Welcome to our 38^th consecutive Christmas missive! If you have endured all 38 of our letters, you may be entitled to compensation.

Our big news: In April, we moved from Maryville, Tennessee to Chesterfield, Missouri, about 20 miles west of St Louis! Janet’s sister, Cathy, and her hubby graciously agreed to take in and care for Janet’s parents, allowing us to make the move and help care for…

Grandchildren!

After years of praying for bountiful wombs for our daughters-in-law, God answered big time! Bradford is now 2, Chapman is 7 months, and Rooney (out in NC) is 4 months. All three are adorable! I used to make fun of doting, over-the-top grandparents and now we’ve joined the ranks! Seriously, grands are… grand! Whoever coined the term had insight. They’re better than bookstores, coffee shops, and fried okra! They’re better than the middle “Aisle of Shame” at Aldi. Grands are almost as grand as the bathroom stalls at Buc-ee’s!

We’ve been blessed to be able to look after little Chappie 4 days/week for the past several months and recently added Bradford to the daily mix. Yes, Nonni and Papa Fob’s Fun Factory is open for business—it’s like 1994 all over again with two young boys 18 months apart! We are living the “good old days.”

In other news, a very interesting phone call came this year from my friend, Terry Reeves, who asked me to “Fly to Florida to sing at a charity concert” at Foundation Christian Academy where I used to teach. I know, I was shocked too. Aside from my beautiful, spot-on vocal renditions of Tom Petty’s “Refugee” and George Michael’s “Careless Whisper,” I’m not much of a singer. In fact, I’m pretty awful. I’ve had fellow Christians singing in the pew in front of me turn around and say, “Hey, bud, could you dial it back just a notch? Thanks.” 

Still, I was intrigued.

“Terry, you know I’m a terrible singer. Is this some kind of a joke?”

“No, we want to fly you here as our secret guest performer, John Denver.”

“I thought he was dead?”

“You’re bringing him back to life. It’ll be fine. You’ll be part of an ensemble. Trust me.”

Terry doesn’t take no for an answer. A month later, I found myself in Giorgio’s Beauty Supply Warehouse in Brandon, Florida, shopping for a wig. (If you live long enough, you eventually get around to doing everything.) After walking into the massive warehouse, sort of an Ikea for women’s hair products, I soon realized I was the only male and only Caucasian in the place. There were endless rows of wigs, weaves, hair extensions, head wraps, and gels. I was as lost as last year’s Easter egg. Overwhelmed, I approached a young store clerk and ask if she could help me find a John Denver wig.

“Who’s John Denver?”

This is what getting old feels like.

The concert went well. My ensemble and I belted out a powerful rendition of “Country Roads”. During the second verse, as I broke into a solo kick line a la The Rockettes, ensemble leader and former youth group member Jared Larsen looked back at me and said, “Hey, Big Steve, maybe dial it back just a notch. Thanks.” At the conclusion, I tossed my John Denver wig into a sea of screaming teenage girls! Everyone deserves one rock star moment in life and that was mine! I also got to speak in chapel and at the Creekside Church of Christ, our former congregation.

There were plenty of other exciting trips this year, including:

• Franklin, TN, x2, to visit my siblings.
• Florida and Cincinnati to visit my dad and his wife.
• Kentucky, x2, to do post-tornado disaster relief. On the way home from the second trip, I was the 4th car to arrive at the scene of a serious 3-car accident. Three other motorists and I were able to extract a young driver from his car and administer CPR, but he didn’t make it. Worst moment of the year. Ugh!
• North Carolina, x4, for Roo’s gender reveal, a shower, birth, and 2 month visit.
• Martin, TN, to talk to some good folks about God and the Appalachian Trail.
• Bristol, VA, x4, for Janet to help with her parents.
• DeSoto, MO, x4, to do post-tornado chainsaw work at Camp Neotez, teach Bible at Boy’s Week, and speak at our Men’s Retreat. (It seems the move to MO has earned me the nickname “Chainsaw Steve” which sounds kind of manly, to be honest, like an earthy musk scent.)
• To Union, SC, for Janet’s sister Carol and hubby Scott’s 50^th Wedding Anniversary celebration. What a milestone!
• To St. Charles, MO, for a sleep study, where they locked me in a basement hospital room, hooked me up to 75 electrodes, put a video monitor above my head, and told me to sleep soundly. I apparently failed the test, as I now have to strap a rubbery octopus to my face at night. 
• Our big vacation this year was to Medora, ND, for our 37^th Anniversary! We took in the Medora Musical, went horseback riding, hiked and hung out with a few hundred bison in the Teddy Roosevelt National Park, and celebrated our marriage. We were also able to check off our bucket list goal of visiting all 50 states!

We’ve also been visited by longtime friends Chuck & Jana Leasure and Harold & Kelly Bryant, and we’re looking forward to the amazing Brad & Jenny Diamond visiting for New Year’s. We love having visitors so reach out and get on our calendar for a visit to the Lou… see the Arch, go to a Cardinals game, have an authentic Italian dinner on the Hill, or check out the wildlife at one of the top zoos in the U.S., among many other sites to see. For a more exhaustive list of things to do here, check out my June 6th blog.

Yes, our first 7 months in the Lou have been wonderful! We’ve already made great friends here, including Joe and Jan Johnson, who love games and eating as much as we do. We’ve connected with two different congregations—one on Sunday and one on Wednesday—and have enjoyed opportunities to fellowship, teach and substitute preach. 

Every month, we pick a different suburb or quirky neighborhood and go exploring—Central West End, Maplewood, Forest Park, Kimmswick, Soulard, etc. Each have a unique character and typically a quaint coffee shop and bookstore. (After Janet was propositioned by a gal at the annual Grove Fest in the Grove, Kyle thought to inform us that it has the highest LGBTQ+ population in the region! Thanks Son!)

 I’ve also completed my 11^th of “60 Hikes w/in 60 Miles of St Louis”—sometimes with Joe, sometimes with Janet, and sometimes solo. I ran the STL 10K with Kyle and friends in April and am enjoying our neighborhood running trails and our apartment’s high-end exercise room and pool.

That’s not to say 2025 has been without challenges. Several of our trips were in support of family members dealing with prostate cancer, congestive heart failure, breast cancer, dementia, and other issues. God has all the details and we trust in Him to guide and sustain each of these individuals, and our collective family, whatever comes our way. Your prayers are appreciated.

We look forward to our family being together for Christmas week, and to what God has in store for all of us in 2026! Who knows… maybe even Grand #4?

May God bless you and your family this holiday season and throughout 2026!