“Look in their panties,” Indigo blurted. Cypress felt down in her doll’s panties. Sassafrass pulled her doll’s drawers. They both found velvet sanitary napkins with their names embroidered cross the heart of silk.

“Oh, Indigo. You’re kidding. You’re not menstruating, are you?”

“Indigo, you got your period?”

“Yes, she did.” Hilda Effania joined, trying to change the subject. She’d known Indigo was making dolls, but not that the dolls had their period.

“Well, what else did you all get?” Hilda asked provocatively.

Cypress pulled out an oddly shaped package wrapped entirely in gold sequins. “Mama, this is for you.” The next box was embroidered continuously with Sassafrass’ name. “Here, guess whose?” Cypress held Indigo’s shoulders. Indigo had on her new bra over her nightgown. Waiting for her mother & sister to open their gifts, Cypress did tendues. “Hold still, Indigo. If you move, my alignment goes off.”

“Oh, Cypress, this is just lovely.” Hilda Effania didn’t know what else to say. Cypress had given her a black silk negligée with a very revealing bed jacket. “I certainly have to think when I could wear this. & you all won’t be home to see it.”

“Aw, Mama. Try it on,” Cypress pleaded.

“Yeah, Mama. Put that on. It looks so nasty.” Indigo squinched up her face, giggled.

“Oh, Cypress, these are so beautiful. I can hardly believe it.” Sassafrass held the embroidered box open. In the box lined with beige raw silk were 7 cherrywood hand-carved crochet needles of different gauges.

“Bet not one white girl up to the Callahan School has ever in her white life laid eyes on needles like that!” Cypress hugged her sister, flexed her foot. “Indigo, you got to put that bra on under your clothes, not on top of ’em! Mama, would you look at this little girl?”

Hilda Effania had disappeared. “I’m trying on this scandalous thing, Cypress. You all look for your notes at the foot of the tree.” She shouted from her bedroom, thinking she looked pretty good for a widow with three most grown girls.

Hilda Effania always left notes for the girls, explaining where their Christmas from Santa was. This practice began the first year Sassafrass had doubted that a fat white man came down her chimney to bring her anything. Hilda solved that problem by leaving notes from Santa Claus for all the children. That way they had to go search the house, high & low, for their gifts. Santa surely had to have been there. Once school chums & reality interfered with this myth, Hilda continued the practice of leaving her presents hidden away. She liked the idea that each child experienced her gift in privacy. The special relationship she nurtured with each was protected from rivalries, jokes, & Christmas confusions. Hilda Effania loved thinking that she’d managed to give her daughters a moment of their own.

My Oldest Darling, Sassafrass,