A Christmas Story-The Grapevine Version/The Truth

With the massive amount of traditional Christmas stories like A Christmas Carol,  It's A Wonderful Life, and many other favorites to pick from you wonder why there are many stories you hear about for one reason or another people have to feel the need to jazz up.

The Lee's 2013

Goalder House 2013

Sometimes its just the love of the holiday and having a spirit that maybe you have or don't any other time of the year. Christmas is the one time that giving, and opening up your heart really shouldn't have a spin put on it. 

 When we first moved to Sedalia, we heard a story about a house nearby that goes all out for Christmas decorating. The house is on a fairly busy street and always noticeable. The day after Thanksgiving you see the man starting to unload all the statues, lights and symbols of Christmas cheer. It doesn't matter how many times I have drove by over the years you notice something different. The tale I heard about this couple and their Christmas decorating many years ago was that they had a daughter who died of an illness and loved holidays (they also decorate for Easter, 4th of July, Halloween) so they were decorating in her honor. The true story is as the article in the recent paper states is still a labor of love. 150 plastic lighted decorations, 100-125 extension cords, and 15 surge protectors. The couple married for 45 years have decorated 44 of those years. Also an interesting fact was this past year he wore a pedometer and calculated 53 actual miles while putting up the decorations. Of course they haven't been sheltered from the occasional vandals cutting wires or stealing ornaments but it has never dampened their spirit. They have one upped those who try to Grinch their Christmas and have had to go high-tech and security cameras.

This year it was truly unfortunate with so many people either unable or unwilling to put up decorations. The costs of new LED or just replacing decorations have sky rocked. Also often here the weather is a contributing factor but there are still several die-hard decorators. 

Also another unfortunate tale in this yearly Christmas saga was the cancellation of the Christmas decoration contest that our city had done for 33 years was cancelled (according to the paper and that grapevine) was due to lack of participation. 

Whatever you Christmas story may be I like to think the joy, laughter and holiday spirit lives within us all.