Vacation in Branson

I have returned from a wonderful four-day vacation visiting old family friends Dan and Carol in Missouri, which means I got a grand tour of the attractions in Branson, including the SIX show, the Ripley’s museum, and the Silver Dollar City amusement park.

I’ve mentioned before how Alice was a Christmas fanatic. Last year I was not at all in the mood for such activities, but since Silver Dollar City has been retooled for the holiday season with seven million Xmas lights, I got tossed into the deep end.

Ho ho ho!

I was mostly okay, but a few of the songs sung by the performers explicitly addressed the loss of a loved one and how difficult that can make this season. That was kind of a challenge:

🎵 Gathered ’round the table, so much to be thankful for 🎵
🎵 It’s Christmas, oh, how I’ve missed this 🎵
🎵 But through the joy and laughter, you can feel the sadness 🎵
🎵 Because this Christmas 🎵
🎵 Everyone’s not with us 🎵
🎵 It’s the time of year 🎵
🎵 When happiness and cheer 🎵
🎵 Won’t be enough to get me through the night 🎵

I try to always keep tissues on me for the now rare occasions that I suddenly have difficulty keeping tears back. This was one such. Fortunately, the song then offered hope:

🎵 I need a Wonderful Counselor 🎵
🎵 The Mighty God, The Prince of Peace 🎵
🎵 Who’s strong enough to carry me 🎵
🎵 Immanuel, God with us 🎵
🎵 The One whose love will never end 🎵
🎵 Oh, Jesus, you can make this season wonderful 🎵

Yes, we are now in the Bible Belt, where belief is not a thing to be hidden under a bushel.

In the Silver Dollar Saloon, the “Christmas Cuties” girls joyously dance with their skirts lifted high to expose their underpinnings, while the bar does a bustling business.

But take a closer look: those undergarments are chaste pantaloons, the most potent concoction at the bar is a root beer float, and the program ends with the winsome lasses joyfully proclaiming that the true spirit of Christmas is the joy of our salvation through Jesus Christ.

Well, that took an unexpected but not unwelcome turn. Toto, I don’t think we’re in Minneapolis anymore!