‘Tis the season for family, friends, lessons learned
Published 12-7-2007
While the Christmas season is great for all the traditional reasons, there are other things that make this time of year extra special. Part of the magic of Christmas for me includes the things I have learned from my friends and family.
Growing up, a common saying at our house was, “the cows don’t know it’s Sunday.” They apparently hadn’t ever heard of holidays or paid vacations either. However, on Christmas morning, the cows got to wait. I learned that while you will always have responsibilities that are work related, nothing will replace the time spent with your family. We still feed every Christmas day, but the cows wait until the presents are unwrapped and a late breakfast has been eaten.
The reason we have to feed on Christmas day is because the day before is spent at my grandma’s house. Some of my best holiday memories are from the days spent there. The whole family shows up in time for lunch, and then we open presents. This is the only day of the year where we all get together and there isn’t work to be done or an event to attend. In the afternoon, we often drive through the calves, critique the 4-H steers and compare the latest engine rebuild or invention. These days have shown me that while work is important, it’s also good to spend time with those you love, when you can all just sit back and relax.
Another thing that becomes even more critical at this time of year is doing something you love. We really don’t mind feeding the cows on Christmas afternoon. Having a career in agriculture has allowed my dad to take me and my siblings to work with him since we were little. Over Christmas break my dad, sister and I often feed together. We discuss how the cattle and sheep look, if we need to add another bale to the ration, the weather and whatever else comes to mind. When we were younger feeding often meant we got to go ice skating on a frozen dam along the way. Sometimes we would tie a sled to the back of the pickup and cruise around while we waited for the cows to get to the feed ground. I was very fortunate as a child because I got to spent all day almost every day with my parents doing something we all enjoy. I realize now that not very many people have that opportunity, and these memories mean a lot to me.
Here are a few other things I have learned over the years during Christmas break:
Lesson 1: When chopping ice in a water tank, don’t put one foot on the ice, no matter how thick it is and how far away the hole you’re chopping is. You will fall through, and while I know for a fact that you will float for a few seconds in all your winter clothes, the rest isn’t very fun.
Lesson 2: If you have to move cows or be outside for an extended period of time for any reason in December or January in Wyoming, bring more clothes than you think you’ll need. My brother once refused to put on more than jeans, a sweater and a coat when we were riding. Well, we ended up in a blizzard and to say the least, he was cold. My dad wasn’t very sympathetic either. Just two weeks ago we had to work cattle outside all morning. I was meeting my brother there and he gave a two-page list over the phone of all the clothes he wanted me to bring. He ended by saying, “and if you’re bringing more or don’t think that’s enough, throw more in for me, too!”
Lesson 3: If there’s a young person in your family, wrap all their presents separately. I have a sister who is 10 years younger than me, and she looks forward to Christmas from the time her birthday is over. She was born in May. I make sure to wrap everything I get her in a separate box because she gets so excited about all the presents. It’s great to see someone genuinely excited about the whole giving and receiving of presents, not just what they are.
I hope you all have a great Christmas break and that this helped bring back some of your great holiday memories. It’s an amazing time of year, and I thank the Lord that I have such a wonderful family and so many great memories from past holidays.
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