With Christmas approaching quickly I have to remind myself to stay grounded. Living in Florida, a good majority of our small town’s population is seasonal. We call them "snowbirds." Being that Christmas is already stressful enough when we add the snowbird season to the holiday chaos it can quickly become a stressor for my family and even more so for my veteran.
As many of you know we love to take the Harley out for a ride. Wind therapy is something my husband and I value. Our favorite time to ride in Florida is Nov/Dec as the humidity disappears and we enjoy the weather in the mid-70s with very little rain. However, being that it’s also snowbird season, the large amounts of elderly that come from the North for winter have difficulty driving safely & properly.
We love that we have a small town that benefits from vacationers and snowbirds, however, the stress it adds to our family can become overwhelming and not only damper our riding adventures but also our holidays. Compared to most of the time we ride, this time of year is particularly dangerous. A big majority of the elderly fail to drive safely putting us in danger on the bike. When we have those close calls / potential accidents it seems it's always during the holidays. Sadly, such a small distraction to a driver can cost a biker his or her life.
Despite the stress that this season causes my veteran, I manage to help ground him and myself during these scary & stressful moments on the bike and keep the holiday spirit going!
Every year we do the Toys for Tots run and the Wreaths Across America run. It’s a tradition my husband and I partake in every year. As he is a Marine, toys for tots holds a special place in our hearts. We usually have Santa leading the bike run from a local VFW. Then for Wreaths Across America, we meet at Harley Davidson and the police escort us on an hour ride to Bushnell National Cemetery. The local PD works together to block off roads and escort over 100 bikers to the cemetery to pay our respects and place a wreath on their grave. The towns we go through have people stopped with signs, waving to all the riders partaking in the ride. Crystal River, Florida is called Purple Heart county due to our high concentration of veterans with Purple Hearts. We have several veteran nonprofits/ groups in our town that all work together to create this magical experience. It’s my favorite run we do and it is amazing to see our community coming together to support our fallen heroes during the holidays.
Semper Fi & Merry Christmas!
❤️The Burrell’s
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