Home for Christmas…

A friend from high school posted the youtube video clip below on Facebook.  It reminded me of a post that I had written about coming home from college for Christmas in that very same 1963 snowstorm!   Thought I’d share the post here and give you a first hand look at what I was describing in the video below…

Home for Christmas

Originally published in My Southern Heart…the Stories on November 20, 2008.

The days on the calendar flew quickly by. Thanksgiving had come and gone, and I was looking forward to a nice long break at Christmas. I was tired and “run down”, to use one of Mama’s expressions, after a bout with strep throat and a high fever. I had even managed to spend a few days and nights as a patient at the infirmary where I worked. The Christmas break would give me a chance to rest and catch up on all the school work I’d fallen behind on…not to mention preparing for the finals the week after my return to school. Not the best way to spend Christmas vacation, but I was thankful for the time.

It snowed the day before we were to leave for Christmas break. A deep blanket of white covered the campus. Icicles hung from the chapel and other buildings and weighed heavily on the tree branches. Everything glistened in the bright sunlight. It was a winter wonderland in the deep South. No one had come prepared with boots but we still tromped in the snow, throwing snowballs at one another and basically acting thirteen again. It added to the excitement of going home.

I was riding home with Sandra, one of my friends from Memphis, who was also a freshman there. Her boyfriend Mike had come down to drive us back to Memphis. It seems there was someone else with us on the trip…but I can’t quite remember who it was. I gently remind myself that it has been forty-five years.

It continued to snow all that day, and the roads had turned into a solid sheet of ice. Driving was reported to be treacherous at best. Under normal circumstances, the trip took four hours. We left school about eleven o’clock in the morning right after our last class. It didn’t take long, or very many miles, to know we were not looking forward to this trip. Mike was a good driver but totally inexperienced driving in snow; and now the snow had been packed under a sheet of ice.

I remember vividly that, at first, there was talk and laughter among us on the trip…and then silence as we realized how dangerous it was. We must have only been traveling about 20 miles per hour, but more than once, we slipped and slid totally across the road and into what would have been oncoming traffic…had anyone else been there. We passed dozens of vehicles abandoned on the side of the road or, even worse, wrecked. There were very few stores open and we needed to stop for gas. We also needed to get some food and something warm to drink. Unfortunately, this was before cell phones so we had no way to call our parents or anyone if, indeed, we were to need help.

We finally found a store open and bought some sandwiches and hot chocolate. We also filled the tank with gas. I remember calling my dad collect at that point. He said to find some where to buy chains for the car and that he would pay for them along with the gas. Luckily, we did find a store open and managed to get chains to fit. A little while longer and we were back on the road. The chains did help some, but it was still rough going. Twelve hours after leaving school, we pulled up to my front door. We were all exhausted but glad to be home.

Since that long ago journey, I’ve lived in Illinois and Iowa where it snows a lot. I’ve driven in snowstorms and blizzards with white-out conditions. I’ve driven on sheets of ice.  Yet each time I do, I’m transported back in time to a car full of college kids trying their best to get home for Christmas…

 

5 Comments

  • Karen

    My goodness, Dianne, that is quite a story! I am glad you all made it safe and sound! Love that video, it brings back so many memories of the cars we had back then and the snow we always had growing up in New England. There is an old photo I remember of my parent’s car buried up to the windows in snow! The snowbanks would be so high, we would build elaborate igloos to play in. I hope you have a Wonderful Christmas with those sweet Grandchildren of yours. xx

  • Julie

    Hi Dianne, at long last I’ve made it here to visit you! I have been meaning to visit with you for the longest time but things have slipped away for me a lot this year! I hope you don’t have to drive too far in the snow this year – that sounds like a frightening experience, though that can be looked back on as a great adventure since everyone made it safely! Luckily we don’t get much snow over here but when we do everything grinds to a halt! Anyway, I wanted to wish you all the very best for a merry christmas and a very happy start to 2013, love and best wishes, Julie x

  • Christine

    Gosh that’s quite a story. I’m glad you got home safely! At the moment many people in Britain are struggling to get home for Christmas with widespread flooding, train tracks washed away and some roads closed. The train companies have said they will do everything they can (i.e. busses) to get people home tonight.
    I wish you a very peaceful and happy Christmas, and a wonderful 2013, Dianne. xox

  • Sunny

    Loved the post!!! Did you try the Red Velvet cake recipe yet? My Gosh- it was the BEST Red Velvet cake I have ever tasted!!!!! And that Frosting is Da Bomb!!! I made the cake in a Bundt pan and then dolloped the frosting on it and it looked like snow . EVERYONE loved it!!! Hope you had a VERY Merry Christmas and have a Happy New Year as well!!! xx

  • tanna

    Some memories come back so clearly… glad you all made it safely. Hoping you and yours had a very Merry Christmas and wishing you all the best 2013 has to offer!! blessings ~ tanna

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