Holiday Gathering--December 8, 2016

Another Festive Time Together for RFArea REA Members

Colleen Kealy, Evelyn Johnson, and Gorden Hedahl
enjoying the program

On December 8th, members of the our local RFArea REA met at the West Wind to spend some time together before the holiday rush. We shared news important to us as former educators and retired persons.  We also had some fun listening to stories, singing favorite holiday songs, and--for the lucky ones--winning some great door prizes.  

RFArea REA President Roger Hulne
welcomed everyone to this year's festivitie

It was good to see many of our regular attendees as well as some of our members whose busy schedules don't always allow them to come to our regular meetings.  About two dozen people attended our December meeting, a little better attendance than November's meeting, but we wish that more of our members came to the local meetings. We did feel the absence this year of our longtime member Doug Johnson, who passed away earlier this year.  It was not quite the same without his oft-repeated lutefisk stories!

Gail Possley:  The Perfect Doll and the Puppy

As children, we all dreamed of the perfect Christmas present.  We can, no doubt, still remember what that one special item was to this day whether we actually got it or not.  Gail remembers the year she received the doll she had had her eye on all year long.  On Christmas Eve, she opened the present, adored its beautiful dress and shoes and couldn't believe it was actually hers.  

A second surprise came to her, though--a new puppy.  When she woke up Christmas morning to play with the two new presents she loved dearly, she discovered that the puppy loved Gail's new doll also, but not in quite the same way Gail did.  He loved the taste of the doll's toes!  Gail's precious pup had chewed off all the toes of her precious doll. In the end, she loved them both whatever their flaws!

Dick Beckham:  The Original Christmas Story

Before Jean Shepherd created Ralphie, Randy, Scott Farcus, Schwartz, and the rest of his Indiana friends and family, Dick Beckham had his own Christmas fantasy of "an official Red Ryder, carbine action, two-hundred shot range model air rifle with a compass in the stock and a thing that tells time."

Dick and his younger brother had not only hinted many times to their parents of their desire to see BB guns of their very own under the Christmas tree, they tried to increase the odds by spending every penny they could find or earn on BBs.  

Just like Ralphie's mother, Dick's mother was especially concerned about boys with BB guns because everyone knows that "You'll shoot your eye out," a prospect particular scary since Dick, from early childhood, had lost the vision in his right eye.

Good and loving parents that they were, Mr. and Mrs. Beckham made sure that Dick and his brother became the proud owners of Red Ryder BB guns.  Setting up old jars from a barrel somehow located at the back of their Mississippi family home, Dick and his brother were sure that their cache of BBs accumulated over weeks would last them a very long time.  By noon, they were all out of BBs.  And, no, neither Dick nor his brother shot out an eye.

Margarita Hendrickson:  Christmas in New Orleans

Having emigrated from Colombia to New Orleans as a little girl with her family, Margarita Hendrickson found Christmas in Louisiana was a lot different from what she had known before.  By the time she married East Coast husband Tom, her family was ensconced in these new traditions.

On Christmas Eve in New Orleans, bonfires are lit on the levees, mostly in St. James Parish. They are part of a Cajun tradition meant to light the way for "Father Noel," the Cajun Santa Claus.  Some of the fires can be as high as 30 feet tall and are built by families and friends who cook, drink, and socialize between the fires.

Margarita says that for the uninitiated, these fires may seem unusual, even strange.  But for New Orleanians, Christmas Eve isn't complete without the bonfires.

Patty Hulne:  Roger's Surprise

Patty Hulne revealed a little something about her husband Roger and the Christmas tradition he created in their home.

With six children and a number of grandchildren, the Hulnes decided several years ago that they would forego presents for themselves so that they could buy presents for the rest of their family members.  Both were in agreement:  no presents for each other.

On Christmas Day, as each present was plucked from underneath the tree and the name on the present was read, something unusual happened:  "This one if for . . . Roger."  Patty looks puzzled.  How did that happen?  Roger takes the package, opens it up, and what a surprise.  It is a sweater.  Just what he wanted.  Who knew that he wanted it?  Roger, of course.  A present to Roger, from Roger!

So, every year, as presents are being opened, the family all wonders what Roger has bought Roger this Christmas.

Bernie Brohaugh:  Axel's Christmas Letter

Bernie and Karen Brohaugh were lucky folks. They owned a cat who could write--and a mighty good writer he was, so good that he even wrote his own Christmas letter to his friends.

According to his letter, Axel was a bit cantankerous with lots of strong opinions.  When not allowed to share in the Christmas spirit during a holiday party--a bowl of spiked eggnog--he waited until his people had gone to sleep, jumped up on the table, and finished off the last remainders of the drink.  The next morning, Bernie and Karen awoke to find a pretty sick kitty suffering from a feline hangover.  After some watchful waiting, all was well.  But the Brohaughs had to keep an eye on that clever kitten from then on.

Tony Pedriana:  O Little Town of Delavan

A holiday memory that Tony may wish to forget happened just last year. His recently married son invited Tony and his wife to their new home in Delavan, Wisconsin, for Christmas Eve celebrations.  Even though the Pedrianas had been hosting children and then grandchildren at their home for the holidays for decades, Tony and his wife decided that sharing Christmas with his son and his wife would be a good idea.

While Christmas Eve turned out to be a great time, Tony and his wife discovered that his son and daughter-in-law would be spending Christmas Day with her parents--without his parents.  So, there they were in their hotel on Christmas Day with nowhere to go and nothing to do.  How about Christmas dinner?  But what restaurants are open on Christmas when everyone is at home sharing meals with their families?  Denny's, of course, because it never closes.  When they got there, however, they discovered there was a two-hour waiting list--at Denny's! What to do?  They headed across the street to a gas station/convenience store where they bought the best bowl of soup the gas station had to offer!

Now, that's a Christmas to remember--or to try to forget.