A most unusual thing happened in an already very unusual year…it snowed for Christmas. I don’t have the actual statistics, but I’m certain that a White Christmas in Knoxville, Tennessee has happened only a handful of times over the last 100 years. In recent years, we’ve seen snow rarely if at all.
Note: Thanks to Donna Connolly of Retirement Reflections, I now have the statistics. I have inserted a link here.
I choose to believe that this is a sign that we’re covering over 2020, and can look ahead to a brighter, better year in 2021.
Despite the challenges, we leave 2020 with a treasure trove of memories and feel extremely blessed for the opportunities we had to travel and enjoy the staggering beauty of our incredible country.
We send our sincerest wishes to each of you for a wonderful Christmas season and the happiest New Year ever. We’ll be Easin’ Along on the road less traveled again in January. We would love nothing more than to have you join us.
Editor’s note: In a year when families will not gather in our homes, perhaps celebrating instead by phone or online, I thought it might be somewhat uplifting to remind others of the great times we enjoyed in years past. Those were the opportunities when we could hug, hold hands, and celebrate the blessing of togetherness…opportunities many will miss this year, including Helen and me. The post below is one that I shared with readers four years ago. I felt it worthy of a rerun.
What child is this?
“And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.” 1 Luke: 35
When our two boys were very young, we had a handmade wall hanging on with a Christmas tree sewn onto the fabric. The Christmas tree had 24 pockets containing a symbol of the Christmas season, such as a star or a small elf that could be pulled from a pocket and pinned to the tree. Every year on the first day of December, the tree came out of storage, and our boys fought over who would get to pull the first surprise from that day’s pocket. They alternated every day after that, and neither boy would dare miss a turn on his day as the designated “puller.” It was a delight to witness the fun.
Christmas Tree with pockets
Some of the most cherished aspects of the Christmas season are the traditions, which seem to begin as simple events, repeated a second time, then enhanced and repeated once more. In a relatively short number of years, an event created to entertain or amuse or pass some time until we exchanged gifts or enjoyed a meal becomes a treasured tradition.
One year someone in my wife’s family gave everyone a well-intentioned gift of some packaged baked biscuits that were so hard they were inedible. Most of the family members politely thanked the giver and then quietly sent the gift out with the spent wrapping paper. Unnoticed was one member of the family who saved his package of biscuits. The next year he rewrapped them and placed them under the tree at the family gathering to be opened by a clueless in-law. We howled with laughter when the recipient removed the wrapping and began a new tradition. For years after that, some unsuspecting family member received that same rock-hard package of biscuits as it passed from one person to another. This tradition ended when someone sent the biscuits to my son, serving with the Army in Kosovo. Legend has it that a very grateful goat enjoyed them on Christmas morning.
Carols at Christmas
However, the one tradition that I remember most fondly began with my mother-in-law, a devoted Christian and probably one of the most joyful people I have ever known. Every year as the family gathered to celebrate Christmas, “Grandmother La-La” would assemble all her grandchildren around the Christmas tree. Before a piece of candy was eaten, or a stocking emptied, or even a pigtail pulled, she would have them sing “Happy Birthday” to Jesus as she held their tiny hands and joyfully smiled at her flock as only a proud grandmother can. She would then thoughtfully and thoroughly explain to the little ones (and remind the rest of us) that the birth of Jesus, the Son of God, was the real reason for the season.
Over the years, our family created some new traditions and discarded a few as well, but I always felt that a birthday song for our new-born Savior was one of the most sincere and loving ways to teach our children the true meaning of Christmas. Now that we are scattered far and wide at this time of the year, it is difficult to repeat this tradition, but it is one that I’m certain they still remember.
Born in Bethlehem
Happy Birthday, Jesus. Traditions come and go, but, in 2021, may we remind ourselves daily that you are God’s great gift to all of us.
If anyone has a favorite tradition for the Christmas season, please share it with us in the comments below. Until next time, Helen and I send best wishes for a blessed and very Merry Christmas to everyone. Thanks to you all for Easin’ Along with us.
What a year this has been! For Helen and me, 2020 falls somewhere in the range between blessed and challenging. We had the challenge of not having the opportunity to share time with family and friends. We miss sharing time with my Mom, who is doing well, especially for someone at the age of 92. Still, she remains strictly quarantined in her retirement home. The care and attention she receives are exceptional, but there are no hugs, and time for visits is divided among all of the other residents. A vaccine can’t come fast enough.
When the year began, COVID-19 was only a rumor about a disease spreading somewhere in China. Little did we know what was to come when we left for Florida on January 1st. We ignored the stories and had a splendid time with my sister and brother-in-law camping in lake Kissimmee before working our way to Key West, where the food was fantastic, and the weather was even better. We arrived home a month or so later, tanned and rested. The rumors of a disease with no cure persisted and grew stronger.
Mallory Square, Key West, FL
In March, Helen and I planned a trip, leaving in April, for California to deliver a small trailer to our son. We booked all of the reservations, stocked the trailer with food and other necessities, including a few surprises for the grandchildren. Within a week of the departure date, campground operators began calling to cancel our reservations. A few held out hope but gave no guarantees of being open when we arrived. We had no option but to cancel the trip, and the rumor became real.
By mid-May, we were familiar with this disease’s risks and felt that we could manage a trip to deliver the trailer if we remained cautious. By then, cabin fever had set in, and two RVs sat in storage, unused. Around that time, our son in Charleston called and offered to tow the small trailer as far as Jackson Hole, Wyoming, if our son in California could meet us there and pull it the rest of the way. Suddenly a family vacation fell into place. We accepted the risks, masked up, and moved out.
Happy Campers
The trip required some last-minute scheduling, but we managed to secure enough campsites for the family convoy to Wyoming and enough for Helen and me to continue for a delightful journey to the Oregon and California coast. We encountered plenty of challenges and disappointments along the way. Canada shut the doors on our planned week in Banff, and half of Glacier National Park closed as well. Nevertheless, the vast majority of the experience was splendid and proved worthy of the risk. Campground operators have gone above and beyond the procedures necessary to keep their visitors safe. We made it home in September with some great memories and just a few pictures.
Grand Teton Mountains – Jackson, WY
We planned a trip to Edisto Beach, SC, well over a year ago for three weeks of pure vacation. By now, we were comfortable traveling and accustomed to the precautions necessary to stay out of harm’s way. Fortunately, the overwhelming majority of other travelers are just as cautious as us. On the road and in campgrounds, we see very few without masks or ignoring social distance restrictions. We reserved a large campsite in Edisto and moved to and from the beach freely. Just like our trip to the northwest, we cooked in, stayed close to our trailer, and shopped only when necessary. Edisto is always fun, beautiful, and peaceful.
We’re home now and planning a month-long trip to Florida beginning in mid-January. Hopefully, we will have at least one dose of a vaccine by then, as will every citizen who wants one. We’re looking forward to Florida as well as another journey west to visit the places closed to us in 2020. As always, we want you to join us for every mile.
Despite the challenges, 2020 was a joyful year for Easin’ Along. We’re very blessed…and so very grateful.
