Everybody looks forward to the Christmas season for different reasons. For me, it’s all about family time, and that’s especially important because of the way my schedule lays out.
The last part of December is basically the end of my vacation from my professional fishing schedule and with my kids on their winter break from school, I realize this is my last chance to spend that quality time with them before their spring break. In a way, it’s a little sad that my break is coming to an end, but we have some nice family traditions – along with a new event – that should be good for some new memories.
Our extended family is close, so ever since I was a little kid, all the Christies get together around 7 a.m. Christmas morning for breakfast. What’s cool is that I can remember doing this 25 years ago in a regular family room, but our family has gotten so big that in recent years, we have done it at a skating rink, a church and a community center.
We change locations every year – somewhere in the Lake Ten Killer area. We have probably 40-50 family members and it’s nice to see that as large as the family has grown, we still enjoy one another’s company.
We’re a family of hunters and fishermen, even the daughters, so this breakfast meeting typically turns into a big bragging session on who killed the biggest deer or who caught the most crappie. We all take turns telling stories, and it’s a really enjoyable time.
Around 11 a.m., my family comes home and rests for a few hours because the days leading up to Christmas are pretty stressful. In the afternoon, we go to my parents’ house for a smaller, personal gathering. My mom makes a cheese dip with a little Ro-Tel and ground deer meat in it. It’s one of those dips that you can eat as a meal and we’ve done that several times.
After that, in the evening we’ll head north to Miami, Okla., to visit with my wife’s family. It ends up being a tiring day because it’s a lot of travel, but it’s worth the effort because we get to spend time with several family members. What I think is nice is that we’ve gone from a great big pile of presents to just a few gifts and more focus on being together.
As for Christmas traditions in my home, we use an artificial tree because it’s easier to set up and pack away. Also, my youngest daughter has allergies, so it’s easier on her, too.
My wife and I set up the tree in early December and turn our three girls loose on it. They do a good job of decorating the tree with a combination of traditional and modern ornaments. Of course, we have a few bass-themed ornaments, but the ones I really like are the ones with pictures of my kids with fish they caught or deer they killed. We also have a few special ornaments that my wife and I got the first year we were married.
As for gift shopping, my wife starts early, but I’m typically a last-minute guy. I despise going into a department store. I’d rather pay double for something and have it shipped to the house.
My girls are getting to that age where they’re hard to buy for, but I think I’m probably just as difficult because I just don’t like to ask for anything. I’m the kind of person that if I want something, I’ll just go out and buy it.
What means the most to me is for my girls to write out a Christmas card for me. If they do want to get me a gift, I appreciate the day-to-day stuff like a flashlight or a case of Chap Stick. Being outside hunting and fishing, you always need Chap Stick.
Talking about Christmas gifts, I always remember, when I was young, my mom gave each of us kids a book of LifeSavers that opened up like a book with several packs on each side. That’s one of the things I remember from my childhood. Every year you knew you were going to get that.
I also remember getting a knife from my uncle with the words “For legal deer only” that he had engraved on the blade. I think what he was saying was that I wasn’t supposed to use it for poached deer.
Amid all the traditional holiday events, this year my daughter Ali will participate in a state high school basketball tournament of champions right after Christmas. It’s kind of cool that she’s playing in the same tournament that I did when I was in high school, so we’re going to spend that weekend after Christmas at that tournament watching her play.
The older I get, it seems like that’s all that life is about – spending time with family. Next year, we’ll have a lot of traveling on the Bassmaster Elite Series so I value this time I have with mine.
Very soon, I’ll be working to get all my sponsorship contracts squared away, get my boat in order and handle all the preparation details necessary for the start of a new fishing season. But, while these business considerations are growing in the back of my mind, I still have several weeks to enjoy a very special time of year.
I’m going to do my best to enjoy the Christmas season and make the most of the time I have with my family. We’ll enjoy all of our established traditions, and who knows, maybe we’ll make some more – as long as we do it together.