As I write this, I don’t truly know I am at – at least from a
literal standpoint. It appears that I am in a town called Fremont, Virginia. If
you were to give me $500 – and take away my phone – I doubt that I could find
this town by senses alone. I am on the 75th running of the Santa
Train, an annual locomotive excursion from Pikeville, KY to Kingsport, TN. Let
me set the scene for you – It’s about fifty degrees and overcast, and the Train
is riding through the mountains, with that jolly old man in red, passing out
toys, clothes, and candy to children all along the 126-mile ride.
Yep, in my terminology, absolutely beautiful!
This is the fourth year that I have been blessed to make this
trip, which definitely qualifies as a trip back in time. You know that little coal mining town where
Loretta Lynn (as Sissy Spacek) went chasing after Mooney’s (Tommy Lee Jones)
girlfriend with a stick in Coal Miners’
Daughter? Towns like that still are here in the heart of Appalachia. It’s a
soul-stirring sight, although mixed with a bit of melancholy that “progress”
doesn’t always extend to every area in this United States. You see everything
from small children to great-grandparents lined along the route in towns that
never likely never even see the Governor of their respective states, let alone
anyone from Washington. To call it a slower pace would be putting it mildly.
Think The Waltons (you knew I’d put a
reference to that show in there somewhere) in modern day.
Santa Train is kind of the “official” kickoff for the holiday
season for me. And, when I say that – let me explain. I have been listening to
the sounds of the season for about a month…..have got just about all of my
Christmas shopping done….and I call it “Holiday” season not in any way trying
to be politically correct. To me, it is
Christmas, pure and simple. But, beginning this week, I can wholeheartedly
embrace my inner Kris Kringle and not feel ashamed one bit.
From here, the road goes home, where I have a really cool
week planned on the radio – with interviews with three very distinct musical
personalities…….Tracy Lawrence, Justin Moore, and…..Mavis Staples. (If you ever
think I get used to interviewing people, think again. The fact that I got to
talk to one of the greatest female singers in American music history is not
lost on me one bit – nor something that I take for granted!)…..Thursday is
Thanksgiving……I’m not quite sure where I will be that day, but I can tell you
that at some point I will likely be watching The Waltons’ Thanksgiving
episode – hoping that John-Boy passes his college entrance exam….(I sense a
trend here!)….and watching the Dallas Cowboys play football……hopefully, that
won’t go like last week against Atlanta. But, it will be a good day. Oops, let
me backtrack. I can tell you one place I will be – at the local gas station to
pick up a copy of the Tennessean, so I can find out who’s selling what, when,
and where the next day.
Ever since I was sixteen years old in 1990 – which seems to
be a little longer of a time period each year – I have been among the hustle
and bustle of what is known as “Black Friday,” also known as the Greatest Show
on Earth. Usually - though not in the past few years – that day has included my
brother Randall, and we will hit the stores. The sales can be great, but what’s
really great is the people watching. You see a little bit of everything. I
wouldn’t take a hundred dollars for that day. And, I don’t really do a lot of
shopping that day for presents – aside from a couple for the kids (which I
could get on the second Tuesday in December at Walmart in Hohenwald), I am
actually done – that I know of. So, I have mentioned the spiritual side of the
next few weeks, and also the commercialism that so many seem to detest. So,
what is the Christmas season to me?
All of the above.
I celebrate the way I do because I am thankful. Thankful for
a baby that was born in a manger that grew up to be a man who made the ultimate
sacrifice. I celebrate the way I do because I am thankful for the job -s- that
I have that allow me to make a living for me, feed my two little fur balls, and
show people that I care about them. Thankful for my two kids – that while it
hasn’t been always been textbook, I think they know I care about them and them
me. Thankful for the opportunities that I am blessed with which allow me to be
a better writer. I think that this year
I have raised my game a bit. I hope that 2018 is even better….and I am
grateful for the relationships I have – blood and otherwise. Life overall is
pretty good right now. After spending some time in the darkness in my life, the
sun isn’t a bad place to be. There are still goals, and those who know me know
what those are – but I am about as content in my own skin as I ever have been
before. And, those are words that I never thought I would write.
So, to all of you from me….Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Feliz
Navidad ( or ‘Felice Nallydall,’ as it was once called by a little girl named
Bella….who isn’t so little anymore…..though she can still do a teenage eyeroll
as good as anyone!), Season’s Greetings, or Mele Kalikimaka…I hope your last
six weeks of the year are all good ones, and remember that favorite writer /
radio announcer on your list. (Tacky? Perhaps. But, if one person believes in
my “Santa Claus” with gift cards or a package of “Nuts and Bolts” (Chex Mix –
homemade!), then it’s entirely worth it!
