It’s beginning to feel a little more like Christmas, and just in the Saint Nick of time.
Graham
My first ever mail-order fruitcake arrived, why not in these house-bound days? Fulk’s Tree Farm of Platte County was featured in the statewide Missouri Ruralist magazine this month, a beloved holiday tree tradition. The Fulks are good people making good news. That prompted me to take a drive to see the Christmas lights.
Getting in the holiday spirit has taken longer this year. COVID-19 cut us off from family and friends. Economic hardship is real for many. Unrepentant politicians created a warp in democracy that will take awhile to uncurl
But enough bah humbug. It’s time to find light among the darkness, so I started driving after sunset.
The Platte City square never disappoints. Decorations are up and lights glow on shops. You can see our graceful old brick Courthouse, where democracy’s lights still shine.
Out in the country, brightly lit snowmen and snow women smile beside the highways. I rolled into Weston where Victorian tones on Main Street remind that good things endure. Shops were open, if you’re looking for last-minute gifts. I was glad to see the lights on at Sebus Brothers Hardware. There, you’re likely to find every handy thing ever made.
Driving south on Missouri 45, river bluffs reminded me of snowy mountains. They will be snowy soon enough. A building on Farley’s Main Street was lit in reds, greens, and yellows. Christmas lighting is more modest this year. That’s OK. Many people are hard hit financially. People who never expected to be in trouble are in trouble due to a virus. Please consider charity giving beyond Dec. 25. The coldest days of winter await in 2021.
I took the back road into Parkville, through a darkened Waldron’s hamlet charms. White-tailed deer grazing beside the road reminded me of reindeer, a spirit lifter.
In Parkville, lo and behold I found Santa at the foot of Main Street. He was in a small trailer modified by elves with glass windows and of course Yuletide decor. Santa waited alone at times, but now and then little children and their parents arrived for a visit. Santa’s “Merry Christmas” sounded suspiciously like the voice of Ron Adams, Boy Scout Troop 333 scoutmaster. But the black boots and the red suit fit, so of course it was Santa.
Special COVID-19 protocols altered visits somewhat, but a child’s hopeful wishes and photos with Santa were still possible. Santa wore an N-95 mask under a thick white beard, with another white mask across his face lettered with Ho Ho Ho. Santa worried about keeping his visitors safe, as well as Mrs. Claus and her father back at the North Pole.
Take a hint from Santa, feel free to improvise this holiday. There are many ways to savor the Yule. A friend of mine treasured her childhood Christmas memories.
She listened to carols on the Eve and went to bed. On Christmas morning, a decorated evergreen tree and gifts had magically appeared overnight in their home. Kris Kringle is flexible.
I’ll honor my grandfather’s ways and cut a small cedar tree at the edge of the woods, hang some boyhood ornaments on it, and place it by the front window. Cedars are fragrant and glow under lights. Simple things tied to loved ones are the heart of Christmas, everlasting light in a whirling world.