Let's go for a ride...

We're only a week away from Christmas Day. Do you have your shopping done? Started?! Plans all made for gatherings and holiday meals?

If you have everything done, congratulations. You are a step ahead of many of us, and can enjoy watching the rest of us scurry around like rats in a maze, frantically trying to get everything done so our Christmases can be "perfect."

Our memories are wonderful things. We can selectively recall events and gloss over or block ones that are too painful or embarrassing. A true wonder.

Show of hands - how many have a Currier and Ives or Norman Rockwell vision in their minds when it comes to Christmas? A roaring fire, a twinkling tree with brightly wrapped presents underneath, a light snow falling outside and your family all together. Can you see it?

Most of us can. More likely than we truly never really experienced it.

Christmas is all about anticipation. As children, we carefully consider what we want for Christmas, write letters to Santa and the braver souls even pay a personal visit to the jolly old elf to make sure he knows what to bring.

The presents begin appearing under the tree and we carefully mark off the days leading up the big day, Christmas Eve.

Growing up, we were Christmas Eve present openers. We would have supper, leave milk and cookies out for Santa and then the Chief would always insist that we go for a drive to look at the Christmas lights around town. The ride in the Rambler station wagon would take us all over town and eventually we would end up back at home.

Our timing was always terrible. If we hadn't gone down those last few blocks (or the Chief would have driven faster than 10 mph) we would have seen Santa. Our mother, who must have been on a first name basis with the man, always assured us that he had just missed the jolly old elf. She thought we were kidding when we told her that we hadn't seen his hasty departure.

As I approached the age of non-belief, I often wondered -- but never dared speak of it -- how, if Santa went to EVERY home, and we JUST missed him, shouldn't we have been able to see him next door, across the street, or somewhere in town? Hey, a huge sleigh, 12 reindeer and a large man in a red suit in the middle of winter aren't exactly inconspicuous....

But it was better not to ask too many questions....

I took my daughters on similar rides when they were small children as well, always returning after Santa had deposited his gifts and left for the next house. As they grew older, we no longer had to take rides to see the lights, we simply began opening presents.

And what about the blood fever that grips children when it comes to opening presents? A wide berth needs to be given to the little guys, or someone could lose an eye. We have since adopted a taking turns, slower opening of presents to make the entire experience last longer. It does require participants older than 12 to successfully accomplish this maneuver.

Well, barring a tropical blast in the coming week, it appears that we will have a white Christmas. The snow of this week has been wonderful to sit inside a warm place and watch, quite another thing to go outside and deal with. The dramatic change overnight from Saturday to Sunday was truly amazing. The way the wind blew the small amount of snow we received around, I thought for a moment our community was inside a snow globe being shaken by a giant.

The cold can go away at any time as well.

There won't be a Sentinel a week from today when we all are celebrating Christmas, so I want to wish each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas. I hope you get to spend time with family and friends, which is the very best gift of the season.

As always, I welcome your comments. You can reach me by email at tstangl@lemarscomm.net, telephone 712-546-7031, x40 or toll free 1-800-728-0066 x40.

Thanks for reading, I'll keep in touch. Feel free to do the same.