Not a Mention of Christmas

One who knows me online but not personally might deduce from my Facebook and Blogger presences, or absences as they were, that Christmas somehow escaped me this year.  I posted no great, grand, nor glorious Christmas wishes, stories, anecdotes, or anything else in the usual places where I usually (Some might argue unusually.) share bits and pieces of myself online.  Christmas Day came and went online without me being obviously in it.  In "real life," however, it was a Christmas full of profound wonder and with a unique closeness to the Lord about Whom I don't usually preach in my various online manifestations.  I guess I was just savoring it all very close to my own heart without feeling the need to yell about the glory of it all in this contrived and limited existence on social media.

For various reasons I had much to be grateful for this Christmas, not specifically because of its being Christmas, but it’s difficult for a “holy” season to come without everything good in one’s life somehow being tied up in it and magnified in its greatness.  For the first time in many years, I stood before the Almighty, naked as it were – stripped of all pretense, half truth, self-centeredness and yet comfortable in my own skin, grateful for so many things having gone right in my life in the past quarter of a year or so during which events and circumstances just fell into place in a way that makes me not have to worry from day to day about where I’m going to go from here. 

I’m going to go figuratively and literally wherever the winds blow me.  Whenever I want to and can.  I’m going to waste good numbers of days while it’s bitter cold outside doing nothing, or as little as I can get away with.  When the weather warms up I’m going to ride my ass off on my scooter whiling away long distances on the odometer without venturing all that far from my front door.  I’m going to fill my life, again figuratively and literally with colored light because I love colors and live best when I’m surrounded by  all different shades of them.  I’m going to celebrate my life as never before and take not a second of it for granted.

 God bless us, everyone!  For Christmas!  In the coming New Year!  It is my fervent wish, and prayer, that everyone reading these words will come to know the kind of peace I now revel in on most days.  There’s nothing like it and I want it for everybody, so that every day is like a little Christmas of sorts – uniquely wonderful, and special, and different.  Holy even, perhaps.

The Three Mile Island Scooter Club Christmas Party

Last evening it was my great pleasure to attend the Three Mile Island Scooter Club’s Christmas party in Harrisburg.  It was a two hour drive each way, but well worth it to spend a delightful evening with a number of old scooter friends and to meet a bunch of new ones!

When "Bar and Grille" is in the name of an establishment, I don't typically picture such a beautiful setting as Duke's provided.

 Although I’ve never been to a scooter rally on my scooter and haven't yet spent an entire weekend at one, I’ve been to a few as a drop by guest, and the Three Mile Island folks are always well represented at the few rallies that are held relatively nearby.  To have been invited to their Christmas shindig was truly an honor.

They’re a great group of people, as all scooter folks seem to be.  Whether you’ve known somebody for minutes or a few years, it just doesn’t matter; everybody fits right in like family.  I’ve yet to get to The Meltdown, their annual scooter rally, but it’s on my bucket list.

The setting was just lovely in the banquet room on the second floor at Duke’s Bar and Grille on the banks of the Susquehanna River right in downtown Harrisburg.  While it was already dark when we got there, the lights reflecting off the river added to the ambiance provided by the magical holiday decorations and festive atmosphere.  The sounds of old friends catching up with each other and the carols playing in the background completed the already plentiful delights in which we were basking.

I have no concept of "how many" it seems.  The object of the game was to guess how many things were in each jar without going over.  Typical numbers were in the low hundreds while I was guessing into the 600s and above.

There were “reindeer games” that were a lot of fun and a dirty gift exchange during which some folks stole away previously open gifts that had already thrilled their original recipients.  While I got to keep the gift I’d gotten I did feel a little bad for the ones who didn’t want to part with the presents they had to give to the Grinches who took them away from them.  It’s the only part of the evening’s events I’d have changed if I could have.

 

Denny whose Facebook scooter posts are plentiful and often side-splitting funny shot me while I shot him.

 The food, served buffet style, was fantastic!  For the price I had MUCH more glazed salmon than I’d ever have gotten in any restaurant for the same amount.  Of course I waited till seconds were available before having a much more generous portion than I’d originally taken.  Lucky for me, more guests were going for the chicken Parmesan (also delicious) than the fish!

 

We were delighted that Trish and Heather, friends we've known for quite some time were not only there, but dressed so sweetly!

 The evening ended a little after 9 PM which left us with nearly a two hour drive back, but the time passed quickly as we talked about the great time we’d had and how thrilled we’d been to have been invited to join the TMISC for their party.  Although I’m a little envious that we don’t have as active a scooter group up here as they do down there, but I can’t complain because I’m not at all the organizing type and admire greatly the folks who are able to jump in and plan rallies and parties and such great events on behalf of the rank and file and honored guests.

 

Photo borrowed from Tony Parker's lovely video of the party.

Thank you again to the great members of the Three Mile Island Scooter Club for helping to have made my celebration of Christmas all the better with your friendship and generosity!