Earlier today we were all sitting around the West Knoxville office of KnoxvilleRob laughing about some of our Christmas memories. Our little group feels like family – partially because we basically are. I met Brandon – 8 years ago, Dustin is his actual brother, I met Carrie back in 2003 selling her mother’s home in South Knoxville during my first transaction. She was probably no more than 18 years old.
Brandon, Brittany (his wife), Carrie, Cayce (her sister) and Rob in a KW Christmas photo booth!
Our Christmas experiences have all been different and the same.
Carrie’s great memory was that she always got a brand new fresh set of pajamas to wear to bed on Christmas Eve. Regardless of the presents she and her twin sister Cayce would always rise and shine with new pj’s and all would be good.
Carrie and Cayce’s Christmas pj’s 1994.
Brandon and Dustin played back and forth in the conversation picking on each other for something they remembered the other one saying, Dustin remembered his little brother being the mischievous brat that would always get him in trouble at the kid’s table.
Brandon remembered sneaking into the fridge and thinking he was really doing something big when he snuck and stole one of his grandpa’s O’doulls Non-alcoholic beers when he was about 9.
He decided that drinking wasn’t for him just from the rancid smell and a sip confirmed it for many years!
Baby Rob Circa 1974
Baby Amy (Rob’s girlfriend) is dubious about Santa!
I think my favorite memory was always the night before Christmas. My parents and I would sit in a circle around the Christmas tree, with candles and 1980s blinking lights – an animated angel that Mom always put at the top of the tree gently whooshing and awaiting the arrival of a heavenly host. Dad would start, reading a few paragraphs of the Nativity story then Mom would take over. Finally, I would finish and we would talk a little bit about what the story meant to us – or we’d sit quietly and sip hot chocolate before going off to bed with visions of mangers and sugar plums dancing in our heads.
Whatever your Holiday Season looks like we hope you’re safe, warm and happy with someone you love and have a blessed season with just enough Perry Como and Bing Crosby – there’s NEVER enough Burl Ives for me!