The Goehring Family Christmas Eve gathering at the Come Hahn Inn on the edge of Highmore was festive, or at least as festive as it could get. There were no Christmas carols and no Christmas story, but at least there was also no fights. There was plenty of food of course. Agnes Hahn presided as always and made sure of that. Agnes threw some of her family members for a loop when she announced that this would be her last year of hosting Christmas Eve for her family, as it has become too much work. And so, it would appear that at 90 years of age, that Agnes is going into retirement. She said that the Come Hahn Inn will always be available for holiday gatherings, but it's time for someone else to do the work.

It is at this time that all of us here at the Holabird Advocate wish to commend Agnes Hahn for over 40 years of Christmas Eves and Christmas dinners. Few people have kept Christmas so well for so long. It is our hope that when next Christmas Eve rolls around, and someone else is in her kitchen, Agnes is kicking back in the living room with a glass of wine wondering what is taking so long. We have a suspicion that Agnes may be called on as a consultant, but we hope that she will be able to let her family take care of her as well as she took care of them for all that time. There is a saying that goes, "Step off the stage gracefully and let the sprightlier age take to the spotlight before they come up and throw you off". It's interesting that in this case the sprightlier age is in their 50s and 60s. This is quite an opportunity for Agnes. She will get to see what she has taught her daughters and daughters in law. As long as they remember to do everything with love, the details will take care of themselves.

Holabird Advocate Publisher, Jerry Hinkle, made quite an exit from the Family gathering on Christmas Day. After leaving the Come Hahn Inn, he remembered that he had his mother's quilt in his back seat and tried to turn around to come back and got stuck in a snowbank in front of the Lutheran Church. Harold Hinkle and Wilbur Goehring Junior got him out and on the way back to Mitchell.

Jerry must be a glutton for punishment, because he came back to the Ponderosa yesterday. Today the well went dry, and the Hinkles have to haul water to the house like they live in a third world country or something. He's wishing he had made a reservation at the Come Hahn Inn. All of us at the Holabird Advocate hope Agnes gets some free dish washing out of it if he ever does. Failing that, she should get another box of chocolate covered cherries.

As we go through puberty and reach adulthood, we are faced with many temptations. But when we hit midlife, they change. Here are a few temptations that are particularly intoxicating to the middle-aged man:
Sofas;
Slippers;
Dogs or people who don't speak;
Escalators;
Medicine cabinets;
Nothing to do.