Ho, ho, ho…Tis the season! Tis the season to be crazy busy, tis the season to play catch up in the shop, tis the season to shop till you drop, tis the season to enjoy family and friends and tis the season to be a little lax in my blog writing. I'll admit, I am guilty of all of the above…well maybe not so much the shopping part; after all, it isn't Christmas Eve yet and I don't like to rush into these things, but Toni is running around with lists and hiding shopping bags, so I guess that counts, right?

If you have been reading my blogs, you have heard all about our awesome trip to Kuwait and Germany to visit the troops. I was glad that Toni was able to share all of the stories and photos with you while I was away and kept you updated on the events as reported by Jeff Romack. Every year I come home and I tell Toni that our trip was better than the year before, but this time, I can honestly say that this trip was, by far, one of the most rewarding experiences I've ever had. In spite of the intense schedule that were on, me, WJ, Cory, and our new addition, Jason Line had the chance to laugh and really enjoy, not only the soldiers and their families, but each other's company on a personal level. I know I had a really great time!

I want to say thanks so much to the USO and especially Fred Simmonds for arranging, organizing and executing yet another memorable good will tour. Also, I can't forget Jeff Romack who documented our entire trip and shared all of those awesome pictures with everyone. It is such an honor to have had this opportunity.

As Toni explained before, I flew home from Germany on Thanksgiving Day and arrived home to a house full of family. Luckily, my brothers took over the turkey carving responsibilities in my absence, and all of my sister-in-laws were busy in the kitchen helping Toni pull the meal together. Ok, maybe I was a little bleary eyed so it was probably a good thing that I wasn't handling any sharp objects! Anyway, a great time was had by all. Unfortunately, I only lasted until 11 PM before I had to call it a night. No worries, Toni, the kids and the rest of my family sat around the kitchen telling stories and enjoying family time long after I retired. I don't think that they even missed me! Geez!

Anyway, it took a few days for my body and mind to coordinate which time zone they were in and for me to catch up on some sleep. Then, it was time to attend the PRI show in Orlando, Fla. Jamie and I always have a great time attending this show and seeing all the new latest and greatest racing products for the upcoming racing season. Well, I got home late Saturday night and spent all day Sunday getting our Christmas tree. It used to be my son Jon who picked out the tree, but with him still at Clemson, it was my job this year.

I'm going to brag that I did get a pretty awesome tree this year. I always visit my friend Cary Nalls (Nalls Nursery) and he always has a great tree set aside for me. This year I only ended up with a ten foot tree. (Toni threatened to strangle me if I came home with anything bigger) Usually, I like to get a 14' tree that goes right to the ceiling and it takes me, Toni and all three kids to get it upright and wired to the ceiling in the living room. Well, with just Toni and I to muscle the tree, I had to keep it reasonable. Oh boy, I thought I might be in trouble when it took 5 guys and a fork lift to get the tree into the back of my truck.

Luckily, for me, Toni has been lugging transmissions, rearends and pushing racecars for years so I had her in perfect shape for lugging a 200-pound Christmas tree. She just rolled her eyes and grabbed her side of the tree and away we went. I had to put the stand on this tree while it was lying across the living room and then we had to heave it upright. I don't know what is harder, engineering the tree stand or engineering how to upright a 200-pound tree right in the spot where you want it.

Well, Toni said that this is one of the most perfectly shaped and beautiful Christmas trees that we have ever had and I have to agree with her. It took us a while to get the few thousand lights and all of the ornaments on it, but the finished product was awesome! We had decorated the front of the house earlier and with the tree finally up, the front of our house looked great. Now it really feels like Christmas!

Next week, we will once again be hosting the Yates Family Christmas Eve celebration and I can't wait. Everyone in my family will be there as well as all of my brothers, sister-in-laws, nephews, nieces and their children. It is really cool, now that all of my nieces and nephews have small kids, it is just like the old days (did I really say old?!) when all of them were small and so excited about Christmas.  I can guarantee you that we will have a wonderful time. Last year, I think I told my brothers that they had to leave at 5:00 am Christmas morning!!! I had to remind them that Santa wasn't going to be able to stop by their houses until they were in bed fast asleep and they were quickly approaching day break! Only my crazy brothers!

Well, thanks so much for checking in with me and I hope to write again before Christmas next week. Jamie just left the shop and I best get back out there to close things up. I'm sure that Toni has a list of things to do for us on the way home, after all…tis the season!!!