Night Before Christmas

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No sugar plums dancing about; that was the toddy flag snapping in the breeze as we opened our gift to each other. Johnny Walker Black Label; a big bottle of it; our holiday gift to each other! Can Christmas get any better?

There was a community supper last night at the River Breeze RV Resort. Our contribution was some of Nan’s famous guacamole. I rode her coat tail on this one. For several days before the event, folks staying at the RB signed up to bring a food contribution to the gathering.

It all worked out pretty well, and it was fun to sample the many offerings from folk attending the gathering. We have a few Canadians wintering with us; eh?

After a nice dinner and before the gift exchange, I entertained the crowd with my rendition of, “It was the night before Christmas.” I’ve been reciting this ditty at Christmas time since I first memorized it when I was about nine years old.

After a warm applause, the gift exchange got under way. It was one of those, you get to trade and snatch affairs. An early number opened the gift I brought; a pocket bottle of Yukon Jack. When my number was time to pick, I eschewed an unopened gift and traded my pick for that “black sheep of Canadian liquors.” In the end, I made it home with the Yukon Jack I brought to the affair.

Nan didn’t fare so well; she got a fancy baseball hat with some pretty fire flames stitched into the brim and side of the cap, but to her chagrin it also had a “World Series of Poker” emblem stitched onto the front middle of the cap. She immediately gifted the hat to me.

I was wearing around after we got back to Uncle Joe, showing off to Shaddy. I looked so good under it, she decided to take it back, thinking that she could get a black marker and cover up the offensive poker part of the stitched emblem. Black on black, so to speak.

This afternoon, we are all gathering again in the recreation hall for Christmas dinner; ham, turkey and such. Our such will be some of Nan’s famous smashed red tatters.

Shaddy and I are watching Lord of the Rings. Last night, we finished watching the first of the three movies. We are watching a special extended DVD edition that utilizes the surround sound speakers in Uncle Joe. We are huddled right in the middle of the action.

Yesterday, we received our first packet of mail from home. We have subscribed to a mail forwarding service. Our home post office saves our mail and once a week mails it to our service in Florida. The Florida service will mail it to us once a week to an address we tell them to send it to. Nan is in charge of this complication. The best I can tell, there is about a two week dog tail on our mail. Currently, we pick it up at the local post office. At our next stop at Rio Bend RV Resort near El Centro, we will have a mail box on premises.

Hope you all have a wonderful Christmas, Festivus and what ever you celebrate or don’t, and a good start to the new year. We may make another day trip or two before we leave here in early January.

Paddy

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Photos

Toddy Flag
On Christmas Eve the toddy flag stood tall as we enjoyed our Johnny Walker Black Label gift to each other. Merry, indeed!

Comments

[RIcky Ray]

Happy Holiday!
To Pat, Nan, and Shaddy, Happy Holiday to you all. Sounds like you are having some fun with others, and getting the right kind of gifts. We are doing well here. Having a beautiful clear day today, having Chunkie over for a dinner. Tomorrow we go to a play and dinner. Miss your smiling faces. My best to all! Ricky Ray