Dear Grandma,

How are you doing? I thought of you last Wednesday, when I watched a downy woodpecker attack the suet in one of the bird feeders. It was in the midst of a respectable snow storm, and the birds were going crazy at the feeders: nuthatches, chickadees, sparrows, and Cindyís favorite, a tufted titmouse.

I remember how you used to like feeding the birds, and would concoct some fancy meals for them with melted suet and peanut butter poured into half a grapefruit peeling. Something like that. It seemed like a lot of unnecessary work to me, but I liked how much joy it gave you to cook it all up, carry it to the clothesline and hang it up with strings. Then weíd watch the birds gobble it up, just like that downy did last Wednesday afternoon.

Snow really brings on feelings of Christmas, doesnít it? I know the holiday is a lot more than that, we mustnít forget it, but I like how snow slows things down a bit, makes us stop and think and maybe even do a good deed or two.

All those Care and Share volunteers, they trudged through the snow to package and distribute gifts for needy families during the storm. Even Alex Betz, who was just a day shy of his 12th birthday, helped out, and he sure could have been doing something else on his snow day from school.

Greg Foellmi brought Mom some soup and a hunk of venison. His older brother Dave kept a watchful eye on Momís parking space in front of the house, and swooped in with his city snowplow to clean it off when she went to get the mail.

Mary Doely brought us a huge coffee cake at work, and Beth Stempinski did the same with a pan of fudge. The treats were delicious, and so was the thoughtfulness!

Thereís a lot of kindness going on. Triggered by the snow? Well, thatís just my theory. It just goes hand in hand with Christmas.

Thereís a lot of talk about Merry Christmas these days. You wonít believe it, but some people are upset that that phrase wasnít a part of the United States Presidentís Christmas card. Or that clerks at some stores are not supposed to say it, out of respect to the people who donít celebrate Christmas.

Those omissions seem silly to me, but not as silly as the people who are up in arms. It doesnít matter what you say. Itís the spirit behind it. Some people are even making political hay out of it, calling it a liberal conspiracy, although I donít know if George and Laura are going to own that. Things have really changed in politics since youíve been gone, Grandma, and not for the better.

But enough of those catty slams, as you used to say. Iíll take the Christmas spirit from the birds and the woods and the Foellmisí good deeds. Iíll take it from the songs at the elementary school concert last Monday, especially when the fifth graders sang ìLet There Be Peace on Earth.î We really need that spirit.

Iíll take it from the cards on the walls from family and friends. The pictures of new babies and their parents who are so proud. I havenít paid attention to whether the cards say Merry Christmas or not. I never will. I cherish them all.

And yes, I remember your Christmas orange this time of year, the one that has lived for about 52 years in my imagination and twice that in yours. I even bought a whole box of them from Michelle Meyer for her FFA fundraising project. All right, I bought them before Christmas was on my mind, but there they sit, on the kitchen counter, and they taste even better now, with snow on the ground.

Merry Christmas Grandma! And happy holidays too.

Love, David

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