“If We Make it Through December” by Merle Haggard is playing on the radio, and I’m thinking about how there are some folks who don’t like this time of year. I went though a few years that it took weeks to get into the spirit of this most wonderful time of the year.

Have you gotten into the spirit of the holidays? It is sometimes difficult to get that “peace and good will to all men” feeling when someone is cutting you off for a parking spot at a mall or you see people on television in a frenzy of uncivil behavior fighting over cell phones at Walmart. Somebody actually died last weekend shoplifting at a store in DeKalb County.

I got into the Christmas spirit a week ago when I spoke at a holiday customer appreciation dinner at Pioneer Ford. Bob Winiarczyk has these dinners quarterly to say thanks to his customers. I know of no other automobile dealership in Georgia or Alabama that does this. It was catered by Phil Young of Phat Phil’s on the Haralson and Paulding County line, and I pass by there twice a day on my way to and from Kennesaw. I’m stopping by soon. The prime rib that I had last Saturday night was a taste of heaven.

Bob had a top contemporary Christian duo perform and the night got me into remembering that Christmas is my favorite time of the year. Bob Winiarczyk is a second generation Ford dealer. His father owned a dealership in Wisconsin and the motor gene was passed on to his son. I met Bob and his wife last July when long-time Tallapoosan Michael Albright passed away. They were among the people who attended Michael’s simple but touching service. Seems that the last few years of his life, he became one of Bob’s customers and Bob and his staff treated our friend like family. The fact that Mr. Winiarezyk took time to honor Michael Albright should let us realize what a good person Bob is. Bob has since become a friend to me. He already has been a good friend to this area.

Here we are in the last month of the year. Lots to do. Get eyes checked, get receipts together for Jackie Roberts so I won’t have to go to a federal correctional facility for unpaid taxes, and time to get up the courage to get the shopping done.

Today is the SEC Championship game at the Georgia Dome. Tickets were up to more than $2,000 a piece to see Georgia and Alabama fight it out to see who will face Notre Dame for the BCS prize. I know family members who haven’t spoken to one another this week with divided loyalties between the Dogs and the Crimson Tide. I think the big surprise in football around these parts is the Atlanta Falcons. This has been a phenomenal season for them and the talking heads are trying to figure out just why. The wins haven’t been pretty, but they are still wins.

How many of you remember the 1998 season when the Falcons led by Coach Dan Reeves made their first ever appearance at a Super Bowl? The Powerball jackpot hit a half billion dollars earlier this week. What would you do with that kind of cash? Five hundred million dollars? Would it buy you happiness? No, but it might rent it for a while.

I am so proud of our town’s Christmas lights. I love the Christmas tree on top of city hall don’t you? Here’s a thought: the Possum Drop is coming up in 30 days.

Rhubarb Jones is a Tallapoosa native and a member of the faculty at Kennesaw State University in the Department of Communication and is Director of Special Projects in the Office of Development. Comment may be sent to P.O. Box 6, Tallapoosa, GA 30176 or via e-mail rhubarbjones@aol.com.