O.T.: Christmases Future and Past

I took a walk at dusk in my neighborhood here in Central Pennsylvania. It was chilly with a brisk breeze. It couldn't have been a more peaceful scene unless a sheet of snow lay down across the land. (But that's coming tomorrow night). The only thing to break the silence was the neighbor's Christmas music as family arrived and passed into the comfort of a warm house, and the sirens from a parade of brightly Christmas-adorned firetrucks moving through the neighborhood across the street. At least every other house (and sometimes three or four in a row) had brightly colored green, yellow and white lights. Some homes shone bright like lanterns with family and laughter inside; others were completely dark but not desolate, as I realized that these people were with family elsewhere.

GETTING THE TREE IN 1985

This brings makes me wax reminiscent about Christmases past. I have very wonderful memories of Christmases when I was a child. Up until the late 1980's, we went out on our 57 acres to seek out a Christmas tree for ourselves each year in early December. (The photo above was taken in the mid 1980's after we had picked out a tree).

But now it's time to sit down and watch Garfield's Christmas, as we do every year. Happy Holidays to you and yours this Christmas Eve. I'll close with the story of my White Christmas in 1981 (I was 6 years old and it is one of my earliest memories).