While waiting outside for her mom to pull up with the van, Ellie meets Coralee. Coralee is the granddaughter of the next-door neighbors. While Ellie thinks that her overly-styled hair and lack of a jacket in the freezing weather are unusual, she decides that she would like to visit her next door. Ellie says, “I decide I’m going to take Coralee up on her offer to come over. Because she wanted to know my name before she wanted to know about my chair. That is saying something” (57). Ellie is at once drawn to her.

Ellie, her mother, Mema, and her grandpa leave to attend the Christmas Eve service at Bethlehem Methodist. Ellie keeps a positive attitude upon arriving at the service even though so many of those in attendance seek out the “‘sweet child’ in the wheelchair” to shake her hand (58). Evelyn, who used to work with Mema and attends Bethlehem Methodist, accidentally reveals the secret that Alice has been keeping from Mema: Seated in front of Ellie’s family, she mentions that she heard that Alice is going to be substituting at the local school. This information comes as a shock to Mema who is not yet convinced that she needs that much aid in running her home and caring for Jonah.