13 WINTER TEXAN TIMES www.wintertexantimes.com DECEMBER 3, 2025 27146 McLelland Road., Harlingen, TX 78552 (956) 423-1446 Lower Valley / 956-664-1446 Upper Valley Visit us at www.gowithjo.com for complete itineraries Eagle Pass Gambling (2 Days) Dec. 16, 2025 ����������������������������������������������������������������������$239 (Includes: Round Trip, Hotel) (Prices are per person, double occupancy) Christmas in Mexico and San Miguel (7 Days) Dec. 20, 2025 �������������������������$TBA (Fly in and Bus out) Monterrey for New Years (3 Days) Dec. 30, 2025 ���������������������������������������������������������$TBA (Prices are per person, double occupancy) U.S. TOURS MEXICO TOURS Go...With Jo! Tours & Travel We Take Care of You! Port Isabel Boat Parade (1 Day) Dec. 6, 2025 �������������������������������������������������������������������������$79 Brownsville Zoo and Holiday Village (1 Day) Dec. 11, 2025 incl. Dinner ��������������$85 Hidalgo Festival of Lights (1 Day) Dec. 18, 2025 incl. Dinner & Trolley Ride ��������������$79 (Prices are per person) ONE DAY BUS TOURS Thanks for coming to Texas! Winter Texan TIMES Serving Winter Texans From Mission To South Padre Island Since 1987 Vol. 38, No. 24 © 2025 www.wintertexantimes.com Wednesday, March 26, 2025 INDEX Events Calendar p 4 Reunions p 6 Parks Calendar p 8 WintertainersTM p 8 On The Road p 12 Taste of the Valley p 17 Coupon Index p 20 Classifieds p 21 Business Guide p 21 Rina’s Ramblings See RAMBLINGS pg. 17 This season is ending, and I hate to see it go. We always enjoy your time with us, and our time with you, and we sure are going to miss it while you are gone. We know you are coming to the Valley for the community, the weather, lower prices, and more. We also know you are coming because of the culture and the warm welcomes you receive. But it is also your warmness that makes us love seeing you each year. Speaking of that warmness, you do so much for the communities you live in – whether it is for See THANK YOU pg. 18 Thank you for coming, safe travels, see you next season 2025 Winter Texan Fiesta. Photo by William Brunson By Herb Moering Hundreds of Winter Texans turned out Friday under picture perfect weather for the 49th annual Tourist Day in Nuevo Progreso. The event to say “thanks” to all those who come to shop, eat, purchase medicines and have dental work done in Progreso began with a brief welcome in the Bridge Authority Building from Samuel Robert Sparks Jr., the private bridge co-owner, to various area government officials and spouses and special friends. See PROGRESO pg. 20 Tourists enjoy refreshments and entertainment in Progreso Members of both delegations and honored guests took a moment out to exchange greetings and have some photos taken to commemorate the 49th Annual Tourist Day 2025. Photo by Herb Moering This season has, once again, been a blast. We have a lot of fun when we are out and about with you, sharing your news, and hearing your stories. I had the opportunity to hear many stories this year. What you see in the paper is sometimes just a bit of what is shared. I keep learning how eager you are to help others, to be there for your friends, and to teach others how to do the same. It’s amazing to see the strength you have and watch you use your experiences to help the community you live in through service, teaching, and more. We always enjoy sharing the stories of community service you do for your park, and for organizations, schools, and churches in your community. We get to see how thankful and how full of gratitude everyone is for your service – whether it be through volunteer work, making something, donating food, or any of the other multitude of ways you find to fulfill the need. We, and so many IN PRINT, ONLINE ON ANY DEVICE YOU WILL WANT TO TAKE IT WITH YOU WHEREVER YOU GO BRING US ALONG, & THERE’S ALWAYS MORE TO SEE, MORE TO DO Call or Email ads@wintertexantimes.com 956.580.7800 1217 N CONWAY, MISSION Follow us on Facebook.com/ wintertexantimes www.WinterTexanTimes.com FOR ADVERTISING OPPORTUNITIES Christmas tidings are coming Thanksgiving has come and gone and now our thoughts tum to Christmas which is just around the corner. It’s time to dig through the Christmas decorations and time to shop for the perfect tree to decorate. Many of the ornaments probably bring back memories of other Christmas times and special family members who perhaps made homemade ornaments. One of my favorite memories is of the Christmas when I was just a little girl who longed for that special day to come. Actually, it was my mother who had a difficult time waiting until Christmas morning. Somehow, she always managed to need something from the neighborhood store late on December 24th. Off we would go to run the errand only to come home and find that Santa Claus had come while we were gone. On one very special Christmas, we received a whole group of chairs with seats covered with raw hide. Since I was the youngest at that time, I received a little rocking chair just my size. The rockers are long gone, but I still have the little chair. Mother’s chair was also a rocker, but all the other chairs were just the thing for our dining room table. What fun we all had as we made long, long strings of popcorn to use as garlands on our tree. We probably ate as much popcorn as we could before stringing what was left over for the decorations. There was no rural electrification at that time. To add color to the tree, garlands were also made from red and green construction paper circles all glued together to adorn the tree. Choosing a tree today is very different now from what it was back then. Today we go to our favorite vendor who has a whole area filled with trees of all sizes that are shipped in from northern states. We were blessed with cedar trees that grew naturally on the hillsides in central Texas. Daddy generally chose the tree for no doubt he had been keeping his eye on the most beautiful ones as he rode daily over the fields and forests to check on the cattle. When the day came to cut the tree, Daddy proudly brought his prize back to our house for us to decorate. I suppose that most families have traditions. Today our Christmas tradition is to watch Charles Dickens Christmas Carol on Christmas Eve. Before bedtime each person is allowed to choose one gift to open... but only one. Everyone has to wait for morning to come before we can open the other gifts. And even then, we take turns opening only one gift at a time. And of course, we all remember and recite ‘Christmas is coming and the geese are getting fat. Please do put a penny in an old man’s hat. If not a penny, a half penny will do. If not a half penny, God bless you.’ Not only do families have traditions, but different countries have traditions. Some countries wait until January to give gifts celebrating and remembering how the wise men brought gifts to the Baby Jesus. They say that in Holland the gifts are left in the wooden shoes that the children leave out to be filled. Mexico is very well known for their Christmas parades and posadas where persons representing Mary and Joseph followed by all the y a l a n f t e e l y - d - - . , t - s e e See ON THE ROAD pg. 14
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