A Tryon Christmas Story 2004
It's snowing outside. Big, beautiful flakes gently floating on my deck. The dogs are excited. It's fun to watch them chase the snow flakes. I am munching on one of Maxine's "ear cookies" purchased at the Tryon Auction. (about 50 cents a bite) I was haunted the entire day about what transpired, yesterday, in our home town church. I decided to flop in Randy's DVD and tried to slowly watch all of the pictures skim by. I just loved pausing the recorder and looking at the backgrounds of the old photos. The old cars, the letter jackets, that old window we used crawl out of. What a time warp. (I will never forget that day we moved the old freezer from the old house.) Isn't it great that those old pictures were taken? Thanks Dale and whoever else actually snapped the photos. Randy still has a few DVDs left and he would love to send you one, just contact him for the cost. Many of the pictures, I have never seen. Rocket Ray throwing a baseball. Most of the old Defiance pictures. Bill holding Donna. Dick, Randy and Nancy showing off their bikes. Jerry and Larry out hunting. Bill making his goofy face. GT as a baby. The Donna Stevens show. Isn't it remarkable that two people, Mom and Dad, could have created such a large, diverse and colorful family? It is so much fun to get together, tell stories and visit with one another, thanks Folks.

This year's Christmas was like a three ring circus. Just so many people to see and so much to do. Great food, as usual, with the super cooks in our family showing off their skills. Some of us professional eaters were challenged by the younger generations, but I believe the old pros handled their own. You know, once you got it, you got it.

It was so great to see Jack, Maxine and Sandy from Missouri. It truly made it a special day. I really enjoyed watching Jack interact with his cousins. I am sure the good Lord appreciated Jack's constant reference to the Almighty. Max and Sandy are so special and have always been in our thoughts and prayers. The homemade auction items were super. Steve's drawing was won by DBT and it will be a most prized possession. We all enjoyed seeing a recent picture of Steve and marveled at his artistic talents. We wish him the best.

Many Tryons came from far distances. Bill and Sally made a very special trip, up from Texas. Bill played Grandpa and revived the tradition of handing out $5 bills to the kids. (and there were a lot of kids!) He remarked how memorable it was when C.L. made his annual trip around the circle to the delight of the young and old alike. I was able to visit with Sally a little and she sure seems to be enjoying retirement. It was a flying trip back for both. Thanks so much, as always it was great seeing you guys!

The Tryon Auction seemed like a marathon to me. Fortunately, I keep myself in peak physical condition for just such a moment. (any prune cake left?) I know, Dale and Warren have said how hard it is to auctioneer the Tryons. We all have a strong tendency to not to listen to anyone. A proud family trait, I think  The Tryons raised a new record of $1100+, nice job everyone. Many unique items were donated. My personal favorites were Dale's calendar ($35) and Watson's pledge to pay all entry fees and winnings for a year for a person who enters the Tryon Contests. Boy, could Hulsebus have used that. There were many, beautiful, hand made items that will be cherished possessions. Everyone noticed that Barb, the mad bidder, was not present, but somehow it still cost Nevada a huge check.

The way we did the food, seemed perfect to me. A Tryon salute to those who helped set up and cleaned up in the kitchen area. I saw Dale going back for seconds and Larry for thirds and they both raved about the quantity and quality of the food.

After eating, we retired to the church sanctuary and enjoyed Randy's DVD. Everyone appreciated the time and effort put into such a huge project, but Man, look at the results. Something that will be enjoyed by generations. Warren, an amateur genealogist, (or is that gynecologist?) commented how important records, such as these, are for future generations. Imagine Travis' grandkids looking at these pictures in 2090. With the church lights dimmed, the surround sound cranked up (was Tennessee Ernie Ford really present?) a person was stunned by the atmosphere of tears and cheers, with a huge lump in the throat at the end. Thanks Randy, you are a great brother. Doug read parts of the Christmas Story and some of the younger ones participated in our own little nativity scene. It was really cute and special. How Doug could read that after watching the slide show is beyond my capabilities.

Santa appeared and was his jovial self. We have a great Santa. A very experienced Santa. While Santa was giving out candy canes and hugs, Grandpa Bill handed out his special treats. You could tell by the bug eyes of the kids how appreciated this was. Another great Tryon tradition.

Next was the auction, and it was a zoo, but a very interesting one. Dumb and dumber (Dick and Warren) ran it. We all missed Tanner's velvet painting, but the rumor is it will be back in circulation next year. The ISU blanket outsold the Hawkeye one. Craig's extremely generous donation stunned us all. It really showed the Tryon Spirit, Wow. Jerry's sweatshirts were a very big hit as were many other items. Thanks to all who donated.

We missed those who could not be with us and we hope in the future they can. Our thoughts and prayers are always with them. With our website and the pictures, at least many can get a feel of what it was like.

The church was perfect. Coming back to Glidden seemed perfect. Randy mentioned that the minister was extremely pleased with the $250+ that was left for our old family church. Too bad it was not at the original church, but such is reality. This was our first time at this location and no one really knew what to expect. Any suggestions on how to improve our Christmas would be greatly appreciated, I know I would have preferred more time to visit. I have not seen many of the nieces and nephews for a long time. Yes, it was hectic, but so memorable. Thanks to all for making it work as well as it did.

As I was going through the old pictures, I noticed how many family pictures we really did pose for, many more than I remembered. Like I said, many of these I have never seen before. One of the Ten Commandments says to Honor Thy Father And Thy Mother (or was that the Lord's prayer?) and I think we sure did, yesterday. I know we all try, nearly everyday, to live up to the standards and values that the Folks left us. A near impossible task, I have discovered, but still one worth striving for. And I know how much we miss them and brother Ray, but the Tryon Spirit is still here. It was burning brightly in that little church last Sunday. It burns brightly every time I play golf or cards with my brothers. It burns brightly when we celebrate July 4th by the lake. I see it burning brightly as I watch the younger generations compete like Tryons, raise their kids like the Folks did, work hard at their jobs and on their marriage. It always seems to glow the brightest when we are together............