EATING ON CHRISTMAS

We didn't expect to be at home on Christmas. We thought we were going to spend our first Christmas out of town since I was in Vietnam in 1966. One thing we should all learn is that it is dangerous to make plans and think that they can't be changed. My father's passing changed Christmas.

We thought we would eat a late breakfast at a restaurant. Nothing, I mean nothing, seemed to be open. Not even grocery stores where you could buy food to take home. We did find a pharmacy, both Walgreens and CVS were open, but that didn't seem too appetizing. Finally, we came upon a Waffle House restaurant that was open. I don't like these little "greasy spoons" but we were desperate.

Even though it was packed, we were able to find a booth without much trouble. When we sat down, we discovered that the Channel 5 TV station had a crew in there filming a story. I assume it was titled "The only place open on Christmas." It was not exactly elegant, but it filled our bellies.

After a long visit with my mother, we went to Amy's house hoping to get dinner. Popcorn was all they had to offer. They were also looking for a place to eat. We told them that almost nothing was open AND that we would not go back to the Waffle House. Amy called a lot of places but no one answered. We decided that we would start driving and stop at the first place we saw open. Surely, some little entrepreneur would be open this evening.

We drove and we drove. Our taste buds were dripping. Several places looked open from a distance but when you got right up to them, no one was there. We found a 'wings place' open but when we went in they said that their kitchen was closed. They were serving drinks only. On and on we drove. It seemed hopeless when we saw a crush of cars parked in a lot. The China House buffet was open for business. It was my wife's worst fear.

We just laughed and had a good time. She really was not too disappointed. Dinner with some grand kids isn't that bad even if you just eat desserts.