Another Thanksgiving has come and gone and Christmas is upon us. Gone are the Salvation Army door greeting Santa’s with their lil red kettles. Firmly established now is the “post common sense era” retail line of “Have a great day!” Not matter what time of day it is, followed by “Have a wonderful Holiday season!” My response has been, “Looks dark outside, I’m going home and I will have a great EVENING, and you have yourself a Merry Christmas!”

I’m reminded of Christmas’ past when we decorate the boughs of the tree. The good “old” days of stringing the lights on the tree? Not anymore, we’ve got “new” pre-lit trees, talk about a time saver, that’s more time to set the “cat mischief alarm system” with more alarm sounding devices. Each “old” ornament revives a “new” embellishment of the circumstances of its being. Some ornaments bring “renewed” memories of past years of folks no longer with us.

It’s always been a tradition or perhaps a custom that on Thanksgiving day I would take a friend and we would venture out in the wilds and hunt coyotes, photo wildlife and in general just burn some fuel. This year was a little different. We didn’t have the friends we typically have around us, I didn’t burn the fuel, didn’t take pictures of anything or kill a coyote but I did shoot and that right out my sunroom door.

Since the weather started to cool this fall I’ve been shooting more frequently. Actually since the son-in-law purchased an elk tag for Colorado’s 2nd season. He wanted to use his wife’s rifle (one I built) or at least borrow one from me. I already had in the works one to build for him since his wedding day so I finished the metal work on it and slapped it in a plastic stock so he could hunt with his very own rifle. It is an “old” Turkish 98 Mauser action that is a large-ring with a small-shank barrel. An “old” repurposed Sako 270 barrel was threaded for the receiver, a few cuts with a chamber reamer and we had a “new” 270 Winchester.

It’s been a while since I’ve really been able to engage in any handloading sessions. For one the firearms I like to shoot this time of year I do not have projectiles for, so that entails a casting session, something best not undertaken during the summer. Second, I’ve been plagued for that last few seasons (say 20 years) with a cold shop in the winter and a hot shop in the summer. This year was the first time I was able to alleviate these situations. A “new” mass volume fan keeps it tolerable even in 105+ heat vs. the “old” swamp cooler that rusted every exposed piece of iron. Also a “new” wood stove to replace the “old” Kerosene heaters as a primary heat source.

I’m not as fond of the cold and snow, although when I was a youngster it was pretty fun. It’s the changing of the seasons, the “new” season that captures my heart. When that first snow storm arrives and the snow begins to blanket the ground until everything is coated in a layer of softness unseen in the manmade realm. When you look and the entire expanse of your vision encompasses a sterility unknown even in a hospital operating room, that to me is “renewal.”

Thanksgiving is a time of renewal. Had not our ancestors come to this great land and established such a great nation none of us would be here today. Christmas is the ultimate time of renewal. For it marks an event that took place a little over 2000 years ago whereby we determine every second of every day. It is Jesus of Nazereth who was born as the ultimate representation of God, the one whom all human history had been pointing to, the one deemed worthy to be called the Son of God who was sent to create a “new” race of men and women.

With all the BS going on in the world today, all the lies being peddled it’s easy to get caught up in it and forget our history, or past, the old way of something that was fun and enjoyable. If we allow the bedlam around us to be muted out we might learn something new, from that which is old.

I like the Spring when the green appears. I like the Autumn when the ambers first arise. I also like the long days of Summer and for those who know me what you may not know or realize is I do remember a time and truthfully, I still like the Winter. I like the snow and yes, even the cold has its’ place, outside of course.

May you and yours discover something new and something old this Winter Season.

And as always and forever, Merry Christmas!