Until the last couple of years, one of the highlights of our family Christmas gathering at my parents’ house had been the annual tractor ride. Dad would hitch a trailer to the back of his tractor and take us all the way to the back side of Uncle Hob’s place. We would go through the woods, up and down steep hills, and through creeks. We were constantly dodging branches, bracing ourselves for bumps along the way, and generally just enjoying being on the annual tractor ride.

The family tractor ride began when my nephews Daniel and Ryne were small. Over the years as grandchildren were added and as they grew, the trailer became more and more crowded, but we always made room for everyone...

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