Christmas Edition 2023

Soapy and the Misses had been enjoying their new warm winter “home” since early November. They even took up Pickleball, Shuffleboard and Bocce. Those distractions aside, they’d had plenty of time to reflect on the past year and their first real winter away from snow, the cold and even the business that their boy had taken hold of so well. Unlike last year when Soapy was readying to head south, now it was just the opposite as he and the Misses planned to drive north to be with Junior and the grand kids for Christmas.

But as he watched the morning news, he was dismayed to learn that once again his Christmas plans were dead in the water because a nasty winter storm was hitting right between where he was and back home. It’s swath of snow and ice was leaving travel north pretty near impossible.

After he accepted the inevitable, he and his bride knew they’d have to find another way to celebrate the Christmas holiday that was so special for both of them. Always the optimist and a guy who didn’t have a defeatist bone in his body, Soapy and the Misses came upon the perfect way to bring some joy to an otherwise disappointing situation.

There happened to be a nursing home near the RV park where they were wintering whose residents often visited some of the elderly folks living there to provide a little company and conversation. So on Christmas morning Soapy and his bride loaded the truck with cookies and sweets and headed over to share some love with those residents who might not otherwise have anyone to share the holiday morning with. It wasn’t the same as being with Junior and the kiddo’s, but it was still almost perfect anyway.