Rutherford County Mayor Ernest and Peggy Burgess
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There are only four things that matter for Rutherford County’s first family during the holidays: faith, family, friends and food.
“Priorities change but we’ve all been blessed beyond what we deserve,” Rutherford County Mayor Ernest Burgess said. “It’s our responsibility to share our blessings with others.”
Traditions also change as the family ages and grows but food is definitely the main event Christmas Day in the Burgess household when the county mayor’s family visits for lunch.
Every Christmas Ernest and Peggy Burgess play host to around 35 different family members as children and grandchildren come home for the holiday.
The home, a ranch-style house on Franklin Road, sits on property that’s been in Peggy’s family for generations.
Surrounded by what seems like miles of white fence, the home reflects the signs of the season with red-ribbon wrapped wreaths on the front and a Christmas tree in the window.
Traditional red and green decorations continue inside the home with holly and garland draping the limestone fireplace and a beautifully appointed red and gold Christmas tree marking the season.
The tree is festooned with red and gold ornaments and topped with a golden bow, making the tree a present in and of itself.
Peggy usually puts up a smaller family tree in the den with her children’s favorite ornaments hanging from the branches.
Peggy has put her own touch on the Christmas season with her Santa Claus collection and a nativity scene from a recent trip overseas to Turkey and Germany.
Amid the signs and foods of the season, the family takes time to reflect on their many blessings during Christmas lunch while the Burgess children play Dirty Santa and the grandchildren open gifts.
The mayor said the young ones focus on the gifts they receive while he, his wife and children focus more on the gifts they give.
“We reflect on how blessed our family and country has been,” Ernest said. “We have so much to be thankful for.”
Peggy is thankful for their three children and seven grandchildren, as well as her sister’s family and the mothers of herself and Ernest who all visit for Christmas lunch.
“Now it’s about appreciating the good things we have and sharing that with others, family and friends,” Ernest said.
Peggy shares with others outside the family, too, by visiting local nursing homes and bringing along plates of food and fruit, she said.
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