Sunday, December 23, 2007
The icicles hanging from my mustache and beard were the real McCoy. No fake decorations allowed on my Christmas-tree face.
And my Christmas tree this holy night just happened to be a towering white oak atop a majestic forested ridgeline bordering a stunning Michigan swamp.
Instead of a handmade angel on top, a frozen guitar player clung for dear life to the crow's nest of branches way up high, bow and arrow in hand, waiting for an American whitetail deer to bring our Christmas dinner on by.
I was on the hoof bowhunting this frigid evening, celebrating the birth of the Creator's son, doing my own little personal shivering prayer for peace and joy across the land.
The wiser members of Tribe Nuge were snug around the home fireplace preparing a hot meal for the old hunter's return, blue spruce tree aglow in the corner of our home with celebratory decorations aglitter.
With the 30-below wind chill numbing my bones, I could hardly wait for dark to take over the swamp so I could join them for a Nugent American tradition of grand Christmas spirit.
Temperatures aside, Old Man Winter was doing all he could to blow me clean out of my tree-stand. MotorCity MadMan indeed. MotorCity NutJob is more like it.
But now he came, and a powerful, inner instinct overwhelmed the frozen wind and any thought of comfort.
I could hardly believe my eyes to see such a beast approaching on this horrendous, brutal night.
He was a great stag and was coming my way. I pushed and pulled on my frozen muscles to draw my bow as does and young deer crunched the icy snow below me, luring the old monarch into range.
The magnificent buck paused every few steps to test the wind and my patience, and on he came.
Act as pure as snow
As he turned his head to follow an old doe, I initiated my hunter's prayer, my arrow coming back gracefully, like the Zen ballet of life and death that it is. In an instant, the razor-sharp broadhead had sliced clean through the old boy's vitals and it was all over except for the jubilation.
He died in seconds before me, tipping over in the pure white snow of the marsh, just 25 yards away.
I looked to the heavens and said another prayer, then carefully descended my icy perch and proceeded with the stirring recovery rituals of such a precious gift.
With the help of my family, we dragged the amazing animal back to the barn and soon my frozen garments were replaced with a nice, warm cushy robe, slippers and hot meal. The Santa Claus of fresh meat had landed.
The American Dream is truly amazing any way you chose it. But this hands-on outdoor conservation lifestyle of hunting, fishing and trapping keeps one honest to the cause and effect with the good Mother Earth and all her creatures and resources.
The gorgeous spruce we so joyously decorated together was once again harvested from the thousands of various trees we plant each spring.
The natural season of planting is as important to us as the natural season of harvest, and it means so much more to us knowing we personally plant thousands of trees for every one we utilize.
Just as the thriving deer populations prove, a reasoning predator will always put more back than he takes.
The Christmas season surely is a time of giving, but the Nugents don't limit such conscientiousness to a single time of year. We just go a little wilder at Christmas.
The mouth-watering, aromatically stimulating spread on our Christmas dinner table not only is scrumptious but the healthiest food available to mankind.
Our wild turkey is pure, organic food. The roasted venison haunch and mallards are a testament to the perfection of God's natural, renewable bounty.
We do it every year, and will forever. For my children to have grown up in such a spiritually connected lifestyle has served them well. Their integrity and quality of life is my proudest accomplishment.
Now with grandchildren at the party, the traditional Nugent family fun factor continues off the charts.
Though the gift wrapping and unwrapping can best be described as a consumer orgy, steps toward practicality are being upgraded every year.
We try to provide as many gifts to the U.S. military families as we possibly can, for but by the blood of warriors can any celebration take place at all.
We keep Christ in Christmas regardless of trends or the PC denial curse.We celebrate the gift of life. We celebrate American freedom, and we celebrate the birthday of Jesus Christ.
Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.
Ted Nugent is a Waco-based musician and television show host.
