It has been a busy holiday season. The first two weekends included our youngest daughter’s cheer competitions with the Elkins High School Cheer team. We are so excited to watch these hardworking girls go to Hot Springs, Ark., and compete against schools across the state. They improve every time we watch them perform and we are very proud of them.
One Sunday, we traveled up to Benton County to see our dear friends’ finished home in downtown Rogers. It is beautiful, and we enjoyed a walk downtown with several people to watch approximately 350 runners go by dressed in Santa Claus suits. The Santas were men and women, young and old. They were each unique and hilarious as they gathered at the end of their run at a local watering hole. I love Santa Claus, and the red and white bearded runners were quite a spectacle.
We attended my husband’s office Christmas party in Fayetteville. The company’s owners enjoy shopping for a variety of gifts for all the employees. Everyone draws a number, and an intense game of White Elephant ensues. For the second year in a row, someone from the accounting department swiped away a coveted air fryer we possessed for only a mere moment during the game. Later that week, a memo was circulated to remind employees if they used the company car, they were responsible for making sure it was clean for the next user.
Along with the memo circulated a photograph of a waffle fry in the company car cupholder. My husband immediately hit the dreaded “reply to all” button on this company-wide email to state that he’d witnessed someone from accounting using the air fryer to make waffle fries in the company car. I can always appreciate a good interoffice joke.
Our youngest son plays on a travel baseball team called the JJ’s Sliders. One Friday night, there was a fundraiser and concert for families in need and youth baseball at a live music venue JJ’s Live. We enjoyed bidding up silent auction items while dancing to a 90s country cover band. They were talented and played many of our old favorites from high school and college. Since we were enjoying music from when we were in our twenties, we two-stepped and danced until we were out of breath. It was a great fundraiser and a fun night.
The following week, my husband kept complaining about how much his back hurt. I am sure the dancing that past Friday had nothing to do with it. He was talking about it one night, and a friend encouraged him to go see the new chiropractor in town. It is a walk-in clinic, and he went in for a tune-up. He said he felt great after his adjustment and wondered if it would last through another Friday night of dancing. I don’t think we’ll chance it.
We love music and gatherings of all kinds in our family. One of my most precious December moments of the year was sharing the Stewart Family Christmas Lights display with some children from a local children’s shelter. This light display is out on Wyman Road outside of Fayetteville; it puts Clark Griswold’s lights to shame. It’s a beautiful tribute to what this season is all about – the light of the world. The kids enjoyed dinner outdoors, hot cocoa and camel rides. The laughter and joy that emanated from this precious group of kids was a priceless gift. I hope you are enjoying the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season, neighbor.
Jody Harris is a freelance communications specialist, gardener, ranch wife and mother of four. She and her family raise Angus beef cattle and other critters on their northwest Arkansas ranch. She is a graduate of Missouri State University. To contact Jody, go to ozarksfn.com and click on ‘Contact Us.’
