Chapter Nine Synopsis of Discussion

Week of September 2, 2007

Chapter 9 – Now Christmas Comes


This week's chapter was about Christmas, but also about Miss Hickory growing as she came to some realizations about herself. Of course there is the miracle in the barn, but she comes to realize that perhaps she could have witnessed more if she'd just listened to Squirrel in the first place.
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What I like best about this chapter is that she is slowly coming to realize that she is hard-headed and too quick to judge. Her personality is maturing. In contrast to Hitty: Her First Hundred Years, we were presented with Hitty and her personality right from the start.
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Squirrel tells Miss Hickory about the Christmas Eve celebration at the barn at midnight and wants her to attend. Every Christmas Eve something wonderful happens. Only the animals and winged creatures see it. All animals, “large and small, wild and tame, of the earth or with God” go to the barn to watch for it, and no one is afraid of those larger than himself. The wonder on Christmas Eve is that in one of the barn mangers a small hollow in the shape of a baby’s head and body will appear in the freshly laid straw and oats. Miss Hickory tells Squirrel that she has had enough of his fancy talk. She has outgrown bedtime stories and that it’s nonsense.

However, Miss Hickory is awakened from her sleep on Christmas Eve by the chiming and tinkling of the frosted twigs and icicles. It is as if some superior force is beckoning her to become part of the Christmas Eve celebration even though she told Squirrel it was all nonsense. She climbed up-boughs to see what was going on and realized that something extraordinary was taking place. Gives me chills (in a good way).

Miss Hickory was mesmerized by the procession of animals marching towards the barn. The procession was led by a white crow. I didn’t realize there were white crows – guess I will have to check that out. Did anyone catch the fact that Doe was with Fawn again? Miss Hickory was so engrossed in watching, she never heard Squirrel come up-boughs behind her. He encouraged her to hurry or she would be late for the event. As he scurried off, Miss Hickory noticed another older squirrel with him, who turned out to be his mother.

Miss Hickory haughtily states that there is no need for haste but she scrambles down the tree, being alarmed at being alone on so splendid a night. When she reached the ground, she joined the procession, walking next to a Monkey who raised his hand to the sky to “where a great blazing star in the East now outshone the moon.”

Miss Hickory realized she had waited too long. She managed to get just inside the barn door but could go no further. No one made a way for her. They all seemed to share a secret that she had been too stiff-minded to believe. She waited. At midnight the Christmas star entered the barn, shone straight down through the roof and made a line of gold that rested above Wild-Heifer’s stall. With a rushing of wings outside, the creatures, every one, kneeled down on the barn floor and bowed their heads. Miss Hickory asked what was going on. Squirrel said, “I told you, Wild-Heifer’s manger holds --”. Miss Hickory couldn’t hear the rest of what he said, but all the creatures, except Miss Hickory, had all seen the golden imprint in Wild-Heifer’s manger. The light faded from the Christmas star and the procession of strange creatures formed and started back toward Temple Mountain. Christmas morning had arrived.

Miss Hickory came to the realization that if she hadn’t seen what she did, she would say she dreamed it. She realized she should have paid more heed to Squirrel; and if she had, she might have seen inside the manger in the barn, but she was hardheaded. She felt sad and confused.

I liked this chapter. I thought it was very heartwarming and special. I was happy that Squirrel wanted so much for Miss Hickory to attend the celebration. I was sorry that Miss Hickory missed seeing inside the manger. But I wonder-- the event was for animals and winged creatures. Miss Hickory is a twig. Would she have been able to see “the wonder” in the manger? I hope so.


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