Another Spring Thanksgiving married to Vaughn...

As stated in a previous post, Vaughn will not remain on the Island every day of the week after marriage, but his schedule changes completely. When single, he would visit the Island only on Wednesdays and Thursdays. When married to you, he will be absent from the Island completely on Wednesdays but returns Thursday, spending the morning at Mirabelle's Animal Shop, returning home after noon and remaining at home until the next Wednesday.

In the 5th Year, the Spring Thanksgiving Festival falls on Wednesday. Vaughn therefore was conspicuously absent throughout the day. I thought to myself, 'Oh, no, there's going to be a repeat of all the romantic occasions I had to spend by myself...'

Much to my delight, after I went to bed, Vaughn appeared somehow in the darkness to slip Chocolate Cookies into my rucksack as he had done the previous year. Apparently, he returned home early in order to be able to perform his romantic duties to me.

In a very odd twist, however, I awakened to discover that the Chocolate Cookies had lost half a day of Freshness. I suppose that is the price you pay for being married.
When delivered into your hands as a single woman, they would be completely fresh rather than being slightly stale!

Old Harvest Moon Traditions in IoH

Being married to Vaughn makes one approach every new romantic Festival with some uncertainty. After all, he was nowhere in sight to celebrate the Starry Night Festival with me.

Interestingly enough, on the same day that my child was born, sweet Vaughn organised a little celebration of his birthday at 6.00 p.m.

I always test the 'wrong response' in any event, simply for the purpose of adding it to the Guide. When given the opportunity to choose the event that was being celebrated, I had three choices: My birthday, Vaughn's birthday and Attila's birthday. This is typical of Harvest Moon special family celebrations, actually.
Obviously, having given birth to Attila that same morning, I could not have forgotten it was HIS birthday, but I wanted to see how Vaughn would react if I told him it was MY birthday instead.

Vaughn: You forgot your child’s birthday?
You call yourself a mother?'

The correct response brought forth a very sweet little celebration.
Vaughn: You remember what today is, right?

My birthday
Your birthday
Attila’s Birthday

Attila’s birthday

Vaughn (with music) Yep. I got a cake.
Attila can’t eat it yet, of course.
Someday soon, though.

After: I can’t wait for Attila to grow up a bit, so we can all celebrate together…

I was delighted to experience another old Harvest Moon tradition on the occasion of the Spring Thanksgiving Festival after marriage. Vaughn said nothing about it during the day, either when I gave him the usual gift or afterwards.

When I returned to the house after 6.00 p.m., there was no Event either. I went to bed not knowing if the day would pass me by completely...

I was very happy to discover that Vaughn would enact the old tradition of any spouse in Harvest Moon once I pretended to go to sleep.

Vaughn in the dark: Huh. You’re asleep.
Guess I’ll put your Thanksgiving gift in your rucksack.

I awakened the next morning to find Chocolate Cookies in my rucksack.

I must not neglect the players whose characters are male in my posts. If you are playing the game as a boy, it is on the occasion of the Winter Thanksgiving that your wife will sneak a piece of Chocolate Cake into your rucksack.

When your Child is born in IoH, his name will be added to the Individuals List in your Menu. The description given for the child represents all that is good and idealistic in Harvest Moon:

A happy child born into a rancher’s family.
Lives by the love of his wonderful parents

Furthermore, the Magical Girls Break their Promises!!!

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On the occasion of the Winter Thanksgiving or Winter Thanks-Fest as it is called in Cute, I gave Chocolate Cake to every bachelor and all the Magical Girls. Each one professed himself or herself sorry that I had not been given a gift at the Spring Thanksgiving but promised to bring me one the next Spring... Both Leia and the Witch Princess quite clearly vowed that each would bring me a Spring Thanksgiving Gift. The Harvest Goddess treated the gift as she would any ordinary offering and as every one knows, Keira does not really TALK, but she was happy to receive the Cake!

On 14 Spring, I had many visitors:
At 6.00 a.m. Marlin came to my door bearing Chocolate Cookies.
At 8.00 a.m., Gustafa came to the door with a similar offering.
At 10.00 a.m., Rock breezed by the farmhouse with his plate of Chocolate Cookies (whipped up no doubt by his mother in her kitchen)
At 12 noon, I answered Carter's knock at the door and received a platter of Chocolate cookies from the renowned archaeologist.
At 2.00 p.m., I was greeted by Griffin who bore a plate of... Chocolate Cookies!
Finally, at 4.00 p.m. in broad daylight, Skye braved the dangers of arrest by vigilante or police officer in order to bestow the traditional Spring Thanksgiving gift upon me.

THAT in itself was well worth the dreary days of waiting to propose to him. Tonight, I will remove the Blue Feather finally from its place in my Tool Box and place it in my rucksack before I leap into bed.

I now have received Spring Thanksgiving gifts from all the bachelors and am ready to marry my beloved Skye.

I have six plates of Chocolate Cookies now, all indistinguishable one from the other. I did store Skye's Cookies in a separate place in my refrigerator in order to keep it FOREVER... one day I will show my child those Cookies, the very first Spring Thanksgiving gift from the love of my life.

I wonder though how many of these Cookies were prepared by the bachelors themselves or whether they ALL went to Ruby in order to procure their Thanksgiving Cookies! I daresay Skye made his own! Ruby is out for his blood for a start but apart from that, he enjoys cooking and is very adept at the art. To be honest, however, I would prize them even if they were made of sawdust, if they came from Skye...

I have to state, however, that I am severely disappointed in the Magical Girls. In vain did I wait for THEIR visits. Neither Leia nor the Witch Princess, both at deepest red heart level, brought me a gift... Keira at a lower level did not appear either, but really... the other two HAD promised!!!

You will see the evidence of the promise of the Witch Princess here in a photograph I captured, not realising that it might be required later as proof of a promise broken!

That's the last time I give either of them ANYTHING, except on their birthdays. It would be too uncouth not to continue to remember birthdays, but apart from that, they have lost much of the stature they once had in my eye.

Enough of that, though. Having enjoyed my brief experience as 'belle of the ball', I now will concentrate on bringing all the bachelors to marriage with my erstwhile rivals. If I am to live happily ever after with my Skye, every one else should be as happy as we...