“I officially call this meeting of the Bob-Whites to order,” Co-President Trixie Belden said from the head of the table where she was standing.

“Do we really need to follow procedures?” Mart Belden asked his almost twin. “We’re in our twenties for goodness sake.”

“All of the Bob-Whites are here and we need to follow protocol,” Trixie insisted.

“Can we please just get on with it?” Brian Belden asked from his reclined position on the couch that was lining one side of the small building. “It’s been a long day getting everything ready for the Thanksgiving open house.”

It was true. The Belden family had been up way before dawn making the final preparations for the annual Crabapple Farm open house where friends and neighbors throughout Sleepyside would come by for some good food and conversation at the quaint little farm house on Glen Road.

Once the sun was up, the rest of the Bob-Whites - Jim Frayne, Honey Wheeler, Di Lynch and Dan Mangan, had arrived and were also put to work to get things ready. The four boys spent most of the day outside directing traffic for the guests to park their cars while the three girls bustled from room to room making sure there was plenty of food for everyone and keeping the dishes fully stocked. It was a tiring day, but they all enjoyed helping out.

When the last of the guests had departed, they worked as a team packing up the remaining food, cleaning dishes and returning the house to it normal set-up for the family of six.

None of them had wanted to go to the gatehouse for a meeting, but they knew it was tradition. They needed to get ready for the holiday festivities to come in the following weeks. It was also the only time they were all guaranteed to be in the same place at the same time.

They were all in different colleges, spreading them out across the country. They did keep up with one another through texts and e-mails. However it was not like being in the same place at the same time. They were a strong group of friends that cherished the time they spent with one another when they were together.

“For the first order of business, we need to review the minutes of or last meeting,” Jim said as Trixie sat down beside him.

“At our last meeting we reviewed the minutes from the previous meeting, were given a financial update, tried to come up with ideas for a service project while we are home for the holidays this year and scheduled this meeting,” Mart said. “And that’s it.”

“Really?” Trixie asked. “I thought there was more to it.”

“We never got far with a project because we were all talking about travel plans back and forth to school when classes ended for the semester and then resume,” Honey said.

“I remember now,” Di said. “We were trying to figure out when before we even got an idea as to what we would be doing.”

“I guess the topic of a service project will have to be tabled again,” Trixie said with a sad sigh. “We’re going into the holidays and we all know that trying to get something done is going to be challenging.”

“Maybe we could do something individually near our campuses when we return to school,” Honey suggested. “I’m sure there are groups or organizations that would love to have another body to assist them with something.”

“That sounds like a good idea,” Trixie said. She glanced at the others. “Does anyone object to Honey’s proposal?”

“Does the project have to involve a lot of time?” Brian asked quickly before they voted. “I’ll find something as long as it doesn’t interfere with my internship.”

“I think it would be all right to help out in any way you can,” Honey said. “We all care about others and even if it is just for an hour one day, that can work.”

“Definitely,” Jim said. “We all have a lot on our plates this semester, but even a little act of kindness can go a long way.”

“Any other questions?” Trixie asked, looking at her friends once again. There was silence. “All right. Let’s put this to a vote. All those in favor of taking on a volunteer task upon returning to the school, please say aye.”

“Aye,” chorused the seven individuals in the gatehouse.

“Approved,” Trixie said. “Now onto the annual official business we conduct at this meeting every year.”

“Gift exchange,” Mart said gleefully, as he bounced in his seat.

“Who gave him sugar?” Di asked, looking at him as if he was nuts.

“He must have snuck in during a lull to get some sweets while parking the cars,” Trixie said.

“I honestly admit I’ve only had two of Mom’s triple chocolate chip cookies,” Mart said.

“That’ll do it,” Brian said with a grin, looking at his younger brother.

They all laughed knowing how sweet those cookies were, just melting in your mouth.

“And if you all would have looked closely, you would see that I managed to bring along an entire tray of cookies so we all could have some sweets tonight,” Mart said, pointing to the foil covered dish in the center of the table.

“Who knew you would actually save some treats for us,” Dan said, reaching forward and removing the foil before grabbing a cookie for himself.

The others followed suit and for a few minutes there was silence inside the gatehouse as they enjoyed the delicacies.

“All right, back to business once again, since Mart distracted us with cookies,” Trixie said. “We all know how this works since we’ve been doing this for years. Each of us will pick a name out of the box and that is the person we will giving our Secret Santa gifts to this year. Remember, cough, Mart, cough, that this is a secret that should only be revealed at our party on December 26^th.”

“Why are you singling me out?” Mart asked, sounding offended.

“Because every year you try to figure out who everybody else has to try to switch names to get the one you want,” Dan said. “And it’s never going to work.”

“You just better hope I don’t get yours, Mangan,” Mart said. “You’ll only get a used piece of gum for that.”

“Yeah, right,” Dan said.

“Let’s pick,” Jim said taking the box and pushing it toward Trixie.

Once she had a slip of paper in her hand, the box went to Honey, Di, Brian, Mart and Dan. Jim slid the last piece of paper into his hand.

“Take a look and make sure you didn’t get your name,” Jim said.

Surprisingly, they all got someone else’s name which was a first for the group.

“If there is no other business, I move that we adjourn this meeting until we gather on December 26^th,” Brian said.

“Any seconds?” Trixie asked.

“I second the motion,” Dan said.

“All those in favor?” Trixie asked.

“Aye,” they chorused for the second time that night.

“Meeting adjourned,” Jim said.

They gathered their winter jackets, knitted hats and scarves and slid them on before heading off for a quiet evening at home with their families. In the back of their minds, each was  thinking about what they could get for their fellow Bob-White whose name was written on the paper.

In a matter of days, the seven of them were back at their respective schools, focusing their attention on final papers, projects and exams. The workload was heavy and they were trying to push extra hard to get the best grades that they could.

In the back of his mind, Brian was struggling to find the perfect gift for Di. He had been lucky to get her instead of one of his siblings, but he was still faced with a difficult task. Brian knew he could question Mart since he was dating Di or Trixie because the two girls were best friends. But deep down he wanted to pick out the gift himself without any help from his siblings.

Needing to take a break from his studies and knowing they needed to get some supplies to make it through the week, he figured he’d make a quick trip to the store. He pulled on his jacket and left his apartment.

Opening the door, he was happy when he saw a young woman in her late 20’s. Her long, curly blond hair was pulled back from her face so the curls cascaded down her back. She was dressed comfortably in a pair of gray sweatpants with the college name running down the right leg and an oversized hoodie. She took a step toward the adjacent apartment and she dropped the bags she had been carrying, the handle still in her grasp.

“Let me help you,” Brian said, moving forward to collect the items rolling across the gray linoleum.

“Thanks, Brian,” the tenant said.

“It’s no problem, Kelsey,” Brian said, scooping up a bottle of wine that he was surprised hadn’t shattered. “Stocking up for finals?”

“I wish,” Kelsey said, pulling items toward her. “I had some free time and needed to finish up one last gift to take home at the end of the week.”

Brian glanced at the items that were there. “Someone sure loves snacks.”

“This is part of a special gift.”

“Really?”

Kelsey nodded.  “My best friend, who is two years older than me, always got a care package from her dad when she was away at school for the holidays. He grew up during the depression and was a country boy who wasn’t really into gift giving. So, when she went off to college, he started sending her care packages with food that he knew she loved. He continued even after she graduated. ” Kelsey looked at the floor where the items were piled up with a look of sadness. “He did the same for me, because the two of us were inseparable.” She let out a breath. “Well, he passed away back in March and I know she’s having a hard time without him this first Christmas. I know she’s going to be sad that she’s not getting his care package. I wanted to do something special for her, so I’m sending her the care package.”

“That’s really sweet of you,” Brian said. “You are a good friend to do something like that. She’s going to greatly appreciate the gesture.”

“I just hope that it brings a smile to her face,” Kelsey said. “I know how much she adores her father and the loss at this time of the year is going to be hard. It’s a time for families.”

“I don’t know her, but just the thought of that gift shows how much she’s loved because you put a lot of thought into it.”

“I hope so,” Kelsey said.

“Do you want some help packing everything up?” Brian volunteered.

“You want to help?” Kelsey asked.

“Sure,” Brian said. “With the two of us we can get this care package all set so you have one less thing to worry about this week.”

Kelsey smiled. “Thanks, Brian. I really appreciate it.”

“It’s not a problem,” Brian said. “That’s what friends are for.”

The two of them quickly got to work once inside the apartment. Kelsey pulled out a box and began organizing the food so nothing would break open or wiggle around giving away what was inside. Once done, Kelsey wrapped the package in white snowflake paper and then placed it into a box a little bigger. The box was sealed and she attached the label.

“Thanks again for helping,” Kelsey said, throwing away the wrappers and setting the roll of remaining wrapping paper against the wall. “And with this done, I know I’m going to have some more free time tomorrow to help the local firefighters wrap packages.”

“The firefighters?” Brian asked.

Kelsey nodded, her curls bouncing on her back. “Every year the local fire company collects toys and gifts for the children of the community. They had the event back in November. Tomorrow the volunteers get together and help wrap the gifts that have been donated. They have a list of the families in the area that could use some help. The gifts get sorted out by the needs of the family for the children in each household. Then they’re wrapped and labeled. I’ve been helping them the last couple of years.”

“Do you think they could use some more help?” Brian asked.

“They always welcome the help,” Kelsey said. “Are you interested?”

“Definitely,” Brian said. “You’ve heard me talk about the Bob-Whites and how we’ve always worked on a community project of some sort. This year we just haven’t had the time with all of our schedules being so different. We decided for each of us to find some way to help and this sounds like something we would’ve done as a group.”

“They start wrapping around 11 if that works for you,” Kelsey said.

“I think I can manage that,” Brian said.  “I’m going to get out of your hair, since I know you have as many finals as I do.”

“Thanks for helping tonight.”

“That’s what friends do.” Brian smiled.

He left the apartment, pulling the door closed behind him. As Brian headed down the stairs to go get some dinner, an idea popped into his head for his Secret Santa gift. 

The semester came to an end with a big sigh of relief. Brian had gotten high marks in all of his courses. He noticed he seemed more relaxed as he sat for his exams and thought back to what had allowed him to feel that way.

The time he spent with Kelsey at the fire hall wrapping presents had been fun. There were so many people there, laughing and having a good time, all with the knowledge that they were helping those who were less fortunate. Local businesses had supplied them with wrapping paper and bows while at the same time leaving food for the contingent of workers to get everything completed in time for the big day. It had been a great day allowing him to forget about the tough exams that loomed.

He was glad he was a part of that and knew that this would be something he would continue being a part of for years to come, no matter where he lived. There were always people who needed assistance, especially during the holidays.

Brian packed up the items that he would be taking back to Sleepyside. He would be there through the first of the year, before returning for his part time job. There would still be a few weeks before classes resumed, but he wanted to take advantage of the extra hours and earn some cash while he could.

He sorted through his closet for warm clothes knowing the forecasters were predicting a white Christmas for all of New York and with that came outdoor fun and games with his family and friends. He didn’t want to miss out because he forgot to bring the right attire.

Looking about his room, he saw the gift for his secret Santa sitting on his desk. There were multiple pieces to the gift and he wanted to wait until he got home to wrap them to make sure nothing happened to them during transport. He knew there would be snoopers at home trying to determine whose name he had picked, but he figured if he played it right, no one would be able to unravel the secret before the event.

Figuring there might be some relaxation when he returned to Crabapple Farm, Brian found that he was sadly mistaken when he walked through the door. His three younger siblings were already home and the noise level was at an all-time high with three different holiday shows playing in three different rooms of the house. Each of them had their favorite and it seemed none of them were willing to compromise.

While he was surprised at how loud it was in farmhouse, he realized how much he still missed it after several years away at college. The apartment was really quiet with he and his roommate both devoted to their studies. At most, there was a television on, but it was not too distracting, just background noise.

Brian stowed his bag in his room to unpack later and went to help the others, who seemed to be making a variety of cookie batter. He rolled up his sleeves and pitched in where he was needed to hopefully get the baking done before his parents returned home and his mother wanted to make dinner.

Through the final preparations for the holiday, Brian managed to find time without his siblings snooping to put together his Secret Santa gift. He had been a little uncomfortable going to the store and getting the items, but he was willing to suffer a little embarrassment for the reaction he knew would come when the paper was pulled away.

The anticipation was building as the Bob-Whites and their families went through the traditional holiday events starting with the Christmas Eve candlelight service. They always managed to be seated together, even arranging it so that the couples could sit with one another, but still be with their families. Then Christmas Day was spent with their respective families opening gifts and enjoying time together.

As December 26^th dawned, the snow was coming down heavily, with the weather forecasters predicting several feet of snow before evening fell. They agreed to move their party to the Manor House since none of them wanted to get stuck in the gatehouse if the snowfall prediction was accurate.

Hugs were shared amongst the seven college students as they gathered in the family room. The nine foot blue spruce was decorated with thousands of colored lights, and a silver garland wrapped around the branches. A variety of colored baubles, bells and spheres hung from hooks. They slid their gifts under the branches, positioning them so that the name on the tag could not be seen.

It didn’t take long for them to each grab a mug a hot chocolate and to swipe some cookies before spreading out in the spacious room. The couples sandwiched themselves on the furniture with Dan sharing the couch with Mart and Di.

The television was turned on and they began their holiday movie marathon with “A Season for Miracles”, “One Magic Christmas” and “It’s a Wonderful Life.” They talked about school and what they wanted to do until they had to return to their campuses for the spring semester.

“All right,” Mart said. “I have been ever so patient, but I think the time has come to open those presents sitting under the tree.”

“What does everyone think?” Trixie asked, from her place snuggled beside Jim, her head resting on his chest. “Should we put Mart out of his misery?”

“Why don’t I go throw dinner in the oven and then that should be done by the time we finish opening gifts,” Honey suggested from her comfortable position next to Brian.

“That sounds like a plan,” Jim said, sliding out from Trixie’s hold and reaching for the paper and pen that was on the table. “I’ll get the names ready to see who gives their gift first.”

It didn’t take long for Honey to run to the kitchen and then return. Everyone was sitting up, looking at the bowl of folded papers on the coffee table.

“I move that one of the co-presidents of the Bob-Whites reach into the bowl and pick the name to start our gift giving,” Dan said.

Trixie looked at Jim. “Go ahead. I picked the name last year.”

“Here goes,” Jim said, reaching his hand into the bowl. He pulled the paper out and unfolded it. He looked around at his friends, his gaze finally resting on Di. “You get to go first, Di.”

“Yeah,” Di said excitedly as she clapped her hands. She got to her feet and scurried over to the tree, removing a box wrapped in red paper and a white bow. She moved back to the group, setting the box in front of Honey. “Merry Christmas.”

“Thank you, Di,” Honey said and began the slow and methodical task of opening the package by breaking the tape seal and unfolding the paper, not wanting to tear a single section.

She pulled the paper away and started folding it up, trying to keep from laughing at the sighs from others over how long she was taking. She knew the others would tear into the paper quickly, but she like to drag it out, even if it was to torture them.

Once the box was free of its confines, she cut the tape again and lifted the lid. Nestled inside the box was a soft pink, floral journal set with an “H” monogrammed on the front. There were three notebooks, several pens and a tan case to hold all of them.

“This is beautiful, Di,” Honey said, reaching over and hugging her friend. “Thank you so much.”

“I know how you get worried about keeping your notes organized for a few of the charities you work on with your mom and thought this could be a way to help,” Di said.

“It’s perfectly perfect,” Honey said. “This will definitely come in handy.”

“All right, Honey, you’re next,” Mart said.

She moved over to the tree and pulled out a box that looked like it had been wrapped at a boutique with the Santa hat paper and matching ribbon tied in an enormous bow. She set the box in front of Trixie.

“This is for me?” Trixie asked, her eyes wide at the size of the box.

“Absolutely,” Honey said, sinking down next to Brian and curling into his side.

The wrapping paper was shredded as it was torn from the box. Trixie took the lid off the box and pushed the tissue paper away, revealing a book. Trixie gasped at the book as her hand moved ever so slowly to the cover. With a feather-light touch her fingers traced the letters of the title.

She finally looked up at Honey. “How did you find this?”

Honey grinned. “I have my ways.”

“I can’t accept this,” Trixie said, shaking her head. “I know how much this costs and it had to exceed our budget.”

“It did not exceed the budget,” Honey said. “Trust me. I followed the rules and was able to get this thanks to my great sleuthing skills.”

“Really?” Trixie asked, glancing from the book to her best friend’s face.

“Really,” Honey said.

“Thank you,” Trixie said, reaching over and squeezing her best friend as tight as she could.

“All right, Trix,” Brian said. “You’re up.”

Trixie let go of Honey and moved to the tree, pulling out a small box that was nestled in the branches. She placed it on Dan’s lap.

“Ahh, just what I wanted,” Dan said. “A box.”

“If you don’t want it, I could always return it and get something for someone who would appreciate my effort,” Trixie said as she was pulled onto Jim’s lap, his arms wrapping around her waist tightly.

“I’m only teasing,” Dan said, untying the green bow holding the red paper in place. The small box appeared and he pulled the lid off the top. He looked at the contents, his eyes taking on a confused look before he met Trixie’s gaze. “Trix?”

She smiled in return, a twinkle in her eye. “You know you want it.”

“But, Trixie.”

“What is it?” Mart asked, straining to see what was inside.

Dan lifted up a small card that was inside the box. It didn’t look like anything special.

Jim asked, “What did you get?”

“It’s a gift card that puts Trixie to work for me for one whole day,” Dan said.

“Trix?” Jim asked.

“He never takes a day off, even when he’s home from school, to do something he enjoys because he is always busy taking care of things in the preserve,” Trixie said. “So, my gift to him is that I will take over his duties for one entire day and he can just have a Dan day.”

“I think that might go over the dollar limit we agreed on,” Honey teased.

“Our rules stated it had to be within the dollar limit,” Trixie said. “And the box and the card fall within that range.”

“Thanks, Trixie,” Dan said, setting the card back into the box. “That means a lot.”

“I guess that means we can schedule that guys’ day we’ve wanted to have for a while now,” Mart said.

“Sounds like,” Brian said.

“Okay, Dan, you’re next,” Di said.

“I’m not as creative as the rest of you lot, but this should be okay,” Dan said, grabbing a box wrapped with the characters from “Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer.” “Merry Christmas, Mart.”

“Thanks, man,” Mart said and also tore the paper to shred, revealing a book. “Excellent. I need this.”

“What is it?” Brian asked.

“This is a bottle of my favorite cologne,” Mart said. “I know someone who absolutely adores this on me.” He winked at Di as the color rose on her cheeks.

“You were complaining you were running out,” Dan said. “I figured I’d save all our ears from that.”

“Duly noted,” Mart said, scrambling over to his feet to retrieve the present he had under the tree.

This package was thin, but large as he placed it in front of Jim. “Merry Christmas.”

“Thanks, Mart,” Jim said, letting go of Trixie so that he could open the package.

The paper came off quickly and the couple gasped at the picture frame.

“Where did you get this?” Jim asked, his eyes moving about the image in the frame.

“Like someone said a little while ago, I did some sleuthing,” Mart said with a grin.

“What is it?” Honey asked.

Trixie and Jim together turned the frame around. Nestled behind the glass was a yellowed piece of newspaper that held a picture of a building that they knew so well, but looked better than the last time they saw it.

“This is Ten Acres,” Jim said, shifting the frame against the cushion of the couch so that he could look at it as well.

“Look at the date,” Mart said.

Trixie and Jim leaned in to see that date was from the 1940s.

“Wow,” Jim said. “I can’t believe you found this.”

“It was right there when I was doing some research.  I figured this would be a great thing for you to have since your family lived there,” Mart said.

“This is great,” Jim said looking at Mart. “Thank you.”

“Any time.”

Jim gently slid Trixie off his lap and moved over to the tree grabbing a rectangular box wrapped in candy cane paper. He handed it to Brian.

Brian gave it a little shake and heard pieces moving inside. “This is a puzzle,” Brian guessed.

“You always guess that,” Trixie said.

“And one day it will be true,” Brian said, tearing the paper away. He crumpled it up and threw it on the floor before flipping the box over.

As he lifted the lid, he saw the leather of a messenger bag settled inside. His hands ran over the material. “Jim?”

“I was within the budget before you protest,” Jim said. “Besides, we’ve seen the bag you’ve been carrying around and we all can agree this will keep you from losing your assignments.”

“I appreciate the thought.”

“You’re welcome,” Jim said as Trixie slid back onto his lap.

“And since Brian is last, we all know who he picked,” Honey said.

“It’s so difficult to figure out,” Brian said as he retrieved the gift for Di, wrapped in white paper with a purple bow, and handed it to her. “I hope you like it.”

“I know I will,” Di said and quickly removed the paper and found a plain white box inside.

Brian watched as Di removed the lid and then pushed the white tissue paper with snowflakes away. Her hands froze as she stared at the contents, before lifting her head to look at him, tears filling her eyes.

“What’s wrong?” Mart asked seeing her face and casting a murderous glare at his older brother for causing his girlfriend to cry at Christmas.

“Nothing’s wrong,” Di said, her voice shaking as her hand trembled, reaching into the box. “It’s just perfect.”

“What did you get?” Honey asked.

Di took the box and set in on the coffee table so everyone could see what was inside. There were a plethora of small items that all seemed to go with Di’s favorite color, from pens to notebooks, from nail polish to a brush and comb set. But what drew all of their attention was the silver picture frame of the seven of them standing in front of their clubhouse, wearing the red jackets Honey had made, laughing.

What made it stand out was that Di was in the middle of the photograph as if she was being sandwiched into a hug by the others. There was a happy twinkle in her eyes.

“Where did you get that picture?” Honey asked, leaning in to get a closer look before looking at her boyfriend.

“I’ve had that picture for a while,” Brian said. “It was actually Bobby who took it when he was fiddling with my camera one day. When I finally got the roll developed, this photo was there.” He looked over at Di. “And when I got your name, I was trying hard to come up with something special. It’s true you love purple and I got you a lot of little things to go with that. But I also know that you feel alone on the West Coast with all of us being closer to the east, so I wanted to make sure you knew that we are with you. We always will be because we are the Bob-Whites of the Glen.”

“This is wonderful,” Di said, getting to her feet and moving over to Brian, wrapping him up in a tight hug. “Thank you so much for giving me a piece of home.”

“You’re welcome.”