News - Keystone Kourier Janurary 2010
Prez Says
By the time you get this the 20”+ of snow will have either melted or been added to. For those of you in AZ and FL you can sing “Been there, done that and happy to be where we don’t even own a snow shovel!”
I am writing this on 12/21 and the rush is on for Christmas. Somehow I always manage to be ready, often only by the barest margin. Most Christmas mornings find me wrapping presents for the people I will see that day. I get my shopping done early, but always seem to be too busy to wrap. Speaking as a 40+ hour employee, I want a wife! A June Cleaver, Hazel or, even better, Alice from the Brady bunch. Someone to decorate, cook and clean, Santa, are you listening?!
When I was a little girl I would go to bed and the tree would be bare. Just a pine tree growing in our living room. On Christmas morning I would wake to it transformed into a tinseled, lighted and decked out beauty, surrounded by gifts wrapped in Santa paper. I would stand on the steps breathless at the sight, trying to take it all in and store it forever in my memory. It was amazing and magical, especially since we did not even have a fireplace chimney! My Dad used to play Santa on the fire truck handing out candy canes to the kids. My Mom loves to tell the story of him looking down from the fire truck and telling a neighbor girl she was on his naughty list for breaking my crayons and of her stunned reaction.
While Christmases as an adult are bittersweet as we miss those who can’t be with us, it was great to see so many Keystoner’s at the Christmas Lunch. Many we have not seen for ages, retired travelers Alice Boeshore and George and Hazel Lanz and our newest member, Alan Kenney. My beret is off to Joan Weaver who hosted a fun and memorable Christmas time. Joan had the private room decorated with small red poinsettias on the tables, gift bags in the corner and mini holiday ceramic loaf pans filled with candy. The food was wonderful and at great price too. We played Christmas song and Mother Goose word games and those gift bags were given to members whose names were drawn from a basket. Everyone left with at least one item, courtesy of Santa’s elf, Joan Weaver. Don, you missed a great party!
Lastly, I need to get myself off Santa’s naughty list. I neglected to introduce the 4 past presidents of the Keystone unit who were in attendance: Barry Heckenswiler, George Lanz, Jerry Hillegass and Bud Cattell. I guess now Santa won’t bring me my “Hazel or Alice”
Wishing you and yours all the blessings of Christmas and a happy, healthy 2010!
Lynn