Merry Christmas, Dear Readers! I will keep this short, because I am scurrying around, trying accomplish enough today and tomorrow so that I will be able to relax and enjoy this Christmas weekend with friends and family. We in the Kansas City area had a couple of inches of snow last night, and my cell phone tells me it is -2 degrees Fahrenheit (about 40 degrees below normal) as I type this in mid-afternoon. Looks like we’ll have a White Christmas! Have you seen the movie with that name? I have, at least three times. I see it’s available on Amazon (see here).
The apartment complex where I live had been undergoing repainting until this cold spell, and because of this few residents have put up outdoor Christmas lighting, but I bucked the trend and put a little color on my balcony. A couple of nights ago I went on the other side of the canal that flows past my place and took a photo, just to show that I and my downstairs neighbors are in the spirit.
My neighbor’s brightly lit Christmas tree reminds me that when I was very young, in the mid 1930s, my Schafer grandparents would decorate their fir tree with strands of tinsel, something rarely seen today. They also added a few ornaments, but the most striking addition to the tree was a collection of a dozen small candles, each about twice the size of an ordinary birthday candle.
Each candle was nestled in a decorative holder equipped with a clamp designed for attaching it to a branch. As you can imagine, those candles were placed with extreme care, because Christmas trees ignite easily, and they burn with intense heat. Predictably, the candles were lit only briefly, for only a few minutes each night, and when we sang carols and opened gifts on Christmas Eve. The candles’ flickering flames were spellbinding. For a small boy, those moments were magical.
I doubt that I’ll see you again before the new year arrives, so Happy New Year to all. I look forward to seeing you in January. The world is going through bad times, enough to make me occasionally grumpy. If this keeps up, I’ll probably have some gripes after we ease into 2023. I may even get back to politics. You may remember I graciously gave President Trump a grade of D- (see here). President Biden should be so lucky! Stay tuned.
Wishing you a very Merry Christmas! Your lights look fantastic. Stay warm! ❄️🎄
Great to hear from you, Cat! Glad you like the lights.
Merry Christmas Ken! We received your Christmas letter and pictures today! Thank you! Your grandchildren are precious!
Thank you for your comment. Yes, I am one proud grandpa.
During my time at Malmstrom AFB Great Falls Montana as a Minuteman crew member, it got to -40 and -45 degrees. Once the kitchen faucets froze. Called the engineering emergency call desk. Was told they would thaw when it got up to 20 below. It did. Were there 1/64-8/68. Got to see the northern lights a couple times though.
Having grown up in South Dakota, I remember the temperature dropping down to the -30s. That was cold enough for me, Chuck. During my winters there, I too was able to see the Northern Lights a number of times. What an amazing show!
Merry Christmas, Dad. Love your deck lights. Thanks for sharing your Christmas Eve memory about your grandparents. We should light candles and sing carols next Christmas Eve! Love you.
And Merry Christmas to you, dear daughter. That’s a great suggestion for next Christmas Eve, when we’ll all be together. My love to you and your family who are celebrating this Christmas in Louisville.