Some holiday thoughts while I sit here hoping and wishing for the GI Joe with the Kung Fu grip to show up under my Christmas tree...
Not sure about you but to me it sure felt a lot more like Christmas a couple of weeks ago. Granted, nobody this side of Dorothy Hamill enjoys ice but cold and snow are part of the deal when it comes to a Nebraska winter and we had plenty of it two weeks ago. Since then temperatures have moderated and then some, reminding me again how warm 38 degrees can feel, to say nothing of 45 or 55 like it has been in the days leading up to the holiday.
Still adhering to my artificial barrier of Thanksgiving Day being the first time a guy ought to be listening to Christmas music or watching holiday movies I was in full bloom back around the first of the month. Probably written about this in the past but songs like Last Christmas by Wham! (don’t judge), Hey Santa by the Wilson Sisters, All I Want for Christmas is You by Vince Vance and the Valiants, and Merry Christmas, Darling by The Carpenters are all at the top of my Christmas play list. Mix in Christmas at Our House by Lorrie Morgan while I’m at it.
There are plenty of other great contemporary and classic Christmas songs, of course, and there is something truly magical (gee, I wonder what that could be) listening to my church favorites on Christmas Eve. Little Town of Bethlehem, Away in a Manger and O Come, All Ye Faithful never ring more true than on that o holy night.
Speaking of Thanksgiving I kicked off my holiday TV viewing by watching the WKRP in Cincinnati turkey drop episode...three times. What, you’ve never watched the WKRP in Cincinnati turkey drop episode? Tsk, tsk. To fill that obvious hole in your pop culture resume just type that into your Google search then sit back and enjoy the mayhem.
“As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly.” - Arthur Carlson, WKRP station manager.
Right out of the gate I made sure to watch Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and Huskerland Penni and I watched The Santa Clause together. It’s a Wonderful Life, either my first or second favorite movie of all time, that’s always on the list. As usual Penni has spent hours (I mean hours) watching Hallmark TV movies again this holiday season; in fairness those darn things are pretty addicting and I have watched some of them myself. Again, don’t judge.
For all the happiness the holidays bring ol' @HuskerlandBob did hit a bit of a bump in the road last week, suffering a bout of what sure seemed like food poisoning. I will save you the gory details (gee thanks, @HuskerlandBob!) but suffice to say all these days later I could feel better than I do. Like Chief Dan in the movie The Outlaw Josie Wales I shall endeavor to persevere.
This will also be a Christmas that has been nearly 61 years in the making, the first with neither of my parents still living. That makes me the family elder which is a strange sensation that is shared by many of you.
Funny how that works but with mom’s death a few weeks ago I have thought more about my dad than I had in a while. I actually spent some time the other night trying to remember what his voice sounded like; it’s been 20 years since I heard it in person. They are buried together at Fort McPherson and just this week mom’s headstone was placed. One of my sisters sent me a photo of it and I felt very alone for a moment. I guess that happens when your parents are gone and it’s Christmastime.
We are lucky enough to have both our children living here in Central City with the four of us at our son’s house on Christmas Day. We will enjoy watching Christmas Vacation together - there goes Father of the Year votes right out the window - and also celebrate the real reason for the season, the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We wish you all a Merry Christmas, hope you have a happy holiday with your friends and family, and thank you for being part of our Huskerland family.
