Kevin Merrill/On the farm | Posted: Sunday, December 31, 2006 12:00 am
The cold, frosty mornings the week before Christmas helped set the holiday mood.
Winter officially began Dec. 21. We started a pruning crew in our merlot Dec. 18. Almost every morning they were greeted by a white sprinkling of ice throughout the vines as they began removing last year/s canes at 7 a.m.
With many of our full-time crew on holiday vacation, it is a little easier to make time to enjoy this magical time of year.
It was especially magical to watch through the eyes of my little boy Clayton, 4, and his sister Kathleen, 6, as Christmas Day came closer and closer.
Around Dec. 12, we began reading a beautifully illustrated version of “The Night Before ChristmasC at bedtime. They both insisted we read the same story night after night, and by the second week, they could both recite the words to the story before I opened the first page.
It did not matter; it was like reading the story for the first time, and seeing their eyes light up with excitement as I turned each page reminded me of the true meaning of Christmas.
It was always hard after opening our gifts on Christmas Eve. The anticipation of opening the gifts before the big day was gone in a couple of hours. We were thrilled to open the presents we received but were left with an empty feeling when there were no more to open.
We knew, however, that we would celebrate the Epiphany, which was the 12th day after Christmas, when the Three Wise Men visited Jesus. This custom was handed down through Mom/s family for generations.
The evening before Epiphany, or Jan. 5, the children in the house would place hay in their shoes and leave them outside the front door. The idea was that the Three Wise Men, who were riding camels on their journey to see Jesus, would stop and feed the camels the hay left in the shoes.
In appreciation, they would leave a gift in each shoe. They were usually small gifts, but it gave us something else to look forward to.
I can remember Mom saying, “Don/t forget, the cameos are comingC 7 “cameosC being the Spanish term for “camelsC 7 if we thought Santa forgot a special little present we were looking for.
I remember one year the cameos brought Dana and me a basketball backboard, hoop, ball and a tall 4-by-6 post. That was before the days of buying the whole setup like you can get today.
That was a big present from the cameos. Usually, it was a watch cap, a game or a toy truck or tractor. We had quite the fleet of toy trucks and equipment when we were small boys. Today, as big boys, the equipment is larger and a little more expensive.
Karen and I continue the tradition with Kathleen and Clayton. My sister Mia and her husband, Pat, carry on the tradition with their three children in Alexandria, Va. Elisa and her husband, Mark, continue to have their little boy, Travis, leave hay for the cameos in New Mexico.
Dana and Marsha/s boys, Matt and Keith, grew up with the tradition as well.
Traditions and family time are an important part of the holiday season. Farmers and ranchers share a real affinity for this time of year.
I have watched the miracle of a lamb being born on a cold winter evening, wondering if it would survive the night snuggled up close to its mother, only to find it jumping and playing with other lambs the next morning.
I have planted acre after acre of grain on a cold winter day and watched it grow and wave gently back and forth in a gentle spring breeze.
Those are examples of the renewal of life and spirit.
As Jan. 6 represents the Twelfth Night and the end of the 12-day season of Christmas festivities, I hope you and your families keep the tradition and spirit alive all year long.
I offer a toast for 2007, to life, love and prosperity, with time to enjoy all three. Happy New Year!
Kevin Merrill is a vineyard manager for Mesa
Vineyard Management in Santa Maria, serves as the current president of the Central Coast Wine Growers/ Association Foundation and is a current board member for the Santa Barbara County Farm Bureau.
Dec. 31, 2006