By Joe Rector
Christmas and the New Year fall on awkward days this year, at least for the paper’s publishing. So, to begin, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas. Amy and I will travel at some time to Hendersonville. Lacey, Nick and Madden are awaiting our arrival. Bless their hearts; they travel to Alabama the weekend before Christmas, and then they have to put up with us. We try not to overstay our welcome, and Lacey is good at giving us a window of opportunity for visiting. Amy and I won’t be gone long, whenever we make the trip, because Sadie and Harvey can’t travel, so someone must stay with them while we are gone.
The holidays are hectic times. I think about how that wasn’t the case when I was a child. Oh, Mother worked hard to prepare food for the crowd that came on Christmas, and Daddy sat up all night to make sure the turkey in the oven was basted at the correct times. However, we were all together to put up the cedar tree we cut on Mr. Long’s farm, and when the icicles were put on the tree at the end, we all sat in a dark living room and observed our work when the tree lights lit the room.
We were home on Christmas Eve. Our supper was a regular meal and consisted of something easy to prepare since time was needed to work on the items for the next day. Before we three boys went to bed, the family sat in the living room so that we could open “one” present under the tree. Usually, we opened the ones from Richard and Lucy, friends from out of state that I don’t ever remember seeing.
Christmas morning was a time of excitement, and I remember how tired but happy Daddy seemed as we opened our gifts. Mother got him a few things, and he was always a bit extravagant when he bought Mother things. We boys had made something at school or church that we gave them. Mother made a big breakfast before diving into making dressing and other side dishes for Christmas dinner.
The day was filled with aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents eating with us. The crowd left some time in the evening, and a hush fell over the house. We played with our new toys or napped for a while before diving into leftovers on the stove. The day had been fun, but having just the five of us at home was even better.
New Year’s has never been a big event. No fireworks or parties ever took place. Most of the time, we spent time at home and tried to stay awake until the clock struck midnight. Even to this day, a new year has aggravated me. I forever put the wrong year in the date. It’s like breaking in a new pair of shoes. The year isn’t comfortable until I’ve worn it enough to wear down sore spots. Eventually, about March, I’ve broken in the year so that it’s comfortable and easy on me. Of course, warm weather helps with the process.
This New Year, I’m not sure what we’ll do. My guess is that we’ll cuddle with the dogs on the couch until about 8:00 p.m. That’s when Sadie begins to whine and paw to go to bed. Amy will go with them and read. As the new year comes, I’ll walk into the bedroom and announce its arrival to Amy, if she’s awake. If not, I will plant a kiss on her forehead and one on each of the dog’s noses. Then I’ll return to the family room and watch more television until I fall asleep. At some point, I might rise and make my way to bed. As usual, I’ll have to move the dogs enough so that I can cover up. We’ll all be toasty warm and sleep as late as we please. That’s the best way to begin a new trip around the sun—cuddling with the ones I love.
I hope you have a Merry Christmas, and I also hope your New Year is a good one.
