Christmas 2006

This Christmas was one of the greatest Christmas's we've ever had. My husbands sons were coming over and I was going to cook Christmas dinner. We had experienced a storm the night before and the lights had gone off and on all night keeping us awake. My husband is on oxygen at night and every time the power went off, his oxygen machine let out a shrill whistle. I believe I slept all of about 2 hours. That morning I got up, fixed coffee, and yes, the power went off. It went on and off a few times and then it stayed off. The first of the sons came over about 11:30 and I told him dinner wasn't cook because we had no power. He told me he was so hungry. So I gave him something to snack on and told my husband to go out to the little house behind the main house and get my charcoal and hickory chunks. He ask me what I was going to do and I told him I was going to cook Christmas dinner on the grill. I got out my pots I used during the Ivan hurricane and started cooking. I cook collards, rutabagas and cabbage stir fry on the grill. I also cooked deer roll ups and made a pot of coffee. I learned how to cook coffee on an open fire when I was a little girl. My Mom taught me to use a coffee can and get the water boiling and just pour the coffee in. You got to love coffee because it turns out very strong. What a taste though. Any way, the rest of the sons came in and were really taken by the dinner. John was so taken he came out the the grill with me and took over the cooking. He said we could not have had a better dinner. He said everyone should get back the the simple Christmas and this is what it is about. All our sons and their families received a very large basket filled with things I had canned over the summer. Including things like, Instant Russian Tea, Swiss Mocha Coffee, jellies, salsas, boiled peanuts, and deep fried peanuts, etc. Oh, they all received a framed 5 X 7 picture of Jim and I renewing our wedding vows. Christmas is too commercial. I love Santa Claus, the lights, he hustle and bustle, but I like the meanings behind them. I wish I had known these things when I was raising my boys. Santa is teaching about love and giving and is a feeling in the heart, the lights remind me of the star the shone over the baby Jesus, giving of gifts, like the 3 wise men, etc. I wish I had been a better teacher to my children. I would take time to allow them to meet Santa and then explained about what he stands for and each of the Christmas traditions. My sons knew what Christmas was about, but I think because I wanted them to have more than I had, I went over board. If only we could teach our children to love and give unconditionally just as God loves us unconditionally, and teach them the respect that we older people learn in our latter years.