The Alfa Romeo Owners Club is a national organization supported by local chapters, with members in all 50 states, and throughout the world. Our mission is to promote the appreciation of the many facets of Alfa Romeo ownership.
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Buone Feste Alfisti !!!!
Or should that be Elfa? 🙂 Happy Holidays!
True story: The night Santa Claus borrowed my Alfa Romeo
I was reminded recently of a holiday season back in 2002, when I was living in Norfolk, Virginia. I was a Canadian naval officer serving on an 'exchange posting' with the US Navy in Norfolk, VA at the time. The Canadian Admiral serving at the NATO Atlantic Command at the time was also the senior Canadian officer in the USA and he had been the Captain of my 1st operational ship in the mid 1980’s. His name was ‘Dusty’ Miller, and he and his wife Ann lived in a lovely home in Norfolk, where they hosted an annual Holiday Party.
That year I had just recently retrieved my 1969 Spider 1300 Junior from getting a beautiful shiny new coat of red paint and a refreshed interior, and the weather looked great for the party. I was planning to drive my little rag-top to the party. But in the early evening, I heard a big commotion in my backyard. I went out to check on things and switched on the porch lights. I was amazed by what I saw! There, in my large backyard on the James River, was a big old red sleigh, complete with a small team of what looked like harnessed caribou, and a rather large old fellow wearing a Santa suit. I asked him what he thought he was doing, and he told me that he had a party to get to nearby, but had to give his team of what he called “reindeer” a little rest, and that he needed a place to park the sleigh for a while.
He seemed friendly enough, so I got some water and carrots for his animals and asked him where he was going. He told me that he was actually supposed to be at the Canadian Admiral’s party in just a few minutes. Well, THAT was when he took notice of my Spider! Jokingly, he said that he would love to show up in a sexy little Italian car instead of his tired old sleigh. That gave me an idea, and on a whim, I tossed him the keys and said “Just keep the revs below 7500, and bring her back in one piece!” With that... he threw his big bag of goodies into the passenger seat, fired her up, and headed down the driveway yelling “Wooo-hooo! I’m riding in Italian style tonight!”
Anyway, I didn’t want to leave the animals all alone to destroy the yard, so I stuck around. The party was just a few blocks away, and I figured that the old guy would be back pretty soon. Sure enough, he came back about an hour or two later with the car intact, and everything looking ok. He thanked me for the loan of the car and told me about the party.
He said: “As I turned the corner into the street, I could hear the children cheering with excitement. And as I got closer, I could see that there were about 30 youngsters with eyes a-twinkle anticipating my arrival. When I pulled into the driveway in this gorgeous little Italian machine and stopped, one little girl who couldn’t have been more than about 7 years old came to my door and said ‘Hi Santa!’ The look in her eyes told me right away that she truly believed the magic of old ‘Saint Nick’! And, as I got out of the car, she gave me a big hug. So, I grabbed my bag filled with goodies, and we walked ‘knitted-mitten covered’ hand in ‘white-gloved’ hand towards the house, laughing Ho-Ho-Ho as we approached the happy crowd.
Once inside, I sat on a make-shift throne by the fire and listened to the Christmas wishes of the youngsters (and even some adults) who chose to sit on my knee. My elf, the Admiral’s daughter who volunteered to help, handed me small gift packages and goody bags to give the children, and everyone seemed very happy with my visit. Once I was done, I said my goodbyes, waved and drove back here as quickly as i could without getting a ticket, knowing you probably wanted to get to the party before all the great food and the eggnog was gone.”
With that, he hopped in his sleigh, and with a little friendly persuasion to his team, off they went into the darkness. Oddly, although I didn’t see them do it, it sounded to me like they were jingling their collar bells up in the sky as they left. I don’t know for sure though, as it was pretty dark.
Quickly, I embarked in my ‘less conspicuous’ VW Jetta (the kids had already seen my Alfa) and headed to the party for some eggnog, a terrific pot-luck meal complete with cookies, and sang and played some Holiday songs on my guitar with the Admiral (he is a pretty good musician) and the other guests. That ‘Alfa’ memory will always put a smile on my face. I loved that car, and hearing from the kids all about how Santa arrived in a little red sports car is a proud memory for me.
Rev high and Happy Holidays to all you Alfisti and your loved ones!
Buongiorno. Da Tazio, by Walkon Consulting Padova. Autostoriche per passione. Wapp kontakt 39.335.386564 Alessio englisch language
Alfa Romeo Owners Club
Alfas by the Lake – 2024 Alfa National Convention near Petoskey, Michigan, May 28-June 2, 2024
Alfas by the Lake is the 2024 AROC National Convention near Petoskey, Michigan.
Please join us in the northwest corner of Michigan's lower peninsula from May 28-June 2, 2024 for a fun-packed gathering of Alfas old and new, with Alfa owners and lovers from all over the USA and elsewhere!
There is no Pre-convention Tour with this convention, as it is a touring convention!
Convention information can be found by clicking here or contact Registrar Andrea Hammond at stjohnnurse1@aol.com for details.
Note that registration will open on November 15th at 9 AM PST.
There is an unaffiliated track day hosted by the Michigan AROC Chapter on Monday, May 27 at Grattan Raceway in Belden, Michigan. Details can be found on the AROC Michigan website at https://www.aroc-usa.org/mi-09-detroit/
AROC Goes to Italy Tour #7 – June 5-15, 2024
The June 2024 trip sign-up is open for reservation. Get your names on that list by emailing admin@aroc-usa.org.
As with the past six excursions, we’ll begin in northern Italy, visit significant automobile collections and walk among the creations of the world’s giants of art and design. We’ll travel the scenic and historic roads of this most wonderful part of the world and absorb the best of Italian food and culture.
We will visit Brescia for the "Partenza" of the Mille Miglia cars. We anticipate visiting Lamborghini, Pagani and Ducati factories and museums, the Panini and Righini private collections, the Lambretta Museum, and of course spend a full day at Alfa Romeo!
This trip will again be organized in collaboration with our favorite travel partner, Steve Austin’s Great Vacations.
FOR INFORMATION EMAIL: ADMIN@AROC-USA.ORG
Listing of AROC Digital Alfa Romeo Manuals
The Alfa Romeo Owners Club-USA maintains an extensive collection of manuals, in digital format, for use by Alfa owners around the world.
