12.25.09 - Snowy Christmas
Merry Christmas! What a joy to be back home! The heat from the wood stove, the bite of the winter wind, and the tranquillity of silent falling snow were the sights and sounds that we couldn't wait to find.
A Flunker Christmas is special because routinely it focuses on family far above presents and toys. That's not to say Micah didn't get eyes as big as saucers to find all the presents under the tree, however its the events and time with family around the tree that become presents of memories and pictures that can always stay fresh in our minds.
My folks waited for us to arrive up north before they cut and decorated the tree. Each year we hike out and find a live tree to bring back home and cover with ornaments and lights. Micah had much more fun this year than last. He is still a little timid of the cold, but he enjoyed riding around in the sled as we hauled our tree home.
Christmas morning greeted us with constant precipitation. Its started out raining and then the rain turned to snow, which began to weigh down the roads and we stayed inside with our RC helicopters, new clothes, Wii games, and other trinkets.
Soon it was time to head down to Great Grandma's to have our second Christmas Celebration with the rest of the whole family. However, as we pulled out of the drive way in our two car convoy, we soon realized that the Christmas morning snow was more than our front-wheeled cars could handle. After 5 miles it was Kari and I in the ditch with dad and mom coming to our rescue to push and pull the snowy car free.
After much deliberation we finally all headed back to the safety of our home to wait out the storm. This was the first time in Kari and my history where we didn't celebrate Christmas with the whole family - we were snow-stranded - and we didn't know what to do with ourselves!
However, after a night's rest and hours of shoveling and plowing we made our way down south, past Green Bay to the infamous Flunker Family Fun Day!!! And true to form we had trick plays, illegal checking, unnecessary roughness, and more fun in a few hours than an entire year combined! The "Ice Bowl" after Christmas is engrained tradition and a highlight for all the grandkids.
After more of Grandma's Christmas cooking and visiting the Uncle's houses I truly felt like Christmas was complete. It wasn't the toys or gifts that last in my mind, it is the priceless time with family that makes the trip worth every cent. I could leave for the Caribbean with another successful Christmas and new memories and pictures to cherish. What a happy Christmas it was!
