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| Mr. Edwards was based on Edmund Mason. In the books, Mr. Edwards told Laura he was a "Wildcat from Tennessee." This isn't true since Edmund Mason immigrated from England. Perhaps he made his way to Indian Territory via Tennessee. |
Little House on the Prairie - Chapter 19: "Mr. Edwards Meets Santa Claus"
Let's take a step back in time and join young Laura (she was actually a toddler, and not a little girl, during this time period) and her family on the prairie. Their house was situated on Osage Reservation, fourteen miles from Independence, Kansas.
Chapter 19 starts off bleak, bleak, bleak. It was December and there was no snow on the prairie, only rain and wind. "Every night was so cold that they expected to see snow next morning, but in the morning they saw only sad, wet grass." What a difference from the snowy Christmases the family had in Pepin, Wisconsin! There was no jumping off stumps, face first, to make snow pictures in Kansas.
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| This is a 9 patch quilt Mary sewed (possibly the quilt she sewing in On the Banks of Plum Creek). It is on display in Mansfield, Missouri. |
Laura and Mary occupied themselves by sewing 9 patch quilts and cutting paper dolls out of wrapping paper. (I can just imagine how "entertained" my kids would be on rainy days with quilts and paper dolls. Poor Ma!) The girls were somber, knowing Santa couldn't come without snow. When Laura opened the cabin's door she could hear the roaring creek. Sourpuss Mary was skeptical Santa could even find them in Indian Territory.
On Christmas Eve, Pa came home with a twenty pound turkey and the sad news that Mr. Edwards couldn't cross the rising creek. He would have to stay home, on Christmas, and eat his bachelor cooking.
It didn't seem like Christmas Eve. Pa didn't even have the heart to play the fiddle. Ma made Laura's heart jump by hanging up the girls' stockings - just in case. As Laura drifted to sleep she heard Pa say, "You've only made it worse, Caroline." Ma replied, "No, Charles. There's the white sugar." (Again, I can imagine how "delighted" my kids would be to find baggies of white sugar under the tree.)
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| In pioneer times, Santa traveled with a pack mule, instead of reindeer. |
Laura woke to a Christmas Miracle! Pa was welcoming Mr. Edwards into the cabin. "Great fishhooks, Edwards! Come in, man! What's happened?" Mr. Edwards had fetched the girls' presents from Independence. He spun a long winded yarn about meeting Santa and Santa giving him the presents to deliver to Laura and Mary. When Mr. Edwards finished his tale, Ma said the girls could look in their stockings.
The stockings were chocked with goodness. Laura and Mary each received a shiny tin cup, so they no longer needed to share a cup. They were delighted with peppermint candy sticks, little heart shaped cakes sprinkled with WHITE sugar, AND a shiny penny! "They had never even thought of such a things as having a penny. Think of having a whole penny for your very own. Think of having a cup and a cake and a stick of candy and a penny." Laura was super confused when she noticed the adults were acting like they were going to cry.
As if the stocking gifts weren't enough, magical Mr. Edwards then pulled 9 sweet potatoes from his pockets. He claimed the potatoes balanced him while crossing the raging creek. There were potatoes to eat with the turkey! Pa said, "It's too much, Edwards." Laura and Mary were too excited to eat their breakfast of rabbit stew and cornmeal mush. (I would always be too excited to eat rabbit stew.)
The girls spent the day drinking water from their new cups and licking their peppermint sticks into sharp points. They played with their pennies and looked at the beautiful cakes - too beautiful to eat. Christmas dinner was a feast of roasted turkey, sweet potatoes, salt-rising bread, and stewed, dried blackberries. Laura summed it up beautifully by stating, "That was a happy Christmas."
I love how the girls were filled with joy over such simple presents.
I love that Mr. Edwards risked his life to make sure the Ingalls girls had a proper Christmas.
I love that Pa said "Great Fishhooks" when he opened the door for Mr. Edwards.
I loved how the adults almost cried.
What Would Laura Do:
- Believe in the impossible.
- Be grateful for the bounty.
- Distract herself with projects on cold, rainy days.
- Resist eating beautiful cakes made with white sugar for as long as possible
Join me next time as we discover how Almanzo Wilder, Laura's future husband, celebrated Christmas with his family in New York state.
Prairie Eydie
