Baby it's cold outside; so just laugh a little

We officially started the Christmas season on Saturday. We had our annual Escobar Family Christmas at the old homestead in Granger.

We usually have it the Saturday before Christmas. This year the Saturday before Christmas is Christmas Eve.

It was touch and go for this year’s gathering. I checked with Accuweather two weeks before the event, and it said the cold streak we were in would break with a high of 37 on the 17th.

Brother Bob in Spokane called me with about a week to go and asked just where I got my information. I went back to Accuweather and learned the forecast had changed. The 17th might be the coldest date in December with a low temperature of around zero.

Now I’m wondering what to do. For the first time, Accuweather has failed me. I’m wondering if Accuweather just blew it or if global warming, global cooling or climate change was the X factor.

Anyway, most of the people who usually attend, including Bob, his wife Vikki and several grandkids, made it. First thing Bob tried to do was steal one of the lemon merengue pies our sister Jenny made. His punishment was to give me the first slice.

We did the usual – games, songs, food and gifts.

Bob and Jenny made it to the 30-second playoff in the candy cane game. Using a cane clenched in their teeth, they picked up eight other canes, with their hands tied behind their backs, in regulation time.

The playoff was between them and nephew Michael Hendrickson, who also scored an 8. The kid had the game figured out by then. He picked up four canes to two each for Bob and Jenny.

We played the left-right, white elephant gift game, and I was the big winner. I got a green headband for a woman and a pack of beauty lotion. The times, they are a changin’.

Santa Claus (my son Grover) was a riot. He was jolly, jovial and as funny as could be, funnier than I ever imagined. He was so good that even his 8-year-old son didn’t recognize him.

Grover was a last minute choice because I had forgotten to get a Santa Claus earlier. I was glad I asked him. He had the adults in stitches.

One of the best moments, which wasn’t planned, happened at my table for dinner. It worked out to be adults only. Going counter clockwise from me, there was sister-in-law Vicki, my wife Pat, my daughter Jenny, my niece Annie, brother-in-law Tom, sister Jenny and brother David.

We got to talking about the Hallmark channel and all of the Christmas love stories. We decided the best new movie this year is “Journey Back to Christmas.” It’s the only one that’s not centered around a couple falling in love.

JBC is a story about a woman living in 1945 who, somehow, during a lightning storm, is transported to 2016. Candice Cameron Bure plays the role so well that you fear for her survival in our time and wish for her to get back to 1945.

Make time for this movie. You’ll enjoy it.

I did a little survey, asking everyone, starting with Vicki, at what point in JBC the tears started to fall. For everyone, it was right around the time Candice started to learn she might be able to return to 1945.

Then it was David’s turn. He straightened his posture, sat back in his chair and said:

“Okay, I started to cry when Vicki took the remote from me and changed to the Hallmark channel.”