Thank you to Cathy, for starting Jixemitri. Without you, this story would never have been written.
Thanks to Misty, who gave me my first story home on the internet, with her Trixiefic site. Your encouragement means so much to me!
Many thanks to my three wonderful editors, Trish, Ryl, and Ronda, who encouraged me every step of the way, and made much-appreciated suggestions which improved the final product!
Molto, molto grazie to the lovely and talented Vivan, who offered me space on her site and designed and formatted the beautiful page you see. Your work enhanced my words, and it is bellissima!
I also want to thank the lovely Mary C. and Susan, whose stories inspired this one. Mary C.’s The Wonder of Christmas, and Estate of Mind, started me thinking about the roots of Maddie’s and Honey’s relationship and guided my thoughts in many ways. Susan’s A Time To Kill, A Time To Heal had a poignant moment when Matt tells Honey about the first time he held her. Again, although my story is different, the view of Matt’s and Honey’s bonding experience influenced me deeply.
The characters of Matthew and Madeleine Wheeler, and Ben Riker, belong to Random House, although RH hasn’t done much with them. No profit is being made from their appearance in this story. Likewise, no profit is being made from my unauthorized use of other characters from the Trixie Belden series.
I did quite a bit of research on childbirth in the 1950s, and if anyone wants more information on placenta abruptio or DIC, I will be happy to send you some URLs. Clotting factors had not then been isolated, so survival was even more iffy than it is today. Both of these conditions remain serious complications of childbirth in the 21st century.
My Dr. Fielding Harris is a fictional character, but I did name him in honor of a real Dr. Harry Fields, who is famous for saying (about Twilight Sleep): "My patients want to have babies, they just don't want to be there." -- Harry Fields, circa 1950
The hospital nurses in my story share surnames with some real nurses I have known, but my characters are not meant to resemble any real person. Nurses really do hide hypodermics behind their backs when dealing with confused, irrational adults! Mrs. Carter is a figment of my imagination.
Dr. Young, the hospital psychiatrist, was named in honor of Carl Jung, whose theory of personality has had major influence on the discipline of psychiatry.
The Majestic is a real luxury apartment building bordering Central Park, where Matt and Maddie may have lived in the early years of their marriage. Thank you, Anna, for the suggestion and links!
It’s true that sliding a diaper pin through your hair will help the pin slide through a cloth diaper more easily. (today’s trivia tidbit!)
The New York City Ballet did go on a 10-week European tour in August of 1956.
The Sloane Hospital in NYC is real; today it is a part of the Columbia-Presbyterian Hospitals. It is well-known for its department of obstetrics.
The Guggenheim Museum was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1956.
Chapter 11 was written as a 2005 Holiday CWP. The elements are:
- Pumpkin bread – recipe in the cookbook Maddie buys
- Muzak - at stores and in Matt’s office building
- Mislabeled gifts - Maddie mislabels Ben’s gift
- Daylight Saving Time – 4/29/56-9/30/56 – it seems they have been playing Christmas music in the stores since Daylight Savings Time ended
- People discussing when it's appropriate to start listening to Christmas music – Matt and Maddie discuss this - "I think they started playing Christmas music in the stores as soon as Daylight Savings time ended."
- Scrapbook - Maddie is making a baby book for Honey
- Lipstick smudges – Maddie leaves smudges on Matt’s cheeks
- A blizzard or snowstorm – a snowstorm in upstate NY keeps the Wheelers from traveling to Boston for Christmas
- Ice skates – Maddie talks about ice skating on Rockefeller Center last year
- Trying to organize something big (a move, a wedding, an anniversary party) coming into the holiday season, when everyone is super busy – Maddie arranges a catered party for Matt’s office staff
- Book: Where the Wild Things Are – The 1st dummy for this book was created by Sendak in 1956 – he was dissatisfied with the pics and story and set it aside. Finally published in 1963, it won the Caldecott medal. With Kenny's Window in 1956, Sendak began the exploration of the psychological fears and yearnings of childhood -- specifically, those of his own childhood: ". . . to write about how one felt as a child was something new" (Bader 506). Maddie buys Kenny’s Window for Ben, and Matt tells her, "he needs to write one called 'Where The Wild Things Are'"
- NOTE: You must use a carryover item from a previous CWP.
2004 Holiday CWP elements (carryovers):
- A holiday themed mystery book title – Maddie sees One Hundred and One Dalmatians in the store (pub in 1956) the story takes place in the days just before Christmas
- A new recipe or a food new to a character – see pumpkin bread
- A New Outfit - Maddie buys Honey a new outfit
The books Maddie chooses for Christmas gifts were all bestselling titles from 1956. According to my internet research, Bing Crosby did release an album entitled "White Christmas" in 1956. Perry Como’s album, Perry Como Sings Merry Christmas Music, was also released in 1956.
The treatment Honey received for fever was standard in 1956. However, it is outmoded today. Children under age 16 should never be given aspirin for fever, because of the association with Reye’s syndrome; alcohol rubs should never be used to treat fever, as the alcohol could be absorbed through the skin into the bloodstream. Instead, Tylenol (acetaminophen) or ibuprofen (if the child is 6 months old or older) and lukewarm sponge baths should be used if treating a fever. I don’t know if sweet oil is still available today – I’ve never used it. You shouldn’t put any kind of drops into an ear which has a ruptured eardrum unless specifically prescribed by a doctor.
Dr. Benjamin Spock was THE guru of pediatrics for mothers during the 1950s. His book, Baby and Child Care, was first published in 1946, just in time for the post-World War II baby boom, and became a widely-accepted "bible" on child rearing. Pediatrician Spock encouraged new parents to use common sense and to treat children with respect. This led some critics to call him the "Father of Permissiveness," in spite of Spock's protests to the contrary. In the 1960s Spock gained new fame as a pacifist and Vietnam War protester. He regularly updated the book up until around 1980 at least. He was a great proponent of learning your own child’s personality and treating each child as an individual.
L’Hotel Suisse is a real hotel, and was purchased by a Swiss family in the early 1950s. I don’t know the family’s real name, and Matt Wheeler was not an investor ;-).
Macy’s and Bergdorf Goodman are well-known New York department stores.
Italian fashion designers first achieved prominence in the 1950s; Sorelle Fontana was one of the earliest successful Italian design firms which catered to women. The Italian fashion industry was originally centered in Rome, although Milan is now the seat of Italian couture.
Matt’s calling himself "the man who accompanied Madeleine Wheeler to Italy" is meant to reflect President Kennedy’s comment when he took Jacqueline, his wife, with him to Paris to meet with Charles DeGaulle, the French premier. The French weren’t the biggest fans of the U.S. Jackie was young, beautiful, and charming; she was fluent in French and was also known as a fashionable dresser who patronized the best designers. For this trip I am almost sure she wore creations of French couturiers, and of course she spoke excellent French. DeGaulle was charmed by her. JFK introduced himself as "the man who accompanied Jacqueline Kennedy to Paris."
word count: 22,545
