Christmas In Kentucky, Chapter V: It Wants To Snow

Wherein a present-opening frenzy is revisited, a holiday feast is consumed, a game of financial acquisition is barely survived, and travel delays are anticipated

Woke up to Christmas morning, bright and clear and dry. Two days ago temps were in the 60s, but today there was a familiar bite in the air. It wanted to snow, I could tell.

Cinnamon rolls and coffee for breakfast, followed by the frenzy of presents being unwrapped. We’ve tried, believe me, but gift opening with my family has never been orderly.

It was a Southern Christmas dinner, definitely. Pork with barbecue sauce, crab cakes, butternut squash dressing, green bean casserole, shrimp wrapped in bacon and pepperjack cheese, hard rolls, vegetables, cranberry-maple-citrus sauce, pumpkin cornbread, and pecan pie for dessert. Whatta feast.

The clan gathered at Mom’s place for a table game. Adorable niece Nolia had never played Monopoly, so we gave it a try. Monopoly games traditionally go for quite a long time; my mom and aunts and uncles would joke that they were “only going to play till Tuesday.” It went a long time. And much like family games of Aggravation, it became bloodthirsty.

Sometime during the late afternoon we began to see and hear TV reports of bad weather on its way. Later in the evening the reports were confirmed: a blizzard advisory for northern Kentucky and the portions of Indiana and Illinois I’m about to drive through. White-out conditions predicted till noon tomorrow.

My original plan was to get on the road by 4 am and to make it home by 6 pm. But I don’t want to end up in the ditch again. So it looks like another day of family love and togetherness. As my dad would say, we won’t know till we find out.