She always feels depressed as Christmas day approaches. Her father, grandfather, and older brother all participate. The house is lit brightly, a fire roars in the fireplace, and one would think that Patty should look forward to the occasion. But she dreads it. Below the surface charm, a fierce voice war rages in the G. family.
Cheerful fiction is the glue.
Patty helps out, but she is not allowed any initiative. She does what her mother says, chopping this, adding a little spice to that, and quickly she finds herself shrinking so that she barely hears her footsteps on the pine floor. She cannot make even a side dish, to do so would make the dinner more hers and less her mother's, and the meal must be a reflection of her mother. Last year, Walt shoved his plate aside because Estelle had put sliced almonds rather than walnuts in the sweet potatoes. From the rage in his voice, one would guess his daughter had tried to poison him.