Wrapping Up The Holidays.

 

   TO PARAPHRASE DOUGLAS MACARTHUR, “We have returned”…from Texas that is, and we are now going to reconquer Terre Haute (That’s French for “Hey! This ain’t the Philippines.”).

Christmas and New Years in South Texas (Sinton – Population about 5500) should be relatively warm – mid 70s or so, but not this year. There were days in the 30s and 40s and always damp. It felt like we were living inside a Styrofoam beer cooler. Then we had to return to Indiana to be greeted with minus 9° degrees. I haven’t been warm since July.

The Texas excursion was twofold in purpose – Christmas and my Mother-in-law’s 97^th birthday. Just about the entire family migrated to be there. The Alaskan delegation stayed home where it was warmer.

The family tradition for Christmas is to gather and open gifts on Christmas Eve with everyone crowded around the tree in the Family Room. This year the Christmas tree had to shrink to accommodate the 28 people in that room. 28! We had to take turns breathing. If there are any more babies born we may have to shift everything to “Whataburger Field” – the home of the Corpus Christi Hooks Baseball Club (AAA team for the Houston Astros)

With that many people there was no way to put out Christmas dinner in the house. For the last few years the only solution has been to rent out the Church Hall and Kitchen and set up a buffet line. Tamales for 28 family members along with a few friends. It was quite an event. It 

all went smoothly thanks to good upbringing and the fact that at least three diners were armed. That always helps to make sure that Gramma gets all she wants to eat.

There was Christmas and then there was the New Year. Our son Alex had his birthday on the 31^st, so we did a slightly less crowded replay of Christmas. A few folks had to go back to their homes and jobs. With the New Year the temperatures rose only a few degrees and I morphed into “Thawing Man!” My Super Power became shivering and wearing more clothing than Andre′ the Giant.

All family gatherings (I can’t call them vacations) have to end and so we flew from Chilly Corpus Christi to Chilly Houston on to Freaking Freezing Indianapolis. It was only one time zone but about 600° colder. That kind of change is just wrong. There is no way the human body can adapt that suddenly. As soon as we landed in Indy every joint in my body stiffened and every bone began to ache in protest.

The only high point is that I am able to get some coffee in my system again. When you stay with your 97 year old Mother-in-law it is pretty much a tea environment. My wife, the lovely and pure Texan, Dawn, is a tea and Dr. Pepper devotee. So, for two weeks I’m either a tea drinker or whatever soft drinks can be found at the HEB Market.

Back home again in Indiana, minus Jim Nabors, my next chore is cataract surgery so that I can see more clearly, my penmanship will improve, and I will stop bumbling along like Mr. Magoo. It won’t make me any warmer, but at least I’ll be able to read the thermometer easier.

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