A Christmas Adventure

By Joseph P.

It was Wednesday, 3:00 p.m., and I was facing the final errand I needed to perform before I could finally head out of town. My excitement was steadily mounting and a permanent, silly smile was plastered on my face. Of course there was a very good reason for my excitement; my family traveled every year to a cabin during the Christmas holiday.

I had been working all week, clearing up those seemingly countless loose ends at work so that I could enjoy five blissful days of vacation with my loved ones. My head filled with amusing anecdotes of past holidays as I drove to the grocery store, though perhaps I should have focused more on the road since the snow was blowing, swirling and dancing, making it very difficult to see where I was heading. My jeep swerved a bit in the grocery store parking lot, exhibiting its own objection to the falling slickness. The weatherman predicted snowfall later that night, but as is typical the storm arrived far earlier.

I raced into the store and grabbed a cart, piling everything I thought we could possibly need into my cart. Several others in my family would surely be bringing food as well, but I didn't pay that much heed. Can you ever have too much good food during a holiday celebration? The fact that twenty, and possibly even thirty, family members would be joining us at the cabin also played into my decision to grab virtually everything and anything. Before I knew it I had two full carts of food, which was probably a good thing since the snowstorm just outside would probably end up snowing us in for several days.

The carryout boy shivered as he dutifully unloaded the contents of the carts into my car. I started brushing the snow from the windshield before realizing I forgot matches and coal oil. Darn! Muttering to myself, I hastily sped back into the store where I spied the manager grinning from cheek to cheek. He was quite happy to see me spend some more money – a very good indicator that I should leave pretty soon! I grabbed several bottles of coal oil, a healthy amount of matches and candles, and a half dozen fleece blankets that were beckoning me from the clearance rack. I hadn't planned on purchasing any blankets, but my nieces would love to have the little throws… and the price was right too, at only $3.00 apiece.

My jeep was so jam-packed with groceries and supplies that I could barely squeeze into the driver's seat. Once settled, I ventured out of town and made slow, laborious headway towards my final destination seventy-five miles northeast in the mountains of North Carolina. I knew that in the morning, assuming the snow had stopped by then, the scenery would be absolutely breathtaking. And with those blissful images floating around my head, my mind again began to wander.

A big mistake, too! The wheels of my jeep hit an icy patch, causing it to spin in a doughnut and veer towards a shallow ravine on the other side of the road. With my heart in my throat, I fought to regain control of the jeep. Luckily the jeep gently came to a rest next to a pine tree not more than three feet from the shoulder. Before continuing my journey I slipped outside and examined the car for damage. Luckily aside from a little scratch on the fender, my jeep suffered no ill-effects from my little mishap. I jumped back into the jeep, punched it into four-wheel drive and slowly inched up out of the ravine.

When back on the road I drove with slow deliberation, counting my blessings that my drifting mind didn't lead to a more serious accident. One hour later I made to the cabin, the howling blizzard unable to keep me away despite its best efforts. I rapped on the door urgently so my family members would let me in, and almost immediately beaming faces and joyful voices welcomed me in.

While unloading the car, a snowball fight erupted amongst our younger crowd, with some of the adults also partaking – unable to deny their inner child. I left the playful crowd outside to carry in the rest of the groceries. Opening the door I was met with the delicious scents of cinnamon, apples and ham. Taking in the sights and smells I could not deny that the trials I went through on this journey were well worth it, for there is nothing better than spending Christmas at home with the family.