Editorial: Blue Bell is back in time for Christmas

The wait is over, and happy days are here again. Blue Bell Ice Cream has returned to local stores. Let the angels sing and the people rejoice!

The year 2015 has been a trying one for Texans. We have faced the kind of adversity that tested whether we had the fortitude of early pioneers who lived without modern conveniences. It was a summer that tried our souls and gave us a glimpse of what life must have been like during the Great Depression… or at the very least greatly depressed many of us.

Back in the spring, the troubling news began to spread that there was some contamination in our beloved brand of ice cream. And then, to our shock and horror, Blue Bell voluntarily recalled all of its products from the market for safety concerns.

Your humble editor was like many ice cream aficionados who refused to give in to the fear of some lower lifeform. Bacteria? Sickness? Death? I’ll take my chances. Give me the ice cream.

At our house, we went into full World War II rationing mode. I’d studied history; I’d heard the stories of living through hard times. I knew how to handle it.

We had partial half gallons of Mint Chocolate Chip and Homemade Vanilla. We no longer just served up scoops of ice cream. For the time being, it would be special occasions only, and then only limited samples… a small scoop or less. Enough to keep us alive, but not enough to endanger our supply.

Soon t-shirts and memes began showing up online proclaiming “I survived the Blue Bell famine of 2015.” I refused to participate, because the fact was we had not yet survived… the ordeal was not over.

As the summer wore on, we were doing fine. As other people bemoaned being out of ice cream, our family was safe and secure with its reserve. And then late in the summer, a miracle happened. As we dug through the freezer looking for who knows what, we uncovered an unopened, untouched pint of Dutch Chocolate Blue Bell. Praise God!

Opening that gift from the almighty was an emotional time, particularly for my wife and daughter. It was like the good old days had returned. The strict rations were quickly imposed so we did not get swept up in the moment.

And so life continued. We told ourselves that desperate times called for desperate measures, and we did the unthinkable. We sampled other brands, choked down their lesser quality fare, and tried to squelch the feelings of guilt we had for straying from our true love. Ultimately, that always led to going back for a ration of our favorites.

Then tragedy struck in September. In our hustle and bustle to get to school and work one morning. The freezer somehow got left partially open. When we returned home that evening, our Blue Bell was ruined! Oh, the humanity! What would we do now? We would have to wait, like everyone else, for the promised Second Coming.

Much like the famous advertisement that proclaimed “When you’re out of Schlitz, you’re out of beer,” we were out of ice cream. There was no substitute to be had.

But hope began to blossom. It was preceded by Internet rumors and the scalawags who like to offer false promises online. Soon, however, it was real… Blue Bell was back. But only in the central Texas area. It’s progression northward and westward was slow, and then frustratingly arrived in Childress and Memphis before landing in our own Lowe’s Family Center this week.

Now, we are made whole again. Our lives are fulfilled and happy. And we have learned an important lesson as we go become engulfed in the magic and miracle that is the Christmas season. We have been taught humility and hardship, but most importantly we have been reminded to hold close to the people… and the ice cream… that we hold most dear. Because we never know when something precious might be taken from us.

We have learned that we must live life to the fullest, and never take for granted that Blue Bell will always be there. This holiday season, treasure it, enjoy it, and share it.

Meanwhile…

The Chamber of Commerce’s “Christmas in Clarendon” has come and gone; and all in all, it was successful. Last Saturday saw a big crowd downtown, shopping with our local merchants, visiting Santa Claus, and enjoying food and special deals on Kearney Street.

Wouldn’t it be great to see that kind of activity every weekend? Our merchants would appreciate it, and it would make a world of difference in our local economy. Every dollar spent at a local store circulates through our town and helps pay taxes for local services, helps local charities, and generally helps our community be more vibrant.

If you didn’t make it downtown last Saturday, remember our local merchants all across town still have plenty of deals for you to take advantage of this season. Let’s make it a merry Christmas for everyone and find those perfect gifts right here at home.