A sack for each of us under the tree

When I was growing up in Roundup, we didn't have a set time to open presents under the tree. Dad was working in the oil fields and mom was working at the hospital. If you know anythng about hospitals and oil fields, they don't shut down for holidays. So we opened presents at various times, depending on the work schedules of our parents.

Now this year, I have December 24 through December 28th off if I take no vacation. Those are just holidays I get off plus the weekend. If I used six days of vacation, I can be off work from December 20th through January 4th. That's almost as long as the boys have off from college.

Obviously a few things are different regarding my desk job compared to my dad's job as a roughneck on an oil rig. Another difference is the money. Not that working in the oil field didn't pay the bills, but with rig work, no one is ever sure if they are working the next week, the next month or the next year. Compared to working on an oil rig, I'm relatively sure that I'll be working for the same company next December that I work for now. And I'm generally sure that my paycheck is going to be the same next month as it was last month. No surprises there...which is good because my wife hates surprises.

So with a steady job there are some advantages, such as putting presents under the Christmas tree relatively easily compared to what my parents faced. My biggest drawback with buying presents is that I hate to shop. I have good intentions but there is always some reason why I never make it to the mall or a box store for Christmas bargains. Stated simply, I don't like crowds. I never have. But that's okay because my wife likes to shop and, if given enough time, she'll even buy something for me to give to her. At least that way she knows it fits.

But enough of that, my point in writing this little note is to remind my brothers and sisters of a present for each of us we knew would always be under our Christmas tree when we were growing up. It was a paper sack filled with peanuts, an orange and a handful of candy, likely a candy cane and some hard ribbon candy. We knew we would get this sack because it was a tradition that our Daddy had passed on from his Daddy.

Of course, what our Daddy didn't tell us was that the sack of fruit and peanuts was likely the only present he and his brothers and sisters got. That's because his parents had 10 children and were living in the heart of the Depression.

This year, I'm going to revive that tradition. Not as a sign to foretell my children about the chance of another Depression, but simply as a reminder that we have it so much better than our parents or their parents did.

The brown paper sack under the Christmas tree -- a reminder of where we came from and how much we have to be thankful for.

Merry Christmas!