Author's Note: The following story is a submission for GWP #16: Happy Holidays IX at the Trixie Belden Homepage. This story features New Year's Eve / Day and includes the following elements: a gift, holiday song, holiday food, holiday decoration, a family tradition, an animal, an unexpected guest, a holiday photograph and a cherished quilt.

Thank you to Mary N. for editing!

The Making of Traditions

Tuesday, December 31, 1996 - New Year's Eve

	Twenty-year-old Honey Wheeler hummed to herself as she brought
another bottle of champagne down from the cabinet, careful not to tear
the New Year's decorations that had been put up all over Manor House. 
Her parents were hosting the neighborhood celebration again this year.
	Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler, following a tradition Mr. and Mrs. Lynch
had started, had given the staff today and tomorrow off.  Unfortunately,
Mrs. Wheeler was not accustomed to the work done the behind the scenes,
so Honey had stepped in, leaving her mother to be the hostess.
	She had just retrieved the last of the champagne glasses when
she heard the familiar voice of Mr. Lytell, starting once again with his
tales about the history of Sleepyside.  Since everyone present had lived
there for many years, she knew it was a repeat telling.
	Her intention had been simply to peek into the room to see who
had been trapped into listening to the tale this time.  She was
unsurprised to see her boyfriend.  Her heart went out to him; poor,
patient Brian had probably endured this story every holiday of his life.
	Squaring her shoulders, Honey walked elegantly across the room. 
"Excuse me.  Brian, could you please help me get the champagne?" 
	"I'd be happy to help you." Brian nodded at the older man. 
"Would you please excuse me, Mr. Lytell?"
	Mr. Lytell might have objected, but Mr. Maypenny came along at
that moment.  "Nice to see young kids helping out us older folk, isn't
it?" he asked.  As Brian discreetly vacated the chair, he sank into it. 
"What about you, Cliff?  Ever think of getting some help?" 
	"Help?  I can handle the store just fine," Mr. Lytell retorted. 
"I know everyone who lives within a five mile radius of this..."
	Honey and Brian left them to talk and returned to the kitchen.
	Brian carefully opened the cabinet, then noticed it was empty.  
He raised an eyebrow.  "You needed help getting the champagne?"
	Honey giggled.  "Yes, getting it from the bottle to the glass."
	Brian looked skeptical.  "I've seen you open plenty of bottles
before," he said.  Then he smiled.  "Thanks for rescuing me."
	"No problem." Honey returned his smile.  "I figure you've heard
the story a million times.  You only lived here for seventeen years."
	"Only," Brian acknowledged.  "Mr. Lytell has been here longer."
	"I wonder how long Mr. Lytell has been here," Honey mused.
	"All his life," Brian replied.  "I don't know his age, but I've
always thought he was about the same age as Jim's late great-uncle."
	Honey, as expected, had no trouble opening the bottle of
champagne.  "I guess he won't be around forever," she mused.
	"Now I'm feeling guilty for leaving him," Brian confessed.  "How
many more times in his life will he get to tell that story?"
	Honey felt guilty, too.  She handed him the bottle.  "Pour," she 
said.  "And when you're done, help me distribute these glasses."
	Brian seemed to understand her actions was as much to alleviate
her own guilt as it was his.  "We're too nice, aren't we?"
	"Too thoughtful."  She was glad he understood.
	"Too considerate of others."  Both tried hard not to let others
walk over them, but still tended to put their own wants on the backburner.
	"Too dependable."  Honey brought out a tray and began moving
glasses onto it.  "We'll pass this out, then go back to him."
	"I'm sure there's a story about Sleepyside that he hasn't told
us," Brian added.  "Maybe a particularly memorable New Year's Eve."
	"Or New Year's Day," Honey added.  The tray held as many glasses
as seemed sensible.  "We'll ring in the new year with him and Mr. Maypenny."
	Brian picked up the tray to carry it out.  "Maybe after that, we
could go for a short walk, just the two of us?" he suggested.
	Honey smiled.  "I'd like that."



	"Hey!  Give that back!  It isn't yours!"
	Eleven-year-old Amanda Lynch darted down the hallway of the
Manor House, clutching a CD in her hand as her thirteen-year-old brother
Terry chased after her.  Their brother Larry and sister Sandra exchanged
bewildered looks, then, as if they suddenly understood, ran after them.
	It was their oldest sister, Diana, who rolled her eyes and
calmly waited for the two sets of twins to make it through the various
unused and mostly dark rooms on the first floor of the Manor House. 
They would come through the front hall again in three, two, one...
	"Stop it!" Diana jumped into the fray, putting one hand on
Amanda's shoulder and the other on Terry's.  Her grip on each prevented
one of them from reaching the other.  As Larry and Sandra stayed safely
in the distance, she asked, "What are you fighting over?"
	Amanda held up the CD.  "It's the software from Mr. Whitney."
	"For the teenage market," Terry insisted.
	"Age is just a number," Amanda retorted.  "And everyone knows
that studies have shown girls mature faster than boys."
	"No matter what studies say, actions speak louder than words,"
Diana pointed out.  "Why can't you take turns installing it?"
	"Because you need the CD in the computer for the software to
run," Larry replied.  "And Mr. Whitney only gave us one test copy."
	Mr. Whitney was a business associate of Mr. Lynch whose
corporation was working on software to appeal to a teenage market. 
Since Mr. Whitney's kids were older, he had asked Mr. Lynch to find some
testers.  The Lynch household apparently had too many willing testers.
	"All right," Diana replied.  "The girls get it on the odd days,
the boys get it on the even days and no one gets it on the 31st."
	Terry seemed wary of the compromise.  "Tomorrow's an odd day,"
he objected.  "Why should they get it first?"
	"Because tomorrow you'll be at Bobby's birthday party," Diana
reminded him.  "You won't be near a computer all day."
	Larry came forward to whisper something only Terry could hear. 
"Okay," Terry agreed.  "You girls can have it on the odd days."
	"Come on," Larry said.  "We need to claim our donuts before the
good ones disappear."  The boys raced off in pursuit of holiday food. 
The Beldens had introduced the Dutch tradition of eating round food on
New Year's Day and the other families had since adopted it.
	"Boys," Sandra said in an exasperated tone.
	Amanda did not seem as carefree.  "They can't eat all of the
good donuts before midnight, can they?" she asked warily.
	"I'm sure the Wheelers have enough good donuts," Diana replied.
	Amanda seemed reassured.  "Sandy, let's put this in Mum's purse
before they change their minds.  They never touch her stuff."
	"Good idea," Sandra agreed.
	The girls skipped away.
	Diana was still shaking her head in amusement at her siblings'
concerns when she sensed she was no longer alone.  "How did I do?"
	Her boyfriend Mart sheepishly stepped out from the shadows. 
"How do you always do that?" he asked incredulously.
	"I have eyes in the back of my head," Diana replied wryly.
	"It certainly seems that way." Mart looped an arm around her
shoulder.  "And you did better than I ever would have."
	Diana offered a smile.  "Don't sell yourself short," she said. 
"I've seen how well you handle Bobby.  Even Trixie remarked on it."
	"There's only one of him," Mart said.  "I wouldn't know how to
handle two of them.  Even if the apple didn't fall far from the tree."
	Diana grinned.  "So if he and Trixie ever ganged up on you, 
you'd be in a lot of trouble?" she teased.
	"Definitely," Mart said cheerily.  "But that wouldn't happen. 
It's more likely to be the three of us against Brian."
	They shared a laugh.  "You're awful," Diana said.  "These days,
it's even more likely to be the four of you against your poor parents. 
Speaking of whom..." She looked at her watch.  "It's almost midnight. 
How long will you be staying at the party?"
	"I won't budge until Brian and Trixie leave.  Since Honey and
Jim are here, I'd guess it'll be like last year," Mart replied.
	"Which was?" Diana prompted.  Her family had spent the previous
Christmas in Arizona with her uncle, aunt and cousin.
	"We were here until about one thirty," Mart said.
	"You didn't have to leave right after midnight?" Diana asked. 
The year before, when she and the other bobwhite girls were freshmen,
the Beldens had made a hasty exit shortly after midnight.  Since her
siblings had been drooping, Diana had accompanied them home.
	"Brian and I talked Moms out of it," Mart admitted.
	Diana nodded.  "I wonder if I could get permission to stay as
late as the rest of you this year," she mused.
	"All things considered, I'd hope so," Mart said lightly.  "But
you won't know unless you ask.  I'll come with you."
	"That's supposed to help?" Diana teased.
	Mart rolled his eyes.  "I'll offer to walk you home afterwards. 
On the other hand, maybe we should get Honey."
	"We'll do both."  The couple laughed as they linked arms and
strolled back to the main room of the party.



	"That's a beautiful quilt!  Did you make it?"
	"I haven't picked up a craft since before the morning sickness 
hit!  It was a gift from Honey.  Phillip already cherishes it."
	Trixie was helping Jim collect the various used glasses as Honey
and Brian passed around glasses of champagne.  She had been on the way
to the other side of the room when she caught the exchange between her
mother and Dan's aunt.  Immediately, she changed course.
	But she had not moved quickly enough.  Her mother, after a few
more words, ended the conversation and came after her.  "Trixie, have
you seen the quilt that Honey made for Phillip?" she asked.  "It's so
clever with horses of different colors and breeds."
	Trixie carried the glasses to the kitchen.  "Yes, I've seen it,
Moms," she replied.  "Honey showed me when she was working on it."
	"Your aunt and I used to make quilts with your grandmother,"
Mrs. Belden reminisced.  "It's a shame we've let that tradition stop. 
Perhaps the next time Aunt Alicia and your grandmother visit, we could
restart the tradition.  Maybe some time over the summer?"
	Trixie stacked the glasses in the dishwasher, hoping her mother 
would not see her cringing at the thought of making a quilt.  She would 
not deny the end product was lovely, but she simply was not crafty.  
"Moms, I've never gotten the hang of sewing."
	"It's never too late to learn," Mrs. Belden admonished lightly.
	It was apparently also never too late for her mother to hope
that she would outgrow her tomboy phase.  "Honestly, Moms, I'd be so
much trouble, I'd ruin it for everyone else," Trixie pleaded.  "But I'm
sure Honey would love to join such a tradition.  She's never had that."
	"I don't suppose she has," Mrs. Belden mused.  "Why don't both
of you come?  Diana, too, and if Hallie visits at the same time..." 
	Trixie knew her mother was hoping for a compromise, but she also
knew if she gave an inch, her mother would take a mile.  Despite the
many advantages that age had brought, she sometimes missed the days when
her mother was happy not to have her grow up too fast.
	Mrs. Belden was still plotting a hypothetical all female weekend
when Jim entered the kitchen.  "Hello, Mrs. Belden," he said.  Trixie
moved so he could load the glasses he carried into the dishwasher,
effectively putting him between her and her mother.
	"Hello again, Jim," Mrs. Belden replied cordially.  "You and
Honey have been so helpful to your parents this evening."
	"We couldn't have done it without Trixie and Brian." Jim closed
the half-full dishwasher.  "It's almost midnight.  "Would you excuse us,
please?  I'd like one more dance with Trixie this year."
	"Of course," Mrs. Belden replied.
	Jim led Trixie to the other room and onto the dance floor.
	"Thank you for rescuing me," Trixie said.  "Although it's only a
matter of time before she tries to make me grow up again."
	"You do realize you're an adult, right?" Jim said lightly.
	"Oh, I do," Trixie replied.  "Or at least most of the time I do. 
But whenever I visit Sleepyside, it's like I'm a kid all over again.  I
have the same chores when Brian and Mart aren't required to do anything. 
Don't get me wrong; they help, but they're not expected to."
	"I'm sorry Brian and I can't be here after tomorrow," Jim said.
	"So am I," Trixie replied.  "But I understand overworked and
underpaid Ph.D. and med school students don't get long breaks."
	Jim chuckled.  "I wish all the bobwhites could return with us."
	"Somehow, I don't think our respective parents would allow it,"
Trixie said dryly.  "And while we've managed long weekend visits, if the
seven of us tried to stay there for several weeks, we'd be taking bets
on whether you or Brian threw us out on the streets first!"
	Jim laughed.  "We wouldn't throw you out," he protested.
	"You're both entirely too honorable to do that," Trixie agreed. 
"But you'd want to and honestly, we wouldn't be able to blame you!"
	They shared a laugh.  "At least we have our Mead's Mountain trip
in a few weeks to look forward to," Jim reminded her.
	Trixie grinned.  "I can't wait."  The bobwhites were scheduled
to return to Mead's Mountain right before spring semester started.  It
would be their first trip since Mr. Wheeler and Mr. Kimball bought the
lodge.  They had even managed to coordinate the visit with Peter Kimball.
	"Me neither.  Cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and skating,"
Jim said dreamily as he twirled her around.  Then he nodded in the
direction of her parents.  "You think you'll be able to survive until
then?"  His voice was light, but held a serious undertone.
	"I'll be fine," Trixie reassured him.  "And Mart will watch out
for me.  Though if you asked him, he'd flat out deny that."
	Jim grinned.  "I wouldn't expect anything less of him."
	Before Trixie could make another facetious remark about Mart, a
whirlwind in the form of Bobby Belden nearly ran over them.  "It's less
than three minutes to midnight!" he exclaimed.  "Come to the t.v."
	"The music hasn't even stopped yet," Trixie protested.
	"Please?" Bobby asked.  "It's almost my birthday."
	Despite that he was nearly as tall as she, he still had a baby
face which endeared her to him.  "You know I'd say yes, didn't you?"
	Bobby grinned.  "I'm the baby, gotta love me!"  He proceeded to
drag both of them toward the large television.



	"3... 2... 1... Happy New Year!"
	Champagne glasses clinked.
	"Happy Birthday Bobby!"  Gales of laughter followed that shout.
	Dan shook his head, amused at his friends and their siblings but
he did not join them as he was holding his almost seven-week-old cousin. 
"Happy New Year, Phillip," he said to the baby, who currently had night
and day mixed up and was awake at this late hour.
	Phillip looked at him, then grabbed at one of the horses on the
quilt wrapped around him.  He ignored the television as it began playing
Auld Lang Syne, but turned his head when he heard his father and mother
sing a line of the song, clearly recognizing their voices.
	Regan came over to the duo.  "Happy New Year, Phillip," he said. 
"And Happy New Year, Dan."
	"Happy New Year, Uncle Bill," Dan said.
	Regan reached for his son.  "We're going to head out," he said. 
"The horses aren't going to care what day it is when morning comes."
	Dan chuckled.  "I'll be quiet when I return.  Good night."
	"Good night."
	As the Regan family took their leave, Dan walked over to Bobby,
Larry and Terry.  "Happy Birthday Bobby," he said.
	Bobby grinned.  "Thanks.  You think now that I'm fourteen, my 
folks will let me stay out as late as the rest of you?"
	Dan rolled his eyes.  "You do realize this is only the second 
year your sister is allowed to stay, right?"
	"Really?" Bobby looked innocent.  "It seems like forever."
	Mr. Belden came over in time to catch his youngest son's last 
words.  "Nice try," he said.  "Wait until you go to college."
	"Aww, man," Larry said.
	"That's like forever!" Terry exclaimed.
	"Staying all night isn't going to help any," Mr. Belden said. 
"Larry and Terry, your parents are looking for you.  And Bobby?"
	"I know," Bobby said.  "I'm coming.  Happy New Year, Dan."
	"Happy New Year, Bobby," Dan said.  "Happy New Year, Mr. Belden."
	"Happy New Year, Dan," Mr. Belden said.  "We'll see you tomorrow."
	Dan continued to make his way around the room to exchange wishes
for the new year.  Those with young children were getting ready to go, 
if they had not already left, but more people seemed to be staying.  
Still, when he caught sight of his friends, they were all paired up.
	A wistful feeling came over him as he thought of his girlfriend, 
many miles away.  She would probably call while he was at Crabapple Farm 
for Bobby's birthday party tomorrow, and he could talk with her briefly 
then.  For now, he wanted a moment alone to reflect.
	Dan slipped out the door and wandered down the familiar path.
	The clubhouse stood there like it had since he had first come to
Sleepyside.  The bobwhites rarely used it anymore; their meetings, fewer
in number, occurred in the apartment Jim and Brian shared upstate.  In
Sleepyside, they generally met over food at the Manor House.
	Still, the clubhouse was a cherished place.  Dan let himself in,
switched on the lights, and headed for the oil heater.  When it grew
warmer, his eyes fell on the holiday photograph of the seven bobwhites
that had been taken exactly one year ago, in the Wheeler's penthouse.
	Much had happened during this calendar year.  Dan had finished
his junior year of college, held a summer internship and begun his
senior year.  Surprisingly, his first interview had netted him a job; in
under five months, he would graduate and start working.
	Dan was not the only one in his family experiencing changes.  In
the spring, his uncle and aunt had announced that they were expecting a
baby, and their son had been born in November.  Dan had made a special
trip just two weekends before Thanksgiving to meet his new cousin.
	The changes rattled him, which made no sense.  There had been
many changes in his life since he was a child, and generally, those had
not been happy changes.  His life was better now than it had ever been. 
Why should positive changes make him feel so conflicted?
	Dan was still debating this when he heard the sound of footsteps
crunching toward the clubhouse.  Immediately, he was on alert; he was
not expecting any guests.  Cautiously, he stepped to the side so he
could see whoever came in through the door before they saw him.
	A moment later, the door was pushed opened cautiously, and a 
wary set of blue eyes peeked inside.  "Dan!"
	Dan chuckled.  "Trixie.  What are you doing here?"
	Trixie stepped into the room, pulling a sheepish Jim behind her.  
"I told Jim I saw mysterious lights on at the clubhouse."
	Jim grinned as he shut the door behind them, closing out the
frigid night air.  "So of course I had to let her investigate."
	Dan laughed.  "Of course."
	Trixie rolled her eyes. "Laugh it up, fuzz ball," she said. "How
was I supposed to know it was you?  Though I noticed you disappeared."
	"I didn't disappear," Dan protested.  "I just went for a walk."
	"Mmm-hmm," Trixie said, unconvinced.  Her expression turned 
serious.  "Is everything all right?  Do you want to be left alone?"
	"Everything's fine and I don't mind the company," Dan replied. 
If the others had been in a group instead of separated by couples, he
would not have gone for a walk.  He did feel better with them here; it
was a reminder that some things would never change.
	"Cool." Trixie wandered aimlessly around the clubhouse.  "Do we 
have any games around here?  Maybe a deck of cards?"
	"I doubt it," Jim said.  "This was our official meeting place."
	"We don't meet here much anymore, do we?" Trixie mused as she
wandered into the back room.  "But our sports equipment and other stuff
are still here," she called.  "The undergraduates among us can make good
use of some of it over the next couple of weeks."
	"Not inside the clubhouse," Dan said wryly.
	Trixie reappeared.  "Of course not," she said.  Then she plopped
down in her regular seat.  "I can't remember the last time we met here."
	"Neither can I," Jim admitted as he joined her.
	Dan also sat down in what used to be his seat.  "It was probably 
before we all moved upstate," he mused.  "Almost three years ago."
	"It's funny how sometimes it seems like forever and other times 
it seems like we never left," Trixie replied.  "Isn't that strange?"
	Before anyone could reply, they all heard footsteps and swiveled 
around to face the door.  "What now?" Dan asked.
	Trixie was already up on her feet.  "You take that side."
	Dan and Trixie were standing on either side of the door when it 
was flung open and in walked Mart and Diana!  "You two?"
	"Yes, us two," Mart said dryly.  As he shut the door, he saw
Trixie and nodded at her.  "Do I know my almost-twin or what?"
	"You were looking for me?" Trixie asked.
	"Moms was looking for you," Mart replied as they all returned to
the table.  "I assured her I would find you and pass on her message."
	Trixie groaned.  "Please don't tell me she's called Aunt Alicia
and Grandmoms to set up a quilting bee in the next two weeks."
	"Well..." Mart began.
	Diana swatted at him.  "Don't torture your sister like that!  
Your mother just wanted to remind her of her morning chores."
	"Hey, I said I'd help," Mart protested.
	"And for that, I'd almost forgive you for pretending, even for a
split second, that there was a quilting bee," Trixie replied.  "Though
that gives me an idea, twin.  When Moms does get around to those
arrangements, why don't you go in my place?"
	The horrified look on his face sent them all into gales of laughter.
	Diana slid into her regular seat.  "This brings back memories,"
she remarked.  "How much time did we spend here?"
	"How many hours did I spend taking meeting minutes?" Mart added.
	Trixie reached over to pulled out a legal pad and a pen which
she promptly set in front of her brother.  "Feel like home yet?"
	Mart groaned.  "My poor, aching hands."
	"We don't have anything to discuss, do we?" Diana asked.
	"It'd be a little difficult to have a fundraiser with two of us
heading out in just over a day," Jim replied.
	"True," Dan said.  "We won't see each other until Vermont."
	"And this time it'll be for pleasure, not business," Mart said.  
"I don't know what I'm going to do without a checklist."
	"Eat even more of Katie's homecooking?" Trixie said sweetly.
	Everyone was still laughing when footsteps again sounded outside
the clubhouse.  "What is this, Grand Central Station?" Dan asked.
	"Shall we prepare another arsenal?" Trixie asked.
	"Here." Mart ripped off an empty sheet and crumpled it.
	A moment later, Brian walked in the clubhouse and was instantly
pelted by crumpled up paper balls.  "Hey!"
	"I offered to go first!" Honey called from behind him.
	Everyone laughed again.  "What brings you here?" Trixie asked.  
"Did Moms ask you to look for Mart and me?"
	"No," Brian said as he uncrumpled a sheet of paper.
	Honey closed the door behind them.  "Your parents went home."
	"As did Bobby despite his protests that he was fourteen
now," Brian said dryly.  "Moms isn't susceptible to his charms."
	Dan chuckled.  "Neither is your Dad.  I saw him try earlier."
	"Brat," Trixie said affectionately.  Snickers echoed around.
	"Then what are you doing here?" Mart asked.
	Honey and Brian exchanged uncomfortable glances.  "We had been
listening to Mr. Lytell's stories," she said.
	"He decided he wanted a new audience," Brian said.
	"So you scrammed before he could change his mind?" Trixie asked.
	"Trixie!" Honey said, horrified.
	"Isn't she right?" Mart asked.  The rest of the group started
laughing again as those who were standing took their seats.
	Honey gestured to the photograph of the seven from last year. 
"We haven't had a picture this year," she mused.
	"I wouldn't worry," Dan said wryly.  "The year is still young."
	"Moms will be camera-happy later today, I'm sure," Trixie added.
	Jim tapped the frame of the photograph lightly.  "We must have 
photographs from previous years," he remarked.
	"We have scrapbooks filled with photographs," Brian said.
	"I meant those taken specifically on New Year's Day," Jim said.
	"We have tons of those, too.  Moms is always camera-happy when
it's one of our birthdays," Mart said.  "They're tucked away somewhere."
	"Why is that?" Jim asked curiously.
	"Why is what?" Mart asked.
	"Why are they all tucked way and not on display?"
	The clubhouse was briefly overtaken by silence.
	Dan finally drummed on the table.  "You know what could be fun?" 
he said casually.  "We could start taking photographs every year."
	"And put them on display here?" Honey asked.
	"Or make copies so we all have albums," Diana suggested.
	"That could be fun," Trixie said.  "Our very own tradition."
	Brian had been uncrumpling the wads of paper and now pushed the
wrinkled stack toward Mart.  "You know what else would be fun?"
	"Why do I have a sudden sense of trepidation?" Mart asked.
	"I have no idea."  Brian grinned.  "It was the scrapbooks that
made me think of this.  Remember how Moms always writes little notes
next to the photographs?  I thought we could do something similar to
accompany these annual photographs.  A year in review, so to speak."
	"I'm all for writing down more," Jim said.  "Some days I feel
I've forgotten so much.  Maybe I'm just getting old."
	"Must be it," Trixie said innocently.  "I still remember."
	Jim snatched her hat from the table and raced out the door.
	"Hey!" In a flash, Trixie chased after him.
	Brian clamped his hand on his own hat.  "Don't even think about 
it," he said.  "Unlike Jim, I really am that old."
	Honey did her best to look innocent, but the laughter around her 
caused her smile to finally break.  "Promise," she said between giggles.
	"I didn't promise," Mart said cheerfully.
	"You'd better watch that hat," Diana advised.
	Brian glared at his brother and tucked the hat in his jacket.
	Everyone was still laughing when Trixie and Jim returned, both
looking like watered down versions of the abominable snowman, except it 
was Trixie who was now holding the hat.  "I got it back," she said 
triumphantly as she shut out the cold air once again.
	Jim stepped closer to the oil heater and brushed the snow off of
his red hair and his jacket.  "On you, snow looks good," he remarked. 
"You should wear it more frequently.  Especially on your eyelashes. 
Much more becoming than mascara."
	"I'm glad you think so," Trixie said wryly.  "Because I have no 
intention of ever wearing mascara!"
	"Not even to the quilting bee?" Mart quipped.
	"What quilting bee?" Honey asked curiously.
	"This is ridiculous," Diana said as several people laughed.  
"Half an hour into the new year and we're already losing track."
	"We'd better hop to that year in review idea," Dan stated. 
"Okay, Mart, start writing."
	"Not until you tell me what to write." Mart twirled his pen
around.  "If you don't remember anything..."
	"Oh, we'll remember," Trixie said sweetly.  "And if we don't, 
we'll be sure to find you something else to write!"
	Snickers echoed around the table.
	"Well, I certainly remember the first day of last year," Diana
began.  "I'd been on the road all day with my family and we thought we
were just going to have a nice quiet dinner, when we walked into the
Wheelers' penthouse and people jumped out of the woodwork!"
	Everyone laughed.
	"And you can't forget what happened in February," Honey said.
	"Our mystery of the semester," Trixie agreed.  "Then in March,
we visited Sleepyside for spring break.  But nothing really happened."
	"Back up," Diana said.  "Before that, Mart and I went to visit 
Pete at his school.  My friend Jodi was in town, remember?"
	"Which led to the days some of us spent at Cobbett's Island this 
summer," Dan remarked.  "But we're probably getting ahead of ourselves."
	"There was the charity ice hockey event in April," Honey said.
	The friends continued to mention events as Mart wrote them down,
eventually contributing memories of his own.  Somewhere along their trip
down memory lane, even Jim and Brian, despite their claims of being old,
had some contributions.  "Is that it?" Mart asked.
	"Oh!  The snow on Mother's Day," Honey said.
	Mart rubbed his wrists before he wrote it down.  "So we're going
to make this year-in-review an annual tradition?"
	"Right," Trixie said.  "Every New Year's Day, after midnight. 
If we're in Sleepyside, we'll meet here in the clubhouse."
	"Sounds good to me."  Brian nodded.  "Any objections?"
	"No objections," Mart said.  "But for all future years, Jim,
could you please bring your laptop?"
	Everyone laughed again.
	Trixie snapped her fingers.  "Actually, that's a great idea," 
she said.  "Instead of having Mart write down everything, he should just 
make a list on Jim's laptop, so Jim can email it to the rest of us and 
we can fill in our own memories of the event."
	"You're actually making less work for me?" Mart gasped.
	"You're helping with chores later today, right?" Trixie asked.
	Mart clenched his fists.  "For that offer, it's worth it!"  
Laughter erupted around the table once again.
	This time, Honey interrupted the merriment.  "I barely remember,
but I've seen the photographs.  When I was a kid, we had traditions in
my extended family," she said.  "I don't recall why they stopped.  But
I've always thought a family should have traditions."
	"I agree," Diana said.  "Like my family's photograph tradition."
	"And our tradition of celebrating Bobby's birthday," Brian said. 
He paused.  "The bobwhites' motto is that we're one big happy family."
	"Now we're one big family with a holiday tradition." Dan winked. 
"So this is how traditions get started."
	"We should remember this to tell our future kids," Honey said.
	"What future kids?" Trixie asked, horrified.
	"Quick!  Write that down," Dan teased.
	Trixie glared at him.  "I should have saved one of those
rolled-up balls of paper to throw at you," she retorted.
	"Sorry," Mart said.  "All the sheets have been used.  And this 
is 1997, so no writing it down on this collection."
	"See if you remember it next year," Trixie taunted.
	"Oh, I think I will," Dan replied sagely.
	Trixie made a face at him and the others laughed.
	"I think this is going to be a fun tradition," Honey replied.  
"Someday we'll be able to look back and reminisce."
	"I only wish we'd thought to start it earlier," Diana said.
	"Better late than never," Mart replied.  "Besides, once we move 
this to electronic copies, there's no reason we can't go back in time."
	Brian and Trixie looked at him warily.  "What do you remember?" 
Brian asked.
	Mart calmly folded the pieces of paper, put them in his jacket,
then zipped it up.  "That's for me to know and you to find out!" In
another moment, he had raced out the door.  Trixie was after him in a
flash, and despite his earlier complaints, Brian was not far behind.
	Honey, Jim, Diana and Dan stared after them, then laughed.  
"Those Beldens," Honey said good-naturedly.
	"Why should they have all the fun?" Jim asked.  "Let's go."
	Honey laughed as she and her brother raced off.
	"You think they'll come back?" Diana asked.
	"Not if we go back to the house," Dan said.  "And we probably 
should, now that we've finished with our new family tradition."
	Diana nodded. "I'll help you take care of the oil heater."
	Minutes later, as they quietly walked back to the Manor House,
Dan realized what had been bothering him.  Just like Honey had said, as 
a small child, he had family traditions.  It had been a long time since 
he had thought of them; it usually still hurt so much.
	There had been many changes in his life since he was a child,
some negative and others positive.  All had the same effect of taking
away the only stability he had ever known.  While he was no longer
attached to any specific practices, he still yearned for something.
	Perhaps tomorrow he would talk with his uncle about establishing
some traditions of their own.  For now he was glad to be part of a new
family tradition with six friends who he knew, no matter what happened
in their lives, would always be there for him.

Happy Holidays IX