I thought since I told you a Halloween story perhaps I’d continue the tradition with a very brief Christmas story. And since my family traditionally celebrated the holiday on Christmas Eve, I’ll post this today.
Preface
I have many fond memories of Christmas as a child. I imagine most people do. As I have said previously we were rather poor when I was quite young. So much of our Christmas presents were of a practical nature or handmade. Still I always had a Breyer horse or two under the tree (I wanted these more than anything else in the world, except for maybe a real horse) Also coming from a talent filled family meant we usually had some handmade goods like wooden trunks (made by my father) or hand-painted jeans from my mom. (I still have both by the way.)
I mention this as a preface to the the upcoming story. It might seems a little odd to gift the hams mentioned below, but it kinda falls in line with acceptable gift giving goodies from my family.
Free Ham For Everyone! (It’s a Christmas Miracle!)
So, many years ago we received a ham for Christmas from my parents. (we being Mike and I) It was a monsterously big ham. My folks being the proud bargain hunters (and occasional dumpster divers) that they were, had to share how they got such a wonderful ham.
Mom likes to refer to herself as a dumpster diver. I suppose it would sound so much more classy (not to mention trendy) to call it recycling or better still . . . being green.
That year was a particularly icy and cold winter and a semi truck (carrying you guessed it. . . ham) lost control and hit a bridge a few miles from my dad’s business. Hams went spilling everywhere. All over the road, into the ditch and onto the frozen creek.
My dad (and from what I remember) several others sprung into action (like super hero’s) and went out and rescued all the little lost hams. It was hard and dangerous work (imagine retrieving a ham from a frozen creek) but they persevered and were richly rewarded for their efforts.
My folks gave hams to everyone that year. In case you were wondering, they were completely wrapped and waxed so despite skidding down the highway and into a snowy embankment, they were in remarkably perfect condition, with almost no gravel. (kidding) Yes we ate ours and it was good.
Yeah, it’s exactly like that.
My story kinda gives you that warm fuzzy holiday spirit doesn’t it? It’s almost like that time on Little House on the Prairie when Ma Ingalls cut off her hair to buy her husband . . . something. Was it a saddle? And Pa Ingalls sold his horse??? to buy ribbons for Ma’s hair?
That can’t be right. That would mean human hair would have had the street value of like cocaine (not that I would know, just guessing.) And that horses would be as valuable then as . . . well horses are now. So maybe that’s not quite how the story went. You know now that I think about it, it may not have even been a “Little House” episode. I should really research these things before I use them for examples.
Perhaps it was fiddle strings and Pa sold his fiddle. Hmmm. That’s gonna bug me now until I remember.
At any rate, have a wonderous Christmas and may it be filled with warm and fuzzy memories of your own.
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