Category: Holidays

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Driving Holidays Music Travel

Saturday Night Retro

December 25TH 1996 – It was the first Christmas with my Mom, Dad, Brother, and Cats up in Jacksonville Florida. They had just moved there after about 28 years up in the Washington D.C. area. That was 2 homes ago (for my parents) and 3 cars ago (for me). I was still in my 20s (!), and my brother was 21. It seems so long ago. It was just a dozen years ago.

Today I drove back home to Homestead from the Jacksonville area, and so another chapter in our lives has now ended. This was our last Christmas in Jacksonville. My parents are getting ready to move (for the final time) to the Dallas Texas area. I’ve got a lot of great memories from the past dozen Christmases (and years) up there, but the good times and great memories shall continue infinitely with my family over in North Texas.

Going back to 1996 I present to you for your ‘Retro’ review this MASSIVESMASH from The Smashing Pumpkins. It’s one of my favourite hit songs of all-time. It’s a 1996 smash that’s all about “1979”. It’s the biggest pop and rock smash of their entire career, and it was Grammy-nominated and certified gold. It’s a hot track that spent 10 months in heavy rotation on TOP 40 radio stations nationwide. Here’s the 1996 MTV Video Music Award winner for ‘Best Alternative Video’.

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Animals Driving Food Holidays Weather

Tuesday Night Grab Bag O’ Thoughts

‘Twas the night before Christmas Eve, and all through my mind – were these thoughts that I’d like to share with you – if I could be so kind.

1.  The entire state of Florida from Pensacola to Jacksonville to Daytona Beach to Orlando to Tampa to Fort Myers to Miami to Key West will be basking in the 70s and even some 80s over the next 4 days from Wednesday through Saturday. It’s a continuation of a December that has been as warm as November was chilly.

2.  I’m driving over 350 miles tomorrow, so that means that I should encounter at least 525 crazy drivers on my way from here to there. Wish me luck that I don’t get involved in a firey car crash.

3.  TODAY I enjoyed a MASSIVE Lunch at Shiver’s BBQ (in Naranja Lakes), and it was my first visit there in several years. I used to eat there on a near-weekly basis. I need to go back there more frequently. I delighted in a stack of meat, sweet potato fries, and juicy collard greens. That’s what I’m talkin’ ’bout Willis !

4.  Homestead Air Reserve Base is hosting a MASSIVE air show in less than 11 months over a two-day weekend, and you can read all about it at wingsoverhomestead.com. It’ll be our first air show since 1992 !

5.  Exactly 25 years ago this morning on the 23RD of December in 1983 me and my little brother discovered a cat wandering around our backyard deck. We took her in, gave her some milk, named her Fluffy, and the rest is history. Read what I wrote about this momentous event one year ago here on this blog.

Elderly Fluffy
Elderly Fluffy
Categories
God Holidays

Monday Night Countdown

This week on the ‘Countdown’ I present to you the TOP 5 (+ 1) Scriptures out of the Good News that were referenced on actual Christmas cards that were sent or given to me by friends and family during this most festive of holiday seasons.

Always remember the true reason for the season.

6.  Isaiah 9:6 – And His name shall be called The Prince of Peace.

5.  Luke 2:9 – And, lo … the Glory of the Lord shone round about them …

4.  Luke 1:46-47,49 – And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. For He that is mighty hath done to me great things; and Holy is His name.

3.  Ruth 2:4 – The Lord be with you !  The Lord bless you ! …

2.  Philippians 4:4 – Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again. Rejoice !

1.  James 1:17 – Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights.

May we walk together as we always follow Him on this journey.

Have a very Merry Christmas everyone !

Categories
History Holidays

Saturday Night Retro

This edition of the ‘Retro’ is not about a specific year, but rather the good times and past memories of Christmas Day mornings gone by with my family.

Back during the early-1980s in Northern Virginia me and my little brother would wake up extra early – like at around 4 AM or so. We would quietly bundle up, go out in the dark and cold of wintertime, and deliver newspapers for a couple of hours. We would then come back inside into the warmth of the house and prepare for the opening of the Christmas presents that had gathered and multiplied underneath the Christmas tree since about Thanksgiving Day.

Mom, Dad, Me, My Brother, and even Fluffy our Manx cat were all together for about an hour of warm giving and receiving. Even our lovable cat got a present or two, and as the gifts were opened and the wrapping paper was thrown astray a bunch of the decorative bows and ribbons eventually ended up on Fluffy. She would also tend to play with all of the wrapping paper that was all around her. We would rather that she play with the wrapping paper than ingest the icicles off of the Christmas tree and then wait for the undesirable result of that a day or two later.

My very first Christmas Day away from home occurred in 1985. I had only been living in the U.K. for about 6 weeks, and since I was so new over there (as an Air Force Airman) I couldn’t take time off to fly back to the States. I wouldn’t miss many more Christmases after that one.

During much of the early-1990s I drove the 2,200+ miles to and from the Washington D.C. area to visit my family from Homestead. Late in 1996 they moved down to Jacksonville Florida, so that 2,200+ mile round trip was reduced down to 800 miles or so.

This Christmas Eve I’ll be driving up there again to visit my Mom, Dad, and their current cat – Pumpkin. My brother and his wife won’t be there, but it will still be fine. We enjoyed Thanksgiving together at their place in the north of Dallas Texas.

Oh Christmas Tree - Late-1990s - Jacksonville Florida
Oh Christmas Tree - Late-1990s - Jacksonville Florida