Grandparents and Christmas Lights Don't Mix

When I was real young my maternal grandparents would have their evening meal called, supper. Afterwards, they would clean up and would go outside and sit on the lawn to watch the world relax and come to a close. Yes, many nights they sat outside until it was nearly ten o'clock then they would call it a night and get ready for bed. That was the schedule and as a child it was hard for me to understand why. Many times if it wasn't too hot, grandma took us walking and that was fun. But for me and my kid brother Jason, we would play outside not caring one bit what we did until it was bedtime.

Now when it became too cool or too wet to sit out, Grandma had another plan of action. We could watch television that was only in black and white. Not that I wasn't glad to see television, but frankly, watching Charlie Angels in black and white didn't do the show much good and frankly Lawrence Welk looked much older if you asked me. If you weren't into black and white television then there was a game of checkers. That was the only game grandma had besides jacks. Sometimes grandma re-read the paper. Depending on the weather, the radio was on instead of the television. But most of the time we sat outside enjoying the end of the day.

Well, one Christmas, my grandma wanted to get out and see the lights. You have to understand they never drove in the evening, unless something bad happened to a family member and had to go to the emergency room. They sat in lawn chairs on the lawn like slugs talking. Well, my grandma got the notion she wanted grandpa to take us all out in the green Mercury and look at the festivities of lights that bestowed the little town of De Leon, Texas.

Jason and I were so excited. It was a treat that grandma made such a suggestion now it was convincing grandpa to take us on this little excursion.

I don't know if it was grandma's firm voice or her nagging. But grandpa finally gave in, and said he would take us. So as soon as it became dark grandma bundled us up. She made sure we went to the bathroom and then she shuffled us off to the car.

Grandpa had already been out in the Mercury warming it up. He was wiping the window with his gloved hand so he could see out. In the older days, car heaters didn't defrost windows to well, so many old men and some ladies would use their gloves to wipe the window from the fog that would accumulate inside the vehicle.

We all piled into the car, my grandpa the designated driver may have had a license but I can guarantee you he didn't have insurance or possible brakes. Jason all bundled up like a blizzard had just hit De Leon, stood in the floor board of the car near the door, so he could look out the window while I was just as bundled up, and sat on my grandma's lap.

Now this is the point of the story I should explain for those of you who don't understand. As a child I could remember you could drive a car through town without insurance and no seat belt laws existed, much less the belts in the cars. By today's standards grandpa would be in jail.

As Jason and I were glued to the window, grandpa wasn't sure were to start. Well, Jason and I were connoisseurs of the town Christmas lights and we were more than eager to point the way for grandpa while he did the driving.

Grandpa drove slow as we told him where every house was located that we knew was lit up for the Christmas season. I really have to be honest, when I say this, I don't think my grandparents ever went looking at lights, I mean it. It was like leading the blind through town and children were the Seeing Eye dogs.

The reason I thought this was the fact every time we came to a house my grandpa would pull off the road into a ditch and stop and stare before moving on. Not like our father who only slowed down long enough to get a glimpse then move on like the rest of the world.

No sir-re bob, grandpa wanted to make sure grandma was happy and what better way than to pull into a ditch for which we could get stuck and look at lights.

We had so much fun. Even though Jason and I had seen the lights on a regular basis grandma and grandpa hadn't and they took their time which resulted in us seeing more than we thought existed on people's lawn.

My grandparents were getting in the spirit of things as grandma talked about the amazement of lights. We saw it all. Houses that were only red and green, some had all the colors of the rainbow, some had the lit up lawn moulds and others had Nativity scenes; those were grandma's favorite.

Now as we were getting close to downtown my grandpa made a comment that dealt with a bathroom break. This meant to me and Jason the ride was over, and it normally would have been. But my grandma having too much fun reminded grandpa she was always prepared for an emergency. That was one thing grandma was always ready for an emergency.

My grandma's purse was a Mary Poppins's bag. Meaning, my grandma had everything, including, band aids, tissues, gum, camphor phenique, her checks, a few family photos, Tums, (grandpa had to have them on a regular basis), peppermint candy, a Swiss army knife and this collapsible cup for drinking water. That was just her purse! She also kept a gallon of water in the back seat floor board for drinking along with a coffee can if you had to pee.

My grandpa was feeling one of those moments for the coffee can. As soon as grandpa got us down town grandpa stopped and let us get out so we could see the store fronts of big De Leon, Texas. While he went to the alley to do other as they say.

Lights and garland went across the main street, while lit garland trees, Santa's and stars hung off each light post in town. The store fronts were decorated as if we belonged to a big city. It seemed that even the empty buildings had something in them.

Town was beautiful with the Christmas spirit. My grandma took her time like an aging Queen Elizabeth clutching her black purse with both of her hands, pushing her glasses up to take a closer look at the store fronts. We knew she was window shopping as we walked along.

After we went up one side of the street, we went back down on the other side eventually meeting grandpa back in the Mercury. We again assumed our sitting positions and grandpa had us off searching again for Christmas lights.

We had followed Main Street and were near Higginbotham's funeral home, which was just on the edge of town, when suddenly out of now where there were some big blue and red flashing lights. Something Jason and I didn't recall before. My grandma too enthralled with the sights of Christmas said, "I don't know where those lights are, but they sure are bright and pretty."

My grandpa always had one saying, "I'll be John Brown." He never cursed at least not in front of us kids. It was always, "I'll be John Brown." You knew just by the way he said it, what was exactly wrong.

This time it wasn't his usual fluster tone nor was it his, I've had enough tone. This time is the worried tone. He informed grandma those aren't Christmas lights that were flashing, but the police behind them. I have to say at this point my grandpa could have pulled into the funeral home parking lot most people would have, to be off the highway. Not my grandpa; no. He drove about a quarter mile down the highway and what does he do? He pulls into a ditch!

If you live in a small town you know how this works, especially, during the old days. Everybody knew everybody and when the police came up to the car it was like gossiping more than getting scolding for whatever you did. This was no exception. Grandpa got out of the car, something you don't do now days and met the policeman on the street.

Jason and I watched from the seat as grandma did nothing but wondered what they did wrong. As we watched we saw grandpa in his khaki pants, plaid shirt, his cowboy hat and jacket. He talked briefly then the policeman walked grandpa back to the car. This was bad! They didn't do that in the past, unless something bad was happening.

Remember, I told you it was like catching up with old times. Well, the policeman's mother went to church with grandma and he had to pop his head in and said hi to grandma. I don't know why grandma never asked why we were pulled over. I figured she was worried she was going to be the talk of the church and left it at that.

It turned out that the tail light was out on the car and the officer told grandpa to get it fix in the morning and also gave us permission to continue looking at lights. That's what small town America use to be like. Now days, as I stated earlier grandpa would be in jail for the way we were in the car. A ticket with a hefty fine for the tail light would have been the least of his troubles.

As grandpa still in the spirit of things tried to assure grandma we were fine and could continue on with the lights. My grandma on the other hand, still embarrassed about the whole situation made it clear; fun time was over.

My grandparents never went out like that ever again. It wasn't until I was driving that we took them out to see the lights. Every year, me and Jason would load them up in one of our cars and show them around town. Until their death we took them to see Christmas lights in town.

For me and Jason that was a memory of our grandparents we would never forget. They tried something. Perhaps something they would have never tried if it hadn't been for us kids.



Books by Carla Landreth
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