made by CourtPetri on 2013-02-16 11:27:38.
Related Events: Christmas1868 Christmas1870
Per the standing custom, Cole has gifts for all the orphans. This year, however, instead of having individual gifts for everyone, he has several group gifts. The first gift is the sheet music to the "can-can" - a very popular song in the local concert saloons. He says the girls who want to can learn to play it and that those who want to dance to it can dance to it. The second gift doesn't look like much at first - being a slightly warped board about a foot wide with a pair of holes in it and some rope. Cole explains that it's a swing and that he has gotten Ms. Lizzy's permission to attach it to one of the taller trees in the yard. He asks if King Callahan will do the honors and climb the tree to attach it. "My final gift," he says with great drama, "was inspired by our newest sister, Ella. But you will all have to wait until New Year's Eve it get it!" It takes very little prodding from the other kids for Cole to continue. He says that he has made friends with a boy a few years old, by the name of "Dutch." Dutch is a cabin boy on the steamboat, "Viking Princess" which is currently docked in New Orleans and will be for about a week longer. Cole has made a deal with Dutch for Dutch to sneak the kids on the steamboat and give them a guided tour. The tour has to be on New Year's Eve because most of the passengers and crew will be ashore celebrating and that's the best time for sneaking them on.
<#ann: Celeste thinks the can-can is a little risque, but that makes it all the more exciting. She looks forward to the trip on the boat. She has presents for the individuals: Jefferson: napkins with his initials embroidered on Cal: the fabric part of a pair of suspenders with crowns embroidered on them (the metal suspenders bits can be reused from his previous pair) Shawn: suspender fabric with chess pieces embroidered Erin: a hair ribbon embroidered with happy designs Valerie: a hair ribbon embroidered with vines that look like the ones in the cemetery. Celeste says she'd have put on skulls, but she didn't think the Blacks would let Val wear it if she did. Minnie: a hair ribbon with flowers embroidered on it Deco: a fabric case to hold his brushes in Cole: suspenders with military insignia embroidered on it Jeanne: a green hair ribbon with very subtle frogs embroidered in another shade of green, plus two extra ribbons to put on her stilts. Ollie: suspenders with animals on them Ella: a hair ribbon with musical notes embroidered on it
All the presents have been made with scraps of fabric, but some of them are quite fancy fabrics. Since they're all narrow things, it doesn't take too much fabric. (Cole, can I get your help in tracking down bits of special fabric? Maybe when guests tear their clothes, or scraps at the back of the tailors or something? I'll go with you to collect them, it'll be fun.)#>
<#bill: Cole would be excited about the task (kind of a be on the look out all the time thing as well as going on specific trips with you to look for stuff). He takes her to some local seamstresses and tailors etc looking for scraps. They also look through rich people trash for discarded old clothing that can be cut up. #>
<#kate: Ella is completely taken by surprise by these gift givings. It doesn't seem like she's practiced this custom before and sheepishly accepts the gift from Celeste and offers to teach anyone the dance for the can-can as soon as appropriate. She also looks forward to the boat tour. She does something "soonish" for Cole and Celeste (probably something of a surprise) but I haven't figured out what that is yet.... #>
<#court: Jeanne loves the ribbon and often wears it in her hair after this, or around her wrist. She ties the other two ribbons to her stilts right away. She is excited about playing music to the can-can, since it has a lively beat, and is very excited about the steamboat tour. She also gives out gifts (TBD here...) She notices that Ella looks a little bit awkward, and goes up to her in a quiet moment. "Don't worry," she says. "I don't think any of us gave gifts our first year. Certainly Ollie and I did not know about it." She gives Ella a reassuring pat, and then adds, "But not everyone gives things, and that is okay, too. It is just fun for us." #>
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