Christmas has come and gone; New Year's is ahead

Christmas has come and gone, and New Year's is coming in a few days. Christmas is always a day of giving thanks for Christ's birth.

It is a day of family and friends and giving thanks and gifts.

Giving gifts seems like a way of thanking others for their friendship and the joy they bring to our lives.

New Year's Eve always seems like a time of looking back and making resolutions for the new year -- both great days.

In some ways, they need to be separated and farther apart, but then Thanksgiving was just five weeks ago or so.

Christmas has always been, up through the years, a time for getting gifts. I loved to get gifts -- bikes and toys and guns and clothes (well, maybe not clothes) and gift certificates for food, and the list goes on.

As a boy, I couldn't wait for Christmas morning and the gifts.

As I get older, gifting those who are younger brings more joy than getting the gifts.

It's a joy getting gifts for our grandkids and our boys and their families.

Probably the greatest joy is watching them later use gifts we have made for them.

Several years ago, my brother and his wife, Mick and Linda, came and visited us over Christmas.

They live in Nebraska, so it was quite a jaunt for them. I truly enjoyed that Christmas.

It wasn't what we did or where we went; it was who we were with. The other evening, we were having supper with our son and his family, and Jeannie asked when Mick was coming back to visit.

Probably not this Christmas, but it would be nice if they could. Mick has cattle, so it's hard for him to get away.

I've been working on the new year for the past month or so. I've been getting gardening catalogs, so I have been working on orders from several of them.

We have a number of tomatoes we want to try next summer from Tomato Seeds 'n Such.

One is a seedless tomato, which should be great for those who can't tolerate seeds.

I've been thinking about when Marge and I can drive about 350 miles north of us to visit a guy I can't recall ever meeting.

Rod is the son of a cousin of mine, Leroy McMullen. My grandpa called me Leroy until the day he died.

Rod is a retired welder, so maybe I can even get some pointers on welding. I can handle the stick welding, but sure can't run one of those mig welders.

I'm also thinking about when we can drive out to Mansfield to visit Baker Creek, and then north to Morgan County Seeds.

I've also thought about heading south down into Texas to visit cousins of mine, Arlinda and Carol -- it's been forever since I've seen them and visited.

This would be a great drive where it's winter and all, but then with all the nice weather, it really hasn't even seemed like winter.

I still would enjoy the visit. I don't enjoy the drive, though.

I'm also making plans on some of the normal stuff. Lose some weight, but I realize that it will take more effort than I'm willing to put out.

Get in shape, but that will take a lot more effort and work.

Read more books -- but this is probably doable because I like to read.

Go fishing more often, which I would love to do; I may make this a priority. And my list goes on.

Some I can do, but others I know I won't get done.

So, as I close, I want to wish everyone a belated merry Christmas and a happy new year.

Be safe, be careful and enjoy yourself.

Until next time.