Before I get started with this here story, I hope each and every one had a great Christmas and are looking forward to another year!
When you get my age, Christmas is about giving instead of receiving. Seems every year my family asks what I want for Christmas. Most of the time I just say, “I don’t need a thing, but whatever you give me will be appreciated.”
As usual, they asked this year and I told them a couple pair of dress pants or jeans will do fine. Also, if Santa has room, a recoil pad for my old shotgun would be nice.
When Christmas morning came and presents were being opened under the tree, I was really surprised at what Santa had brought me.
Being a practical guy, I have in the past Christmases received tools, seat covers, emblems for my tractor or trucks, but one of this year’s gifts from Santa was a little different. No-sir-re, you would never guess, so I’ll just up and tell you. It was a brand new stainless-steel finish, two-spray setting, pull-down kitchen-sink faucet with limited life-time warranty. Why, I just wonder how Santa knew just what I needed.
Another thing I managed to get for Christmas was a nasty sinus infection. I reckon it came from all the reindeer hair left on my roof.
As Christmas wound down this year it was sorta sad throwing out our 10- year old artificial Christmas tree. I kinda liked not having all the tree lights burning, but my wife, well, she just wanted a new one.
Talking about Christmas trees, several years ago, my friend Bubba (right before Christmas) needed to pick up a little extra cash. Folks told him to drive his old pulpwood truck to the mountains and purchase a load of fresh-cut Christmas trees. Why, they said he could more than double his money when he got back to the Sandhills. So, off goes Bubba in his truck headed to the mountains of NC.
Just as Bubba made it up the long winding road before you get to Boone, it was getting about dark and, to make things worse, an ice storm overtook him. Bubba was a’ slipping and a’ sliding all over the road. Won’t long, he slid into a ditch. Try as he might, he just couldn’t get the truck out.
Thinking some of the local farmers might have a tractor to pull him out, he walked to the nearest farmstead.
Arriving at a farm about dark, he was told by the farmer that the farmer’s tractor was torn down for repair but his neighbor owned a small bulldoze. In the morning they would pull Bubba’s truck out of the ditch.
Seeing that Bubba had nowhere to sleep and the storm was getting worse, the farmer invited Bubba to spend the night.
At first Bubba declined, but then he got the smell of a pot of chicken ’n dumplings cooking just inside the farmer’s kitchen. Well, that sealed the deal but Bubba said “I can sleep in the barn.”
After supper Bubba said he was a bit tired and that fresh hay in the barn would lay mighty fine. But before Bubba got up from the table the farmer said, “Man, you will freeze to death in that barn tonight. You just sleep with my young boy in his bed tonight. There will be plenty of room and cover and, don’t you fret, we will get your truck out in the morning.”
As Bubba entered the boy’s room, he could tell the boy was already asleep on his side of the bed. Bubba pulled down to his insulated underwear and slid into his side of the bed.
Right before Bubba fell asleep, he heard the young boy get up from the opposite side of the bed. Through the dim light Bubba could see that the boy was squatted down beside the bed with his hands folded on the bed as if he was praying.
Well, Bubba said that he wasn’t a very religious person back then but he just couldn’t stand to see the young boy pray by himself. So Bubba gets up on his side of the bed, placed his cowboy hat on and squatted down against his side of the bed. He then placed his hands across the bed in a praying position.
Soon the young boy said, “What are you doing?”
Ol’ Bubba answered and said, “Why, I’m doing the same thing you are son.”
“Oh Lordy, oh Lordy, momma’s gone be mad and I mean mad,” said the boy.
“Why would your momma be mad?” asked Bubba.
The boy spoke up and said, “We ain’t got but one pot and I’m a’ sitting on it!!”
Well, I hope your New Year turns out to be better than Bubba’s and your Christmas trees are always bright.