CC Biker & motorsports
vol 5 issue 11
Please tell’em CC Biker and Motorsports Sent Ya
december 2020
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CC Biker & Motorsports
MERRY QUARANTINE CHRISTMAS! (YES, I SAID IT!) Kelli Morgan-Langley WRITER
and just spend time together reminiscing about Christmases in Christmas 2020…..what a new the past; to watch the young kids and novel experience this will revel in the gifts and the lights on be! Will we be quarantined? Will the tree; and to remember those there be civil unrest? Will we be who came before us. able to go to the mall on ChristWith the way things are now, mas Eve for that last minute gift, we’re not going to be able to go or will Uncle Charlie just do withto church, or anywhere else, on out? One thing is for sure, this Christmas this year. If you have will be a Christmas like no other a large family, someone’s going anyone in our era has ever seen. to have to miss out, because the But in one way, it may turn out all powers that be are restricting us right for everyone. Looking back to no more than ten people in the through the past generations, home. Sorry Dave, but you and people didn’t always gather in your family will have to miss out, huge extended groups to cele- your two older brothers RSVP’ed brate. In the 1800’s, many fami- first…. lies were in the processes of immigrating west, or south, so often it was just immediate family who gathered for the holiday. There were no airplanes, or busses, and very few trains, which put a big damper on traveling for the holiday. If you couldn’t get there in your buckboard, you just didn’t go. But on the other hand…. Where you DID go was to church….no matter what church you attended, how much snow was on the ground, everyone went to church on either Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. Dressed in your Sunday best, (and Sunday was the only day you wore those clothes other than special occasions), everyone piled into the wagon, or later the family sedan or truck, and headed for services, to see young people act out the Nativity scene, listen to the preacher (or minister, or priest, or whatever they called themselves) tell about the night our Savior came into the world, and enjoy fellowship with our friends, family and neighbors. There was often some kind of meal or at least snacks, and a gift-giveaway for the children. It was a time to come together as a community, to communicate with your neighbors, to gossip and see how much all the neighborhood kids have grown; in other words, to promote good will and fellowship in the community. Afterward the entire family would gather to open gifts, cook and eat a huge meal, play games,
While small shops who usually turn their profit for the year at this time are shut down or severely limited, mega-corporations such as Wal-Mart, Target, Lowes, etc. are raking in the profits from both in-store sales and on-line purchases. Amazon has seen its profits skyrocket during this time. But in the meantime, Judy’s Boutique and other small shops will be shut down, as will the corner bar where we gathered for drinks after a shopping trip and the local diner who does not have access to an outdoor facility for its diners. These small mom and pop businesses will be forced to take out loans in order to survive, or shut down completely. Ho ho ho and Merry Christmas to them, right?
visitors. So if we do go see them, it’s through an outside window, and we’re not allowed to hold their hands or hug them. Calling this is a “lock-down” is wrong; it should be called a “lock-up”…Shouldn’t we be going to see them now? Especially on Christmas? When there are so many memories to be made? I remember my Grandma’s silver Christmas tree, trimmed with red balls and red lights; all five of my mom’s siblings and their families, 20 cousins in all, plus in-laws, out-laws, friends, and anyone who needed a place to go on Christmas Eve used to stop by throughout the day: some with gifts they brought (Grandpa’s friends’ “gifts” often came in a bottle in a brown paper bag), some just to say hello and hope for an invitation to dinner. And what a dinner! Turkey, ham, the best home-made cornbread dressing, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potatoes, corn on the cob, fresh cranberry sauce, and dinner rolls that were just perfect for throwing at the kids at the “little” kids table by us who sat at the “big” kids table. Gifts from Grandma were often homemade, and the rest of all had all drawn names at Thanksgiving to see who we had to buy for, because there was no way we could get everyone a gift. Gifts were bought in brick and mortar stores; no Amazon or FedEx trucks bringing presents. Grandma crocheted a stocking for everyone in the family, and they all hung on the mantle. I remember worrying that, if we spent the night, if Santa would find us? He always did!
Way back in 2019 and beyond we used to go see Grandma, Grandpa, or other relatives who were in retirement homes on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day….no more of that! The people who gave us life, who taught us what the sea- Christmas Day found us waking son is supposed to be all about, up before dawn to see if Santa are locked up tight, allowed no had arrived, and playing with the
toys that he had brought. It had to be Santa, because there was no way Mom and Dad could have afforded the things he brought! When the grown-ups got up we had a huge breakfast, and then had to get dressed for church. No one opened any gifts until we got home, which made for some very long services! When we finally did get back home, each person sat patiently, waiting until whatever dad or older boy cousin who was passing out gifts was ready to begin. Then the wrapping paper would fly! No gift bags like now, these bad boys were wrapped in that thin Christmas wrapping but tied up with a ton of curling ribbon. We threw the paper in the fireplace, and every year, at least once, Grandma would yell because she said the fire was so big it was coming out the top of the chimney. We would all preen and show off what we got, and there was always that one cousin who didn’t get what they wanted and would start crying…it never failed! At the end of the day, we’d all pack up the gifts and left-overs and head for home, knowing we’d all be back together on Easter.
This year will be uncharted territory for many families, with all of the lock-downs and quarantine measures in place. No more than 10 people, you have to wear a mask, must be outside, must let the government know who was with you so they can establish contact tracing….Big Brother is watching us for sure. Kids who are away at college will more than likely not be able to come home due to travel restrictions, Grandma will be eating a turkey TV dinner at the rest home, and small business owners will be scrambling to figure out how they Merry Quarantine Christmas Continued on page 3