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It was 1997, and in August that year, my family moved from Monroeville, Pennsylvania (approximate population in 1997 was 28,600) to Plano, Texas (approximate population in 1997 was 207,781). From August until December, this is what I had noticed:
- Texas was very flat, and fields went on and on. (This was Plano, Texas in 1997… it is vastly different now.)
- It was the hottest summer we have ever been through. (To this day, I still believe the summer of 1997 was the hottest ever!)
- Texans loved Texas. (That year at my elementary school, it was Texas themed. Of course, we sang “Deep in the Heart of Texas”)
- “Y’all” had been embedded into my vocabulary within three weeks.
Then, December came around, and we were all looking forward to putting up the Christmas tree, play in the snow, and make Christmas cookies!
In Pennsylvania, our Christmas tree fit perfectly in our home. There was plenty of room for the star, and all of the ornaments. When we got the Christmas tree up in our new Texas home, it didn’t fit. It was way too small for our home. I think it had surprised us all, but, it was our first Christmas in Texas, and we would make due! So, we all decorated the tree, and patiently waited for the snow.
In Pennsylvania, we never really had to wait for snow. It always snowed. Sometimes, it even snowed on Halloween. This really upset me because I wanted to show off my Halloween costume, and I always had to put a snow suit over the costume. We had thick winter coats, gloves, snow boots, snow pants… and every time it snowed, my mother made us gear up. It would take us sometimes 20 minutes to find all of the snow gear, put it on, and play in the snow. Sometimes it would take us longer to get the gear on, than the amount of time that we played in the snow. Nevertheless, we moved all of our snow gear to Plano, Texas.
I don’t remember it snowed on Christmas that year. But, I do remember one time it did snow after we had moved to Texas. By the time my mother got our snow gear out, and we put on our coat, gloves, snow pants, and boots, and then went outside… everything had melted, and the sun was out! Even though it didn’t snow in Texas, some of our Christmas traditions actually got better when we moved.
My dad is Italian, and is known for making Christmas cookies. Whether it was pizzelles, cucidati, “bones of the dead”, Italian wedding cookies, or sugar cookies, my dad always looked forward to baking them. Our kitchen in Pennsylvania was cozy. It didn’t have enough counter space, and we ended up using our kitchen table as a cookie station as well. When we moved to Plano, Texas, our kitchen was much bigger… we even had an island! We had enough room to mix up dough, filling, frosting, bake cookies, and even had enough space to cool them off as well.
The most important part about the holidays is spending time with those you love. Whether it was your first Christmas in Texas, last Christmas in Texas, or your 20th Christmas Texas, I hope you got to spend quality time celebrating the holidays the best way; which is your way!
Kelly Raulston
“Reliable and Ready” REALTOR® since 2016. I was born in Monroeville, Pennsylvania, but was raised in Texas since 1997. When I found out we were moving to Plano, Texas, I remember looking forward to riding a horse to school and a brand-new pair of cowboy boots! Growing up in Plano prepared me to be competitive, quick, and to have a strong work ethic.
I graduated from Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas. Axe’em Jacks! That is where my love for East Texas began. The nature, warm smiles, football games, and community values can't be beat! I graduated summa cum laude with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies. I was a middle school math teacher in Tyler, Texas. I met my husband, Travis, in Sunday school, and we have been married since September 2016.
I love being a REALTOR® in East Texas! Relationships are genuine, the area is beautiful, and the market is rockin’! I am an involved REALTOR® to better the community. Some of the organizations I am involved with are: The Professional Development Committee, Texas Real Estate Political Action Committee, and Tyler Educational Networking Group. Some awards I have won were “The Hustle Award” in 2016, and “Rookie of the Year” in 2017.
When I am not working with my clients, I like to spend quality time with my friends and family doing the following: running, target practice, read and participate in book club, and playing with my dachshund Greta.
