A Texas Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone!

Last year we were blessed to spend Christmas with my sister and her family, so we were a little concerned as Christmas drew near and this Christmas would be our first without family. Needless worry.
We decorated an artificial tree and put lights both inside and outside, (Renita talked me into it and as usual she was right). Our other neighbors also decorated their rvs and so the park was brightly lit up at night.
We went to Christmas eve mass which included a half hour of caroling, singing all the favorites. Two young ladies led the congregation,(college students?), and one of the singers had one of the best soprano voices I have ever heard. Mass ended and we stopped for some takeout as the parks festivities were to began.
Every year the rvers get together and have a different kind of gift exchange. Everyone buys a ten dollar gift and then the fun begins with the exchange. When we entered we were each given a bingo number, mine was forty one and Renitas was fifty six. As the exchange began the person with number one went up and selected a gift and opened it in front of the crowd. Then came number two, and so on. Now when your turn arrived you had a choice, either open a new gift of steal one from someone who had unwrapped theirs. The last rule was that a gift could only be stolen three times and then it was safe. Stuffed toys, bottles of wine, and a box of the tv advertised towels exchanged hands often. Renita got a embroidered towel and I got some fishing lures! A fun time.
Christmas morning awoke to find that Santa had found our house, in Texas. All is well! At one pm we gathered to celebrate Christmas with a huge Christmas buffet, the park had supplied turkey and ham and the tables overflowed with desserts and other entrees. Everyone had outdone themselves. It was like being at fifty family meals as everyone had made their special favorites We brought my key lime pie and Renitas sugar free cranberry sauce, (made from scratch).
Each table had a song and ours was drawn first. Singing jingle bells we took our plates up and feasted on the meal. It was too good as both of us pigged out, but isn't that what you are supposed to do for Christmas? We sat and talked with our new friends, George and Val from Colorado.
Later we talked with Patty and Matt, and even got a note from Jenny,(She is in Nicaragua and she called the next day). Again, we have been truly blessed. Clear skies.