Traditions of the Season
Phil Taunton
Friday, December 22, 2006
When I think of Christmas, I think of lots of snow — a deep moist, fluffy snow — and going to Grandma’s house across town to open presents.
A delicious Christmas dinner with all our family’s favorite dishes also comes to mind. Ham, hot rolls, sweet potatoes, turkey, dressing and lots of pie, my oh my!
Grandma’s house? It’s hard to believe our home has become “Grandma’s house” in what seems like just a few short years. And as for snow, my how our seasons have really changed.
When I was a kid, two feet of snow by Thanksgiving was the norm, and now it’s just a memory in these parts.
Grandma is gone and so are my folks. Our kids are grown and we have grandkids all our own. Where has time gone?
Wifeus and I welcome visits from the girls throughout the year, with Christmas being just one of those wonderful times. Honestly, the spirit of Christmas for us is celebrated every day just by being together, being alive, being healthy and enjoying each other’s company.
As I look out into my yard, I see two oaks I planted some thirty years ago. One, a pin oak, was a seedling found hitching a ride in the container with a “Snow Cloud” crab apple tree. I had purchased the crab apple from a nursery for the sole purpose of attracting Cedar Waxwing to the yard.
It worked. The birds come each year that the tree bears fruit.
The other is a burr oak my father gave me. It was only about a foot tall, with leaves almost as long as it was tall, when I planted it. Now, hanging from its lower branches and in the front yard yet is the “Red Neck” swing set the grandkids so dearly love.
Just like their mother, it is the simple things they adore and are amused with.
Both of these trees are more than 30 feet tall now, but it seems like just yesterday our daughters would giggle as they ran and jumped over the small oaks in a play world all their own.
And as for Christmas presents, the girls spent more time playing with the wrapping, bows and boxes the presents came in than they did with the actual toys we spent hours shopping for.
The gift they seemed to appreciate the most was the time and attention we were able to give them. Caring and sharing: a present to last a lifetime.
During Christmas, even amongst all this harmony, loved ones can get a little testy when so much is going on. A man needs to do what he needs to do in order to restore good will — like get out from under foot, off the couch, out of the kitchen, out of the house and let the wife and now-grown daughters do the cooking and planning for Christmas Day.
Last year, instead of matching wits with the women, my buddy Mark and I decided discretion would be the better part of valor and took to the hills for our very first Christmas Eve Day Hunt. Traditions need to start somewhere!
We promised to be home way before the other quests arrived and, of course, be home in time for dinner. The women didn’t mind us “getting out of the house!” In fact, they welcomed and encouraged it.
What a memorable hunt we had. Mark and I each had lost our fathers in 1995. The fathers who got us started in hunting, fishing and enjoying the Great Outdoors. This hunt to celebrate Christmas would be for them as well.
Mark harvested a turkey in the short time we were out, and you can imagine our surprise when I cleaned the bird and found its crop plumb full of acorns. I never knew this grand bird ate the nut shell and all — swallowed it whole. I always thought it cracked them and pecked out the meat.
The girls took several of these acorns home, compliments of Mark’s Christmas turkey, planted them in their yards and now have several white oak trees about the size of the burr oak my father gave me so long ago.
I can’t wait to see the grandkids jump over them this spring! Great things can come in small packages.
I wish you all a very Merry Christmas.
If you have an outdoor adventure you would like to share, contact me at ptaunton@cableone.net.
Start a tradition of your own and share this great holiday dip recipe with family and friends this Christmas. From the kitchen of June Bell of Cottonwood Falls:
Pheasant dip
1 Can cream of mushroom soup
1 Cup mayonnaise
1 8 oz. pkg cream cheese
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 Cups cooked, diced pheasant
1 Cup minced celery
Microwave cream cheese on defrost setting for about 3 minutes to soften. Add soup and mayonnaise, Worcestershire and onion. Mix. Then add pheasant and celery and mix again. Good when served at room temperature or chilled along with your favorite cracker.