Lighting the Way

[HostDave]

By Timothy Rubacky, Senior Vice President

I love the holidays. I know it can be a stressful time of year and with the build-up for months, it can sometimes be a letdown. Still, I love it dearly. It might be a cliché to say that the holidays seem to come earlier every year but I do think it’s true. Last night I was watching a sitcom on my DVR and as I was flipping past the commercials, I thought I saw a Christmas tree. A Christmas tree in October? It couldn’t be. I skipped back and, sure enough, it was a commercial for a big retailer featuring a tree decked out in all its Yuletide finery.

The holidays aren’t yet here, but at least according to people who sell us things for those very same holidays, it’s never too soon to start thinking about it. I hate to admit it, but we feel a bit the same way here at the American Queen Steamboat Company. Our Old Fashioned Holiday voyages are coming up in December and we do want folks to book a trip before it’s too late. Unlike the stock of holiday items on a retailer’s shelves which - when they run low - the manager can order more, there are only a certain number of staterooms on our holiday voyages. Once they’re gone; they’re gone. And they’re going fast.

As a relatively new transplant to the South, many of the traditions are new to me and I’ve already identified my favorites. When it comes to holidays on the river, there is absolutely nothing I love more than the bonfires lit on the levees on Christmas Eve to light the way for Papa Noel. It’s one thing to experience this beloved tradition from the shore but quite another to do so from a steamboat on the river.

From shore, you might be gathering with a group of friends after spending the day piling up firewood, packing crates and anything else non-toxic that will burn brightly, uniformly and for an extended period of time. As night falls, someone brings out the eggnog and the spiced cider, carols fill the air and the impressive pile of wood is lit, the flames reflecting off the river and the embers soaring skyward toward the stars. It is a wonderful and memorable experience.

But remember the reason these bonfires are lit in the first place. It is to help guide Santa Claus, known in these parts as Papa Noel, on his route to the houses of good little girls and boys in the dead of night. The bonfires are concentrated on the levees in the original belief that Papa Noel came down the river. It makes sense, since all transportation took place on the river and a child waiting for any item, whether it be clothes, a toy or even firewood or coal for the home, would see it arrive via the Mississippi River.

Now, take the next logical step and think of where the American Queen is sailing. That’s right; we’re cruising right along the Mississippi River past the levees with their bonfires. Being aboard the American Queen at the holidays, you can sit in a rocking chair on the Front Porch of America or stand on the top deck and watch these flickering displays slowly glide past. Those gathered around the bonfires wave and cheer as the boat passes, each fueled by the joy of the season and perhaps the rum in the cider and eggnog as well! As the American Queen paddles her way along the silent Mississippi in between a line of bonfires that stretches far into the dark night, you realize that the boat is the star of the moment.

More importantly, you realize that this must be exactly what Papa Noel feels like as he travels from bonfire to bonfire, from house to house, dropping off treats and toys for the children. Thanks to the unique position of sailing along the river, just as the jolliest of elves does, you can imagine that you’re Papa Noel himself.

This might sound a bit over the top and I suppose in some ways it is. But I can’t emphasize enough how special a holiday trip on an authentic steamboat can be. The decorations, the carols, the spirit of the season, the delicious comforting favorites on the dinner table and the camaraderie of fellow guests all combine to create a vacation you’ll never forget. And standing on deck on Christmas Eve as you float past bonfires, you truly do feel like Papa Noel and your spirit lifts, you face breaks into a smile and you transcend the moment to a place of relaxation, peace and, yes, even joy.

The joy of the season isn’t just a catchphrase. On the American Queen surrounded by levee bonfires, it’s reality.