A Tender Tennessee Christmas

Yesterday, I came down with a case of displaced homesickness. Displaced because I'm homesick for Buford's home in Tennessee. Have I lost my mind? Because the only way to get there is 23+ hours in the van...with the children...across Kansas...with NO Starbucks until St. Louis! (Dear people of Kansas: There has been a marvelous invention! It is called espresso. You can mix it with some foamed milk and a dash of flavoring and serve it in a cute red cup with a festive green sleeve. It is amazing stuff and it would make weary travelers much happier to be in your state!)
At any rate - I'm not missing THAT part but I am missing the being there. Buford's sister, Lulabel, would welcome us to her house and show us all of her 15 Christmas trees. Lulabel's husband JT, Jr., would hug me and say, "How's my favorite sister-in-law?" Never mind that I'm his only sister-in-law, I like being his favorite. Lulabel would have some of her yummy peanut butter balls stashed in the fridge...just right for sneaking one and popping it in your mouth.
We would take the kids to see Nina and Grandaddy at their pharmacy and she would squeal and tell the kids how grown up they are. Then it would be off to lunch at The Bean Barn. There is absolutely no place like it on earth, it is a Southern anomaly. The children would eat their cheeseburgers like they were the only cheeseburgers on the planet. And I would slurp up a large sweet tea and a bowl of beef stew. Buford, of course, would get his "heart attack on a bun", a Hobart, which is a cheeseburger with a slice of fried ham.
While we were there we'd sit on Lulabel's back porch, drink coffee, and tell the same old stories. I'd cook fajitas with all the fixins for JT, Jr. And we'd take the kids to Pigeon Forge to shop and see all the Christmas lights. Then, maybe to Gatlinburg where Buford and I got married. We'd eat pulled pork at Stan's (with more sweet tea). We'd visit with old friends and just slip into the slow pace that is the South.

So, all ya'll in TN - we miss you. And isn't it cool that this song is about Colorado and Tennessee...just like us!

Tender Tennessee Christmas by Alabama
Come on weather man give us a forecast snowy white
Can't you hear the prayers of every childlike heart tonight
Rockies are callin', Denver snow fallin'
Somebody said it's four feet deep, but it doesn't matter
Give me the laughter, I'm gonna choose to keep

Another tender Tennessee Christmas, the only Chirstmas for me
Where the love circles around us like the gifts around our tree
Well I know there's more snow up in Colorado than my roof will ever see
But a tender Tennessee Christmas is the only Christmas for me

Every now and then I get a wanderin' urge to see
Maybe California, maybe Tinsel Town's for me
There's a parade there, we'd have it made there
Bring home a tan for New Year's Eve
Sure sounds exciting, awfully inviting, still I think I'm gonna keep

Another tender Tennessee Christmas, the only Christmas for me
Where the love circles around us like the gifts around our tree
Well they say in L.A. it's a warm holiday, it's the only place to be
A tender Tennessee Christmas, is the only Christmas for me

Well I know there's more snow up in Colorado than my roof will ever see
But a tender Tennessee Christmas is the only Christmas for me
A tender Tennessee Christmas is the only Christmas for me