Christmas season at the Mires household of my childhood started the day Bing Crosby sang “Jingle Bells” on the console stereo.
I was so excited, I’d start to dance around, but get a stern warning not to jump off the couch or it would make the record skip.
Eventually, we bought a casette tape of that album and although jumping off the couch would have been allowed, I had outgrown the compulsion. The album still rings in the season, but Bing and the Andrew Sister’s sing from a CD that automatically slides into the player when its turn comes around.
On the old stereo, we used to listen over and over to the B side, and only occasionally flipping it over to the serious side with traditional carols. This Christmas, I’ve been enjoying that part of Bing’s album. It has his classic “White Christmas” as well as “I’ll Be Home for Christmas.”
Like many families, that song has special meaning for us. Especially this year.
My dad served in the Army Air Corps during World War II, stationed in China and India. I’m not sure if he ever dreamed about a white Christmas or not.
I do know he was more than glad to return from the war front to Maryville, Mo., in October 1945. Sixty years later, in October 2005, he attended the deployment ceremony where my brother shipped out to Afghanistan with the Missouri Army National Guard.
During a year’s deployment, John spent a lot of time with the Afghan people. He delivered food and blankets and when John’s commanding officer learned about his farm experience, he got recruited to assist with veterinary treatments for livestock.
When his year was up, John was more than glad to return to his wife and 4-year-old daughter and 1-year-old son and life as normal.
Then the call came again. This spring, John shipped out to Kosovo as part of the largest deployment of the Missouri National Guard since World War I. He doesn’t talk much about the work there, but it sounds wearisome and tedious.
John will be home for Christmas this year. His flight gets in sometime on Christmas Eve. It will be a short stay in Missouri, then he’ll go back to Kosovo, with his service expected to end this spring.
This week, there will be lots of presents, sugar cookies, funny stories and Bing singing on the radio. Just like always, but just a little different because none of us go through a year unchanged.
We’re especially glad to gather together and are thankful for the soldiers who make it possible for us to celebrate in peace.
If there’s any jumping off the couch this year, my niece and nephew will be the one’s responsible for it.
Business editor Susan Mires can be reached at susanm@npgco.com.
