It is said that all things are big in Texas, and I can
attest that Christmas celebrations/events are no exception. So, we just love being at home in East Texas during
December. And if you come to stay a
spell (there are several new RV parks in the area), I am certain you
would have a grand time.
The holiday fun always begins for us at Livingston City
Hall, when illumination of all the display lights within Pedigo Park, within
Penguin Park, and outside all public buildings commences.These lights are available to view from the
Tuesday before Thanksgiving through the first week of January. The festivities
at City Hall include hot cocoa, snacks, performances by local school children,
and a “snow” making machine to get us all into the holiday spirit.
The decorated tree within City Hall.
I had to fight off some kiddies to get this photo!
Some of...
...the light displays...
...at Pedigo Park.
As usual, we attended the annual “Walk Through Bethlehem” (held the first full weekend of December, Friday through Sunday).Sponsored by the First Baptist Church, it
depicts the life of Christ, from his humble birth (the true reason for this
joyful season) to his horrific crucifixion, and glorious resurrection. The set designs are a bit different each year, as are the actors.
Scene depicting the Angel Gabriel with the Virgin Mary.
Away in a Manger, Jesus is Born.
Jesus is condemned to death by Pontius Pilate.
Finding the empty tomb, Jesus is Risen.
As part of the Southeast Texas Patriot Guard Riders, we volunteered at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston for “Snowball
Express”, one of many services provided by the Gary Sinese Foundation to
support the surviving families of fallen heroes.With the assistance of American Airlines, the
Foundation sponsors a fun-filled, week-long Disney World vacation to Gold Star
families. Held the first Saturday of
December, volunteers provide the perfect send-off, filled with games, treats,
gifts, entertainment, and memorable photos.And what a heart-warming
experience for us to see the miles of smiles as these families boarded the
plane.Even the rain during take-off
couldn’t put a damper on this special day.
The canine employees of the Department of Homeland Security really enjoyed this gig.
The Gold Star Families.
The first Sunday in December is always the Annual San
Jacinto High Rollers Motorcycle Toy Run. The High Rollers have sponsored this
event for 45 years (this was our 4th year of participation) to
benefit Boys and Girls Country of Houston, which offers children a safe,
loving, Christian group home environment.My parents, now fair-weather motorcycle riders, decided to “cage” it and
take the Jeep rather than Dad’s Maximus the Trike and Mom’s Yellow Jacket
bike.Good thing, too—it poured for the
bulk of the day.
Wreaths Across America is an event held across the U.S.A. the
second Saturday of December.The goal is
to remember and honor those who served our Nation in the Armed Forces. As
members of the East Texas Patriot Guard Riders (yes, we belong to 2 PGR groups due to Livingston's geographical area), we placed wreaths on the graves of
veterans at the Garden of Memories Cemetery in Lufkin, Texas.We also honored the memory of our local hero,
Stuart Moore, by visiting with his parents to place a wreath on his grave
within their family cemetery in Livingston.
The second Saturday in December is also when Hometown
Christmas occurs in Livingston.It is a
fun-filled day of food, vendors, and games for the kiddies.We arrived late in the afternoon to check out
all the booths.Thereafter, we set up
our chairs along Washington Street to view the Lighted Christmas Parade.I would have loved to be in the parade like
we did in prior years.But we just
couldn’t swing it timewise.We were
lucky just to cram in being spectators!
Me and my gal pal, Mademoiselle Rochelle, had a blast in this bounce house!
Some great entries...
...for the 2024 Livingston Lighted Christmas Parade.
We squeezed in a visit to Good Golly Miss Molly Gift Shop to
see the train exhibit sponsored by the Polk County Heritage Society.The trains are available to view every Friday
and Saturday from 5-7 p.m. starting Thanksgiving weekend.For the very first time, I completed the
“treasure hunt”, locating all the hidden figures within the set-up!Be sure to peruse the shop as well—it always
has some unique items.
We attended two concerts during December:The Livingston Area Community Band at First
Baptist Church and Vivaldi’s Gloria Concerto at First Methodist Church.Both were top notch performances that were
well received by the audience.
We continued our once-weekly volunteer efforts at Mannafest (our
local food pantry) and kept our tradition of ringing bells for the
Salvation Army 2 hours every week since Black Friday.(It is such a worthy organization, and all
the funds raised locally are dedicated to helping our neighbors within Polk
County.)Practice makes perfect, so
we attended dance lessons twice weekly to facilitate performing with our line
dancing group at 4 area senior living facilities in December.We enjoyed camaraderie at weekly ice cream
socials and joined in the caroling at Escapees Rainbow’s End, spreading good
cheer.
One of 4 performances at senior living facilities at which we danced.
Heading over to meet up with the other carolers.
The Escapees CARE Center was our final caroling location.
We visited Livingston State Park for some hiking, taking in the wonderful Christmas display and the fall leaf colors (which are not very vibrant in this area).Somehow, we managed to play pickleball at least once weekly, too.As you can see, my Mom, who is our household scheduler, is excellent at time management.
Decorations at Livingston State Park.
Nothing is better than spending time with special friends,
and we had the opportunity to catch up with several throughout the holiday
season.
Christmas party hosted by Diane and Roger at their home.
Dance group Christmas Party at the Cleveland VFW.
We had a blessed Christmas—I hope you all did as well!May we all enjoy peace, prosperity, good
health, and happiness in 2025!
Our Christmas Eve meal--a variation of the Feast of the 7 Fishes.
Christmas Day Entree - Mushroom/Spinach Stromboli. Real cheez cake for desert--a special treat!
Gifts from my Auntie Laurie, also known as the Wicked Witch of the East.
In addition to what my Mom/Dad sent to Aunt Laurie, I gifted her a very special bath towel--with a photo of yours truly printed on it!
Our family celebrating on New Year's Eve. Wishing you all peace, prosperity, happiness, and good health in 2025.
Well, I’ve got to go help
my parents pack up!We hit the road tomorrow, heading to our Southwest Arizona desert abode in Quartzsite.
While back home in Texas, we reverted to our usual
activities: pickleball, line dancing lessons and several performances at local fundraisers/senior
living facilities, volunteering at Mannafest (one of Livingston’s food
pantries), attending our Escapees community dinners/birthday
celebrations/ice cream socials, and catching up with friends.
Dedication of Livingston's 4 new pickleball courts at Matthews Park.
Playing on the new courts--no need any more to chalk out lines on the tennis courts!
Dancing at the Cold Spring Fire Department fundraiser, one of several Halloween performances in which we participated.
Dad displaying his silent auction winnings from the Cold Spring Fire Department fundraiser--all things Longhorns!
Conroe, Texas hosted a Balloon Glow and Laser Show, offering
tethered balloon rides.We were thrilled
for our first opportunity to provide volunteer crew services to Maverick
Balloon Adventures.(Though we volunteered at
the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta in 2022, we were involved only with RV guest parking. My parents’ other balloon foray was after
they enjoyed their first untethered flight in the 1990s, they became the volunteer chase team for the
balloon company. That was before GPS was
prevalent, so they would drive, using only road maps and visual sightings, to the
location where the balloon landed, which often was a corn field!).So, crewing for Patrick/Tess in Conroe was a
very cool, totally unique balloon experience.It is amazing how huge (and heavy) these balloons are!We got a workout holding the crown line
while the balloon inflated, trying to pull the balloon back down to the ground
after a tethered flight, and weighing the basket down to the ground so guests could
enter/exit.
Dad and Tess holding up the balloon sides so it can inflate.
Mom holding on tight to the crown line as the Maverick balloon inflates.
Thanks Patrick and Tess of Maverick Balloon Adventures for a terrific experience!
In the blink of an eye, it was mid-November, with Thanksgiving
and the holiday season fast approaching.We kicked off with a mini getaway to Fredericksburg, Texas. Here's a few photos from along our route.
My first thought was that these were some weird looking cows--until I realized they were actually zebras in the field!
This creepy crawler had the nerve to sit next to me on a bench.
A tribute to Stephen F. Austin in Bellville, Texas.
Inside a convenience store.
We met
up with friends Matt/Sherry (who recently exited the full-time RV lifestyle)
for us all to enjoy Fredericksburg’s annual Holiday Market and Historic House
Tour.Matt/Sherry made the gracious
offer to have us as guests at their lovely home, but my family does not like to
impose.So, we stayed at the historic Peachtree
Inn and Suites, which was voted Fredericksburg’s “Best” lodging in 2023.We booked a queen bed within the Inn, but
they gave us a king bed within a tiny house (Cabin H) across the street. It had a totally dysfunctional room set-up (the side of the bed was flush with the
wall, so Mom had to crawl across for entry/exit of the bed; the step down from the
bedroom to the kitchen/bathroom was precarious when walking in the middle of
the night; the nightstand was not within reach of the bed; the lamp on that
nightstand did not work; the kitchen was directly across from the bathroom, and
the refrigerator was actually WITHIN the BATHROOM!). Peachtree is a pet-friendly
establishment, and has 2 resident cats on the premises, Calli and
Shadow.Though we did not have any pets
with us during our stay, the guests before us in this tiny house clearly did,
based on the dog hair on the porch and inside the door entryway, which we swept
ourselves. Unless the rooms within the Inn offer a completely different
experience, we are not sure how Peachtree has received such good reviews/ratings, other
than its convenient location within walking distance to downtown.
The "Historic Peachtree Inn" where we booked a room...
...and the tiny house/cabin to which we were assigned.
Otto the Rooster stood outside The Blue House, another property owned/operated by the Historic Peachtree Inn.
Shadow expected me to act as his doorman.
No human was in the office, so Calli was working the desk. Suffice to say, customer service is not her forte.
Anyway, my family and Matt/Sherry perused the arts,
crafts, and delectable edibles at the Holiday Market, and visited the Pioneer Village located nearby.We enjoyed
seeing all the unique architecture and furnishings on the tour of historic homes/buildings.Our only disappointments were that no photos were permitted and that only 1 of the half-dozen homes was decorated for
Christmas since the event took place the weekend before Thanksgiving.(We have attended holiday
home tours for decades throughout several towns in New Jersey, New York, and
Pennsylvania during our sticks/bricks days, and we have continued the tradition
during our years in Texas. We have
always been amazed at the ingenuity and creativity exhibited with holiday
adornments. This was the first house
tour that lacked this attribute).
A diorama of Fredericksburg past.
The exterior of one of several historic structures in Fredericksburg's Pioneer Village...
...and one of its interior rooms decorated with period furnishings.
Once Fredericksburg's Courthouse, this 1882 building now serves as the public library.
We all dined together at several eateries of various cuisines within Fredericksburg (including our first taste of Korean B-B-Q at Eker’s), and got some early Christmas cheer viewing the lights, traditional German decorations, and ice skaters at the Marktplatz von Fredericksburg.
Breakfast at Nury's, one of several eateries we patronized in Fredericksburg.
One of the many unique downtown shops/boutiques.
We enjoyed the traditional German holiday decorations...
...at the Marktplatz von Fredericksburg.
What fun I had watching these youngsters and adults do their best to impersonate Hans Brinker.
We had another reason to visit Fredericksburg:to view the plaque my parents donated to the
National Museum of the Pacific War in memory of my beloved Grumpy Grandpa and
his service to our Nation.We learned of
this Honor Wall during our visit to the Museum in 2023, and my parents decided
then to make the required donation in 2024 for a milestone birthday in heaven
for Grandpa.My Rambling RV Rat Pack (yours
truly, Mademoiselle Rochelle, Nezumi, and Rat King) decided we would omit a
few bags of cheese doodles and some sacks of Babybels from our dietary
purchases to make our own small contribution to the cause.
Sherry was our “guide” for a side trip to the Hill Country
Arts Foundation in Kerrville, Texas, to visit “Stonehenge II”, a replica of its
namesake in Wiltshire, England.A 9-month art project, it is representative
of 90% height and 60% width of the original structure.Very cool!
The site now includes an Easter Island statue.
Dad purchased us all a delicious lunch at Billy Gene’s
restaurant, situated picturesquely along the Guadalupe River.
Then we all visited “The Empty Cross”, a
wonderful project of the Coming King Foundation.The
24-acre Sculpture Prayer Garden offers spiritual enrichment, comfort and
healing, and hope for eternal life in God’s Kingdom of Heaven.
As indicated on this placard (though difficult to tell from my photos), the entire complex is shaped like a cross.
The orange esperanza bushes were abloom.
We enjoyed sightseeing around Fredericksburg, spending time
with good friends, and creating happy memories. Along our return route to Livingston, we made
a pitstop at Blue Bell Creamery in Brenham, Texas.They no longer offer tours, but we watched
operations from an observation deck (though photos are forbidden.)Founded in 1907 as Brenham Creamery, ice
cream was not added to the product line until 1911.The name
changed to Blue Bell in the 1930s.Though “tastings” are not free, my scoop of Texas’s finest ice cream was
well worth the buck from my cheese bank.So was the $6 I spent to buy Dad an early Christmas present: A Blue Bell
rubber duck for our Jeep!
We enjoyed a meal at Brenham’s local eatery, Shirley’s Sante
Fe Café.We so love to support our
Country’s small, family businesses.
Home in Livingston for Thanksgiving, we are grateful for the
blessings God bestows upon us:Dad’s
heart has been healthy, we have been safe on our travels, we have a roof over
our heads, and we have food on our table.And with Dad transitioning away from a full plant-based diet and eating
meat/poultry on occasion and in moderate portions, this Thanksgiving is extra
special.You
see, for the first time in 6 years, we are eating TURKEY for our Thanksgiving
feast!Bon appetit!
We used the rotisserie on our new Emeril Lagasse multi-functional gadget to cook our turkey breast. Browned yet moist--what a treat!
