Christmas Traditions

I treasure keeping traditions alive at Christmas. Just ask my family - I receive a great deal of harassment because I do not like to change the way we do things at the holidays. I believe our family traditions are precious gifts that I pass onto my children and grandchild. When I leave this earth, they will know what I did, why I did it, how I celebrated Christmas, what recipes I always cooked, and the events that I orchestrated each year for my family.

I have fallen behind with blogging, given the hecticness of all things Christmas! Last Friday night our middle daughter and son-in-law went to a favorite Christmas event with us. The flu outbreak has lessened a bit, so after discussing it with my doctor, I decided I would venture out (with a mask and gloves). I hadn't been anywhere since October 1 (except for doctors' appointments) so it was a delight!

Each year, a park about a 40 minute drive from us, opens its Pioneer Christmas Village. Anyone who knows me, knows that I have a deep longing to have lived in pioneer days. I am a big fan of Little House on the Prairie, so this annual event combines many of my favorite things - family, log cabins decorated for Christmas, cold weather (and sometimes snow), and reflections of a simpler way of life.

It was 20 degrees by 7 PM last Friday. My hemoglobin is in the 9 range (very low which makes me short of breath and light headed). However, we trudged on - "over the river and through the woods" - to the cabins (well, we didn't cross a river). Candlelight welcomed us into the different cabins where families in period costumes decorated their trees or cooked caramel apples in Dutch Ovens over their fires. Fresh pine boughs decorated candle arrangements. My mind and eyes absorbed the simplistic beauty of it all.

We returned to our covered wagon, oops, I mean to our car and departed the village and returned to the highways. Cold we were - so cold that our daughter's mouth and brain disconnected for a moment and she informed us, "My froes are tozen!" (That would be "toes are frozen"!)

The evening reminded me of my favorite Little House on the Prairie episode, Christmas at Plum Creek.