We hope that you and your family had a wonderful Christmas.
AUNT HELEN. Back at Thanksgiving I reported that Aunt Helen had fallen again and broke her wrist. She is at NHC Healthcare in Springfield now and I stopped by to see her the other day. I really admire her for the attitude she keeps. I know it is hard to keep a smile on her face and be cheerful but she does that every time I see her. It is most humbling when I think about the things I complain about.
A FUN OUTING. Wednesday we all went to Opry Mills mall (well, Nate stayed with Pauline). As a Christmas treat we splurged and saw The Polar Express at the IMAX theater in 3D. Ben tried to catch a few snowflakes and the train coming to a stop with the cow catcher just inches from our noses was very impressive.
After the film was over we walked over to Opryland Hotel to look at all the Christmas decorations. Vicki said she read they began decorating for the season in August and I can see why. Of course the kids wanted to look at a much faster pace than we did. We'd call them back to see something and they would say, "Yeah, that's neat. Let's go see what's up here."
WHITE CHRISTMAS. Here in Tennessee we dream about a white Christmas more than we enjoy them. Occasionally we get a skiff of snow but not even enough to cover the grass. This year is different. It rained all day Wednesday. Shortly after we got home from Opry Mills the rain started freezing on contact. Our back porch was iced over and SLICK. I helped Nate slide into the house and I've never heard him giggle so hard. Vicki had such a hard time getting in she took her slick soled shoes off to improve her traction. An hour or so later the rain/sleet mixture changed to snow. With 2 inches of snow/ice on the ground and the ice coating the trees we woke up to a winter wonderland the next morning.
Actually we had a mild ice storm. People west of here (like in Clarksville) had it worse. We were lucky not to lose power except for a couple of hours on Christmas Day (Saturday), and that was due to a car accident. Our next door neighbors, Jimmie and Suzanne Pitt, lost power Wednesday night and didn't get it back until lunch time on Christmas Day (and then their lights went back off when ours did). Mom and Aunt Mar lost power due to ice laden power lines Wednesday night but their power was restored the next morning.
ANNUAL CHRISTMAS PARTY. Kenny and Lori always host a Christmas party on the 23rd. They postponed it due to the weather, rescheduling it for Sunday night. Then they had a water pipe to freeze and burst causing them the reschedule it for New Year's Eve. Unfortunately we won't get to go this year.
CHRISTMAS EVE. In spite of the weather we had our Christmas Eve service at church. Around 200 people slid in to worship together. We sang Joy To The World at the end of the service. As the last note dies away Nate started clapping and yelled out "YEEAA!" Everyone laughed and turned to see the joyful boy. After church we all went over to Pauline's house for supper.
CHRISTMAS DAY FUN. Of course we had an exciting morning at our house on Christmas Day. The kids had a really big time. Jenna got a kit of magic tricks and a wand, a guitar, a movie and books among other things. Ben's presents included a bicycle, a Buzz Lightyear spaceship tent and a Viewmaster. Nate got a tricycle, a Sit-N-Spin and a Wiggles guitar (from a show on the Disney channel).
After opening all the presents we got ready to go to Mrs. Connie Swann's for brunch. What was so nice about this year is that the kids could go sledding down the hill behind her house. Poor Ben was standing at the bottom of the hill when someone came down on an unsteerable plastic disk and knocked his feet out from under him. He hit the packed ice face first. This slowed him down for a short time. Jenna enjoyed the sledding also but she sure isn't the daredevil in the family.
Nate went sledding in a plastic, 20 gallon storage container. We sat Nate inside and Mac Swann pushed him down the hill and I caught him at the bottom before he went into the creek. I think he had fun as all I could see above the rim of the container was a red hat and two rows of teeth. If I didn't get him back up the hill fast enough he would kick the sides to hurry me up.
That afternoon we came home for naps so as to recharge for supper at Aunt Mar's house. All in all it was a very big day.
MORE HOLIDAY HIGHLIGHTS. We went to church on Sunday. The kids spent the rest of the day playing with their new toys. Jonathan, Sheila, Kelsey and Taylor Leach drove up to visit during the evening. They are in from Connecticut to visit their family. We had a great time catching up with friends from college.
TRAFFIC CIRCLE. Because of the ice we are letting the kids ride their bikes through the house. They are really good drivers having learned to steer carefully so they won't mash their fingers between the handlebars and the door frames. They make the circle around the hallway, back hall, Nate's room and our room. They even pretend to be throwing newspapers on a paper route. Strange thing, they must think they are in Great Britain as you have to keep left so you will go with the flow of traffic.
Joe
P.S. Ben, who is sitting beside me here says, "I'll agree with that." When I asked him what this says he said, "I don't know, I can't read."
