-Isms: Views on life in rural America

While I am not a big fan of Charles Dickens’ novella “A Christmas Carol,” I feel the ghost of Christmas past likes to visit every night in December. Some memories make me laugh, others are best buried under a blanket of fluffy snow.

As I contemplated which gifts to purchase for the grandkids, my mind wandered to our Wausa grandparents. First, Grandma required we make a wish list of five items. In pure Grandma fashion, we would usually get most of them. Spoiled, I know.

Then, I didn’t realize the sacrifices our grandparents made so we would have a holly, jolly Christmas. Now, what I wouldn’t gi...