The holiday season can be a time for happiness, but each year children and their families might not find things so merry.   Many are hurting.   Just getting by can be a daunting task.   As Christmas approaches, parents may wonder how they’ll provide for their loved ones.   In Georgetown, Texas, we have the Blue Santa program, administered by the Georgetown Police Department.     Through Blue Santa, qualified families in need  are able to provide not only the basics, but also gifts for every family member.   On a very busy Saturday, I was on hand for the distribution to these families.    Dozens of volunteers were there to distribute the large number of gift boxes.    Sometimes, as an event unfolds, a moment, call it an epiphany, approaches my camera.   That happened Saturday, as 2-year-old Jaelynn Benitz, the fourth image in this post,  waited with her mother as the hustle and bustle flowed all around her.    Those  little eyes spoke volumes.   These are among the photos I took for the Williamson County Sun.

When I visited Texarakana’s Union Station in 1975, the once-majestic train depot straddling the Texas-Arkansas line, brought  to life in 1929,  appeared to have become the property of the pigeons.   Even today, I vividly recall Easter 1958.   Miss Bertha White’s first-grade class arrived here for a 19-mile train ride to Ashdown, Arkansas, where we’d step off the train to get a free, colored (and I do mean colored, as in food coloring) Easter chick to take home.   I wonder the fate of those chicks.  For my family, it was a no-brainer since we raised chickens.   My little critter became part of the Sharp family hen house.  Fast-forward to the mid-70s day when these photos were taken.   I have no idea how long the old depot had suffered  the ravages of disuse.   Amazingly, there was the complete absence of “No Trespassing” signs.  Even more interesting was the fact that I found open doors — to a very empty, somewhat spooky space.   Outside, on the tracks, a couple of fellows, probably rail-riders, were the only souls around.  What caught my eye as much as anything was how time literally seemed to have stopped, on the clock above baggage claim,  and on the big clock  outside.  I wonder about Union Station today.  It would be nice if someone could bring life back inside its walls, in some form.   It seems a shame to let it waste away.

This year’s Christmas Stroll in Georgetown was another very well-attended affair.    Arriving an hour early on Saturday, I still had to troll around a bit before finally landing a parking spot.   Once on the scene, all was well.  The weather, a little chilly for the morning parade, moderated nicely throughout the day.   Compared to last year’s temperatures in the 20s, this was paradise.   The city indicated this year’s parade would be smaller, but it sure looked packed to me.   After its absence from last year’s Stroll, the popular Bethlehem Village, hosted by Georgetown Church of Nazarene, was back in place.   NewChurch Georgetown was back for another year with their Whoo Village, complete with the Grinch and offerings of stylish Whoo hairstyles.   Getting her Whoo hair done, 4-year-old Jordan Salyers, casting a menacing look at my camera lens, proclaimed “I don’t like having my picture taken!”   That said, she seem quite pleased with the end result she viewed in the mirror.   The courthouse lawn was a lively place, too, filled with colorful hula hoops provided by Circle of Play.   And Madison Tally, at the grand age of one year, looked a little like a human Christmas tree as she danced around the square in her colorful outfit.   This event is a lot of work, but much fun.  These photos were taken for the Williamson County Sun.

Each year about this time, Southwestern University, in Georgetown, Texas, becomes magical when their Lois Perkins Chapel  is filled with the soft light created by  hundreds of candles at  their annual Candlelight Service celebrating the Season of Advent.   The first year I attended this for the Williamson County Sun, I asked a person in charge if there was anything they didn’t want me to do.   The lady quickly said “No flash photography.”   Not wanting to be obtuse,  I smiled and said, “Of course.”   Sometimes, it’s not worth explaining to someone that a flash won’t carry very far in a huge chapel, anyway.  With so much natural light, there is no need to detract in any way.   At any rate, this year’s service was, as usual, beautiful and moving as hundreds joined together singing “Silent Night” and others.    One little lady that particularly charmed me was 4-year-old Gaia Crenshaw, pictured in the opening photo (and several more times here).  She was enchanted by all the lovely light.  Freya, her 5-month-old sister, is shown with their mom, Molly.  Also along was daddy, Marshal Crenshaw.   Both mom and dad are Southwestern graduates.   At events like this, it’s not uncommon for my visual attentions to focus on the children.   They’re always amazing.

Georgetown’s elegant and beautiful square was the setting for last night’s annual Lighting of the Square.   In the few years we’ve been back in Texas, this lovely happening seems to draw more each time around.   While the adults enjoy the evening, the children find it to be just heavenly, thank you very much.   The delight in the kids’ eyes when Christmas carols are sung is touching.   Once the officialdom is done, parents and children alike find their way to the glistening tree on the courthouse lawn.   Please enjoy the season.   If life’s problems are difficult, take a wee bit of time to be unburdened.   These photos are for the Williamson County Sun.

The Georgetown Running Club and Sertoma Club, both in Georgetown, held their 2nd Annual Turkey Trot early this morning, starting this year on the Georgetown square.  In only its second year, the race is really a big hit, with approximately 800 participants taking part in runs and walks, including a kids fun run as well as 1-mile and 5-mile events.   I seem destined to cover running events on Thanksgiving day.  During my years working at the Atlanta Journal & Constitution, I was always there to cover the Atlanta Marathon and Half-Marathon.    Getting up early doesn’t seem to be a problem for something that’s so much fun for participants and spectators alike.   One little athlete  I particularly loved was a chihuahua named Enrique, who ran 5 miles on his tough little legs!  Here are a few photos I shot for my friends at the Williamson County Sun.

Although the colors were generally more vibrant when we lived in the eastern United States, we’re not without a breath of Autumn in South Central Texas.   Being a warmer climate, the colors arrive a bit later.   As we approach December, our palette is just beginning to fill in.   Included in this post are a few photos from Georgetown, Texas, as well as my little town, Taylor, a few miles east.   The first eight photos are Taylor, the rest Georgetown.   I shot the Taylor photos today, incorporating the remnants of recent rains in them.    Hopefully, you’ll find something that brightens your world.   As is often the case, I’ve incorporated a bird (a Great White egret) into one of the photos.

This is one of my “therapy” wanderings.   On the way home from the library tonight, the skies did their usual nice thing for my psyche.    I pulled over near Murphy Park to watch the skies and avian creatures coincide.

This post will be short on words so that I can let you concentrate on the photos!   Georgetown’s beautiful Art Deco theater, the Palace, has a wonderful treat for the holiday season, “Shrek, The Musical.”  I attended the play’s dress rehearsal.  Among those in the audience that night was 22-month-old Crosby Landreth, whose big sister, Berkley, plays a part.   Crosby came properly attired with his crocheted Shrek cap!   The cast is a big one, but standouts for me were Shrek, played by Scott Shipman, Fiona, with Mary Katherine Kinney in that role, and Donkey, hilariously and joyfully portrayed by Kirk Kelso.   This one is quite family-friendly.   Seats will quickly book up for this production, which continues every weekend through December 29.   These photos were taken for my friends at the Williamson County Sun.

The little town of Granger, Texas, population approximately 1200, is a community dominated by families with a deep Czech heritage.   A gathering spot for many folks here is Saint Cyril & Methodius Catholic Church.   Among the more interesting fundraisers church members undertake every November is their Kolache Bake Sale.   For their big event, members, including men, women and kids, were on the scene beginning at 4:30 in the morning.  That was far too early for me, but I did show up last Saturday around 9:30, when things were well underway.   513 dozen (that’s right, dozen) kolaches were made, selling for $10 a dozen.   Among the flavors baked on this day were poppy seed, pineapple, prune, cherry and cream cheese.   One of the church’s fundraising goals is the painting of their sanctuary.   In Czech (and also German) culture, elaborate painting is one of the traditions brought here from Europe in the 1800s.   These photos were taken for the Williamson County Sun.