November 11, 2013

Deer Hunting Marks Beginning of Holiday Season

It's that time of year again:  the thermometer registers "brrr", snow flakes are in the air, and chili is on the stove. 

Yes, folks, it's deer hunting season.

When I was growing up my dad took an annual deer hunting excursion "up north" every year.  It was one of the few times that he ever went anywhere without my mom and a time that we kids anticipated eagerly.  

It wasn't because we didn't want Dad around.  My little brother in fact wanted to go hunting with him so keenly that he even tried stowing away in the trunk of the car one year.

No, the reason we loved deer hunting weekend was because of the annual "shopping" trip that we kids and mom took to the local hardware store every year at that time.  As soon as the taillights of dad's car had disappeared from view we'd bundle into the car and off we'd go to Fleet,  transformed magically for the Christmas season, (which I might add, never began before the start of deer hunting season in November), from an ordinary farm supply store to a veritable toyland delight.

Filled with all manner of goodies for our eyes to feast upon, it was Christmas come to life from top to bottom.  Lights twinkling everywhere, music lilting throughout the store, toy boxes piled as high up as we could see.

 Mom would keep an eagle eye on us all as we leapt through the aisles one after another dreaming of just what might be......of the things that could be, just might be....our very own.

There's nothing wrong with dreaming and wishing and hoping.  It's what makes the REAL things in life so much sweeter after all.  Window shopping was usually about all that happened on those deer hunting weekends, though mom always made sure we all came home with one trinket or another. 

The annual deer hunting weekend toy shopping adventure provided mom with some very vital information; you might even say she had ulterior motives for this traditional rendezvous:  to discover what each of us kids wanted the very most...and what was a the top of our Christmas lists that year.

That was in November.  Days and weeks flew by and all the begging and wishing and hoping faded.  By the time Christmas rolled around you can imagine the delighted and surprised children that we were when we opened our special gifts one at a time on Christmas morning. 

It's just what we always wanted!! I wonder how our parents knew??