In many parts of the country, people spend a fair amount of time wishing for a white Christmas. In others, there's little hope of any snow at all, even these few days after the winter solstice. Here in Alaska, though, it's not a matter of whether we'll have a white Christmas, but rather a question of how much white stuff we'll have. (Currently, here in our Susitna Valley homestead, it's a tad shy of two feet.)
The local mushers and their dogs are having a great time. This friend of ours had her dogs out only days ago, running the trails back along the Susitna, training for when they run the Iditarod in March.
Folks who love a white Christmas can't find a better place for it.
And those of us who are of a certain age, who remember the golden age of television, remember those great Christmas shows that ran every year; "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" (I was a big fan of Yukon Cornelius, myself), "Frosty the Snowman," the special, "A Charlie Brown Christmas," and so forth. But one of the greats was Ed Sullivan, who every year brought us a variety of Christmas songs and skits.
One of Ed Sullivan's regulars, of course, was little Topo Gigio; in this 1967 skit, he reads Ed a letter he wrote to Santa Claus.
But it was the music that always brought us back to Ed's show, and never were the acts better than at Christmas. And Ed, better still, never forgot our service members overseas. And I can tell you, from personal experience, consideration like this for the troops in the field does wonders for morale.
In 1966, Ed Sullivan brought us the Cam Ranh Choraleers & Choralettes, all the way from Vietnam.
And in 1962, we saw Connie Francis singing "I'll Be Home For Christmas" to the sailors and Marines at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
At this time of year, Alaskans aren't enjoying the balmy temperatures of Cuba or Vietnam. But a great part of the season is finding proof against it; plenty of firewood and a well-insulated (and decorated) cabin is in order. One of our favorite local places, the Sheep Creek Lodge up in Susitna North, not only sets up their cabins for winter but decorates them accordingly. We took photos in the few hours of daylight, but at night, the lights against the flocked trees are beautiful.
The Supremes came from Detroit, where they likewise see some chilly, snowy winter temps. But when they appeared for Ed Sullivan in 1966, they brought a lot of warmth with their rendition of "My Favorite Things."
And, of course, I'd bet a substantial sum that even Santa appreciated the voice of America's favorite singing cowboy, Gene Autry, who appeared on "The Ed Sullivan Show" way back in 1953, performing "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer."
And, of course, the immortal Bing Crosby, with a 1968 clip from "White Christmas."
Christmas is a great time of year, no matter where you live, of course. We love our Alaska Christmas season, with feet of snow and often sub-zero temps. And there are, of course, people who want to screw up this wonderful season, but for once, I think we can afford to ignore them. It's Christmas. It's a wonderful time of year, a time to celebrate, to show people we care about them with gifts, to just be together.
Merry Christmas, readers.
