This issue will come out on Christmas Eve. It’s hard to believe that a year has gone by since last Christmas. This week, we are going to depart a bit from the usual material and focus on Christmas.
For many of us, the excitement of the present Christmas is also mingled with memories of Christmases past. Perhaps my own, personal remembrance focuses most on the Christmas of 1970. That was the day before my wedding to the woman who would be my wife for forty-five years until her passing in 2016. In a way, the memory is bittersweet, but I still cherish it. I know that there are many others out there who will be missing one or more loved ones this Christmas.
Most outdoor folks have fond Christmas memories of outdoor-related gifts they received over the years. Things like guns, fishing gear, and other equipment hold a special place in their hearts. It may seem odd, but one of my favorites involves a carbide light. As teenagers, my friends and I were really into coonhunting. Carbide lights were what we used back in those days, and the only one I had was an old one that my dad had used in the coal mine many years previously. When I found a new one under the Christmas tree, I felt like the king of the world. Gifts don’t have to be huge to make a lasting impression.
Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “It seems that I can hear the God of history saying, ‘That was not enough. For I was hungry and ye fed me not.....Consequently, ye cannot enter the Kingdom of Greatness’”. Feeding the hungry is one of the Corporal Works of Mercy. Be sure to remember local food pantries this Christmas Season.
Here’s another thought. A lot of people get puppies and kittens for their kids. Often, after a short time, the kids get tired of the pet, it starts to grow up and the family just doesn’t want it anymore. The unfortunate animal winds up either in a shelter or, even worse, ending up fending for itself. Pets should be given as gifts only with the understanding that it is a long term commitment.
I know that this column has been a rambling deviation from the norm, but I hope you enjoy it. I would like to close with my favorite poem, by my favorite American poet, Robert Frost. Some believe that the narrator is supposed to be Santa Claus. I disagree with that, but the poem certainly feels like Christmas.
Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening
Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sounds the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
Robert Frost
I would like to wish everyone a very merry Christmas.
Email: salmonangler1@gmail.com
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