Dyelanders (in general)- They start out pretty lackadaisical.  That was pretty much my state upon entering the Christmas season.  My mom had just had back surgery, there had been a terrible shooting only blocks from where I worked, and things really didn't seem right.  I got the feeling from some YG posts that I wasn't the only one feeling this.  Sipping drinks with similarly minded friends seemed like a good idea.  As did the thought of letting go of the past.  Thankfully, both the Dyelanders and myself got outta their slumps and moved onto better things...

Lady JenniAnn and Eliot- As noted in my introduction to this story, this was the first Christmas story in a while that didn't contain some outlandish declaration of love from LJA to Andrew.  Eliot was the reason.  I'd decided this summer that since I'd gone through my own growing up experience (moving into my own home), LJA should have a growing up experience herself.  Since she already lived on her own (sometimes), a boyfriend seemed the next logical step for her (better her than me!  ;-)  Enter Eliot.  Something I'd felt was missing in this relationship was a good transition from Andrew to Eliot.  So this story contains it.  LJA is obviously more than a little obsessed with It's a Wonderful Life.  Knowing this, Andrew orchestrates a scene in which Eliot takes over his own spot as LJA's personal George Bailey.  I just wanted it to be kinda sweet.  I'm assuming this is LJA's and Eliot's first kiss.  Of course... the fact that Andrew kinda had to push them to that probly says something.  But that's another story!  Basically, though, this scene sets my theme of getting over the wounds and angst of the past and moving on.

From there LJA and Eliot pretty much sink back into the ensemble and don't have any more really stand-out scenes.  Earlier that same week I had written a story for the YG that featured only LJA and Adam.  So I was kinda LJA-ed out.

Andrew- I had one small problem with his story but I glossed it over.  If, the previous Christmas, Andrew really had heard LJA tell him she'd love him til the day she died... why did he play stupid?  That's kinda lying.  But I justified it to myself by thinking that may be he hadn't put two and two together until later that night.  So right after she said it, he didn't know what she'd said.  Only later did it click into place.  And apparently he'd remembered it all year long.  Knowing it would cause the now-dating-Eliot LJA some angst, he set about to right it.  And he did.  See shippers, you can write romantic scenes involving Andrew with out the angel himself going all googly eyed!  But I suppose my scene isn't quite as dramatic as lovers tortured in hellfire or clandestine angelic marriages.  Ho hum.

Anyhow, then Andrew moves into nutcracker mode which completely came outta no where for me.  I had listened to some of Tchaikovsky's music earlier in the month but I haven't seen The Nutcracker in ages.  I actually had to look up the godfather's name (Drosselmeyer) and whether it was mice or rats the Nutcracker Prince battled (either, depending on the version).

Mr. Appleton- Nutcracker Andrew (eventually joined by Adam and Henry) helps Mr. Appleton come to terms with his wife's death.  This was all part of my underlying theme in this story of putting the past behind us and welcoming in a promising future.  While Mr. Appleton will always miss his wife, it's only in beginning to overcome his grief that he sees how many people truly care about him and sets about on a happier future filled with all the children (young and now grown) whose lives he and his wife touched.

I do think the revelation scene was a bit rushed.  Possibly Mr. Appleton coulda had an entire story just to himself and the three AODs.  But I was short on time and already on page 12 with other substories left to get closure on.  So I let that go.

Nigel- Really not a character I'm comfortable writing.  Yvette has taken such care with him and his mode of speaking and behavior.  Unlike Adam (whom she also writes for), I don't have Nigel episodes to help me along.  Nor do I have a 10+ year personal history with him as I do Adam.  I'm always worried I'll have Nigel say or do something unNigel-like.  So it was an utter shock to me that Nigel got the most detailed and I think may be even lengthiest substory. 

"The Christmas Guest" is on a CD that I've listened to several times each Christmas season for the past 3 or 4 years.  It's surprising to me that I never thought to write it into a Dyeland Christmas story before.  I'm not sure if it's the rather dated storytelling of the piece or what but I knew it could only be Nigel's.  Plus, and may be this goes back to my main theme about the past, Nigel's had a rough year.  The broken leg and the Andi debacle...  He deserved to have something nice happen to him.  And I guess it doesn't get much better than 3 visits from God!  Even if He wasn't immediately recognized. 

My personal favorite visitation was the one in which Nigel gave the first beggar one of his own suits.  Upon further reflection, though, I began to think may be Nigel lying (about the suit not fitting) wasn't entirely angelic.  But I came to the conclusion that angels could (like us) morally lie if it meant helping another save face.  It wouldn't have played well if Nigel had given the suit and said "This one fits me really well...  But, oh well, I'll give it to you, anyway."  My thinking was that people in need don't like being in need.  They don't enjoy asking for hand-outs.  By Nigel framing his gift as a favor the beggar might be willing to do for him, he was protecting the man's dignity and self-respect.  But if you don't buy that... just think that may be Nigel had a growth spurt since buying the suit and it truly didn't fit.  ;-)

Lady Beth- My biggest disappointment with this story is that I didn't really feel Lady Beth, Yva, or Rose got their own story.  But I'm trying to accept that, as with a TV show with a large ensemble cast, it's not possible to give everyone a starring role each time.  Besides, protecting three beloved AODs with your shoes isn't an entirely pishposh occurrence!  It was nice to have the heroines save the heroes, the mortals save the immortals.  Plus, I enjoyed writing the exchange between Henry and Lady Beth before the angel takes LB to London.  A red-faced AOD huddled on your doorstep...  Fun times!

Quite accidentally I had Lady Beth being the first of the women to gather that Mr. Appleton wasn't psychologically right.  Looking back, that works well with her stance as a good listener to the Dyelanders.

Adam- Okay, so I loved the idea of him knitting stockings for the turkeys.  Guys who knit are cool.  Like Emerson Cod on Pushing Daisies.  But I bet they do get teased, hence Adam being a bit defensive about it. 

Beyond that, Adam mostly gets stuck with nutcracker duty.  I wanted him to have a more personal story line but, again, I'd just written an Adam and LJA-centric story so was kinda taking a break from them both to give others (Nigel, clearly) a chance to shine.  Nonetheless, I did get to play with his wicked sense of humor a bit.  And I loved imagining his face as Appleton drags he and Henry away to be nutcracker-ified.  Gotta love karma!

Henry- Same as with Adam, I woulda liked him to have his own story line.  However, Henry's hard for me to write simply cause we only have two episodes featuring him.  At least he got more attention than Gloria.  Didn't mean to totally leave her out... oops!

Rose- Rose, thankfully, remembered the plot of The Nutcracker.  So yay for her and her shoes!  Again, ideally she woulda had her own story but at least she got to hug Andrew.  That's something!  :-)

Yva- I'd toyed with bringing her into Nigel's story.  But I wasn't sure how to do that.  I kinda wanted to leave those scenes as only between Nigel and God, just as the visitation scenes involve only Conrad and God in "The Christmas Guest."  So Yva got to be part of the mice-fighting crew.  Probly for the best as I wanted there to be three ladies to defend the three AODs/nutcrackers.  Had Yva been in another substory, I'm not sure who woulda become the third "Clara." 

I did get to plug her bear-making skills in the December 21st section, though.  It was mostly just a scene written to give back story on Vincent and Catherine to those not on the YG.  But I did like the dialogue.  It seemed pretty natural considering those three characters had never done a scene together.

Willy- I apparently need to rewatch Willy Wonka cause I feel like I could do better by this character.  I'm still kinda disappointed in his scenes which are awfully limited.  Before next year it may not be a bad idea for me to rewatch Babes in Toyland also.  Isn't that Christmas-y?  It seems like it'd be a good fit for a Wonka-themed homage to holiday favorites.  Cause I do wish, after the opening scene in which Willy is told about the annual homages, that he had actually taken part in one.  I guess he sorta did with the Jacob scene but I mean his own.

Vincent and Catherine- Finally, I did an homage to *the* Christmas story.  As stated in my intro, Vincent and Catherine's scene was the only one I knew about when I sat down to write.  More to the point, I had toyed with the idea of their adopting a child who, like Vincent, would be found behind St. Vincent's.  That they would do so on a starry Christmas Eve night... that was a last-minute decision.  I was honestly a lil paranoid about it.  I thought it might seem blasphemous (I didn't personally think it was but was just concerned others might).  I'm not sure what I was thinking with that worry cause TBAA pretty much did the same thing in "An Angel on the Roof."  And "Scrubs" did it and, if memory serves, so did "Boy Meets World."  And probly countless other shows.  So I went with it.

I had regretted leaving baby Jacob out of the Vincent/Catherine story line for years.  However, I was adamantly opposed to having Catherine get pregnant in her late 40s or early 50s.  Yes, I know it happens but I wasn't about to promulgate the idea that it's easily done.  With some celebs having babies at that stage in life, I am genuinely concerned it'll give people false hope.  So, even though JABB doesn't have a huge influence, I wasn't going to further the "late in life pregnancy with out fertility treatments" myth here.  But I wanted Jacob (or some version of him) back...

So I invented this pregnancy and eventual miscarriage for Vincent and Catherine.  My reasons for the miscarriage will become evident in a later story.  It made me really sad for them which only made me want to give them a baby even more.  And Christmas is a time for miracles, right?  And this was a story about healing the past and embracing the future, right?

And so a star shown brightly in the sky over St. Vincent's.  Angels announced the coming of a child to two people who had no reason to believe they would become parents but who desperately wanted to have a child.  And God smiled down on the family He had created. 

I was very happy with this scenario.  Even if I did have a few reservations and here they are:

1.  On "Beauty and the Beast," Vincent was very reserved about sex.  And ya got the vibe that he probly didn't see himself fathering a child for fear the child would share his condition.  So may be it was a stretch that suddenly he's embittered about not having a child.  My thinking was that the baby that was miscarried was not planned.  Just as the original Jacob on the show was not planned.  It was only in losing that child that Vincent and Catherine realized how much they wanted kids.  But because of the genetic situation (invented by me and which I thought of as either Rh incompatibility or similar), it was impossible to carry a child to term.  So by 2007, we have two characters that have come to terms with having children yet can't.  That was why Vincent was so angsty.  He'd eventually gotten over his paternal fears and all for naught.

2.  How's Vincent going to adopt a baby?  He's not, legally speaking.  I just assumed that as with much of the Tunnel world, a lot of strings would be pulled by Helpers.  Plus, Catherine's very well placed in the NYC legal system.  And, let's be honest, there's probably not a line of people waiting to adopt a child of unknown origins with a cleft lip.  Sad but true.  So Catherine adopts Jacob herself.  A Helper who is also a social worker, signs onto her case.  Creative report filing ensues.  That way the secret of Vincent and the Tunnels never leaves the circle of those already in it.

3.  Why does Jacob have a cleft lip?  I know it's naive but I don't like thinking that someone would just dump their baby.  Yes, I know it happens but I had to invent some story about why someone would do something so terrible.  So I envisioned a teenage girl, having denied she's pregnant (like Lydia in "Redeeming Love"), giving birth by herself.  Already not in the most psychologically stable place, she panics even more upon seeing the baby's deformity.  In shock, she left the baby behind St. Vincent's.  May be she was even from some really conservative family and had been taught that premarital sex was terribly sinful.  It wouldn't be a stretch for her to then think the deformed child was a punishment for her sins and to want to abandon Jacob for that reason.  Sad and horrible theology but all too believable a scenario, I'm afraid.  In any case, the mother is now out of the picture.  I will not be going the whole "I want my kid back" route.  I've seen too much of that in real life and have no desire to bring it into my fiction.

Also, Jacob's cleft lip served as a good way to tie-in the gift to Operation Smile that I wanted to make in JABB's honor.  It'll also give JABB opportunity to continue to plug this charity which TBAA brought to our attention.

Monica and Tess- Not the most character enlightening roles but I wanted to bring them into the story.  Announcing the birth of a child on Christmas Eve is a pretty darn good job!  Also, they became the final part of my "healing the past" theme by joining the Dyeland party and being reunited with Andrew, Adam, Henry, and each other.

(Typed out 12-30-07)

JABB TOC

(Photo Credits: The photograph used on this page is from "Touched by an Angel" and owned by CBS Productions, Caroline Productions, and Moon Water Productions.  It is not being used to seek profit.)