L&T Publisher Earl Watt
There are several great lines in the classic Peanuts Christmas cartoon, but one in particular comes form Lucy after providing “psychiatric” services to Charlie Brown. “I understand about getting depressed around the holidays, it happens to me every year, ”Lucy says. “I never get what I really want.”
“What do you want,” Charlie Brown asks.
Lucy replies, “Real estate.”
I hope you received what you wanted this holiday season, and most importantly, that you had quality time with family and friends.
As my children have begun to scatter hither and yon, I appreciate the holiday seasons more and more. I enjoy my family coming back together, reliving some memories, creating some new ones, and remaining hopeful for what the future will bring.
We have one left in college for her final semester, and the process of education will be complete.
I remember the first day of kindergarten at McDermott Elementary for each of the girls and how principal Kathy Fitzgerald greeted the students walking in most mornings.
As they got older I remember P.E. teacher Trace Haskell telling me he knew when we were getting close to school in the mornings at Sunflower Intermediate because he could hear the ’80s music down the block.
Heather was a teacher, so it was my job to take the kids to school until they could drive themselves.
Their time in Lawrence has been very important for me. They found a way to live together in an apartment without needing a parent to officiate.
Siblings are siblings, and no matter who you are around for an extended amount of time tensions will rise, but they did it on their own, something that makes a father proud.
We watched movies, played games, broke bread, all things we may have done as routine for the past couple of decades, but now they mean a little bit more each time we get a chance to do it.
I’m not sure exactly when we reach that stage of realizing what is really important and what we are told should be important, and maybe it is something that continues to evolve, but I look forward to the holidays when the family returns home, and we are together.
Rustin was the first, and his life journey has brought him back to Liberal thanks to the modern miracle of the Internet. He can work from anywhere, but he has chosen to live here.
My daughters are engineers, and opportunities are limited here for that profession. They’ve both attained employment with a firm that does projects around the country and around the world. But they are chasing their dream.
It’s hard not to be their life coach. After all, I took them to the gyms and fields to play games and coached them through high school summer leagues. It’s hard to take the coach out of the dad.
And as with any family, some are more coachable than others, but the desire to offer direction is no different than teaching them to dribble a basketball or swing the bat at a softball.
It’s fun to hear their stories as they chase life and to watch from the sidelines.
Family is forever, and they keep coming back for the holidays, so hopefully Heather and I have done something right where they still want to come home.
There is still the moment that comes when we have to say goodbye, but I have found ways to keep contact.
For one, we are all “Stranger Things” fans, so we have been able to watch the newest releases in the series and share our thoughts on what happens next. We also watch “Survivor” as a common thread.
We find ways to send texts and make calls to stay connected.
But nothing beats being together for the holidays.
In many ways I’m still a big kid at heart when it comes to Christmas. I watch the animated classics and some other holiday favorites, and I usually tune in to Holly on Sirius/XM the day after Halloween.
Growing up I always looked forward to heading to Aunt Evelyn’s house for holiday meals, and the joy of the season.
As an adult I’ve always wanted to make sure our kids had a connection to the holidays. Having the girls and their boyfriends join us for the candlelighting ceremony on Christmas Eve was particularly gratifying.
That’s why we celebrate Christmas in the first place, and the connection with family and the joy of the season would be meaningless without it.
In the constant pursuit of the newest gadget or the shiniest star, I am more concerned with the functionality of my daughters’ vehicles and that they look decent. Their safety is a high priority.
Rustin is here, so I can be as involved as he wants, but the girls are away. That’s tough on dads — and moms — but they are carving their own paths, and I couldn’t be prouder.
And that’s when we discover the line in “How the Grinch Stile Christmas” applies to us all when he realizes Christmas doesn’t come from a store.
“Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.”
It’s a wealth beyond measure, and I am fortunate to have the family and friends that I have, that I live in Liberal where we look out for one another, and while he may have differences, we work together for the greater good.
Don’t miss the magic of the holiday season because of something that isn’t going the best. Look around at those in your family, at your workplace and at your church and realize just how good you have it.
And never forget that baby born to his family that lived and died for you. There is no greater gift.
So in the words of Linus who explained to Charlie Brown how the shepherds were visited by an angel the night Jesus was born, “That’s what Christmas is all about.”
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
