When my husband told me they offered him a better job, but it was in Tuscaloosa, AL, I told him it was his decision. If the job was great, and it paid better, he should take it. We didn’t have any children, and our family was scattered all over the US. We had nothing but ourselves to keep us in PA. I didn’t mind the warm summer, because back home it was also hot and humid in the city. We had to have air conditioning no matter where we lived. What I minded was when Christmas arrived. We used to go to the mountains and go skiing. There was snow to greet Santa Claus, and it wasn’t really winter unless it was cold outside. It really bummed me until my new friend told me about all the celebrations and Christmas lights they had in Tuscaloosa. We spent an entire weekend going to Christmas stores and checking out the Christmas lights while our husbands worked. I told her we used to drive through the town and look at all the Christmas displays, and she took me to theirs. They were what I was dreaming of, because we would have hot chocolate and be wrapped in warm coats. They had heavy sweaters at night, but I guess it all had to do with who you were with, and I was with my husband and good friends. I promised my friend that next year, we would take a trip but to my hometown for a weekend, and she could see what a real Christmas was like.