Celebrating Christmas with a Bang!

Generally, I don't enjoy things that make loud noises and produce nothing, except the loud noise, of course. I've never been a fan of fireworks. I'm not talking about those fabulous displays we see on Independence Day or at midnight on December 31st, or the nightly shows at the Disney parks. I'm talking about firecrackers.

My Grandma Gean loved firecrackers, and she never grew tired of them. She couldn't afford to give all her grandchildren great gifts for Christmas, so she gave us all a small package of firecrackers. She would wrap them in Christmas paper, and the little rectangular packages didn't vary much from year to year.

We celebrated Christmas with Grandma on the 24th, because in addition to being Christmas eve, it was an uncle's birthday. While Mama and Grandma and some others were busy getting the meal ready, they got us out of the house by giving us our gifts and a pack of matches.

Every year, someone trying to be brave would have a firecracker explode in his/her hand, then ended up crying like a baby in front of all of us. It never happened to me, because I always put mine on the ground before I lit it and ran away. It was not that I was a darling child that obeyed my parents, but I just didn't like firecrackers in my hands. I pretended to have fun but I was always so glad when all of them had been used up. Sorry, Grandma, I would have much preferred some fingernail polish or a little blue bottle of Evening in Paris cologne.

The little church in our neighborhood always had a Christmas pageant where all the children got to wear bathrobes and exchange gifts. One year, some immature 'heathen' teenage boys lit a whole package of firecrackers and threw them in the back door of the church house. After they had all exploded, everyone there except Grandma was horrified that this had happened. Grandma thought it was hilarious and added great depth to the Christmas festivities.

Usually, I am in bed asleep when the clocks and calendars roll over to a new year. I always know when it happens, however, thanks to my neighbors who set off boxes of firecrackers when midnight arrives. Grandma would have loved to live in this neighborhood.

Comments

Amish in Stantonville, Tennessee

Last week, my sis and her hub went with us to the Amish community near Stantonville, Tennessee. It was a beautiful day, and we love driving to new places and finding new treasures. We enjoy these mini-trips we take together, where we giggle a lot and get caught up on everything. Also, the squirrels ate all our tomatoes, so we needed to find some to buy. You know the food you are buying is fresh when they bring it from the field while you are standing there waiting for it. Here is part of what we brought home, and it was all delicious. Stantonville is located in McNairy County, Tennessee, northwest of Shiloh National Military Park.

100 miles or less: Rattlesnake Saloon

The Rattlesnake Saloon was opened on Labor Day, 2009. Dining there is an unique experience. It is way out in the boonies in Colbert County, Alabama. It is hard to get to, even for locals, but they have had visitors from all over the United States and many countries throughout the world. Sitting comfortably under the huge rock overhang, I couldn't help but think about the people who have sought shelter there from storms or heat. I can imagine the Native Americans using this place for a meeting area or a dry place to camp for a while. Not so many years ago, it was used as a pig pen. They have good food and live music and a hitching post if you want to ride your horse there. Most of us were picked up in a pickup, called the "Saloon Taxi", that runs from the parking lot to the restaurant continuously while they are open. The Rattlesnake Saloon is aptly named. During construction, workers unearthed a mother rattler with twelve babie...

Out of the Dirt: Bragg-ing

Like every reader, I have my favorite writers. There have been so many that have stirred my emotions and made me a part of their world, and I'm thankful for that. The one is love the best, the one I cherish , is Rick Bragg. Yesterday, Rick was in our area. We were privileged to see a newly released documentary about his life called Out of the Dirt . Afterwards, he talked to us about family and roots. His first book, All over but the Shoutin' , was recommended to me years ago. Very early in the book, I was thinking, "Who is this? He is writing about me, about my family." I have never actually met anyone in the book, but they are all my neighbors and kinfolks. His other books are just as well-written. In his book, Writing for the Soul , Christian author Jerry Jenkins had this to say about Rick Bragg: I read other writers and strive to be like them. I read others, like Rick Bragg, the Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times columnist, and simply surrender, knowing I will ...

Faith, Folklore, and Friends

Search This Blog