Holiday Traditions and Farm Ado
What has this coming season brought to mind?
With the leaves changing colors and now finally falling to their final resting places (unless there is a stiff wind!), I can’t help but begin to get into the holiday spirit.
Pumpkins, squash, and wool sweaters, the children and animals alike have sensed the change.
There’s rumors of inches of snow this coming evening- If you’ve been a Yooper for any length of time, you know that the one thing Yoopers like best is to cackle about coming snow.
The children have already dug out their oft used snow garb and are trekking around outside like it’s their faithful duty to keep an eye on the sky for any change.
Caps, scarves, mittens, turtlenecks, boots and wool socks.
No Coat. (They don’t seem to see the missed point)
The new ram lamb has one of my sweaters on: he was shorn for a festival before he came over The Bridge and isn’t too impressed with his new situation. He now has a complex. So, instead of letting his ladies in waiting see him look so ridiculous, he has decided to stay in his house for now. Fine by me, I don’t want to see him like that either.
The Naked Boy: The Bluefaced Leicester ram lamb pre-sweater. I don’t have a photo of him dressed, I wouldn’t do that to him.
We are not only spiffying up our ram, but our house as well. It only takes one long winter to figure out what you want your house to be like before the next one. One of my lovely friends sat down with a cup of coffee here shortly after some new wallpaper went up and declared, “You will enjoy the winter in here, for sure.” Aspirations.
When I was young my family’s favorite holiday was Halloween (and still seems to be). My sister and mother and I would pull the familiar, vintage-y Halloween décor and Fall keepsakes out of the china cabinet in the corner of the dining room and drape the house.
My mother hated Christmas so we wrapped each others’ presents and it was my sister and I’s duty to decorate the Christmas tree and annoy her with Christmas CD’s on “repeat.”
As an adult with my own children and new beginnings in the UP, it’s now a blank slate. We try different dishes each holiday to see what we like best and will “stick” from year to year. One Christmas season Steve and I rented an Italian cookbook from the library and decided that we were going to put on a bonafide Italian feast for Christmas. I think I got tired before I even started and went with the Tried and Trues.
Every year brings new wonders and opportunities and I like to plan for them more than “do.” Even just writing lists makes me happy, whether they get done or not is of no consequence.
But, two things are certain: there is always a pie, and there’s few things more frustrating than putting tiny fingers into individual glove slots. This may be a mitten-only year.
I hope you are seeing your blessings already this season, we are so looking forward to what the future brings.