Twenty-some years ago there was a group of us getting together at the river every week: fishing, burning stuff, having a few cold ones, smoking stogies and generally enjoying each other's company. The group then was Jay, Ted, David and me.
I don't remember if it was the 1st winter or not, but definitely early on, each of us had brought a small gift for the others in the group. Just a little "Merry Christmas" present. It wasn't planned, or even talked about prior to the evening in question. Everyone in the group just grabbed a bag, or whatever out of their vehicle and said "hey, I got a little something for you guys". The following couple of years went similarly.
Eventually we started planning which evening the Christmas exchange/celebration would take place. We brought or prepared food, we played music (traditional Christmas songs), exchanged gifts, and we had a great time.
The group has changed a little since then; David wasn't able to come, and Tim became a welcome regular (now a full-fledged Rivertarian). What started out as a happy accident has now become a tradition with us, and is probably one of the most anticipated get togethers of the year, probably second only the the Annual Fall Camping Trip.
I'm pretty sure that each of us put more thought into these gifts than we do for anyone else's, ranging from homemade, to personalized, to functional. Part of that tradition is also a print from the fall trip, that now includes our fallen brother.
Personally, I can't imagine a year without celebrating Christmas without these guys.
So that's the story of how Rivertarian Christmas came to be. Hope it wasn't too boring.
From each of us, to each of you, Merry Christmas, and long live the Rivertarians!!
Jay Harper
Tim Harper
Ted Hemelgarn
Mark Morgan
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