The train wreck called Hart family Christmas . Mostly humor.

[RBHarter]

Darnedest thing , went out in that brief bit of peace before the paper explosion with a full cup o coffee , having been woken up by a clatter an a bang on the front porch , the 8 yo discovered a new water bucket for the dog with a brass plaque identifying it as a reindeer food bucket ...... Never too old to believe , you know .

Moments after the paper explosion Ms started breakfast ........ promptly setting a burner well on fire ...... Yeah no the lid over it and electric burner off didn't get it out . Odds are against ever getting all of the baking soda out of the stove ......
We got everyone herded in the right general direction after breakfast , there are 4 adults 2 kids and a dog how hard is this really . Oh yeah my Christmas selfless giving ....... remember the mother inlaw from last summer ?....... Sheeeee'sss baaack . It was like herding cats in a down pour under a disco ball with 6 of those laser light things aimed at the Disco ball and about the same level of happiness as a badger the walking across a downed 24 strand 6' electric fence .... we did make it to Mom's nobody shot the badger and for whatever reason she didn't bite anyone .

Ms started the dinner stuff and I went out to the shop to get the tire changed on that Budd wheel from the Toemater truck (see the adventures of the last load from NV to AR) and a couple of tires on Ms kids truck . (That kid has the attention/retention span of a goldfish) 1 tire short of a set so he got 2 spares on the front until I can go pick up the set of take offs from a guy I've been helping with tongue and groove wood ceilings . Thank the stars , angels etc Dad bought a tire machine . Manual is a poor employee and no way for a 50+ guy to change 8-10 play tires .

Ms summoned me to help her turn the 25# bird over and it was time for a Blue Moon anyway because (insert naggy , whinny , piranha dog sound effects here) . So I go in wash up and help her turn the bird and replace it in the oven . I stoked up Mom's wood stove , put some more guns away in my safe after checking out the temp and humidity and making sure there wasn't any rust growing ........ So far so good but I really need the bigger Golden Rod this one is just barely in the limits or another small one .
There was a familiar food associated smell in the house .....then the yelling started ....... appearently turkey juice is quite ignitable in an electric oven when it spills or leaks out of a pinhole ....... 2 stoves , 2 fires ........ it hate to say it but I have a better record with fried turkeys than that . Mom's oven will eventually clean up . Note to self flames in the inside oven are NOT the correct method for smoking turkey or ham . It's been an hour now the beer is now warm ....... It still tasted like another one ........dog fight over the rawhide chewies ......

Dinner was awesome in spite of the oven fire . Turkey , ham , mashed potatoes , brown sugar and butter mashed sweet potatoes , green bean casserole (no onions) , mom's pickled beets , scratch cranberry jelly (family thing) , box stuffing ....dunno why but we all like it best .

In a brief moment of gluttonous food quiet my Mom says to me "there's another gift for you over there by the door with just a bow . " , I'm like " that's just Dad standing watch isn't it ?" , " Nope you should have the 'Widowmaker' " so then I got the pumpkin pie all soggy . I mean I love that she gave me Dad's 1940 Model 12 with the 32" full choke slick barrel , it fits me right hand as well as it ever fit Dad . So now I think it have one of each barrel steel designation , 1916 , 1940 , 1957 and 1968 ..... 2 pre war M12s from 2 WWs , huh , never thought of it that way before . The 68' is one of the last 500 of official production and the 1916 I think only has a 5 digit SN and I'm thinking it's in the mid 10k range .....
Dad and I hunted a few ducks and sage hen Widowmaker he killed about a million birds , to hear the tales , with the old girl . Don't know that I can bring myself to shoot her , it'd be a shame not to as I'm sure all the misses are shot out of her by now .

Since the first draft I've been thinking on this some , I know somewhere in the stuff is a note book or book with notes ..... Like the 1-2nd Edition Lyman shotshell manual about his old Goose load . Something like 27.0 Unique , Rem RXP 12 , 1 1/4 oz #4/#2 , RP high brass , #57 primer 6 point crimp waxed ........ Widowmaker onced dropped a swan cold at 80 yd with such a beastly load ......one of the many wet face stories I should write down . It was a snow goose mistake in off/on snow circa 1963-5 . Moving along something on that order might make a real fine turkey load . The hot loads they shot on geese back then were said to shoot over 75% inside 30" at 60 yd . The old Winchesters have long chokes in them so that probably doesn't hurt anything there either . I guess I'll be wracking my brain to remember details if there were any about the pumpkin balls and Brenkke slugs now too .

[daboone]

Well your Christmas certainly outdid mine. But here is nothing like watching 4 of my 5 kids, there spouses and 6 of the worlds smartest, best looking and special grandkids ripping thru a mountain of Santa's loot. Then visiting a fantastic friend to shoot the seasons greeting with and talking reloading. Then to get back to my place and being told I'm not going to fix dinner as planned but to be taken out to dinner.

I love Christmas.

[akuser47]

You survived Happy New Year

[Ranch Dog]

RB, you just got'ta love a Christmas like that!

[RBHarter]

That say you don't remember the good times as much or as well as the bad .......
This one should stick with me for a good long while .