While the year Whitneigh pulled over the tree was pretty memorable,
the year that holds the most unique memories for me is the year when we
were without power for an entire week during Christmas.
I was a freshman or sophomore in high school when the epic ice
storm hit my hometown in Ohio. Snow and a thick layer of ice on top made
for a beautiful holiday but not the most convenient one. Snow plows
didn't come down our road for days. We live up on a hill and knew we
wouldn't be leaving anytime soon. The heavy ice layer knocked out power
all over Ohio. It gives you a whole new perspective, celebrating
Christmas without electricity. We slept under piles of blankets, used
old-fashioned oil lanterns for light, and collected before the fireplace
for warmth. We played a lot of board games and went to bed around 7:30
rather than waste oil on staying up late. Thankfully we have a
wood-burning stove in our basement and were able to cook over it and
keep plenty of canned and frozen food in the house. Instead of ham we
had chicken noodle soup for Christmas dinner. I live in the country and
we have a well, which means when there is no power there is also no
water. Think for a minute about all the things in your home that require
running water, and you'll understand why we hauled pans full of snow to
the basement in order to melt it. Life is a lot more complicated when
you can't do simple things like brush your teeth or eat breakfast
without taking a flashlight and a load of wood downstairs.
Although we weren't able to light our Christmas tree or watch our
favorite movies, there were still some good memories made that year. My
mom trying to make Jiffy Pop over open flame in the fireplace comes to
mind. It doesn't work, by the way.
No comments:
Post a Comment