These Are the Shadows of Christmases That Have Been - Christmas at the Fort 2015

“We shall see shadows of the things that have been,” said the Ghost. “They will have no consciousness of us.”

As the words are spoken, you pass through the wall, and stand upon an open country road, with fields on either hand. The city had entirely vanished. Not a vestige of it was to be seen. The darkness and the mist had vanished with it, for it was a clear, cold, winter day, with snow upon the ground.

You are conscious of a thousand odors floating in the air, each one connected with a thousand thoughts, and hopes, and joys, and cares long, long, forgotten.

(Paraphrased from Stave II of Charles Dickens ‘A Christmas Carol’)

~Welcome to our Home~
The ladies of the house are here to greet you.

Living history can be an amazing experience, and there is nothing else quite like it, I dare say. Through diligent research, those who practice the art of living history learn of the past in such ways that go far beyond what school books and college professors teach; we intently study the more intricate details of lives past, then, as living historians, we attempt to bring those times of long ago to the forefront of the consciousness of not only our modern visitors who have an interest in history, but to all who participate.
It takes a special mindset to become engulfed into the period surroundings to where one can let go of the present and become immersed - engulfed - into another period in time; it's more than acting in a scripted play or movie; living historians many times can effectively emulate those who wrote the diaries and stories we have read. We have even studied the manner of speech to help replicate, to a great extent, times long past.
Are we perfect?
Not by a long shot.
But when you find the right people to join you, transportation to the past can almost eerily magically happen.
Having the right people can and will make all the difference in the world.
Now, in the 21st century I have my real life family, with my wife of 31 years, four children (three boys and a girl), a daughter-in-law, and a grandson (with another on the way).

In my immersion time-travels I also have a living history family, though, for the most part, it is not the same as my 21st century family: a wife (on the couch with me), a mother-in-law (on the right), three (sometimes two, depending) daughters (the youngest, in the center, of which is my actual daughter!).

Larissa (who portrays my wife), Kristen (who portrays our eldest daughter), Violet (who portrays my mother-in-law - Larissa's real-life mother) and myself have operated together in this same capacity for a few years, and we find that we just seem to 'click' in creating an 1860s family.

Of course, as far as the make believe marriage of Larissa and I, there is no concern, for our spouses are both very much aware and have no worries. And why should they? Larissa and I are long-time friends who also work well together professionally.

Our two youngest. 
In our world of living history back story, our eldest daughter (not pictured here) was from my first wife, who had passed on many years ago.
These two young ladies came from Larissa and I.
Funny thing...the young girl on the left is my real-life daughter.

~Sisters~
Ah---here is our eldest daughter reading to her younger siblings.

In my living history family I also have an older sister (sometimes two older sisters and a brother-in-law). Again, we play off each other very well and, as siblings will many times do, tease each other about the dumb things we did when we were young. Jackie does this very well off the cuff.
I don't do too bad either, but I need to work on a few stories.
It does makes for great dinnertime conversations and reminisces, as you shall see.

In this photo you can meet my sister (on the right) and her daughter, sitting up front. 
The servant stands in the back.
Jackie's husband was away on business on this Christmas Eve and was expected home late that evening. Her husband did very well for himself in the mercantile business, therefore affording a large home along the riverfront.

Three sisters and a cousin. 
Since we live on a farm in our back story, our daughters rarely get the chance to visit with their favorite cousin, Andrea, in the big city of Detroit, so our Christmas visits are quite a treat.

Grandmother gives her eldest granddaughter a beautiful new shawl to wear for the special Christmas holiday.

It was mentioned that we didn't do as much strict 1st person as we have done in other years. Initially I agreed with that statement. I agreed, that is, until I began to really think about our conversations and mannerisms that occurred throughout the day.
I mean, what is 1st person? In the living history world it is an attempt to act and speak as closely as possible as those who actually lived in the time we are emulating.
And I believe, for the most part, for this year's Christmas at the Fort we did very well. You see, 1st person is much more than only speaking the way they spoke in the old days. I have seen 1st person in such a way that presents the past as a bunch of stiff, cardboard cut outs straight out of Gone With the Wind.
That makes me cringe----!
I feel we, in our little historical group, have become regular normal people of the 1860s, and this year, more than any other, we spoke in a more natural manner, attempting to lose the Hollywood tripe and strict etiquette that many tend to follow.
Oh, we did follow the etiquette of the time, but not in such a way that made us 'characters,' you know? Not once did I hear of anyone speak of 21st century subjects: no modern politics, no talk of movies, TV, or modern entertainment, no "remember at the last reenactments when we..." - - nothing of the sort.
We also didn't use, in the modern sense, words such as 'cool' or 'awesome' or any other of a number of slang used in the 21st century.
Did we make mistakes?
Oh, you betcha! But we caught and corrected ourselves to a more accurate 1860s verbiage.
And, well...my 'sister' and I did, at one time (and one time only) reference a couple of lyrics from the old Jefferson Airplane song, 'White Rabbit,' in a sort of inside joke, but we were the only two to understand it (and we laughed quite hard, in spite of ourselves), so it didn't necessarily take away from anything we were doing.
Sometimes one just simply cannot help themselves when an opportunity arises.

Here you see my 'wife' and I as we prepare to take a walk and visit some of the city sights.

Our first stop was to visit the men inside the barracks at Fort Wayne. Yes, the War may have ended but men are still on duty and away from their families on this Christmas holiday, so visitors are always welcome.

To help give the barren barracks a Christmas-y look, these soldiers added a bit of greenery.

Two women brought along some Christmas cheer by way of a carol: they were caroling for the men to bring a slice of home to them.

Next we found a southern home - one owned by folks who, though they had been left destitute due to the War, still had their faith in the future.
How can we be in the north and yet still visit the south? Why, that's the magic of living history.

We thought it might be a fine idea to stop over at the local hospital to spread some Christmas cheer to those who will not be with their families due to illness over the Christmas tide.

War never really hits someone until they see the men who have been directly affected by it. And for us that place was the hospital.

And then there were those who were smitten by the pox. We skeedaddled as soon as we played witness to this poor young girl.

Yikes! My poor wife was frightened of the disease-ridden young lady!

On the way back to my sister's house we ran into a trio of carolers. They performed at the barracks, the southern home, the hospital, and even at our own door. They were wonderful and brought the Christmas spirit to all ears that could hear them.

Back to my sister's home we went to partake in celebrating the holiday with family.

As folks pertaining to be from the 1860s, we entertained ourselves much in the same manner as our counterparts would have: by decorating a Christmas tree, singing Christmas Carols, playing parlor games, and even doing a fun craft.

Christine & Rosalia, along with their cousin, Andrea, decorate the feather tree.
So just what is a feather tree?
Here...let me explain (by way of Victoriana Magazine):

Sister's Feather Tree

Yes, it is actually true that the feather tree was considered the first artificial Christmas tree and they were originally made in Germany as early as 1845.  Like many inventions, the tabletop feather tree came about out of necessity. By the mid-19th century, decorated Christmas trees were more popular than ever; however, in Germany deforestation was widespread, especially during the Christmas holiday season.

It had become the fashion to chop off the tip off a large fir tree to use as a Christmas tree; however, this practice prevented the tree from growing taller and thus made it useless as a timber tree. Statutes were enacted to limit people from having more than one tree, hence protecting the forests. With the introduction of the "goosefeather" feather tree, this problem was resolved. Goose feathers were plentiful and these feather trees began to be produced as a cottage industry as the alternative to cutting a live tree. The goose feather tree became the first artificial Victorian Christmas tree. Metal wire or sticks were covered with goose, turkey, ostrich or swan feathers. The feather sticks were drilled into a larger one to resemble the branches on a tree; the feathers were often dyed green to imitate pine needles. The trees were made to resemble the locally growing white pines of the German forestland, so they had wide spaces between their branches, short "needles," and composition "berries" on the end of every branch tip.

My 'sister' and I next to her decorated feather tree.

While the tree was being decorated, Elysabeth and her grandmother sang a carol.

In fact, if you click on the box below, you can watch and listen as this Victorian scene come to life:

When we are back home on our farm, our two youngest girls are busy all day learning the housewifery duties of their mother, while I keep our eldest daughter, Christine, quite busy with me. As Larissa and I have no sons, Christine is treated as if she were a boy (unfortunate for her, but what can I do?) and helps me with the necessary farm chores such as manuring, plowing, harrowing, fence and barn repairs, and caring for the larger animals such as the horses, cows and pigs.

So when an opportunity to do a feminine craft comes along, why, she is always anxious to learn it and teach others.

And she did just that on this Christmas Eve day - we found her teaching the other girls a sewing project...a project involving the making of butterfly jewelry that she had learned.

Christine became a little 'bossy' while showing her family how to make the butterflies - - she even said, "Now, ladies..." as if she were the adult! 
Her mother had to reprimand her and reminded her that she needed to "mind her tongue."

The servant, Agnes, prepared our Christmas Eve dinner.

It was a wonderful dinner of turkey, cranberries, mashed potatoes, vegetables, pickles, cheese, breads...and pumpkin pie!

We had fine conversations, regaling our offspring with humorous tales of our youth. Oh! Did we laugh as we remembered the things we did in days gone by. We each had a story to tell - some quite embarrassing - but all in good fun.

~The servant girl Agnes~
The hardest working living historian I know, for she really does work as our servant the entire time. She answers our call when we would like something to drink, she answers the door when someone knocks, she prepares and serves our meal, and then cleans up afterward.  
And, yes, as the servant, she eats alone in the dim oil lamp light of the kitchen.

Because we have been participating in Christmas at the Fort now for so long, we have been entrusted these last few years to eat in the historic dining room of the home, which in itself is a highlight not only for us as living historians, but for visitors as well, who enjoy seeing "Victorians" dining at Christmas time.

After dinner, some of the ladies sang Christmas carols and played parlor games, much to the delight of the tour groups, who enjoyed watching the past come alive before their eyes.

We must not forget the reason why we were at this beautifully restored historic house in the first place: the paying tour groups. There were something like 12 separate tour groups of people who paid to take a guided two hour historical expedition that included, I believe, seven stops, including the barracks, the southern home, the northern home, the hospital, the southern troops barracks, and a visit with President and Mrs. Lincoln.

The visitors!
Yes, Agnes opened up the door to allow them to enter.
As one from our group stepped through the wall of time to speak to the modern folks and teach them about Christmas past, the rest of those still in the 1860s were oblivious to the people from the 21st century and continued on with their Victorian celebration, which makes for a unique experience for all involved.

A few of us took turns speaking to the folks inside our home. Here you see Larissa give a wonderful historical presentation to a group of visitors who wanted to see Christmas Past come to life.
They did not leave disappointed.

A color photo of my 1860s family.
We certainly enjoy presenting in this manner; we all work very well together and many who watch us "in action" believe we are really an actual family! That right there says a lot.

I hope you enjoyed this latest edition of our Christmas at the Fort excursion. We plan for it all year long and work on ideas to help raise the period bar. Living history is not as easy as it may seem, for far too many become "Hollywood" and tend to give a performance instead of showing life as lived. There may not be any 'lines' for us to learn in this time-travel practice, but there sure is a whole lot of information one must study while weeding through the myths thought and taught as truth. As I've said, we are not perfect, but I like to think we are on our way to "being there." And for us, that's the fun of it all - trying to be "there."
And that's what it's all about - - if you ain't having fun, why are you even doing it?
Until next time, see you in time.

For more information about Historic Fort Wayne, please click HERE
Information about the feather tree came from Victoriana On-Line Magazine









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Welcome Christmas: The Past Meets the Present

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I am an anti-Black Friday person. Only once in my adult life (and I've been considered an adult by some for a mighty long time) have I ever gone shopping on the day after Thanksgiving, and that was over twenty five years ago. The amount of time I wasted waiting in lines to save a few bucks on mostly unnecessary items was so aggravating that I swore I would never do that again.
So far I've made good on my promise.
But, who am I to say on what other people should do, right? If they want to spend their time off in stores, God bless 'em!
So how did I spend this particular "holiday for shoppers"?
Why...visiting the past, of course!
This is the last weekend until April for my favorite open-air museum, Greenfield Village, to be open during the daytime hours, so it is a must for me to make one last stroll along the historic streets before it's shut down.
Just like the first visit of the season (and numerous others during the summer and fall), I always accent my final visit of the season by wearing period clothing. And since there are very few Colonial/RevWar events around these parts (in contrast to a ton of Civil War opportunities), I wore my 1770s clothing again.
Unfortunately, I was, for most of the time, the only period-dressed non-Village employee there. In previous years I have had upward of a dozen or more reenactors join me, but this year I was the lone living historian. Well, until early afternoon when a couple friends from another unit showed up.
I'm sure the down pouring of rain didn't help.
But I won't ever let a little rain stop me from my time-travel adventures!
So...would you like to see how I spent this most important of shopping days?
C'mon! Grab your lantern and head to the past with me - - -

I told you it was raining - - ain't no foolin' 'bout that! 
But sometimes visiting the Village in a cool autumn rain can be just as special as visiting during a 75 degree summer day. At least for me it is, though it's not necessarily good for Greenfield Village, with the visitor count being down on such days. But it can be kind of nice for those of us brave enough to venture out in such weather.

As you can plainly see, the Village is festively decked out for Christmas, awaiting the throngs of thousands who will descend upon these streets during the upcoming December evenings to enjoy the spirits of Christmas past. 
You can bet I will be there!

Now, the very week before this final daytime visit we had a snowstorm here in Michigan, with some areas getting nearly two feet of the white stuff while my general area only receiving a couple inches. Hey! I'll take what I can get (yes, I love snow...at least until spring time, then I'm ready for warmer weather. I'm a four seasons kind of guy). The day after the snowstorm I, of course, grabbed the opportunity and went to the Village to capture the rare glimpse of the Village all snow-covered. The sun was shining and gave a magical glimmer to an otherwise already special place.
So what I thought I would do with this week's Passion for the Past posting is to blend a bit of both visits - November 22 and 27 - and attempt to write a sort of story that has somewhat of a December/Christmas feel for each picture posted here.

My first stop is almost always at the home of Samuel & Anna Daggett, located at the far end of the Village. Oh, the sights I saw on my way...

As I trudged along the wintry road to where the Dagget house stands, I passed the 1870 home and boarding house belonging to Sarah ("Aunt Sally") Jordan, who gave room & board to Thomas Edison's workers at his Menlo Park laboratory.
I could see the Ackley Covered Bridge in the distance...

Ahh! There it is - the gateway to the colonial past! The Ackley Covered Bridge was actually built a half century beyond the colonial era in America's history, in 1832. This bridge is one of my very favorite historic structures in all of Greenfield Village.

Why do I like winter so much? Well, you are about to see...
The beauty that came into view as I moved through the bridge was like a painting.

The scenery was like nothing I've seen before. It's not very often that one is able to visit inside the Village while snow covers the ground, so this day was a major bonus for many of us.

One of my favorite houses, the 1750 home of John Giddings, is rarely open beyond a few plexi-glassed rooms except during special occasions such as the Fall Harvest Weekends and Holiday Nights.

Giddings, a prosperous merchant and shipbuilder, built and lived in this home with his wife and their five children: Mary (1752), John (1754), Dorothy (1758), Mehetabel (1764), and Deborah (1770).
In December of 1790, it became the home of New Hampshire's first Secretary of State, Joseph Pearson, who, inside this house, married Captain Gidding's daughter, Dorothy, in April of 1795.

I would love to have stopped in for a visit (and had it actually been open beyond the doorway, I probably would have!), but I was determined to get to the home of Samuel and Anna Daggett, who lived down the lane a bit.

On the right, there, you see a house that was initially thought to have been built in the 18th century, but after some research and detective work by a few very astute historians, they found that this home, the Susquehanna Plantation, was actually built in the 1840s.
But what's that in the distance? Why...yes, it is the Daggett saltbox house - I was almost there!

I passed the one-room Plympton home as I made my way. The brick from the fireplace states it was built in 1640 \/

Do you see the year 1640 carved into the brick?
The original house that Thomas Plympton built burned down in the early 1700's, with the fireplace you see here the only remaining remnant of its being. The generation of the family who were living there at the time of the fire rebuilt the home around this original chimney. 

The Plympton House from the early 18th century.
And, look...the Daggett House is just beyond!

Samuel Daggett, a housewright, built this saltbox house right around the year 1750.
The saltbox style was a very popular style of architecture in colonial New England. This form gets its name from the similarity in shape to the small chests used for storing salt at that time. The most distinctive feature is the asymmetrical gable roof, which has a short roof plane in the front and a long roof plane in the rear, extending over a lean-to.
It is a beautiful example of distinctive later 17th and 18th century architecture at its finest.

Though 'saltbox' is the most familiar term for its style for us in modern times, those who lived in Connecticut (where this house was originally built) in the 1700s would have called it a 'breakback,' while folks in Massachusetts favored 'lean-to.'  
This style of New England architecture utilized a central chimney, with this one in particular having three fireplace openings on each of the two floors.

As I approached, I found one of the Daggett daughters, Asineth, sweeping the snow off the front porch.

The Daggetts were expecting the arrival of other guests to share and celebrate their abundant harvest, and Asineth wanted to give them a favorable welcome.

Here we see Mr. Daggett himself, using this day as a respite from his normal daily chores, awaits his friends arrival. 
Besides building houses, Samuel Daggett, during the growing season, worked the family farm and grew many different crops and raised several types of animals on his farm, for his family's use or to sell or trade for other things the family needed. From his account book, we know that Mr. Daggett grew wheat, corn, barley, oats and tobacco; made cider from the apples in his orchard; and raised cattle, sheep, pigs and chickens. One would think that would be enough to keep the man plenty busy, but, in order to provide for his family, Daggett also had additional sources of income, including making furniture; he made chairs, spinning wheels and even coffins.
Surprisingly, we find that he pulled aching teeth for his neighbors, a skill he learned from his father.

Mother Anna and daughter Tabitha Daggett work in the kitchen preparing food for the feast.
The home life and daily activities of Anna and her daughters were closely connected to the work of her husband; each family member played an important role in producing food, clothing and household goods for the family. Anna ran the home and cared for the family, prepared and preserved food, spun yarn, made clothing, towels and sheets, gave the children their earliest lessons in reading and writing, and helped to care for their animals like chickens and pigs.
The Daggett daughters, Asenath and Tabitha, learned the skills of "housewifery" from their mother. They prepared yarn by carding and spinning, made clothing, soap and candles, tended the garden, and prepared food.
Like other families in this area of Connecticut, the Daggetts used, sold, or traded items they made for those they needed.

In general, visitors to Greenfield Village are not normally allowed in certain areas of many of the historic structures for varying reasons. However, having been a long-time visitor (over 30 years!) and a trusted friend to many of the presenters and staff, every-so-often I am able to venture into the off-limits areas, accompanied by an employee, of course. At the Daggett house, it's the second floor that is cut off from most visitors, mainly due to the fact that the stairs are spiral-shaped and short-stepped, possibly being a tripping hazard.
On this particular day, with visitors little seen, and given the fact that I was in my period-correct-for-this-home-attire, I was able to get a few interesting pictures to accent my 18th century appearance.

Heading up the spiral stairs to get a better view down the lane to see if the guests could be seen down the lane.

The second floor of the Daggett home, which consisted of mainly two large bedrooms, is very interesting to see, though now it is used as storage.
But for the folks who look up to the second floor from the bottom of the stairs, they will see a table sitting in front of a window, just for scenic purposes, as if the second floor was still used by the owners. The picture below shows that table and what sits upon it:

And there I am, gazing down the lane to see if I can catch a glimpse of the Daggett visitors, who may have been waylaid by the unexpected autumn snowstorm.

Seeing no one on the path, I carefully made my way back down the stairs to the main hall on the first floor.

I must say, there is a very different feeling when one enters a historic home while wearing clothing of the era the house represents. It's almost like...well---a belonging of sorts. I don't know...it's kind of hard to explain. But it really is a feeling like no other.

Well, without the awaited guests, dinner was served, and a fine array of meat, breads, and pickled vegetables was laid upon the table. A veritable colonial feast!

It was unfortunate that I could not stay for too long, for my time in the past drew nigh and there were other places I needed to visit, so it was then that I bid the family Daggett a good day and I was off.

Mr. Daggett kindly allowed me the use of his horse. I was to turn it in at the livery stable in town and they would get it back to him on the morrow.

Til spring time...good day.

To the livery and then to the local tavern where I decided to partake in a warm drink after the cold ride into town. 

Across the Village green I went...
I see the beautiful Martha-Mary Chapel, built right inside Greenfield Village. The bricks and the doors came from the building in which Henry Ford and Clara Bryant were married in 1888 - the Bryant family home in old Greenfield Township (from which the Village name was taken), and the bell, according to the 1933 guide book, was cast by the son of Paul Revere.
The name "Martha-Mary" came from the first names of his mother and mother-in-law.

The gray building on the left is the Logan County (Illinois) Courthouse - the very same one that Abraham Lincoln himself practiced law in.
The little red structure on the right began as a school house in 1838 but was purchased by Doctor Alonson Howard in 1855 and turned into his own doctors office.
(For more on Dr. Howard, please click HERE) 

The local general store and the tavern. 
The JR Jones General Store, built in ca1870 is from the Waterford area of Michigan. And the Eagle Tavern, though it can be a fine substitute for a colonial era structure (mostly on the inside), is actually from around 1831.
(Click HERE for more information on the Eagle Tavern)

 

Yes, I know the colonials did not decorate their tavern windows with wreaths for Christmas, though, contrary to popular belief, many of the era did celebrate the holiday. 
I still enjoy the festive look it gives, don't you?

A fine place to lay one's hat!

A hot cup of cider and I'll be on my way.
The tavern was a fine place to rest before continuing my time-travels. 
My time in the 1770s is done - my next stop will take me about ninety years or so into the future to visit friends from that period.

As I found my way into the 1860s I saw my friends whoI hadn't seen in quite a while walking up the pathway.

It was Mr. and Mrs. Carlson, who traveled clear over from Jackson, Michigan.

Say hello to Mr. and Mrs. Carlson.

Though I had already eaten, I remained in their company, and we spoke about the enjoyment we've had at harvest balls, how well the harvest was, and of the upcoming Christmas Season. I told them of the plans my wife and daughter and I had to visit my sister in the growing city of Detroit for Christmas Eve.

 After spending a while in the wonderful conversations, it was time for me to take my leave, for I still  had a few more stops to make.  

With Christmas upon us, I decided to step over to the JR Jones General Store.

In fact, Mr. Jones himself, looking very fashionable in an Abraham Lincoln-style beard, was manning his shop.

After purchasing a few unique Christmas presents, I found my way to the birthplace of Henry Ford. This was the first house Mr. Ford restored (to the year 1876) and the last one he commissioned to have placed inside the Village before he died.

The Festive Fence of the Ford Farm.

In 1876, the centennial anniversary of the birth of our nation, the patriotic fever was high, similar to our bicentennial in 1976, and the Ford's displayed their American pride by decorating their tree with American flags.

Speaking of farms, next up we have the birthplace of tire magnet Harvey Firestone. Originally built in the earlier part of the 19th century and remodeled in the 1880s (which is the era shown), this is a real working farm with animals, plowing, cooking, cleaning, and all else that goes with life on a Victorian farm. It's one of my favorite places to visit.

The dirt road to the farm, on this day, was covered in snow. The corn shocks in the distance are set for animal feed. If you look above the house and barn you will see a flock of geese flying over head.

Since I have posted often on visiting this farm, I will keep this one short and sweet: today it's all about the sheep. My wife, a spinner and dyer of wool, loves sheep, and she wants a couple for our own home. Well, due to city ordinances, that's not allowed so she gets her sheep-fix by visiting Firestone Farm. Or has me take lots of pictures of them when I visit without her.

Well, there you have my visit to Greenfield Village. As you know, I am there as often as I am able, but, just like researching and reading about history, I cannot seem to get enough of that historical place. The months they are not open, from January through early April, are a bite in the night for me. Thank the good Lord for my pictures, my videos, and my Facebook page (Friends of Greenfield Village) to carry me through that "tough time."

But wait-----there's more!!! Don't click off yet - - - -

~The present~

One of the traditions my wife and I began when we were first married (more than 30 years ago) was to venture out into the country side and cut down a Christmas Tree. This just seemed to be the perfect way to begin the Holiday season - full of tradition and, well, old-timey crafty kinda stuff.  

After a couple years we found what we consider to be the perfect Christmas Tree Farm - Western's in Applegate (located up in Michigan's thumb). And our kids - three of whom are now adults (including one married with a child of his own) - look forward to this fun family day, and they look forward to it every year - my daughter has said this is her favorite day of the Christmas season.

That's really saying something! 

And this year was even more special - - - read on to find out why:

Western's supplies a *free* horse and wagon ride out to the trees. Is this not perfect? Yeah...we love it.

Over the river and through the woods...okay, so we're not going to grandmother's house, but we are definitely way out in the country.
The trees we like are just beyond the horizon.

And here's the reason why this year's Christmas Tree hunt was the best ever: my one year old grandson came out with us for the first time ever! We even gave him the saw to cut the tree down! Yeah...he's a tough little bugger!
Keeping the family traditions alive...

With the tree cut, my two oldest hauled it back to the cabin to get it shaken (not stirred), wrapped, and tied to the van.

Here is a video clip of my kids carrying the tree:

Meanwhile, back at the cabin - - -

My four kids, my daughter-in-law, and my grandson having a warm by the fire.

Oh (heh heh) here they are, warming up their phalanges by the roaring fire.

Feel the heat on a late November day up north.

Santa Claus meets Benjamin. 
Ben would have very little to do with the man with all the toys, but he'll grow to love him, though. Just wait and see.
The guy with the dreads? Why, that's my oldest son. Ben's pop. 

More traditions - - - - - decorating our Christmas Tree - - -

Here is Ben helping his Nonna (Italian for grandma) decorate our tree. He loved to look at it but didn't like touching it - he got pricked by the needles while out at the farm, which gave him cause for not getting too close.

It's a family affair. 
We're one of those families that some people love to hate: homemade eggnog, hammered dulcimer Christmas music playing, lotsa laughing and joking...and we do quite a bit as a family.
I am bless'd.

Here is the finished product.
Hey - - wait just a minute------something isn't quite right...we are an old-fashioned traditional family who many believe lives in the past, right?
Well then, let's give the people what they want:

You want tradition? Well, it isn't our Christmas Tree unless it's candle lit. Yes, that's true. We have been lighting the candles on our trees for over 25 years, and I will tell you, it is a beautiful sight beyond anything you have ever seen.
In fact, click the arrow/link below to see a short video clip of our candle lit tree:

Yep----here's the link \/

Well, there you have my collection of The Past meets the Present photos.
The past: visiting Greenfield Village on Black Friday in all its historical glory.
The past meeting the present: cutting down and then decorating our Christmas Tree -- - - a Christmas just like the ones our generation never really knew.
It is a special time, the Christmas season, if you'll allow yourself to make it that way.
Much more special than shopping your time away...
Until next time, see you in time.












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