Miss Dorothy Jean Siegrest (she prefers to go by "Jean being from Kansas") and Mr. Charles Leroy Novak wed on December 24, 1948 in Haddam, Kansas in a tiny courthouse during the middle of an intense midwestern snowstorm. It wasn’t a very ceremonial affair like people have today. It was just a simple, small ceremony with a judge and a few friends as witnesses. She wore a fancy corsage and her nicest dress to signify the occasion. Granny says that the fact that it was Christmas Eve made it a magical evening affair.

From that night on, my Granny became known to my Pops as “my little woman”. He says her nickname with a fondness that only exists between a woman and man who have been married for 60 years. Granny loves to talk about that night, and instead of reading the Christmas Story every Christmas Eve, we get the pleasure of hearing Granny speak about her marriage ceremony as she serves her famous pecan pie. Her face lights up and her mind drifts back to the past as she shares their beautiful love story.

So this Christmas Eve will certainly be a momentous occasion. Not only will my family exchange Christmas presents under the glow of the Christmas tree but we will more importantly get to celebrate a 60-year marriage filled with the kind of love that all of us have tried to emulate in our own relationships. Happy Anniversary Granny and Pops and thank you for showing us how to simply love.