The Missing Ornament Mystery

Written by Tom Fowler, Published on 12/17/2008

Christmas Eve in the home of Leonard and Marie Hadley was the highlight of the year for the Hadley grandchildren. Leonard and Marie hosted the family Christmas Eve get together for many years. It pleased them greatly to continue on the tradition with grandchildren now in attendance. Marie always felt that children brought a unique meaning and magic to the Christmas season and she shared their enthusiasm for this very special night.

Perhaps what everyone in the family loved so much about Christmas Eve at Grandmom Marie’s house were her simple decorations. A couple of stockings hung by the fireplace, a few candles arranged on the dining room chest and a small Christmas tree set up on a formal living room desk table included all of Marie’s decorations. It was enough. Good food and family fellowship supplied the largest part of the mood and atmosphere.

On Marie’s small tree was a glassine ornament. This ornament was well over 100 years old and was in the shape of a small house. Marie was a doting, lenient grandmother but she had one hard and fast rule: Look, but do not touch, Granddad Hadley’s antique ornament. Marie placed the glassine figure near the top of the tree so the younger children would not be tempted to touch it.

But, children will be children …

Grandmom Hadley had, in recent years, decided that the family would eat out on Christmas Eve. It was a big family, as it consisted of the three Hadley sons, their wives and seven grandchildren. This Christmas, after meeting at the grandparent’s house, the family left to dine at a nice restaurant downtown, in a room which was reserved early in the summer. Marie took a quick admiring glance at the glassine figure as she walked out the door to go downtown.

After returning home, the adults settled in to seats on the sofa or chairs and the unwrapping of gifts began. For the children, this was the most important time of the celebrating, surpassed only by Santa’s visit early the next morning.

This year, it was Mike’s turn to pass out the Christmas gifts, which were placed in a huge pile underneath the table holding the small Christmas tree. A huge pile it was, as there were gifts for Leonard and Marie, plus all the gifts for the three sets of families.

Mike was 9 years old, of average height and slightly chubby. He passed out the gifts one by one and felt very grown up as he did so. Marie thought to herself that Mike looked very childlike at this moment, on his knees underneath the tree and distributing the gifts as quickly as possible. Mike would stay in this position until all gifts were unwrapped.

His brother, Lennie, was the first to receive a gift. Lennie was five years older, slender and almost six feet tall. He took the gift from his brother with his long, outstretched arm and mumbled, “Thanks.”

Cousin Crosby was the oldest of the group by several years. At age 19, he was also the most mature, and his cousins and little brother, Tommy, considered him a near adult. Crosby sat in a chair several feet from the tree and let Mike bring his first gift to him, (which he accomplished by sliding over the carpet on his knees). Crosby would stay in his chair during the unwrapping of gifts, as the living room quickly filled with wrapping paper and excitement.

Next, 9-year-old Sandy and Jackie received a few gifts. Sandy took them from Mike and passed Jackie’s to her. Jackie did not feel well and sat by her mother, Mike’s Aunt Pat, and infant brother, George, the entire night. Granddad Hadley felt it a shame that an 8-year-old girl should have to feel poorly on Christmas Eve.

Next was Tommy Hadley, Crosby’s 10-year-old brother. Tommy had waited long enough and grabbed his first gift from Mike’s hand. He quickly realized his mistake and mumbled apologies. Mike scarcely heard them because the room was now filled with noise, activity and excitement. The remaining gifts were dispersed quickly and soon the grandparents, aunts and uncles were opening their gifts as enthusiastically as the children were. Lennie joined his brother on the floor, both of them near the table on their knees unwrapping gifts at a lightning pace. Lennie and Mike’s mother, Edith, worried that her sons would wear the knees out of their pants.

Tommy seemed glued to the floor, opening and intensely studying his gifts.

Sandy stayed with Jackie and they opened their gifts together. Soothing her little brother, George, seemed to perk Jackie up.

It took barely 15 minutes for the family to open all of the packages. The living room floor was piled high with wrapping paper and ribbon. After the room quieted and everyone had sat down to examine their gifts, Marie looked up at the tree and noticed the glassine ornament missing. She said, simply and to all, “The glass house is missing.”

All eyes turned toward the small Christmas tree. Nobody said anything. Granddad chimed in, “Perhaps it fell.” After a careful inspection of the cluttered floor, the whereabouts of the missing glass house became a serious issue.

Sharp-eyed Marie did not see the act, one of the few things she had missed on this Christmas Eve. Still, she had a pretty good idea of who took it. It was one of the grandchildren, as none of the adults had been near the tree since returning home from the restaurant. She decided to play a bluff. Looking at the one whom she considered to be guilty, she asked, “Why did you take it?”

Her guess was right. The guilty grandchild said, very quietly, “I just wanted to take it home and study it. You never let us take it off the tree. I was going to give it back.”

The room remained quiet for a long Christmas moment. The grandchild finally asked, “How did you know I took it?”