January is when we usually will have our reenacting Christmas party.
December is just too darn busy.
So that's why you see 2023 in the title of today's post.
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It's been since January 2020 that we in the 21st Michigan have had a large Christmas gathering. Covid hit soon after, in March, and though we still had a small gathering in 2021, and another the following year (2022), with each growing in size, we still hadn't had a full-blown party just like the ones we used to know.
But we did this year when even more members showed up!
Besides the oh-so-delicious food, we also danced and played parlor games appropriate to the Civil War era.
And what fun we all had!
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| And quite a few did show up! |
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| Pearl and her ensemble performed the old carols for everyone's enjoyment. |
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| We had quite the feast to eat, including ham, mac & cheese, mashed potatoes, green beans, soup, stuffing, and plenty more food plus desserts. |
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| Some of our beautiful ladies... |
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| Mrs. Cook and my wife. Jean Cook played a large role in Patty & I getting so involved in reenacting. |
Three centuries of Patty & Ken~~~~~:
My wife and I in the 1860s:
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My wife and I in the 1760s.
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| Andy and Miles. |
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| Sue must be telling the Lynches a very exciting story! |
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| Ian, with his sort of hand-held instrument that has the sound and feel of a mountain dulcimer, and Pearl with her fiddle. The two played dance music...parlor music. |
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| A few of our members enjoyed dancing. |
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| I believe they were dancing the Virginia Reel. |
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| I imagine this old school house from 1872 has seen plenty of dances in its day. |
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| I would love to see looks on faces of anyone peeping through the windows, as if they saw ghosts or...Amish people lol. |
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| We also played a variety of parlor games, including the 12 Days/12 Gifts of Christmas, Barnyard Animals, Questions & Answers, and a few others. |
I usually have a small gathering of friends over to my house as a sort of "afterglow" once the party ends at the schoolhouse. I, unfortunately, cannot have everyone over, for I simply don't have enough room, so I have just a few come by. And we'll eat snacks and enjoy each other's company.
I also will sometimes light the candles on our Christmas Tree one last time; oftentimes there are some who have never seen an actual candle-lit tree, and this year was no different.
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| As Larissa wrote when she posted the picture she took: "It’s still Christmas for one more night." |
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| I was glad to be able to light our tree one more time before the Christmas season ended. |
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| I try to keep our room candlelit for this gathering, although... |
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| ...to get a few good pictures I had to turn the lights on, but kept 'em low. |
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| Carrie & Ian's four-year-old daughter loves our rocking horse! |
Christmas is past.
12th Night's the last.
It was so good seeing folks that I haven't seen in ages. I only wish the Civil War side of the reenacting hobby was healthy. I don't buy the silly stories that people-are-concerned-about-protests-of-the-confederate-flag garbage as a reason reenactments are not as plentiful. I think of it as more of an excuse. You want to save the hobby? Come out to the events and stop making excuses why you don't. And get young people involved. Yes, many are interested. You see, I also don't buy the kids-don't-want-to-reenact---they'd-rather-be-on-their-phones garbage either. I see more older people on cell phones than younger people these days. Again, another excuse. The fact that hardly any reenactors showed up at the Port Sanilac event last August says a lot (and I so appreciate those that did come out). Then they've complained that "we need more events!"
Frustration indeed!
But I firmly believe that if we want this hobby to survive and want to keep truth in history alive, we need to get ourselves out to the events first and foremost, turn to the young people and get them interested and involved, and teach them - share our own knowledge with them - and let them allow it to grow. We need to teach them about the past crafts of everyday life long gone, of military life, of the battles, and show them the cool stuff they can do rather than just be bored campers in funny clothes, I believe we can get interest and it will grow. That's our chance. If we don't, then the hobby dies with us.
Just my two cents.
Until next time, see you in time.
Remember:
The Kalamazoo Living History Show on March 18th & 19th.
And...also, look for the Reenactors Shop n Swap at the Eastpointe School House on March 4th.
Yep---take advantage of while you can.
Of course, for some of us, there is no down time...
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