A Holiday Celebration Complete With a Santa Sighting
“If you want a story to live on, you have to do more than remember it. You have to share it.”
I think more about my childhood at Christmas than any other time of year. I remember family traditions. Old stories. People who aren’t around anymore, but still feel close.
Recently, I took my family into the mountains to cut down a Christmas tree. It wasn’t fancy. We bought a permit, hiked through the forest, argued about which tree was “the one,” and dragged it back to the truck. It took most of the day.
And it was perfect.
There were some moments that may not have been ideal, but the time together sharing the experience was perfect. We were creating memories without realizing it.
As we get older, we start to understand that traditions come from connection. The stories that come from activities have a way of helping us remember who shaped us and how those moments still guide us. Stories passed down through families are what link generations together.
Some stories stay alive because they’re told again and again. Others need help. Someone has to decide they matter enough to preserve. That idea has really stuck with me after a conversation I had with Bob Weis.
Bob shared a Christmas story from his childhood that centered on his father. Every year, his father would pull out the same magazine and read the same story aloud. It became a tradition the whole family looked forward to.
As the years passed, that story took on deeper meaning. When Bob’s father could no longer read it himself, Bob realized how fragile those traditions can be if no one steps in to protect them. Instead of letting the story fade, Bob decided to preserve it.
He partnered with Diane Fredel Weis to bring the story to life in a completely new way. Together, they assembled a talented team to transform a simple magazine story into a fully produced audio experience. They found the right narrator in Patrick Warburton, layered in music, sound design, and authentic aviation voices. Every detail was intentional.
What a way to honor a family story and making sure it could be shared for generations. That’s a quiet kind of leadership. Seeing something meaningful and deciding it’s worth the effort to preserve.
Take time this holiday season to remember that stories connect us, imagination still matters, that sometimes the greatest gift we can give is making sure the stories that shaped us don’t get lost.
Reindeer on Radar
Based on The Red Raider by Frank Kingston Smith, first published by Flying magazine.
Narrated by Patrick Warburton.
Produced by Bob Weis and Diane Fredel Weis.
Music by Alex Clements.
Sound Design by Dave Wallace.
You can find the Reindeer on Radar story narrated by Patrick Warburton, Reindeer on Radar story narrated by Patrick Warburton, without the commentary from Bob and Jody, here.
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