This time of year represents more than a few of my favorite traditions.
Turkey. Christmas music the day after Halloween. Eggnog. Holiday decorations. Eggnog.
Yes, I know I said that twice. I just really like eggnog.
Maybe it’s the time I get to spend with my family, or it could be the festive nature of the impending holiday season. Either way, I look forward to this season every year.
One of my favorite traditions -and one that kicks off the holidays for me – is checking out the scarecrows on the McDonough Square with my little girl. I was recently able to do this with her, and I can truly say this tradition is more meaningful for me with each passing year.
My child was four years old the first time I took her to see scarecrows, and it’s always a highlight for us. She’s almost 10 now, and I love that she still anticipates this Daddy-Daughter Date as much as I do.
We recently made our annual scarecrow visit, and as always, we had a great time seeing people’s creative talents on display. From “The Wizard of Oz” to “Scooby-Doo” to “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” this year’s scarecrows ran the gamut.
Apparently, Henry County has no shortage of artistically gifted realtors, civic groups and nonprofit agencies, judging by several of the scarecrows we saw.
Of course, I had my trusty camera-phone with me to mark the occasion, and my little girl’s personality came through with every photo.
Normally, I take the pictures while she tracks down her favorite scarecrows for a quick pose. When night falls and it’s too dark to take more pictures, we stop at Scoops for some ice cream before heading home.
But, this year was a bit different for at least one of those scarecrow photos.
My daughter is older now and, like so many others her age, she has no qualms about grabbing my phone to play games. This time, though, she wanted take a photo of me with the Hulk scarecrow on the Square, to which I gladly obliged.
She knows me, and she knew my inner child really wanted that picture.
When we got to one of several displays featuring superhero characters, I was about to get a picture of my child with them. Just then, a man I’d never met saw us together and offered to take a photo of us both with the superheroes, which meant a lot to us.
I guess he could sense a great father-daughter moment when he saw one. Of course, I jumped at the chance to be in a scarecrow picture with her.
To that unnamed gentleman, I say this: I don’t take such gestures lightly, and I am forever grateful for your kindness.
But that’s not the only thing that sticks out in my mind about that photo.
That moment exemplifies the other reason I enjoyed this year’s visit to the scarecrows on the Square so much – the sense of community I could see all around me. With the events of this year, those scarecrows represented a much-needed reprieve from the chaos.
It was clear to me that I wasn’t the only one who felt this way, as
evidenced by the number of people on the Square that day. I think I can safely say that everyone who was there that night cherished our collective return to normalcy, if only for a few minutes.
I loved watching families and friends smiling and taking pictures together. It gave me hope that we’ll all survive our current craziness, as long as we don’t cut ourselves off from society completely.
For me, a visit with the scarecrows was the perfect way to start the holiday season. I love Daddy-Daughter Dates on the Square at the end of October, and I love watching the community come together in times like these.
I know I needed it, and I think we all do.
Jason has worked in newspapers since 2005, spending the majority of that time in Henry County.
