Auld Lang Syne

Another Christmas has come and gone.  Presents put away, leftovers for a week. Tree still up and will remain so until New Years Day. People returning to work after the holiday. Children still on vacation. I started to think about the days when I was in school and had Christmas vacation.  Staying up late and sleeping in until I felt like getting up. Wearing all your new clothes. Getting together with friends and family.

One day in particular, I remember my family got together at my grandmother's house. Everyone decided to make a snowman.  It took all day and a total of five hours to complete. Soon we had neighbors pitching in. I can't remember even taking a break. I can't remember getting tired. I just remember having a lot of fun and how everyone seemed to work together so well.

The snowman was fifteen feet tall. The hat was a full size garbage can and the buttons were soup cans.  The snowman held a broom and had a belt made of pieces of coal. Needless to say, it was spectacular!  People from all over would come to see it. Of course it didn't hurt that the local newspaper came to take a picture of the giant snowman. My aunt and I stood on each side of the giant snowman. I was seven and she was ten. We were the talk of the school after the vacation ended. Years later, the newspaper put the picture of the snowman on the front cover for their "What happened ten years ago"? It was very cute.

We always had a fun time at my grandmother’s house. She was young at heart and was always up for anything. Not to mention she always had delicious food waiting for us anytime we stopped in. Someone was always coming up with a new idea for a game. Whether it be indoors or out, I learned to entertain myself from all the experiences I had as a child. Not a bad thing to know.

As the old year comes to an end and the New Year is just around the corner, it's kind of nice to look back on some of the nicer things that have happened throughout the year and to look forward to all of the possibilities the New Year has to offer. 

From our backyard to yours, Happy New Year!