#103: Happy Holidays, Jessi
It’s December in Stoneybrook and Jessica Ramsey is getting friggin’ PSYCHED. She’s pumped for Christmas and Kwanzaa, especially because her favorite cousin Keisha may visit. Even Kristy’s ignorance about Kwanzaa and her implication that it’s “reverse racist” because it excludes white people (sorry, I barfed) can’t get Jessi down. And, in fact, Jessi decides that greater Stoneybrook should learn more about Kwanzaa too — so the BSC is going to host a Kwanzaa festival. And Kwanzaa sounds lovely, with its themed days of celebration, so this should be pretty awesome.
What’s not awesome is Aunt Cecilia, who’s being her usual pain-in-the-ass self — parking in handicapped spots, yelling at store managers, etc. — and even Jessi’s parents are getting annoyed. Mr. Ramsey asks Aunt Cecilia to loosen up with the kids, to still take care of them but give them a little leeway and treat them like kids. Unfortunately, as part of her lenience, Aunt Cecilia lets Jessi and Becca unbuckle Squirt from his car seat while they’re driving home — and immediately after, they get rear-ended by another car, sending Squirt flying to the floor while everyone blacks out. Turns out Squirt is concussed and will have to spend a few days in the hospital.
This increases tension in the Ramsey house… everyone’s working hard, trying to stay healthy, making sure Squirt is never alone in the hospital, and trying to prep and shop for the holidays. Mr. Ramsey and Aunt Cecilia are at each other’s throats and Becca has the flu, and they haven’t even had time to decorate for the holidays. Despite all the stress, some very sweet stuff happens: the kids participating in Jessi’s Kwanzaa festival make a gift for Squirt, and Mallory and Mr. Pike bring over a Christmas tree, as well as cookies and hot cocoa. I’ve got the warm fuzzies! Mallory may be a dork but she’s a good friend. The whole Pike family is pretty ride-or-die, in fact. And Mrs. Pike is a feminist icon.
The Ramseys spend part of Christmas day home with sick Becca and part at the hospital with Squirt — who is allowed to come home the next day! Still, things remain tense until the Ramseys are gathered around the dinner table for Kwanzaa with Keisha’s family and Squirt lets out a big belch that makes everyone laugh and… all is forgiven? IDK, seems too easy, but I’ll take it. To top it all off, the Kwanzaa festival goes really well, and the Ramseys are able to end the year (which year? who knows?! time is a flat circle in Stoneybrook) happily and peacefully, without anyone murdering Aunt Cecilia. Yet.
