Creekbank Stories Curt Iles, Storyteller
For the next week, through January 1, I’ll share a daily short short story with thoughts to help us all navigate that wonderful week between Christmas and New Year’s Day.
I lovingly call it “Bah Humbug” Week. It can be the most difficult week of the year.
Stay tuned daily for a story, thought, or insight that hopefully will make you smile, reflect, and move on beyond Christmas.
SCI (Sidney Curt Iles)
I love Christmas. I really do.
I’d glad it occurs yearly.
And glad it only occurs yearly.
I call the week after Christmas, Dec. 26-Jan.1, “Bah Humbug Week.”
It’s a week to recover. It’s a week to reflect. I use this week to look back over the past year with gratitude and as a springboard to think about and write what my priorities are for the coming year.
Here we go. Join us all week as we share short stories from “Bah Humbug Week.”
Bah Humbug Week
From Christmas Jelly by Curt Iles.
If you’re still reading, and it’s after Christmas, I’m impressed.
It’s the week after Christmas and let’s be honest:
We’re sick of it all.
Glad it’s over.
Too much of everything.
No matter how good our Christmas was, it wasn’t as perfect as we imagined.
So, it’s normal to have a post-Christmas letdown.
It’s an emotional and physical hangover.
If we’re not careful, it can be a spiritual letdown.
To help you through this weirdly wonderful week, we’ve included a short story for each of the seven days separating Christmas from New Year’s.
The week after Christmas is a transition week.
I call it Inventory Week.
An opportunity to glance back at the past year.
A chance to look ahead to goals and dreams for the coming year.
So here goes, I hope you have a Merry . . . “Bah Humbug” Week.
Bah Humbug Week
Short List
- Begin a gratitude journal. Daily write down one (or more) thing you’re thankful for.
- Give yourself a Scrooge/Grinch day. Then move on.
- Develop a Life Plan for your coming year.
- Reflect on your blessings of the past year.
- Do something for someone who cannot pay you back.
- Write down your six words for the coming year. I’m working on mine. Here are several:
- Gratitude
- Balance
- Simplicity!
. Make and enjoy a pot of Ouiska Chitto Stew (See recipe below.)
# # #
From Kay Campbell Fox:
For twenty-nine years, my parents owned and operated a canoe business on the Ouiska Chitto River. Weekends meant leaving at 7:00 a.m., working until dark, and coming home exhausted and hungry.
Mom was dedicated to ensuring her family was fed a hot and rewarding meal. Before we left for the river, she would assemble a large pot of beef stew in the crock-pot.
There was never a question of the menu for the long day; and after several years, we changed the name of her stew to “Ouiska Chitto Stew.”
It has become a traditional name in our family, and mom has left that legacy of dedication to her family.
Kay Campbell Fox
Ouiska Chitto Stew
Marilyn Campbell
2 lbs. Stew Meat
6 Carrots scraped and cut into 2-inch portions
6–8 Potatoes peeled and cut into pieces
1 Onion
1 Bell Pepper
3–4 Stalks Celery
1 pkg. McCormick Beef Stew Mix
Seasoning to suit your taste
Brown stew meat in pan with olive oil and seasoning. Transfer meat to crock-pot and add remaining ingredients. Cook on slow for 8 hours. Serve with rice and cornbread.
